They were good with our kids but have questionable billing practices and poor customer service.read more

10/10 highly recommend brighter beginnings! My daughter…read morestarted here at 3 months old and I couldn't be happier with the experience we have had room 3 (the infant room) MS VIRGEN is amazing! Our daughter has such a strong bond with her and is always happy and smiling when I pick her up at the end of the day, Ms Virgen truly treats those babies as if they were her own and I couldn't have asked for anything better! Her and Nicole (who is also amazing!) read books to the babies, do arts and crafts, and make sure all babies get equal love and attention. The room is cleaned daily and their sick policies protect our little ones from spreading illnesses. They have a huge fenced in backyard with play structures and activities for the older kids. They frequently take the babies on walks with strollers. They also post the cutest pictures on their daycare app, which is nice to see while you are away from your child. Lily is awesome and runs a great facility. She is easy to work with and has always accommodated our needs without issue. My boyfriend and I both cried on our daughter's last day here (due to relocation). It was truly heartbreaking leaving this place behind as we knew how loved and well taken care of our daughter was in their care. I have nothing but great things to say and if you get lucky enough to send your child here, I promise you and your kiddo will be more than pleased with your experience

Cannot say enough nice things about Brighter Beginnings! Lilly, the Director, is amazing and really…read moreadds a personal touch to the center. They were very flexible with our needs, during a difficult transition through relocation/new jobs. Our son was enthusiastic about going to daycare each day and loved the teachers and friends he made. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

My daughter was a student at Children First Day School. I pulled her last month because she came…read morehome wearing a diaper under her underwear. She is fully potty trained, and was before she started at CF. She had a sudden onset of potty regression in the two weeks before I found her diapered. CF shockingly took no responsibility and had no explanation for who diapered her, who handled my daughter's naked body. I pulled her shortly thereafter. The situation left me disturbed and I want to inform other parents so they can be on the lookout for their own children. They confused my daughter, sent her mixed messages, undermined me and lied to me repeatedly. I don't care to be a bystander in case it is being done to other children. Do not send your children here.

Children First proved to be a very strict educational environment…read more Children are being analyzed every step of the way and criticized for every little thing they do not taking into account their level of development but the level of teacher's annoyance at their behavior which is appropriate more or less for preschoolers. Being humiliated for not making the right choice happens all the time. I experienced fist hand how a teacher made a little boy cry because he chose corn chips which had 3 organic ingredients and a low sodium content over a little juice box made of concentrate and 52 grams of sugar...I was appalled at this especially since it was lunch and the teacher wanted the child to have his 52 grams of sugar juice box instead of the simple organic corn chips...The little boy was crying really hard and the teacher took him out of the classroom making him feel humiliated even more... They are very concerned about being on schedule making staff and children alike experience high levels of stress. One time they had the children outside for only 5 minutes after having them get dressed for half an hour just because it was only 11:15 and lunch time making some children cry and experience disappointment after working so hard at getting ready for being outside for only 5 minutes... Outside time is another issue: they do not allow more than 5- 30 min of outside time in the morning and in the afternoon; teachers would rather finish up their chores before heading outside around 4 pm when nap time usually is done at 2 pm... Communication is only done online between the teachers. While it's good to be on the same page with everybody, a lot of the staff people are barely allowed to have time to read through everything and then they are criticized for not having the right approach to a certain situation/ child. There is a lot of talking around behind closed doors about teachers, parents and children as well making it difficult for transparency and good and honest communication. Children First is a somewhat good school, but being so strict and overly concerned about time makes the whole atmosphere be stressful and consequently not too many smiles on the children's faces who are kept inside so much amount of the daytime. Another thing that made me reconsider is that they fired a teacher for being home with her sick child for 3 separate days. Her child got sick at this school and they still fired her and it was done not in person, but on the phone... Supporting such an inconsiderate, harsh and strict educational and work environment would be equal to supporting inhumanity towards children, parents and teachers alike.

My kids love mad science, they are not easily entertained! My daughter tried it at school and it…read morewas outstanding. We visited at the big e too and there was not any camps near us then the virus happened and we tried the online class and I was skeptical but it ended up being awesome I hope they continue to have some online options in the winter! This year we tried mad science camp new instructor but great curriculum and cool take homes my kids love them!! The mad science team I have encountered have been fabulous and go that extra mile that makes it all the better. I think I might try a birthday!!!

My son had Mad Science come to his fifth birthday, so I was comfortable sending him to the after…read moreschool program offered by his school when it was finally offered. We noticed he wasn't learning very much, and the junky projects he would come home with would ultimately have to be snuck into the trash a day or two later. We decided never again. My son wanted to try Art Ventures. It had a steep price tag of $150 or so and was put on by the Mad Science people. We said we absolutely would not pay for it, so our son bargained with us and asked to use his own birthday money. We reluctantly agreed. Sadly the coronavirus has cancelled the course. They decided to offer an online class I lieu of the hands on course, but that sounded ridiculous; I'm sure YouTube has similar videos for free. We requested a refund for our son, and we were told that it was not an option. All-in-all, this company is really the equivalent of one of those shady carnival games; you're paying way too much for a product that has pretty consistently disappointed over the past few years.

Good luck trying to enroll your child in this place. On their website they ask to email Pam Flowers…read more(director) as best contact. Well she is Not. I emailed her in June to get a tour and to get more info on the place (hours/prices). Never heard back, emailed them again and called multiple times, finally got someone to call back did a tour filled out ppw to be put on waiting list to have my baby enrolled once he's born in October. I was told someone will let me know by end of October if they have a spot for him to start in January Nobody Did. Saw the daycare director at a health fair Pam took my name dawn and promised to check back same day Never Did. She never called or emailed me back - good job Pam. I had my son and I had till January to get him in daycare before going back to work. Looked everywhere was hard to find a place but I finally did. Funny story Friday before Christmas someone finally did call me from Children's House Not Pam to see if I am still looking to enroll- Little bit late to the game don't you think.

This school sucks. 0/10 recommend. The teachers suck, the students suck, the food sucks, they are…read morepoor, and they have led in their waters and never checked up on the kids. Their consequences are BEYOND unreasonable and honestly it's just plain stupidity. There has been a legacy of TERRIBLE principles and vice principals. My kid would 100% never come here or if so I would IMMEDIATELY take them out. DONT SUPPORT THIS SCHOOL!

My children have been attending Rise & Shine academy in South Hadley for the past year. The staff…read morecreate a fun and unique curriculum. I can tell they personalize it for each classroom by the activities and crafts they create. The director makes an effort to schedule activities from the community at the daycare such as having performers. Staff also put on activities after hours including a summer picnic and Halloween trick or treating at the center.

From the owner: A program of Criterion Child Enrichment, Rise & Shine Academy (RSA), provides quality child care…read moreservices to families of children between 6 weeks (Infants) and 5 years of age (Preschool). The centers are open Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:30 AM and 6:00 PM. Each classroom offers a developmentally appropriate program designed to promote skill development and social competency in a safe and nurturing environment. Classroom teachers are certified by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and have experience caring for and educating young children. Parents are encouraged to become active participants in their child's program through daily communication, parent-teacher conferences, participation in family activities and an open invitation to visit the classroom at any time. Rise & Shine Academy (RSA) is proud to offer a unique program designed to teach preschoolers the early language and literacy skills necessary for later school success. This program is called ELF (Early Literacy Focus). ELF includes three literacy programs that serve to enrich our preschool curriculum: Language for Learning, Reading Mastery and Reading Mastery Plus. Rise & Shine Academy also offers our newest enrichment program, MATH MAGIC. MATH MAGIC incorporates Direct Instruction mathematics program entitled: Connecting Math Concepts. Call us for more information about these programs for preschoolers and schedule a tour to visit our early education and care facility.