My two daughters attended S.M.A.R.T. Beginnings from 2020-2022. My oldest was 3 years old when she…read morebegan and my youngest was age 1. This center will always hold a special place in my heart. Once my youngest began attending at the age of 1....never attending a daycare previously...cried every day for 1 month when I dropped her off (as Katie mentioned was completely normal), I still knew that she was in amazing hands. Exactly 1 month later, as Katie had mentioned, she stopped crying, jumping out of my hands to run to her favorite caregiver at the time. I really enjoyed the parental communication system through HiMama. The reports were always very detailed regarding my children's day-to-day activities. If medicine was required to be given to my children, they would indicate the time it was given. It was a big help for me to see photos and detailed reports on my children. It made me feel like I was right there with them. I knew I could always trust the staff to take care of my children. However, the biggest impact for me concerned my oldest child. I cannot thank Regina, Rachel and Erin enough for what they provided for my daughter. My oldest has special needs. I did not know this right away. 2 years into the future, before she began kindergarten, my daughter received an Autism diagnosis. Yet, prior to that diagnosis, I quickly noticed that several staff here were very well-trained and knowledgeable of interacting with and caring for children with special needs. Most daycares honestly have NO IDEA what to do with special needs children. Yet SMART Beginnings knows EXACTLY what to do. When my daughters' behavior reached maximum intensity, Regina contacted me right away to explain in detail what was going on. I asked her what she recommended. She mentioned behavior counseling and referred me to someone she personally knew locally. With Regina's extensive background in Education, as well as her extensive experience in working with special needs children as a former educator, she created my daughter's first ever B.I.P. (Behavior Intervention Plan). It was a major rollercoaster and learning experience leading up to my daughter's first diagnosis, as well as after the diagnosis. Flash forward to the present, she currently has diagnosis spanning from Autism, ADHD, ODD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Yet I always knew that this daycare would be the ONLY daycare that I would truly feel comfortable leaving my special needs child in..... all because of the extensive knowledge, skill and background of the Director, Mrs. Regina, and the other staff. Also, just to add, when COVID began and most daycares shut down temporarily due to the outbreak, SMART Beginnings was LITERALLLY the only daycare in Ocean Springs that managed to stay open during the entire epidemic, implementing detailed instructions on how to manage the pandemic within the center in order to keep the staff and the children as safe as possible. I believe this speaks volumes about this center! So, in closing, this is why SMART Beginnings will always have a special place in my heart. They showed me how much they truly loved and cared about my children. They helped form a solid foundation of attempting to understand my daughter's needs, her struggles and her triggers, to develop a plan to best support her. The only reason why my kids' attendance ceased is because I had to move to Gautier. If we never moved, my girls would still be there in afterschool care.

I have worked at SMART Beginnings for over 3 years and I can truly say this place gets better and…read morebetter. From the directors, teachers, parents and children, it is all around AMAZING! They have curriculum from infants all the way up to kindergarten readiness!

So if your like me and have both family members working full time and you have kids that are to…read moreyoung to go to kindergarten but are old enough to go to preschool then why not send them to the YMCA located in Ocean Springs?! Thats exactly what I did and I dont regret it once! So actually this was the first time I have ever used preschool or childcare in my life so I didnt know what to expect but went through with it anyways because it was the only choice to do if I wanted my spouse to work and get paid. I gave them a call asking if they had any openings for my child's age and luckily they did. I dropped by filled out the paper work and got her shots up to date ( which is a must if enrolling them) and in no time it was her first week. You are allowed to send them 5 days a week or even just 2 or 3 days if you just wanted them to get out of the house and interact with other kids to get that social life going. We went ahead and picked the 5 days a week and paid monthly which you have options to pay weekly, bi weekly, or monthly. We didnt know what to expect with our kid since she has never been to any preschool or childcare before and is a little clingy but the staff kept on telling us she will adapt and it just takes time. So in no time she adapted and really enjoyed going there meeting with all her other little friends playing while learning. The staff is outstanding from everyone of the teachers to the young ladies who help out in the afternoon. They have a snack in the morning, have lunch, take a 2 hour nap and have another snack later in the day. They also go outside and have a pretty nice playground located in the back when the weather is nice out. You must provide you own diapers and wipes and a mat to sleep on with a blanket. We been here now for 8 months and we can tell she has been learning so much and everyday they give you a note that tells you how your kids was as if she ate or not, her attitude, if she took a nap or not and so on. As per holidays there closed on all major holidays but for other holidays such as Columbus day, MLK day, Presidents day they are open. So overall this YMCA and staff is doing great and I dont regret once sending our kids there! She learns a lot, has fun, and gets out of the house and plays with her friends while Mama and daddy are making that money! Dont hesitate and send them now!

From the owner: The Blossman YMCA Preschool Child Care Center is dedicated to providing a safe, healthy and…read morepositive learning environment for children ages one to five years old. Our goal is to promote social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth of young children through developmentally appropriate activities and experiences while considering individual needs, temperament and learning styles.

Amazing staff and great childcare! I absolutely love Mrs. Sharita. She is phenomenal with my…read morechildren and they love her so much. I love the cleanliness of the center. All the interactions with staff have been great as well. I recommend to everyone.

From the owner: Dream is an early child development center focused on learning and providing quality care for all…read morechildren.

I went here as a kid and hated it the counselors was very mean and one time we was playing kickball…read moreand one of the girl counselors saw me on base and threw the ball at my head mind you she is a basketball player and that throw could've gave me a concussion and another counselor he just targeted me for no reason and one day I said dang and he gonna believe two other kids that I said the F word and he gave me 40 minutes of time out for a word that I did not say

Just to let everyone know, if a counselor breaks your child's thumb (accidentally), ITZ will just…read moreshrug and say "not on us" and then you're stuck with a doctor bill.

The owner of this establishment allows college students to come in for lab. My daughter was in…read morethere for a lab on Friday, November 1, 2019. The owner was changing a lightbulb. My daughter asked one time for her to sign her book....the owner yelled at her and said, ""Can't you see I'm a little tied up here?". My daughter continued to relate the incident...'she got down off the ladder, grabbed the book out of her hands, and yelled, "Where do you need me to sign?"...'after she signed the book, she started to criticize my daughter in front of her assistant.' My daughter called me, and related the incident. I went to the daycare to complain, and she tried to tell me that my daughter told her several times to sign her book....I then replied back to her, "I know my daughter, and she would have not have behaved in this fashion; and, that she is a very patient person." This owner lied to me..and, also behaved in a very UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER.....This owner should be an example ESPECIALLY to college students...and treat them with respect. If you are thinking about letting your college student do work or labs, there, I would think twice. This daycare has a Bible verse on their sign...they need to take their own Biblical advice.

From the owner: Location Facts: Conveniently located on Popps Ferry Rd…read morebetween Cedar Lake Rd and D’Iberville Blvd.

My 4 year old has been attending Kid Academy for almost 3 years and we absolutely love it! He…read moresurprises us with all that he learns. The teachers are great and communicate well with parents. The school always put on events that are fun for the whole family. I believe my child will be well prepared for kindergarten thanks to this pre-school.

DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO KID ACADEMY IN GULFPORT ON PASS ROAD!!!…read more PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ!! I am at a loss of words. My heart is shattered. Yesterday I dropped Poppy off for her FIRST AND LAST DAY at this daycare. I took her in at 7:30AM, unpacked her diapers and wipes, got her cubby set up, got her situated, made her feel as comfortable as possible, and trusted that this facility would keep our daughter safe. As most children, she cried when I left. Queue the heartbreak already. So I called during my lunch to check on her at 12:05PM. From there I was told she was sleeping, had calmed down shortly after I left, and was sleeping on her mat. Great!! She was sleeping! I walked in to pick her up at 3:06PM. A worker who worked in the room next to hers was holding her. I asked how her day went, she said she was fine, and she did have to let her "cry it out because she had other children to attend to." She handed me her paper log, I asked what do I need to take home for the day, grabbed the belongings, picked up Poppy, and left. We get home, I go to change her diaper..and see this. A large bruise on her privates, and a large bruise on her leg. Both of which align perfectly with a finger print and a thumb print. (in my opinion) Fast forward after the many calls, texts and chaos that occurred, we take her to the ER to verify nothing internal had happened, and documentation. Luckily, the scans showed nothing. Praise God. However, the word "force" was used from the Doctor who saw us, and hearing that word used against a baby makes you sick to your stomach. In between this, I spoke with the Executive Director Matt Dickens and a woman named Jennifer. Who informed me the worker will be placed on leave while they conduct their investigation. And that they will be reviewing the cameras to see what happened. And will give me a call after their investigation to update me. HOW DOES A BRUISE, LET ALONE THAT LARGE GET ON A CHILDS PRIVATES?? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! We have filed a CPS Report against this daycare. We have filed a police report against this daycare. We have contacted the Better Business Bureau. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE!!! Please please please, do not send your child here! She was in their care for less than 8 hours for one day. God knows what's actually happening there and being missed.

The manager is absolutely unprofessional I worked there and did everything absolutely right and did…read moreeverything I was supposed to do I loved each and everyone of those kids that I taught and I was wrongfully fired I don't recommend working here or bringing your child.

The staff at Little People's are amazing, they truly treat all the children as their own. This is…read morethe best childcare and school.They teach the children the way we were taught back when I was in school in the 70's and 80's. My granddaughter is learning math and science in kindergarten. You cannot ask for a better school and teachers and staff that truly genuinely care about the children and their growth and life thank you all of the staff for everything you do for all of our grandchildren and children. Marie