My daughter is now in kindergarten after three years at Wellesley Montessori, and she is thriving!…read more I credit the wonderful teachers and staff for giving her the building blocks to be successful in her kindergarten year. My son is in his second year, and he has made amazing strides from toddler life to being a pre-K student. He loves his teachers (a different room from his sister, but just as wonderful) and will be as ready for kindergarten as her sister. The families at the school are wonderful as well, and I feel like it's been an amazing home away from home for my kids. I will be sad when my youngest moves on from the school. They both learned so much, had so much fun, and made great friends! It's also been a practical choice for our family -- with two working parents, the ability to have our kids there from 7:30-5:30 has been a life saver!!

Not the school it used to be... This used to be a great…read moreschool, and it still has some good teachers (not all, teaching staff is mixed), but with the loss of Miss Martha, a teacher there for 20+ years, the addition of a relatively new director, who has no imagination or problem-solving skills, does not know the local area, and is not very nice to the children, the school has taken a nose dive. Combine that with a tiny playground, not a lot of indoor space, and you do not have a great situation.

We removed our child mid-year due to concerns we felt we were not addressed adequately…read more I was very transparent and forthcoming during the enrollment process, but I do not feel that was reciprocated. I would have made a different decision. Ultimately, leaving was the best decision in our case. Particularly if you have a 2E student, I would not recommend this setting.

Their summer program has changed. It's shorter and doesn't have the same classes. When I called I…read morespoke to someone who told me things that were not supported the content on the website. Disturbing in and if itself. I've been watching their website since last year when my son indicated his favorite counselors said they would not be back next year when they said their goodbyes. There was no new content on their site as of January and when things changed there was just a splash screen pointing you somewhere else. On the advice of a friend and fellow parent of two campers we have signed up somewhere else. Another one of our friends who signed up before talking to us has had a terrible experience with scheduling. There are only two week classes, not four as it has always been. Why would you pay the same for two duplicate sessions? Clearly there are changes happening but we never thought anything was broken and we are the ones writing the checks to someplace else.

We've had two children attend Gardengate Academy, and we've had a wonderful experience. The…read moreteachers are warm and caring, and work hard every day to help our kids grow, become confident in themselves, and explore nature and their own creativity. We've recommended Gardengate to many other families, and feel so fortunate that we've ended up there. Our kids have thrived and love their teachers and the whole Gardengate community.

My entire family loves Gardengate (GG). If you are considering GG for your child(ren), I strongly…read moreurge you to set up a tour, and you will quickly know you've found the right place. We came to GG a year and a half ago from one of the large, corporate day care centers in the area. GG is the fourth center we've had experience with, and we could not be happier that we made the switch. In no particular order, here are a few reasons why we love GG, and why I believe your family will, as well. 1) Family Culture over Corporate Culture: While Gardengate offers the scale and resources of a large daycare center, it feels like an extension of our family. From the owner (Gabi), to the director (Salam) and all the teachers, their love for the kids is obvious. And given the size of GG, it has an intimate feeling that extends beyond the school's walls; we really feel like we're a part of a larger GG family with the rest of the GG kids & parents. At the corporate chains, we often felt like our kids were inventory being pushed through an assembly line depending upon the center's needs rather than our kids'. But at GG, Gabi and her team really focus on what's best for the kids. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. 2) Flexibility and Responsiveness: Aligning with the Reggio teaching style, they have always been flexible in how they manage the center. In each case that we've provided feedback, I have been astonished at how quickly and decisively they took action. Gabi's commitment to the center and the well being of "her kids" is undeniable, and her ability to adapt is a benefit to the GG families and will ensure the business thrives in the long term. 3) Learning Experience: Here's where the Reggio comes in. I admit, I was skeptical of this approach to education that goes against the textbook approach I was raised with - but I've been converted. They really emphasize getting the kids out of the classroom and outside - because life doesn't happen within the confines of 4 walls! And when they go back to the classroom, they bring their observations and lessons from outdoors back into the classroom. I am so happy to know that my kids are outside, taking long walks beyond GG's property lines to observe and nature and enjoy it's beauty. They can learn to count using acorns in the fresh air rather than some plastic in a stuffy classroom. If it's a little cold out, they'll wear hats and mittens. If it's hot, water play in their swim gear. If it's raining a little, rain boots! Life doesn't happen in a bubble, even if our paternal/maternal instincts wish that it could. 4) COVID-19 Response: I would be remiss to not touch upon the way Gabi handled the pandemic and the crisis that surrounded it. While I hope the specific considerations are not relevant to future readers, it is an absolute testament to how she runs this business, responds to crisis, and navigates uncharted waters. First and foremost, it was utterly clear that her heart was broken when she was forced to shut the doors. Not because of the financial impact, but because she understood the predicament that her families and teachers would be in and she felt badly that she could not continue to offer her support due to the State's orders. But Gabi is on top of things. She proactively issued an abatement on tuition AND somehow managed to take care of her teachers. And when we finally got word that daycares would be able to open in Phase 2, Gabi was all over it, and GG was one of the earliest centers to reopen while many other smaller centers across the state simply couldn't survive the pandemic. I can't tell you how she did it, but by God she found a way, and earned massive respect as both a small business owner and a leader in my eyes. There are dozens of other little things I could go on about, but I'll spare you from more rambling. I can't promise that Gardengate is the perfect fit for every family, but I can tell you it's the best fit for mine and I hope you will give this wonderful team the opportunity to show you why.

If I could give 0 of 5 I would. Anytime they can't accomplish something they promised they could…read morethey blame the kid and shame the parents. I waited 2 years to write this and I've had 3 other families tell me what a horrible experience they also had. They told me my kid was the hardest kid they have had in 30 years -- and if that's the case I'd be FLOORED. No behavioral issues. No acting out. Nothing. Bad behaviors have emerged with other kids during their time there. They have no concept of what age appropriate behavior is. The man is nice but the woman is a nightmare. Steer clear. I wouldn't send my younger there if they paid me.

Phenomenal pre-k program with ownership and staff that truly care about your child. I love the…read moreamount of time they spend outdoors, special creative projects, and immersive learning themes. My daughter has excelled and as a first time parent with no family in the area, they coached us through major milestones like potty training. I was nervous to leave her on her first week and got pictures and videos to reassure that she was doing well and making new friends. My child looks forward to going to school and we learned how special PB is when we went to a nearby summer program after the school year was over. She asked everyday to go back to PB. They also have special events and shows for holidays. There was even a special Mother's and Father's Day gift that we'll cherish forever.

The worst thing I can say about this place is that we found it too late. You get paragraph long…read moreemails with multiple pictures EVERY DAY of what skill they worked on. The communication is awesome! The classes are great, the teachers are wonderful and they use the entire college campus as a learning zone. They have science classes at the college science center. They visit the college President, they have the early education professors read to them. The college interns build a vegetable garden with them. They have yoga and music class with this guy Philip. They keep the kiddo to parent ratio down with the help of the college interns. I can't say how happy my son was. At the end of the year they give you a binder with all those pictures, it's cute! I pulled him out of a bad day care and didn't know how good a place was until I put him in Regis. Highly recommend checking it out. The down side, the place is expensive. It is the price of Beginnings School in Weston yet they have more days off (they are closed during college breaks). But like I said, I would pay it again because we thought it was worth every penny.

From the owner: The Regis Children’s Center (RCC) enrolls children 15 months through kindergarten. Our toddler,…read morepreschool, and kindergarten programs are located on Regis' campus in Angela Hall. RCC provides child care and education services to children of Regis employees, students and families of surrounding communities. We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with morning, part-day and full-day options for enrollment.

Update: Joe reached out to me right away explaining that Junior Discovery camp's emphasis is on…read moresafety and friendly camp environment. Starting 2nd grade is when Linx has more activities for children. He also assured that he will take proper steps to adjust the way comments are being delivered to parents at drop-off and pick-up. Overall, it was nice to see that Linx camp follows up on parents reviews and is willing to improve its ways going forward. Initial Review (1 star): Poor quality to cost ratio. The camp is expensive, but activities are limited. In Junior camps, for $800 a week, kids do absolutely nothing. In Linx camp 1st grade kids sing nursery rhymes and play with sprinkles while in other similarly-priced camps 1st grade kids do archery, boating and woodworking. Drop-off and pick-up are stressful. Worst of all, the main guy (Joe, from the Welcome video) who directs traffic is screaming at the top of his lungs at parents for making a wrong turn or not having a blinker on. This yelling at parents is completely inappropriate and serves a bad example for children who attend the camp. I will not be signing up again for this camp, and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Superior experience for ever age child!read more