I pick up my niece from NGCC twice a week and I wish there was a center like this around me for my…read morefamily. Every time I go in , it is so clean. Everyone at the front is friendly and helpful. They even helped me with questions for a childcare search in my area. They offer all meals in house and they do laundry! I don't pick up often but when I do I always feel welcome .

From the owner: Welcome to Next Generation Children's Center, located at 15 Strathmore Rd, Natick, Massachusetts…read more We offer full‑service daycare, preschool, and pre‑K programs for children ages 6 weeks through 8 years (and school‑age/aftercare options available). Our state‑licensed center blends nurturing care with a play‑based, developmentally appropriate curriculum across all domains -- social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. With multiple indoor play spaces and three age‑specific outdoor playgrounds, safety and engagement are our priorities. Serving families throughout Natick and surrounding communities like Wellesley, Wayland, Framingham, and Sherborn, we're committed to helping each child grow, learn, and thrive every day.

Not only is this daycare phenomenal, the approach to learning is unique and encourages kids to grow…read moreand develop at their own pace. Great appreciation for nature and natural learning. This is one of the best schools around.

This is an absolute gem. A true nursery for working parents that is run as a nature school. Feel so…read morelucky that we found it, and that both our kids have been able to attend. The teachers and administrator are gifted and loving, the environment is nurturing and my kids have learned and grown so much. Despite having very different emotional needs and intellectual tendencies both found everything they needed at FCNS.

Our daughter started at Kiddie Academy when she had just turned 18 months and she's been there for…read moreabout a month and a half so far and... we LOVE it! We did not visit many daycares before settling on this one, but we had spoken to friends who had visited 20+ places around the area and we went to the one that had ended up at the top of their list and it was .... fine... but a little sad, a little run down, a little crowded. The food provided was all pizza, burgers and hot dogs. Most importantly, the teachers looks just tired and on the verge of not caring. The kids walked off in their own direction like lost sad little puppies. It just felt a little bit like a sad zoo. I'm sure it's fine and safe and the kids learn there, but we were just so dispirited coming out of there, especially since we had it on good authority that this was THE place to be in town. To boot, they had a year waitlist! We got on the list and set out search aside and decided to continue our somewhat dysfunctional childcare arrangements of the time. Then Kiddie Academy opened. It is very close to our house, but we never went in at first before we had not heard anything about it. Well, let me tell you, we are SO happy that we checked it out! It's a franchise, newly opened, newly built-out. The space is pristinely clean. There are windows everywhere, so it's very bright. We went there on a Friday afternoon, same as with the first place. End of the week, end of the day. Instead of finding tired, run-down teachers in a run-down place with sad aimless children, we found everything in perfect shape and order, the teachers were all SMILING and AWAKE and ACTIVE. The kids looked content and happy and playful and well-cared-for. They looked like CHILDREN, not like little imprisoned zoo animals. The owner and the director were both present and they both new the exciting highlights of each kids day. The parents that walked in to get their kids gushed about the place. This is a franchise. The owner, Esther, worked four years to get the place planned and opened. She's proud of every furniture and architectural choice. She cares about every kid and she takes a huge amount of involvement in the standard of care the children receive. The place is rigged with webcams, so you can watch your child's classroom and the outdoor playground from your smartphone. Esther uses the camera to watch the children and teachers. She's there every day, but she notices things even when she's at home in the morning and watching remotely, and she gives immediate feedback to the teachers if she things something isn't ideal. I know they've lost a few teachers because of this kind of supervision, but you know what? The teachers that are left are amazing - a significant cut above what I saw at the other place. They CARE about the kids. They LISTEN to the parents. And the communicate to us the details of our daughters day. The place is very high-tech. There is a TV at the entrance with all the camera feeds. The teachers have iPads. At the end of every day, you get an email with a very detailed log that tells you what your kid ate and how much and when, the history of her diaper changes that day, any special notes, what mood she was in and what activities the class did that day. There are also photos and sometimes even videos! Since starting at "school", our daughter has been HAPPY to go in the mornings and not always very happy to leave in the afternoon. She's been developing impressively. Everyone knows her well - not just her teachers and the director and owner, but also teachers from other classrooms. Most teachers have different schedules to accommodate their own life, so there is a lot of mixing where teachers from various classrooms cover shifts in other classrooms. I actually really like this flexibility. It gives the kids a larger social circle and the teachers seem to know what's going on with all the kids, not just a small group. And there is a variety of care and activities and personalities. They provide lunch and a morning and afternoon snack. The morning snack is basically a full breakfast, but it's at 9am, so we bring a breakfast and other parents do, too. It's a supervised normal meal, just the kitchen is not open yet. The food menu is varied and quite lovely and healthy and not at all fast food after more fast food. They do great art projects all the time and have music every day, but also a great "creative movement" class weekly or biweekly and that's where the best videos come from. They go outside twice a day. The playground is brand new, with nice equipment. The doors are key-coded. The hours are great: 7am to 6pm. Occasionally, they do little events where parents are invite. Esther once told me that she didn't just want to open "a place", she wanted to open "the BEST place". And that really shows through.

The children are left to sit around in the classes and entertain themselves. The classrooms are…read moredirty and outdated. I would never allow my babies to be left by their overworked and overstressed teachers. Never let your child go to the school. They are only in it for the money.

Our son has had an absolutely amazing first three months at the Brighton School! He joined in the…read morethird grade, and we were initially a little concerned that he'd have a hard time being accepted because most of the kids had been in the school for years. However, everyone was SO welcoming, from the teachers to the administrative team, to the students. He's had a great year so far, and we can't wait for him to come home every day and tell us about all the great things he's done!

We have had all six of our children attend this school, including one daughter who just graduated…read morefrom MIT. You cannot beat a school with small classroom size, curricula adapted to the individual student and loving care from faculty.

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.

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 baby Emily goes to this daycare she is 9 months old and she just love it. I get pictures of here…read moreduring the day and she looks so happy. The teachers are warm and loving and it just make me feel comfortable leaving my baby with them. They doing great activities Emily loves the days that they do water play outside. I highly recommend this daycare !

Our son has been going here for the last 9 months and he loves it! He's happy to see all his…read moreteachers and friends. My wife and I love to get the updates on his day and all the pictures they take. The teachers are truly caring and compassionate. We look forward to continuing sending him and watching him grow while he's there!

DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO THIS SCHOOL. I opened a yelp…read moreaccount just to write a review about this horrid place, b/c I want to warn other parents before they make the same mistake I did. I sent my child to this school for two years on the recommendation of friends. Since then we have all withdrawn our children and are very disappointed. The directors are dishonest and money hungry, they lack all compassion and principal. Their are some nice teachers ( Jan) but others leave a lot to be desired. Their policies are extremely rigid in terms of withdrawing your child or changing your schedule, and they will try to rip you off at every corner. . Framingham has plenty of day cares/preschools, don't put your child in this one, it will be a mistake.

This is a wonderful preschool, we absolutely love it. I really don't understand the other reviewer,…read more because everyone I know who has gone to this school absolutely loves it. My oldest son started preschool here at 2.9 and had a very hard time adjusting as he had been at home with me before that- the teachers were warm, supporting and so wonderful with him. He soon loved it and went all the way through Pre-K there. My younger son is now following in his footsteps. We actually lived in Natick and travelled to Framingham to go to this school. All of the teachers and directors are warm, loving and have the childrens best interest at heart. I have recommended this school to many people. It is a nurturing place for kids to learn, it reminds me of preschools of 20 years ago - a classic nursery school.

I love this school! The teachers are amazing. The classrooms are always organized and the lesson…read moreplans are fun. My son has learned so much and has grown so confident. I'm so thankful my family has found this place.

From the owner: Happy Hollow opened its doors in 1956 and has continuously offered quality educational programs to…read morefamilies in the Metrowest area.

I happened to find this daycare by chance and booked an appointment to check it out. I loved the…read morespace in the activity room and the ton of options for the kid. Lilia is very sweet and makes the kid feel truly welcome and special. My daughter started attending the school as a preschooler and she loved it. She still talks about the friends she made and the teachers!

Best daycare in the area. My one year old daughter has been going there since June2018. They have a…read moregreat in-house kitchen and the exposure of different activities they provide for physical and social emotional development is amazing. Also, the love and care that the teachers, staff and the director show is just unmatchable. Very grateful to have found them!