I'm always on the look out for services for my friends (and my daughters friends) that have small…read morechildren. Today I decided to get all the information about the new Pre-K that just opened up in the new building near my apartment. It's brand new and welcoming. I met the Assistant Principal who immediately met me at the door. Classrooms are so cute and look like the children will have so much fun. Everything is brand new. As soon as you enter there's security at the door in the lobby. Our Mayor has said Pre-K for all. I can see he means business after my visit to this preschool. I'm adding this to Yelp to get the word out in my neighborhood. I taught Head Start for years. I'm a firm believer that most of what you need to know in life you learn by age 5! If you know anyone that can use this service refer them. I'm sure the classes will fill up quickly.

We couldn't be happier with this center! Ms. Marina and Ms. Diane are the kindest people that will…read morereally get to know your child and will surround them with kindness and appropriate activities. Our kids grew so much throughout the year here. Both 3k and 4k programs are available and this center is in high demand and the highest ranked prek center on Upper East Side.

We have been at Sunshine Lexington for a year and a half so far. My daughter started at 5.5 months…read moreold, so we began in the youngest babies classroom. We absolutely love it there, and so does our daughter. The teachers are wonderful, evidenced by the almost zero turnover I've seen since we started. The Tadpoles app is a great way to communicate, and you know what they're eating/drinking, when they have diaper changes or use the toilet, when they nap and for how long, and receive photos and videos throughout the day. In addition to the daily Tadpoles updates, there is also the opportunity to sign up for phone calls with the teachers, email teachers directly, and there is a monthly meeting over zoom (recorded and sent with presentation deck after as well) to keep you updated on everything happening. They also make it easy to connect with fellow parents by sharing parent contact info, having designated WhatsApp threads for each classroom, and hosting social events (including adults-only events). I have also been impressed with the curriculum and amazing programs. This year, my daughter had music class, Spanish class, soccer lessons, and yoga lessons! She absolutely loves doing her yoga moves at home and telling me the Spanish words she knows! What I find most helpful though is the guidance and support on when and how to hit certain milestones, including support on starting solid foods, when to switch from bottle to sippy cup, when to switch from sippy cup to open cup, etc. Right now, my daughter is in the beginning stages of potty training, and her excitement for the process started because of the encouragement happening at school. We're so glad we chose Sunshine Lexington!

We have been part of Sunshine for almost 4 years - and I must say our 5 year old has grown into a…read moreconfident young boy. He was introduced to a wide variety of subjects like - art, music, soccer, chess, crafts, phonetics, reading, writing, technology, yoga, exercise, dance, social study... They have an excellent schedule for summer and equally engaging curriculum for winters. My son comes back home talking about concepts he has learnt in school and looks happy on most days. He has always been ahead of the curve in doing things by himself, reading, writing... He also got through the G&T exams based on what he learnt at Sunshine. The principal, teachers and staff are professional, kind and really hard working - they teach kids to be independent, self reliant and confident. The center itself is very clean, hygienic and feels brand new (for the last 4 years). My only complaint was quick transitions from one class to another which brought in instability when my son was young. But it settled down when he turned 3. There was a high turnover rate in the initial few months but we have been seeing same teachers for the last 2 years and that makes us and our son very happy. WE HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH SUNSHINE AND EXTREMELY SAD TO MOVE ON.

Our son has been loving going here for the past two years. He made a lot of amazing friends and…read morelooks forward to going every morning. We are excited for our daughter to start next year.

From the owner: A window to the world for young children and their families…read more.. The preschool years are a crucial window in a child's academic, social and cultural development. In the few years spent at The International Preschools, a child will develop not only academic skills but also social skills and cultural attitudes. At The International Preschools, where English language learners are welcomed and supported, children and families from New York City and all over the world share their cultures and gain a sense of international awareness through mutual understanding and respect. Through play, we promote the cognitive, emotional, social and physical growth of each child in a nurturing atmosphere. With schools in multiple Manhattan neighborhoods children may attend school close to home while their families are part of a large and vibrant parent and faculty network. The size of The International Preschools allows us to be a laboratory for curriculum development, including a rich variety of specialty activities based on early childhood educational research and good practices.

The complete name is Imagine Early Learning Center. It's a great private preschool. It's affiliated…read morewith Mount Sinai Hospital. There are several more locations throughout the city and other boroughs as well. Check out their website for locations, open spots, and job positions: imagineelc.com

The Park Avenue POA is run by an incredibly competent, and hard working staff. During our initial…read moretour we were immediately impressed with how organized and professional the Director was. We knew that this preschool would be the one for our little girl and we patiently opted to stay on the waitlist and turned down other schools until a spot opened up. The Director and teachers helped us with the difficult transition from a nanny to preschool for our 3 year old. The Director has extensive experience working with young children, gives great advice, and is always supportive - never judgmental. Our daughter has been at the school for 1.5 years. The teachers are caring, warm, and attentive. They have weekly learning themes and encourage creativity, kindness, and collaboration. Our daughter has flourished at the preschool and is demonstrating more self-confidence, and stronger social skills. She is already trying to read and write, and is interested in math, and solving puzzles - which we know comes from the encouragement of her teachers as we rarely have time to work with her at home. We also love the fact that the program includes Spanish, Mandarin, music, dance, kung fu, and art lessons. We also signed her up for additional enrichment classes including ballet, soccer, and hip hop which we are grateful to have through the preschool. The enrichment programs are convenient since they are offered during preschool hours at the gym.

My son went to POA on Park Avenue for exactly 6 months. He cried every day before I dropped him…read moreoff. One day I saw how a teacher treated another kid with a running nose: she was violent, demeaning to the child and blowed his nose really hard! After three months, my son's teacher quit and when I went to ask why I was told by the director that once teachers found "better jobs" they would often quit. I do not think she was bright enough to even realize what she was saying. I also started to be suspicious because in their daily report they always said that my son ate all his fruit. My son DOES NOT eat fruit, so I knew something was not right there. While my son was there (he was in the Butterfly room) he had 3 different teachers. The kids spent a large part of the day stuck in chairs and there was an awful smell of urine in the entrance. No ramp was available for strollers not to mention the fact that the owners had been convicted of embezzlement for faud regarding the lunch program. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/nyregion/couple-accused-of-stealing-food-money-from-red-apple-preschools.html?_r=0 As soon as he left, he gained 5 pounds in a month and started to walk. He was 16 months when he started to walk! I wanted the day care to work out but after all this I was very happy to find a good nanny for my child.

If I were to describe THIS in one word, it would be disappointing…read more My daughter attended their Pre-K program and I was very unhappy with the staff, safety and general organization of this school. The school has a security system where you have to buzz, sign in and show ID. The few times I picked my daughter up I had to do neither - and I am not the one who usually picks her up so they don't know me. One time when I came to get my daughter (showing no ID), when I asked for her, a member of the administrative staff said "oh your daughter left with her father hours ago." Umm no, I just left her dad at home, so no he didn't pick her up. When I told the staff member this, I was greeted with a shrug. A shrug?!?! You just told me that a strange man picked up my child "hours ago" and I get a shrug?!?! Seriously?!?! Thankfully, I saw my daughter scamper by out of the corner of my eye. My husband spoke with the head of the school and she apologized - yeah for taking 10 years off my life. If you don't know where a child is THEN KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! You don't tell a parent that she left hours ago when she didn't - especially when you have an unenforced security process. The school also has an exceptionally long nap time policy. 30 minutes of quiet time followed by almost 90 minutes of nap time. If you don't want your child to nap (my daughter doesn't need to nap let alone for almost 90 minutes), they offer you the option of having a teacher color with your child. This option lasted about 2 weeks, then they told my daughter to lay down and "make sure the other kids don't get up." That is absurd. One of the teachers felt it was too much work to help my daughter with her winter coat, so she told her to tell us to buy her another one and that "She didn't like the coat." My daughter came home in tears. The teacher harped on the coat issue several times and wouldn't let it go. Who is she to tell me to buy another winter coat??? The reason why I gave the school 2 stars instead of 1 is because at the end of the day, my daughter enjoyed most of her time at THIS. The teacher who gave her a hard time about the coat was let go mid semester. Miss Rebecca, the Pre-K teacher is the only reason I didn't pull my daughter out mid semester. She is a great teacher and wonderful with the kids. I also want to be clear, my daughter is not special needs. She is an exceptionally bright child (scored in the 99th percentile on the Gifted & Talented test) and is happy and well adjusted. She doesn't need more attention that any other child and she doesn't have any behavioral issues. THIS needs to get their act together.

I spent quite amount of time researching preschools around the Upper East Side, however, from the…read moremoment I set foot inside I knew this is where I would send my child. The school encourages learning through play with teachings in math, science, language and arts. My 2.5 year old enjoys his yoga, dramatic play and especially his music and movement classes and comes home singing songs all of the time! He also makes trips to the library once a week and is slowly learning to read and write. I also find it ideal that the school offers a private outdoor playground. The teachers and staff are very caring and attentive and the School Director Ms. Nenita is an absolute pleasure to deal with and is a true professional. The school is opened year-round and offers a summer program! It's a little costly, however definitely worth it.