This school is a gem right in the heart of Birmingham. That said, students come from many local…read morecities as it seems to draw many wonderful families looking for a safe and nurturing environment. They accept kids starting at 18 months (don't have to be potty trained) and you can create your own schedule from Monday - Friday. We are sending both of our children there this year. We have noticed HUGE strides in our children's learning and social skills. They do crafts (even the Tots class with kids from 18 - 2.5 years), read books, sing songs and teach lessons of sharing and tolerance. Our son started last year in the 3's program and it was so heart warming to watch him grow and play with his friends. His language improved and we got so many crafts to keep. Our daughter is now in the Tots program and only 2 months in, her vocabulary went from 20 or so words to now stringing together phrases and she pretty much repeats any word she hears. She was also really shy and now is very outgoing and loves playing with other kids. The teachers and school director are like family to us. They are really comforting and understanding and it is so evident that they love what they do! Other things that I believe set St. James apart: they disinfect all classrooms every (yes, every!) day, they have a very strict locked door policy and ID anyone that is not the usual pick up person (I've seen it for myself when a dad was picking up his son and a teacher didn't know him). They do work sheets and it is very focused on education / learning. All of the teachers there are required to do so many hours of training each year too. Again, you can do as many or as little days a week you want and mornings or extend the day to 2:00, they do lots of crafts, they have a balanced amount of activities and field trips and the other parents and kids are just wonderful. I've met so many great moms and feel so happy every time I am there. We looked at other schools and have friends at other schools and truly, St. James far exceeds anything we could have asked for. Check out the school! You can call Shar Wickens, the director, directly and set up a personal visit when convenient for you.

From the owner: St. James Preschool is a child-centered, enrichment-orientated program featuring a low student to…read moreteacher ratio. Licensed by the State of Michigan, the program is designed to give children flexibility to grow mentally, socially, and physically while being nurtured in a loving and supportive Christian environment. Children from 18 months to 6 years are offered small group, age appropriate programs Monday through Friday. Curbside pick-up and drop-off is available. We welcome children of all faiths, cultures, abilities, and backgrounds.

Both of my children attended Happy Faces World. You truly get the best of the best here: smaller…read morein home daycare but is structured like a preschool. The owners help to raise both of my children and they (me too) miss seeing them. I would highly recommend Happy Faces to any of my friends, family and yelp viewers.

Having a child who was one of the first students through the doors at Happy Faces I can say from…read moreexperience that it is without a doubt a wonderful place. I cant spout enough positive accolades about our experience there. Miss Alla prides herself on fostering a good foundation for learning while at the same time allowing the kids have fun, all in a clean and safe environment. Being a working parent, you only hope that you can find someone as nurturing as Alla to leave your most prized possession with. With a boy well into his early elementary years, I am so happy that she helped plant the seeds to help my child be the student that he is today. Every year his teachers tell us what a pleasure he is to teach and I think most of that started at Happy Faces.

My child has attended this daycare for 4 months and it has been the most stressful defeating…read moreexperience. We thought transitioning here would be more beneficial for our child. And on the surface, it was. Once enrolled, Ixel was a nightmare. The first day, she did not notice our baby's coat was stolen from her assigned cubby. From there she allowed another parent to take our child's shoes on 3 separate occasions. Our child went home shoeless 3 times in winter. She demanded our child be assessed for Autism (which can't happen until she turns 3) We still set up the appointment and turned our paperwork in; just for her to half fill out her provider form with little information as to why the child needs to be assessed in the first place. She insinuated my child had a demon spirit when upset and said prayers and rebuked her. (This was very triggering and made me wonder what she does with my child when I'm not present.) Ixel claimed that my husband and I were too young to know how to correctly parent our child because of her tantrums and her lack of being potty trained fully. (My daughter is 2, We are 29) The week my child turned 3, her appointment being the next week (as strongly forced by Ixel), Ixel writes a termination letter on a piece of college ruled paper (not even a typed official document) and says our family is not a good "fit" for her program. I do not believe my daughter is autistic and blaming the parent for their not reaching milestones fast enough by Ixels schedule has been heartbreaking. Consistent ridicule about Men (fathers) not knowing how to properly parent because men don't retain information/advice that she offers is also something I (the mother) heard her complain about often. You will recieve notice of her closing a day or 2 in advance which has also been inconvenient. Ixel is very unprofessional and talks about other parents (often heard calling them crazy) in front of their child when the parent departs. Lastly, Ixel is the only one in the home most days so she does not have supervision of the children while she cooks or takes a child to the potty. Little to no updates on your child's day to day unless there is a problem. This daycare was great on the surface with many positives however; the negatives were just too much to handle weekly. We were trying to hold out until our child turned 4 but it's for the best that it didn't. Strongly consider other options before enrolling your child here.

My son had been at IXL since 2015. This past spring he graduated from the Pre-K classroom and has…read morebeen more than prepared for kindergarten! He's "XL-ing" from both an academic and social standpoint. I can say, with confidence, that IXL was a major contributing factor to that. The care and dedication that everyone puts forth, for these children, is immeasurable! We definitely miss the amazing teachers, staff, and friends made during his time there. I'd recommend IXL to anyone looking for quality care and education for their kiddos. If there's a wait...it's worth it!

I attended this school in 1954. Many happy memories. Glad the school is still there. The love of…read moreour Lord Jesus Christ is still taught there.

We found BCM while looking for a place to "temporarily" put our first child instead of sending her…read moreto Kindergarten (as she was an early birthday). Well, here we are seven years later and we are about to send our fourth child to BCM! Each of our children has gone through the three year program (through Kindergarten) and we couldn't be happier with what they've learned and how they've grown. The teachers are all so wonderful...patient, caring, gentle (yet able to direct the children to what they need to be learning). We are so thrilled to have found a school like Birmingham Community Montessori for our children's early education.

From the owner: Preschool and kindergarten montessori education.read more

Little Lambs is such a hidden jewel in the Bloomfield/Birmingham area! With small class sizes and…read morethe most wonderful and caring teachers and staff, both of my children have flourished here. In addition to offering year-round care for infants through Kindergarten age children, the program is always offering innovative and exciting curriculum that is age-appropriate and follows the High/Scope method. The tuition is actually below-average for the area and we love their flexible scheduling. As a half day is considered up to 4.5 hours, I can actually get a solid morning of work in before picking my little one up before 1 PM for nap-time. In addition, the program is ideal for anyone who is working flex-time jobs or job sharing as the center works with your schedule--need Tues, Wed, Thursday? No problem! It is the only center in the area that offers this program. We also love the Christian component to our child's education. The children say grace before eating and the pre-schooler's attend a short chapel service each week. The best part of Little Lambs has been meeting and becoming friends with the other families. The families are highly involved, everyone knows each other are extremely supportive. Truly a fabulous program in all ways!

I love Bright Loritos! Both my children and my sisters 2 children have attended this school. Not…read moreonly are the teachers so kind, they adore our children and our children adore them. My sister and I were not born in this country and we speak several languages. Learning English, a new language for us at the time, was a great experience. It helped me learn more languages with far more ease. My youngest child (2 yrs old) just started attending and within a month him and I converse in Spanish. From the learning, the culture, the compassionate teaching. I highly recommend this day care to parents that want to give their children a leg up in learning for the future.

Bright Loritios is a amzing foreign language school located in Troy, my daughter has attended the…read moresummer camp weekly session for the last 3 years. The staff is very professional and there are so many languages to choose from. I love the fact that the children are completely immersed in the language of choice from the time they walk in the door english is not used very much so the children learn from exposure and activities not drills.