We have been fortunate to have attended this school through most of the pandemic crisis because…read morethankfully, they have taken efforts to manage the virus very seriously. We hardly missed much in-person school in 2020/21, as protocols were put in place for students to attend safely and with great assurance for parents. Aside from this, we have had wonderful Kindergarten, First and Second grade teachers who show so much care and compassion for their students. Our son has thrived there, and has grown both socially and academically.

the teachers were weird and to restrictive of my child my child always said they didn't have a good…read moretime and that they wanted to change back to their old school just an overall bad expirence

Imagine DUMBO has been a part of my family for five years. Our oldest started here at three months…read moreand she's now a rising Kindergartener. My youngest is 13 months old and also started at three months. The teachers and administrative staff are wonderful. They're very caring and I always know my daughters are not only in a safe environment but a fun and educational space. Also they have an amazing director Lia who really cares about the center and takes parents wants and needs into consideration when making decisions. I cannot recommend Imagine DUMBO enough!

Our family loves imagine daycare. We have 2 boys at the daycare, we love dropping them off with…read morepeople that we know care about our little ones. Our babies are the most important aspects of our lives and it is crucial knowing that they are safe and cared for by Imagine's fantastic staff. We receive regular updates of the boys days throughout the day, well planned out learning and activities and they are always having fun with their teachers and little friends. We love Imagine Daycare!!

Staff is extremely hard working ! I appreciate how they take the time getting to know their…read morestudents. They use the creative curriculum, very hands on.

My son started at Two by Two when he was 23 months (he's in Pre-K now) and everyday I'm glad for…read moreour choice in care. When we were exploring local options, we knew our decision would be based on where we felt he would be 1) safe, 2) healthy and 3) loved. Everywhere we toured, we felt like he'd be safe and healthy. What set Two By Two apart was that we felt like he'd would be cared for by professionals who created genuine, authentic connections - as aunties, as kin. He was so little and our care priorities were more about him feeling seen, heard and addressed. Now that he's approaching Kindergarten, he's getting the same care while also getting support with socialization, learning emotional regulation, and the basics of academics (letter and number recognition, phonics). He has a group of close friends, uses feeling statements and is reading sight words and writing his name. All huge wins without robotic structure or impersonal instruction- which while inevitable in our school systems can wait until the elementary years. Two By Two continues to make progress in communication, family engagement and facilities. We've seen growth here and have been grateful for their request for feedback and impressed to see it implemented. Considering our care priorities and the experience that our son and we have had here, we will continue to recommend Two By Two to our neighbors and friends.

We loved working with Elizabeth. Our daughter really solidified her math skills and math facts this…read moresummer, and was able to start the school year with incredibly strong footing. Elizabeth was patient, supportive and direct in how she tutored her -- helping to anchor her in self-confidence and knowing she can figure things out when she slows down and leverages the core math facts and ways of approaching problem solving. She was great! Elizabeth also sent incredibly thorough weekly summaries of the progress our daughter was making, what they focused on and where she could use more support/effort. It was so helpful to read those each week. If needed, we'd definitely return to Elizabeth in the future. ~ Lauren, mom of Cobble Hill 8 year old math student

Lisa did an amazing job with our daughter. She was always well prepared, provided detailed session…read moresummaries after every visit, and communicated exceptionally well with us. Our daughter absolutely adored her. Lisa was always available whenever I had questions, responded quickly, and collaborated closely with our daughter's other therapists to ensure she received the best possible support. From the very beginning, they formed a wonderful connection, and over time, Lisa became much more than a therapist--she became a true friend to our daughter. Even now that we've moved away, Lisa still takes the time to chat with her from time to time, which means so much to all of us. We truly cannot recommend Lisa highly enough. We are incredibly grateful for everything she has done for our family, and we are all very sad not to have her by our side anymore. Thank you as well for always checking in and making sure everything was going well. We really appreciated your support throughout the process. - Peggy, mom of Upper West Side 4th grader

Our child has attended Shining Smiles since she was 11 months old, so we have engaged with various…read moreteachers and staff at Shining Smiles for about a year's time. We are overall pleased with our experience at Shining Smiles. We are confident our child is safe and cared for at Shining Smiles. Our expectations were low in terms of any type of new skills our child would attain, but we were pleasantly surprised at her quickly pick-up new songs, names, and books being read at the daycare. The communication at Shining Smiles also works for us. From the moment you enter in the morning, you are met with a professional, school-like culture including temperature checks and general check-in on how your child is doing that morning. Shining Smiles staff is also communicative and uses a special app that allows you to tune in to all that is happening that day with regards to your child. From meals, to photos of classroom activities, and when your child uses the bathroom. Overall we recommend Shining Smiles and their caring teachers and staff!

My son has attended Shining Smiles for 1.5 years following his sister attending for a similar…read moreamount of time. We have had a truly positive experience. We appreciate the teachers feedback about how the day went and behaviors. We also feel the administrators are quick to respond to emails and message on the app. The app the day care uses is straight forward and we get frequent updates on meals, bowel movements, and sweet photos from the day. We highly recommend this establishment.

Highly recommended for Yoko's Daycare! Yoko is super communicative and so understanding of our…read morepersonal circumstances. The caretakers are also the sweetest people and they are so gentle with the little humans. Every other day, my daughter brings home the cutest artwork. Nao and Keiko senseis are superheroes in my eyes - 100%. This daycare also has an amazing backyard. Though Spring - Fall, the kids are allowed to go out to run their energy off and to get fresh air. I am so happy I had enrolled my daughter here!!

Our daughter thrived at Yoko's daycare. Our daughter started when she was 6 months old until she…read morewas 14 months. The teachers were all outstanding and took excellent care of her. Our daughter was in the NICU after she was born and has always struggled with weight gain and her teachers did such a great job making sure she ate well and slept well. We also loved that the children had so much fun, playing with instruments, going outside in the warmer days, and interacting with one another. We loved that the teachers speak to the children in Japanese. We had to leave the daycare because we moved to North Brooklyn, otherwise would stay as long as possible. We highly recommend Yoko's daycare!

This school is absolutely WONDERFUL! The teachers care for each and every child as if they were…read moretheir own, and put so much love and attention into their work! They go above and beyond to make sure the children are happy, safe and engaged! Kindstart Is a fun friendly atmosphere filled with creativity, learning and love! I'd recommend this school to anyone!

My both sons attended kind start years ago. My oldest now is 12 years old and still remembers Miss…read moreLisa and Miss Elena dearly . They were nothing but kind, warm and welcoming. It's a small daycare with a lot of love and nurturing so much that My eldest requested we go visit right after his fifth grade graduation . My younger one didn't get to complete pre-K there due to Covid, he was a baby but always felt nothing but peace and confidence that he was in good hands. They were amazing nurturing group of ppl . All the activities and themes the kids have to build life long memories . We love, kind start, Miss Lisa, and Miss Elena. Thank you . I am 100% sure none of this has changed !

Our sons started attending Gold Material when they were about 2 years and 3 months old. They…read moreattend 5 days a week for morning sessions. In under 2 weeks, they were adjusted and enjoying their new environment - we see this as a testament to the fantastic atmosphere created by the leadership and teachers throughout all "grades" at the school. The Admissions Director is fantastic. She not only runs the school, but also plays an active roll in supporting the youngest kids' classroom experience. The school's Director is also very actively involved at macro and micro levels. Our teachers themselves have taught our boys so much - which we see through all the things they say, sing (and dance!) about at home. When one of our sons had an injury that prevented him from going to school for several weeks, the teachers had the class make an amazingly sweet get-well card with all of the students "signatures". After only 4 months, we're finding it to be a strong educational environment as well as a warm and caring one. I will note that this is not a school with the newest facilities or materials - and in many ways you could say it's more modest compared to other NYC Montessori schools. Likewise, it's not a school where you'll get daily email updates with photos and write-ups of their activities. Neither of these things bother us. The supportive and collaborative educational environment is the most important thing - and all we as parents feel we need to be confident that this program is right for our boys. We are looking forward to more years at Gold Material.

Imagine sitting amongst parents in the audience for a school show and your little daughter being…read morethe ONLY one that was excluded from a father/daughter dance. That's what Gold Material (Kings Hwy) did to us in 2015. Their excuse? My husband is not Russian and wouldn't understand dance instruction. Mind you, the school instruction is not in Russian, and my 3yr old daughter spoke Russian fluently and could recite Pushkin's 3 page poems by heart. Their reasoning (that my husband is not Russian) was documented on email (they responded to me via email, see attached screenshot). I, of course raised a big stink about it and they promptly "dismissed" my child from their school - 2 months before her official preschool graduation and 1 month before her birthday. Once our attorney contacted them, they tried to change the story and lie that we were late with payments. Of course, I had screenshots of their payment screens as they forgot to take away our login access and our bank statements proving our timely payments. The admins/owners of the school are despicable, rude and have zero empathy (could it be a sign of certain disorder?) Owners Alexandr and his daughter in law Varvara Radimushkina are obnoxious, rude and treat parents with primitive "fresh off the boat from Russia" tendency. See other reviews that specifically talk about the administration's rudeness. Here's an example: The school turns off all lights and leaves children to sit in pitch darkness 10 mins after school closing. Having been late just 1 time to pick up my child due to severe snowstorm traffic, I personally witnessed this first hand. Send your child to this school at your own risk.