We had a premature baby in the middle of our move to Maryland. We thought we had lots of time to…read moreget the house ready but it didn't work out that way. Needless to say having a half furnished house with a newborn was very challenging. We were nervous about the idea of putting our infant in daycare at such a young age. We researched and toured four local daycares and ultimately chose the young school. We are glad we did. Ms Susan and Ms Kimi have been great and the administration staff is super attentive and friendly. The school is clean and well run. Their communication has been excellent and they take great care of our son. We particularly like the SproutAbout app which provides regular activity updates on everything from bottle feeding to activities which makes us feel like we are involved even while away and provides a sense of security in understanding what transpires during the day. The hours are also convenient for us as is the location which never has morning traffic. We are so glad we found the young school and recommend them! - Darren

DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE -- READ THIS BEFORE YOU MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID…read moreI'm writing this review because I wish someone had been this honest before I enrolled my daughter. I ignored my gut feeling after reading about children being thrown out of the cot to wake them up. I personally spoke to the director, who reassured me that the person responsible was no longer working there and that none of that was happening anymore. I believed her and enrolled my daughter. That was the worst decision I could've made. From the beginning, I picked my daughter up multiple times soaking wet clothes, underwear, everything. Not once did ANY staff member mention accidents, not once did anyone clean her, and not once did anyone take responsibility. I tried to be patient, but things just kept getting worse. The situation that completely shocked me happened on October 22nd. I picked my daughter up and found diarrhea all over her underwear, through her pants, onto her dress, down to her socks and even in her shoes. The smell was strong and the mess was obvious. This was not something you could "miss." My daughter is FIVE YEARS OLD. This has never happened since she has been potty trained. When I asked her what happened, she told me she tried to go to the bathroom but couldn't because the teachers were changing a bunch of babies in there. I've witnessed this happen previously myself. It clearly prevented my daughter from using the bathroom. And what's worse? NO ONE noticed she had diarrhea all over her. NO ONE changed her. NO ONE told me anything. A week later, I picked her up again and she had dirt all over her bottom. The teacher tried to tell me "she got a little dirty going down the slide." The moment I looked at her, I knew she was soaked in pee. When I grabbed her nap roll, it was completely wet with urine. Nap time is at 12:30 pm. I picked her up at 5:30 PM. That means she had been sitting in pee for HOURS and not a single adult bothered to check her, clean her, or notify me. This is neglect. There is no other word for it. And the final straw, the thing that made me pull her out immediately was when she came home with an actual bald spot where another child had ripped out her hair. No call. No incident report. No explanation. Nothing. I discovered it myself at home. That is completely unacceptable and unsafe. I wish I could go more in detail to share with parents, but this is now a legal matter. I am not exaggerating. I have pictures of everything I'm describing, and I included them in this review so parents can see the truth for themselves. Please do not be fooled by all the five-star reviews. Parents had the possibility of receiving 10% off their tuition in exchange for writing a review. That's why so many glowing reviews popped up at the same time. I also included proof of that so you can see the pattern yourself. If you care about your child's well-being, hygiene, safety, or basic dignity, do NOT send your child here. I wish someone had been this direct with me.

We've had a wonderful experience with Cradlerock Children's Center (CCC)! Both of my children have…read moreattended CCC, and our youngest is currently enrolled. From the start, it has been clear that this is a special place where children are nurtured, supported, and encouraged to thrive. This center is non-profit (the only non-profit early childcare center in the county), so you know that they are not just after your money, they really care about your children and their education. Tuition increases, when they happen have been extremely low. I was on the waitlist for almost 2 years (due to extremely low family turnover) for one of my children which speaks to the fact that they are offering a unique, well sought after program. One of my favorite things about CCC is the delicious and nutritious meals that are served every day and included in the price of tuition. And the best part is that its FARM to Table. No other preschool is offering that in the area. My kids are extremely picky eaters, but they eat all of the food served and this has helped me expand their palette and incorporate more nutritious meals at home. As a busy mom, having these meals takes one more thing off my plate for the week. The staff at Cradlerock is great and the center has really low turnover. There are teachers that have been there over 10+ years. My children have loved their teachers, and the staff consistency has made a huge difference in their comfort and development. The teachers are warm, welcoming, and really care about each child's growth academically, socially and emotionally. Ms. Amanda, the center's director does a fantastic job of balancing cost and budget but making sure there is delivery on effective high value programming and events. The admin and staff do a great job with communicating with brightwheel messages and newsletters to keep parents informed. She has also been leading the expansion efforts of Cradlerock Children's center's move to a new building which will happen in Summer of 2026 and CCC will be able to spread their goodness to even more families as they will be able to accommodate more families in a larger facility! The emphasis on social-emotional learning is one of the things I appreciate most. My kids learned how to manage emotions, interact kindly with peers, and problem-solve in real situations. Because of this thoughtful approach, both of my boys have made great friends and looked forward to school every single day. Another huge advantage for working parents is that Cradlerock is open on most calendar days, unlike many other schools that follow school system calendars, or have an insane amount of days off, the calendar at CCC is really great for working parents that need to go into the office everyday. Most importantly, the tuition cost is lower than many comparable programs, yet the quality of care, education, and overall experience is outstanding. We've always felt like we're getting great value for a top-tier early childhood program. I can't recommend Cradlerock Children's Center enough. If you are thinking of coming here, do it! It will be the best decision you've ever made!

Cradlerock has been an amazing experience for my children. We are going on our 3rd year and second…read morechild and my only regret is I didn't discover them sooner. My oldest thrived in both academics and social emotional learning. The teachers and administrators are incredibly knowledgeable and approach early learning in exciting ways! Don't get me started on the food and enrichment! The quality of the meals is unparalleled and my son loved growing food in their garden that he would then eat for lunch or breakfast. They have powerful enrichment classes such as STEAM and Fitness unlike anything I have ever seen in a preschool. Cradlerock Children's Center exceeds every expectations I have for preschool education (and I have very high ones ).

Military Montessori school. Your kids will come out with superb manners but will lack any…read moreindividuality. Poor communication as well. Please, if you decide to enroll, talk to the primary teacher who will be actually teaching your child as the front desk is there to give you a false sense of warmness.

My son (32 months) loves JBS-Columbia, and so does mom & dad. This school has provided us with a…read morelevel of comfort indescribable. Since enrolling a year ago, our son's Intellect has grown tremendously, the environment helps to balance and support his energetic nature and curiosity for learning. The teachers are calm, tenured and caring. The parent community is wonderful as well, we socialize with one another and make sure to catch phone numbers when we find our that our kids are really good friends. We are deeply appreciative of the JBS' community!

This daycare is the best, it's so clean, smells really nice and has the best teachers especially…read moreMiss Trinidad . She is an amazing teacher and has worked magic on my son. I recommend this daycare to every parents in howard county and beyond.

My daughter has been at Happy Sprouts Learning Center going on a year. We transitioned her to a…read morecenter from a home daycare for further development and socialization. Over the year, our daughter has graduated from the NICU follow up clinic and Infants and Toddlers Program because she is developmentally on target for a three year old. I attribute her ongoing development to the daily lessons/activities she receives at Happy Sprouts. Each week she brings home a stack of activities and learning tools shes completed in class. The staff is wonderful and treat all the children as their own. We are so glad we found this gem within our community without paying private school/Montessori prices.

My children have attended Childtime for almost two years now. I am pleased with how things have…read moreturned around from when we first started. The director is very active and engaged with our children and they even yell her name each day we walk into the building just to say hi! Now that says a lot and she is not my children's teacher. The teachers have taken the time out to hear my concerns that I have had a pervious child care centers and have listened and I see a big difference. Yes there has been turnover at the school but to me I feel it has been for the better. Everyone seems so happy, they speak to me and my children each day and I can truly say my children are thriving in this program. I definitely recommended Childtime of Columbia if you want structure for your little ones :) This is our families happy place!

This daycare was not ideal for my son at all. They painted him out to be an aggressive child and…read moreput him on a "behavior plan" at 2 years old. There were several times when I picked my son up and his diaper was soiled. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting the proper attention and care he needed. The quality of services/curriculum wasn't worth the price in my opinion. The best thing I could've done is take him out of Childtime. Since placing my son in a new daycare, he has been flourishing and not once have I heard from his teachers and dean that he's aggressive.

When we had our first, we knew right away that we would need daycare. I searched, googled, went on…read morethe mom's groups and talked with friends. After visiting the Young School just once we knew it was where we wanted to send our child. Fast forward almost 2 years, we now have 2 in infant car, one who is in the toddler room and the other who just started in the infant room. I love the way the school is set up with the cottages and it really does become very much like a family. I know my kids are in the best of hands when they go to school and if anything went wrong I would know in an instant. They use a great app to tell us when and what they ate, when they got a diaper change, and their sleeping. It is so nice to know what is going on with their days. Sending photos almost on a daily basis as well is amazing and they get some of the best photos of my kids. My older son's teacher has become like family and I trust her implicitly. I can't say enough great things about the young school. Even the front office staff are amazing and have offered to help wrangle the two kids or help carry the infant carrier while i chase after the 2 year old.

I couldn't even get past the initial interaction with 'customer service.' I was asked for my name,…read moreprovided it and was told 'that's not the name I have.' Whoa, scary. Come to find out, The Young School keeps your info on file indefinitely even if you never tour or enroll your child. I inquired years ago when my middle child who is now 9 was one. They had no openings then. This means that they have had my info lying dormant for 8 years which I signed nothing agreeing to. I've gotten married, changed my name and had another baby since. None of this would have been an issue if the rep didn't respond in a suspicious tone when I provided my name. Instead of saying, "hey, I see you may have inquired about our center in the past, have you had a name change or gotten married?' It was more of a tone that conveyed suspicion. Just a weird interaction altogether. When I brought it to the attention of the rep she began to raise her voice and ask for even MORE personally identifying information. Lady I just want to know if you have any openings to start! May be a nice center maybe not, I would never know thanks to this initial interaction.

My child is at the Hickory Ridge location and I cannot speak highly enough about the staff. My…read morechild, 8 months old, comes home each day happy and tired, which to me indicates a great and stimulating day.

Warning to parents about school's Hickory Ridge campus: On several occasions when our child was in…read morethe care of a classroom aide, particularly when the lead teacher was absent, our child came home visibly upset--this was unusual given how typically happy and loving our child is. Our child would often share concerning incidents involving the aide, such as being unfairly singled out, including having food taken away. The most alarming moment came when the aide told our child, "don't tell mommy and daddy" about something that happened, which caused fear and hesitation in sharing further. When we reported these issues to the administration, they dismissed our concerns and defended the aide's actions. After consulting both a pediatrician and a childhood psychologist, they both flagged the aide's behavior as a serious concern and advised us to remove our child from the school. Despite this, the school has yet to address the incident and continues to support and employ the aide. While there are wonderful teachers at this school, the administration's defense of harmful practices leads us to advise against enrolling your child here.

We really wanted to love this preschool because it checked so many of our boxes: a Christian…read moreenvironment, small class sizes, close to home, and a clean facility. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. We took our child to several play days and open houses to help him acclimate to the school, his peers, and his potential teachers. I noticed some awkward micro-expressions from his prospective teacher, which were noted. I'm leaving out a bunch of specific details however it was evident that there was no interest or effort made by the teacher to collaborate or help our son thrive. It became obvious that the teacher had no interest in supporting our child, and I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of bias. They are beyond unprofessional-- they are disrespectful. After speaking with several educators, administrators from other schools, it was clear that the staff at Christ Memorial had no intention of welcoming our child into their school.

From the owner: Christ Memorial Christian Preschool was started in 1978. Our goal then and now is to provide…read morepreschoolers with a traditional nursery school environment and program correlated with teachings from the Bible. We strongly believe in Proverbs 22:6 "Point your children in the right direction~ when they're old they won't be lost" School begins at 9:00 am and ends at Noon. A typical day consists of free play, opening circle, crafts/art activity, large muscle developing time, a group lesson, snack time, rest time, story/music time, and outside play. The school day is planned and structured according to the needs of each class. There is a teacher and an aide in every classroom.

Very clean and nice facility! The teachers are so nice and they do so many activities and really…read morecare about the kids!

We've never used a daycare before, neither for my youngest or my oldest, so we looked hard to find…read morethe perfect place for my rambunctious 2 year old. Unlike my oldest (who's now 12), my littles is one that is always up to something and getting into something, so it was important to find a place that would really have that extra special watchful eye. We saw signs for one opening soon and we met with Kelly and loved what we heard, so we signed up. We started here when they opened in late October,2022. From the start, my daughter absolutely loved it despite drop-off at the beginning not being so smooth with her. Her first teachers Colleen and Riley really helped her with becoming acclimated and comfortable with being there. This entire staff is amazing and it truly feels like they genuinely care for my child. We get daily updates on what's happening during her day and even pictures. She's learning so much and they have so much patience with her, she's quite the overactive child. She loves coming as she learns so much, always something going on. Honestly, we could not have chosen a better place... it doesn't feel like a daycare but like family is taking care of my kid. We are unfortunately leaving at the end of next month due to job relocation, and I really worry I won't find a place just as wonderful and caring as Celebree Elkridge. I don't know if I'll find the same care and attention, most important the tranquility I have knowing THEY are the ones caring for my baby, when we move and seek a new daycare school. The fact that I am even writing a review should tell you lots because I'm not one to, but with this place I truly feel they deserve it!