I had a first impression and it wasn't inviting. I was visiting and wanted to check out the…read morefacilities and was told to leave.

It is incredibly concerning to see this Academy remove a 2 year old from the school for…read morebiting-something that is widely recognized as developmentally normal behavior at that age. Toddlers are still learning how to communicate, regulate emotions, and interact with others. Biting, while not ideal, is a common phase that one would think that trained childcare professionals/ teachers should be prepared to handle with appropriate strategies, patience and guidance. This situation raises serious questions about the staffs training and their ability to manage age-appropriate behaviors. A quality daycare/Academy should have clear polices in place not only to address behaviors like biting, but also to support both the child exhibiting the behavior and the children affected by it. Simply removing the child suggests a lack of resources, understanding, or the willingness to work through typical development challenges. The easy solution is to call the parents to pick up their child. Parents should feel confident that their childcare provider is equipped to create a safe, supportive environment for all children, if your child is bitten, it is absolutely valid to ask what measures are being taken to prevent incidents and teach appropriate behavior. Likewise, if a daycare/school's response to normal toddler behavior is exclusion rather than education and intervention that's something every parent should take seriously.

My two sons under 2 go to this school and the first thing I noticed when they started last year is…read morehow much the teachers care about the children. The facility is very clean, lunch is prepared daily, and the curriculum is fantastic.

From the owner: Conveniently located in one of Jacksonville's fastest-growing areas, Deerwood Academy Town Center…read moreserves families from across the city with truly excellent early childhood education. Our team of caring, knowledgeable teachers help preschool and school-age program students thrive with individualized attention. Our accredited A Beka phonics curriculum, creative play and enrichment activities, and learning targeted to each development stage help give our students the foundation for lifelong educational success.

We absolutely love NDLC!!! We are so happy with everything this daycare provides. The teachers are…read moreamazing, the faculty is so helpful and goes above and beyond. Our son has learned so much and it truly amazes us seeing his growth and development thanks to NDLC.

My wife found this place by online reviews and proximity to her work. Needless to say we are…read moreextremely happy to have found it. My daughter seems happy to be there, has made friends, has developed a great appetite because of the variety of food they serve, and has developed at a great pace for her age. The building seems like a safe place and the staff has been very friendly. Would bring another child here in the future.

Our son was one of the first children at this location when it opened. In those first few years we…read moreabsolutely loved the tight knit community and attention to detail the staff and directors offered. However as we now enter our child's third year at the school with numerous staff and leadership turnover we utilize this school more out of convenience than personal choice. There have been several instances of miscommunication from leadership with our family. Even more concerning, is the notable leadership turnover in such a short period of time. Unfortunately there is not a standard practice in place for routine class transitions which allow children of the same age an equal opportunity to access all learning tools which the school prides itself on. It's extremely disappointing to see such obvious stagnation and regression in our child's classroom engagement and learning for what appears to be the sake of appeasing incoming families on waitlists or special circumstances. I do hope moving forward the school is able to put in place more concrete class groupings so that all children are afforded an equal opportunity to engage and excel in their pivotal early learning years with the developmentally appropriate materials and tools the school has to offer.

This school is the worst place to put a child that is autistic. My son is on the spectrum which…read morecomes with ADHD and meltdowns and aggression. That is normal for kids on the spectrum. The aggression stems from them not knowing how to use their words. He had behavioral therapists there with him everyday and he was only at this school for four days before they kicked out a special needs child! A normal non special needs child takes a week to transition to a new place....a child on the spectrum takes at least two weeks maybe three. The owner did not allow that. The teachers have no training on how to handle and teach a child on the spectrum at all. The owner also LIED and said the behavioral therapists sat and let my son hit and kick the teacher and they ignored it. TOTAL LIES!! I have the proof from the notes that they have to put in every week from the sessions. So the owner lied to me, the teacher lied also. I called the ADA and was told what they did violated the ADA act and to file a complaint. I have filed a complaint with the ADA. This place needs to be shut down for good. They are horrible. They also wanna charge almost $1200 a month you have to pay on the 1st of every month and they don't provide lunch, you have to provide lunch for your child and they wanna charge that much. Basically a daycare for rich snobby people!

Ms. Ledden, Ms. Dixon, and Ms. Yancey are my son's teachers at Primrose and we love them. They're…read moreso thoughtful, they're very communicative with us as parents, and are very loving. They're always sharing news with us about my son's behavior or his needs (both opportunities and praises! which we appreciate). My son basically jumps out of my arms into Ms. Dixon's arms every morning, which makes me feel so good dropping him off every day knowing he looks forward to who he's spending his days with, and confirms to me he's in a loving and safe environment that he enjoys. Thank you Ms. Ledden, Ms. Dixon, and Ms. Yancey for your love and support of our son in the Toddler 2 classroom!

If I could leave 0 stars I would. My son at the ripe age of…read more2 years old and never having been in school before was expelled on his 3rd day of school for being able to open doors and was classified as a "flight risk". First of all, WHY was my son able to get out if he's being supervised. Secondly, why would you say you can't expect your teachers to run after a student when they're there for a reason. He's 2. He shouldn't be expected to act like a robot. He does not have adhd or anything of the sort to classify him as an "overly difficult" child. Another issue is, nobody could tell us specifics of why he was considered a flight risk other than opening the classroom door. First we were told y'all would give him 2 weeks to adjust to being in school then not even 8 hours later we were told by the end of the school week then the very next day it was, he's expelled. WILD behavior. Not to mention on his last day when I arrived to pick him up, he was being "disciplined" in the front office and I was never called or told he was up front. I lived 5 mins away and would have came to get him immediately instead of yall holding him in the front office. Again. He's TWO!! As a previous preschool teacher and someone who has talked with numerous other preschool teachers AND a child psychiatrist, we are ALL disgusted by the behavior and treatment towards my two year old child.

I know I rated Kids by the Hour as well but now that I have found this jewel of a place, that I…read moremust rate also because I absolutely LOVE, LUV, this place! I truly wish I would have found this place first but since I'm not always on the lookout for day care places or schools, I had no idea this place was so close to home. I have been driving all the way to Beach & Hodges then to downtown from Southside Blvd to drop off my granddaughter when Kids Park has been right here under my nose all along! I had no idea child care by the hour was so popular in this area. Kids Park has an open floor plan concept which makes it feel less crowded and cleaner. The sign-in process is creative...I love it! And the way Kids Park is set up it's so organized. The staff is awesome and I truly believe they love these children. Today while picking up my granddaughter, I walked in on her "getting into trouble". They didn't know I was standing there so I was able to watch the whole interaction. MY little one used her hands for other than clapping or praying (she hit someone). She's 2-1/2 so it wasn't much of a hit BUT STILL.... My little one was definitely in the wrong and the staff person (maybe the manager of the place), handled it beautifully! I probably would have been a little more stern but that's why I don't work here. Lol. The staff explained to her what hands are used for. It was so educational I was standing there learning something myself. Lastly, the most amazing part is that they have monthly prizes or coupons so you can get a break when it comes to paying. AND they are a bit cheaper than Kids by the Hour. AND they are open at 11am when the Jags have a home game on Sunday's AND they are located off Southside Blvd which is 2 minutes from my house AND en route to downtown where I volunteer at Volunteers in Medicine AND Dunkin Donuts is right before the turn to Kids Park! What more can I say but, I found a Jewel ! I absolutely love this place and if I could give them more than 5 Stars I would!

I needed a place for my two-year-old to go while I attended a training for work. My babysitter had…read morecancelled at the last minute. I remembered a friend had recommended KidsPark, and we are now KidsPark family for life. My son was happy, safe, and didn't want to leave- and for a toddler, that's a big deal. I encourage other parents to check out KidsPark; you'll love it!

Our son attended T's for 5 months. While he seemed to enjoy going there, we dealt with a number of…read moreissues while in attendance. They were bought by Kindercare and are going through some changes so maybe some of our issues are due to that. Nothing was consistent- his teachers changed constantly, they would transfer him (and only him) to another room to meet ratios, events in the app weren't updated (they claimed internet issues), and their curriculum was rarely shared. Two year olds live for consistency, structure, and a nurturing environment for learning but we didn't find that at T's. Every day at pickup the kids were running around wild with loud music on. Absolute chaos. Every time our son had a bowel movement at daycare they said he had a "blowout" and they had to change his clothes- this never happens at home but was happening 2-3x per week at daycare!! Come to find out, they were not putting his diaper on properly. On more than one occasion we observed (different) relief teachers yelling across the room. One even abruptly grabbed several children by the arm to line up, without verbally telling them what was expected of them before doing so. Communication about staffing changes were rarely upfront- when they reorganized the classrooms a few months ago, they sent out an email the night before all kids were moved to different room locations and assigned different teachers. There was no indication to families before this happened so everyone was unprepared on Monday. On a positive note, the administrative staff (especially Ms Latroya) were very sweet and always willing to listen to our concerns. Unfortunately, while some of our concerns were addressed, the changes that were promised to us were never implemented nor communicated to us as to why they weren't implemented. We have since moved to another daycare center and are wondering why we didn't move sooner.

My son was doing well in this daycare according to staff while I was paying for tuition out of…read morepocket. Once I started receiving ELC my wonderful son all of a sudden was "disruptive, hard to control, and has ADHD" as per staff. He is only 3yrs old! He was suspended twice in a week, (I didn't know 3yr olds could be suspended) because he "leaned back in his chair". I knew I should of followed my gut and pulled him out of there immediately when they were reported to DCF by a parent who saw one of their staff grab my son aggressively. I have the report from DCF. I wasn't called by the school when this incident occurred but they called me twice in one day because he knocked toys on the floor? Its a shame these folks are in it for the money. His teacher was great but they overwhelmed her with 27-30 3yr olds in a class by herself.

I toured nearly every daycare in St. Augustine as well as all the Montessori options in…read moreJacksonville and St. John's before choosing Guidepost Montessori at Baymeadows, and I couldn't be happier with that decision. From my very first call, Ms. Tomeka, the head of school, was incredible and made me feel confident about enrolling my daughter. She began in the Nido classroom and has since transitioned to the toddler room, where all of her guides have been nothing short of amazing. Our daughter is genuinely excited to go to school each day, most mornings she runs right into the classroom! The guides and school leadership are warm, communicative, and always quick to answer any questions we have. We've seen our daughter grow, learn, and thrive so much, and we truly have Guidepost to thank for that

This school is a Montessori SHAM, it is terrible! Upon having my toddler son start 4-5 months ago…read morethey were very nice with helping with letting me apply for financial aid as their prices are similar to CA prices for private Montessori. Having a semi new teacher in their class and not fully trained assistants (in training) their children's house was not managed well. My son has been in Montessori since 18 months old. Maybe their infant program is good (not sure) but so far from what I have seen their children's house needs work with AMS OR AMI trained teachers not simply MACTE... and staff who can manage their own stress and not use words like nervous, anxious or huff and puff, or eye roll, in front of parents or to students themselves. My son has experienced and been involved with more hitting and physical altercation with himself and other kids older and his age here and come home with too many to count incident reports with "here say" statements from assistants listening to other kids or not fully seeing what happened to say what did happen. It also has to do with classroom size and space per child and self management from other kids and my son when it comes to working on materials.. My son has regressed, he used to be fully potty trained prior to coming here now he makes more mistakes at home and is not listening as well.The other Kids even have no respect and come and touch me (a parent)...and are too much in my face and speaking and grabbing upon pick up every day in his class. They have had the students watch a Disney movie in class, have kids bring toys from home to "share", wear Disney on their light up shoes and or clothing, and be little gossipers/whiners... This is NOT MONTESSORI AT ALL. Dr. Maria Montessori would be rolling in her grave to think parents are paying for their kids to be exposed to things public school or regular daycare kids are... Now Guidepost HAS all the materials and look of Montessori but this location from my experience is all for show... some lessons here and there but mostly play time and stress management from the staff... I have been in Montessori myself till middle school age, and my son in CA from infancy-- in non corporate schools, that are a chain like this. I pray not all Guideposts are like this one!!! I am letting their head quarters know of the lack of real Montessori teachings and instead just gentle care.-- no real reformation for actions or separating if there is a pattern. This place reminds me of southern charm but with the back hand of instead of cussing its a "bless your heart" type of situation... Please go to another Montessori school if you can with your child don't waste your money here!!! Every time I had a concern it was put back on me or blamed on a situation or single person or emotion not a bigger picture fix! Beware, it is not a firm or even normal amount of of control the teachers or reassurance the staff SHOULD BRING PARENTS AND STUDENTS... It doesn't not seem regulated for actual lessen plans and not every child is getting their needs met as they should it seems. Please get new management and staff training required for all of these people representing Montessori! Its a shame and very sad. I have pulled my son out for many of these reasons now besides financial waste.

Stumbling upon TLE SS was one of the best decisions we could have made for our little one. We came…read morefrom a not-so-great experience at another daycare, which led me to homeschool my now 2-year-old for about four months. From the very first tour, my husband and I were in awe of how professional the staff was and how clean and organized the center appeared. In my mind, it was the perfect fit for a Type A parent like myself. I first met Ms. Andrea, who was simply delightful and soft-spoken. I shared my expectations as a parent, and she truly listened. I told her that as long as my child was treated with respect, communication remained open--even for the slightest concern--and transparency was maintained, she wouldn't hear a peep from me. Ms. Andrea and Ms. Yahira have exceeded my expectations in every way. Not only do they treat my child with respect, but they genuinely love her and have taught her so much in such a short time. I selfishly pray they will still be here when my second child is of age. They are truly an asset to this program and to our family. We sincerely appreciate all that they do.

The staff are absolutely amazing and helpful. They love the kids so much. We have been at this…read moredaycare over a year now. And we will stay here until my daughter ages out. Absolutely great place

Love this school both my kids went and still go there and Latoya's awesome. thanks :)read more

I called Latoya Luczyszyn in UNF Preschool several times for the ranking of our status to UNF…read morepreschool. Either she does not answer or talks inappropriately to the people. Finally, she messed up all the application rankings. If I can give "-5", I could give. Avoid this mess !!!