Little Sunshine Playhouse-University City provides a warm, engaging, and well-run environment for…read morechildren. The staff is welcoming, diverse, professional, and genuinely nurturing. The school balances structure with fun, offering creative themes and activities that keep children excited to learn. From the beginning, the environment has felt intentional, secure, and thoughtfully designed for kids. Our family enrolled our daughter in August 2025. Before that, she stayed home full-time until age two and was very much a "stage 5 Velcro baby." The transition was emotional at first, especially at drop-off, but the growth we've seen since then has been incredibly encouraging. She now confidently gives hugs goodbye, happily says "bye-bye," and walks into her classroom with ease. She genuinely enjoys school and is happy during pick-up, which gives us peace of mind. There have been a few instances where we needed to remind staff to clean our child's face, hands, or nose after meals or messy play, as well as change her into clean clothes when needed. Parents are asked to provide at least two sets of weather-appropriate spare clothes for this purpose, and on occasion, changes were not made as promptly as we would have preferred. There have also been times when personal items were misplaced. That said, staff consistently communicated with us, made genuine efforts to locate items, and worked to improve. We understand that managing multiple toddlers and their belongings is a common challenge in any preschool setting. What matters to us is that concerns are taken seriously and addressed, which has been our overall experience here. Leadership has been a major strength. Ms. Katelyn, the Director, played a large role in our decision to choose LSP. As parents who were understandably nervous, she spent significant time with us before enrollment, both on the phone and in person, explaining the school's philosophy, operations, safety measures, and procedures. She remains approachable, responsive, and consistently kind. Ms. Lucy, the Assistant Director, is equally welcoming, knowledgeable, and easy to communicate with. Staff shout-outs: Ms. Amanda, a head teacher, is exceptionally friendly, caring, and highly creative. Her warmth and creativity are evident throughout the school. Mr. Daniel is upbeat, professional, and consistently friendly during evening pick-ups. Ms. Alina, another head teacher, is more reserved and has a straightforward, businesslike communication style. Her creativity is visible in school projects and displays. Ms. Niya, our child's current lead teacher, met with us prior to enrollment, gave us a full tour of the school and playground, and offered reassurance during the transition. She is warm, attentive, and a strong educator. Ms. Victoria, Ms. Sabrina, Ms. Jaela, Ms. Wafae, Ms. Nabila, and Ms. Cassie have all been kind, professional, and attentive in their roles. Communication is excellent. Phones are always answered, and messages through the app are returned promptly, usually within the hour. When concerns are raised, leadership responds quickly and respectfully. The school is clean, beautifully decorated, and secure. Drop-off and pick-up are smooth, classroom ratios are followed, and security measures (controlled entry, cameras, and app communication) are strong. Meals and snacks are included, hours are 6:30 AM-6 PM, and nap time is well-structured and age-appropriate. One important note for families is cost. It's expensive. Little Sunshine Playhouse is on the higher end and is priced as a premium program. Overall, our family is very happy with Little Sunshine Playhouse-University City and would confidently recommend it to families seeking a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for their child.

I would not recommend this school/daycare…read more The amount of turnover is ridiculous. You never know who will be watching your child from day to day. Leadership will move your children around to accommodate state requirements for staffing, so children are moved up before they are ready so new students can be added to the program. Your child is not a child, they are a dollar sign.

SCAM ALERT! This daycare (the Kirkwood location) will lead you on and tell you they will likely…read morehave a spot, coercing you into paying their application fee and "non-reimbursable" first week of tuition ($400). When it comes time for your child to enroll, they will say they either don't have a spot, tell you a have a spot way past when you need it, or tell you there's a spot but it's a week before you need to begin so you've already found back-up care. You will be out over $400. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! THE DETAILS: We virtually toured Strictly Pediatrics in May 2021 and were told it looked "promising" to get into the daycare in March/early April 2022 because there were "not many families on the waitlist." Because we knew we would have to pay a non-refundable $400 to put our name on the waitlist, we asked again in June 2021 for an update. We had to inquire three times to get an update and they finally called us back a month later to let us know we'd "likely" get in during our time frame. So, we paid the application fee ($75) and the first week of tuition ($325) - with the understanding that it was non-refundable, but we were hopeful since we were told we had a very good chance of getting in. When we paid the $400, we were told the next step was to call after our daughter was born and we'd be told where we were on the waitlist. So we did that, and I had to call three times and send two emails in November and December 2021 to get a response from the day care. They told us that they didn't know if our daughter could start in March/April 2022 yet. We don't have family in the area. We had put our names on other daycare waitlists but they were transparent about where we fell on the list - Strictly Pediatrics seemed to be our best hope. When our maternity and paternity leave was ending, we were panicking (naturally). We called and emailed Janice on January 31, February 6, and February 14. At this point, we were two weeks out from when we'd ideally need care and we couldn't get a hold of ANYONE. What kind of daycare doesn't answer their phones!? We did not hear back from Janice until March 4 - after spending the entire month of February trying to get an update - and all of a sudden she claimed she had a spot, but not until April 22. We were obviously very upset. However, we thought since they couldn't get us in at the time we asked for NINE MONTHS prior - especially after leading us on - they might be nice and refund us our first week of tuition back ($325). WRONG! It became cear at this point that this place is trying to just milk parents for money by making false promises and avoiding their calls. We hope to get the media involved with this, but do yourself a favor and AVOID THIS SCAM!

My daughter, now two years old, has attended here since she was 9 months old. I cannot express how…read moremuch I love this location, the staff, and the teachers within. Their kindness and caring for my child has won my loyalty 100x over.

Experienced, high quality and family-centered; Ms. Ocasio has been an exceptional addition to O2B…read morekids and our child's learning. She creates a calm, functional, and fun learning environment. She understands how children operate and speak/teach to their level while also providing challenges to help them develop problem-solving, respect, and how to be a good friend to their peers. We cannot say enough good things about Ms. O and her clear and intentional approach to student learning. Ms. Aydin is a fantastic addition to the room and is always providing and enhancing the learning and play environment. Experienced, high quality and family-centered; Ms. Sara and Ms. Linda have provided us with comfort knowing our infant is well loved, taken care of, and helped through developmental milestones. They provide clear communication and an environment for our infant to explore through play. It's so fun to receive crafts that they have the babies do, it's a lasting memory. It's truly a blessing to know that our child is well loved and taken care of.

Have to say that the staff is amazing. Start the morning…read morewith a great welcoming of a caring Director Mrs. Tiffany that always has a vibrant smile to welcome every kid and parent in the center. My son has had so much progress since he started attending.

Overrated and over priced. This school has made a turn for the worse. The current director only…read morecares about her image. She does not do anything to help out the staff or the children. She has left a single teacher with 17 four year olds when the ratio is 1:10 (Missouri law) for hours... WHILE THE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR DID NOTHING. Both were fully aware of the situation and they both were able to stop what they were doing to help. The place is a revolving door or teachers. Please don't take your children here. Keep them happy and safe.

Just wanted to thank all the teachers and staff for caring so much for our son for the first 6…read moreyears of his life. During this Covid times we are living in, his teachers still managed to focus on fun learning. He can now read and spell short words and do simple math. He will have no problems in kinder-garten this fall with all your efforts. Thank you, Bill Weishaar

The staff are wonderful people! They are very kind and caring towards their students.read more

First week and they are on it. They truly love and understand children. My 3 year old is brilliant…read morebut he has challenges socializing and it's created problems at KinderCare. Within the first week they got my little boy shining his true colors and brought back his confidence. Love them so much! Ms Emma you are a rockstar and Ms Heather thank you for all you do!

My son started going to Grace Pointe when he was 1 year old. Even now, at 8 years old, he still…read moregoes in the summer when school is out and he looks forward to it every year. All the teachers and staff care for the littles as if they were their own and they always keep them safe, protected and loved. The owner, Chris, is one of the most loving, caring, and compassionate people I have ever met and I would trust her or any of her staff with my sons life on any given day!!! The cost is well below other childcare facilities in the area. A definite plus considering you are getting a wonderful price and not sacrificing quality of care for the most precious parts of your life!!! I am beyond thankful to have found somewhere to care for and love my son just as I would when I could not be there. I will never take him anywhere else! Thank you to everyone at Grace Pointe for being amazing humans!!!!!

I could not recommend GPLC enough! This is the perfect environment for your little one to gain…read moresocial emotional skills, knowledge they will need to successfully start Kindergarten, and so much more. The staff are friendly and personal when it comes to getting to know your child, which makes it so much more easy when starting care.

Great learning center. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, great curriculum and Reggio lessons. Couldn't…read morebe happier with the environment

This was one of the most enjoyable summer experiences my child has ever had. They had field trips,…read morecooking, fitness, and something fun to do everyday! It was an amazing bargain for the price. My kids will be back next summer.

I have worked here since the day we opened. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with. We…read moreare not just a daycare so if you are looking for a true early childhood education for your child this is where to look. I have made some of the best friendships of my life from people I work with. My bosses are supportive and caring. I feel truly lucky everyday to work with such amazing people and to get to be part of the lives of some amazing families. The facility is clean and well maintained. We have an onsite chef who makes most all our food from scratch and cares about children and their allergies. I have loved working here every moment for the last 11 years and look forward to many more.

Writing a review of a daycare is difficult, because there are so many different types of people…read moreinvolved. The teachers at the goddard school are great, the families are great. This review is about the management, and more specifically the owner. In my years of experience in daycares/ preschools I have never worked under anyone as disrespectful as her. Many of the teachers in that building expressed the same feelings about the management to me in my time there. I worked at Goddard for two and a half years, and was a lead teacher for a large portion of that time. I won't claim to be the best teacher ever, there are absolutely areas I could've approved in, but I was a good one. One who cared and put a lot of effort into assuring the kids in my care were safe and happy and learning. I wouldn't have worked there for so long or been promoted from resource teacher, to assistant, to lead if I wasn't. Then, one day after informing the bosses that I had an interview at another Goddard closer to my home, I was fired. The owner and the assistant director pulled me into the office and berated me with blatant lies about my job performance for half an hour before terminating me. This happened during nap, never even giving me the opportunity to say goodbye to the kids I cared for for so long. The owner told me herself that she spoke with the director at the other Goddard giving her "opinion" of me, and then unsurprisingly I did not get that job either. If you are considering bringing your children to this school or working here, keep this in mind: when I went to the owner looking for help in figuring out how to teach a child much younger than most of my other students, she told me "from a financial standpoint, I would put an even younger child in there if your room was the one with space for them". I believe a school should focus on what is best for the children, not only what will make them the most money.