When we saw the combination of the space and the teachers, we were over the moon. Old First has a…read morehuge classroom, a huge indoor play space (replete with indoor jungle gym), and a big backyard! There are swings and a playscape in the backyard, as well as a garden! The teachers are so creative and engaging, my daughter never wants to leave school. One day she comes home talking about the painting projects, the next day she breaks into the songs she has learned, another day she talks me through the process of tilling the ground and planting seeds -- turns out they had spent a couple days tilling the ground and planting grass in the backyard. This school encourages a sense of independence and inquisitiveness in its students, and has engaged and delighted my daughter since day 1. It is a truly refreshing and unique find in the otherwise daunting world of Brooklyn preschools.

We sent both our kids to this school and they both had amazing experiences, as did we (this being a…read moreparent-run cooperative.) As others have mentioned, the teachers are great -- and that has been true even with staff changes over the years. The space is extraordinary - there is no other pre-school in Brooklyn that has has a nicer space - worth it for that alone! The school continues its 50-year tradition of progressive education. Your kids won't be saddled with pre-this&that, but will actively develop executive function skills and learn how to function in a school setting. Best of all, they will learn to love school and will look forward to every day at OFNS. OFNS kids generally do very well when they move on to kindergarten. As a parent-run cooperative, parents are much more involved with the school and each other than is probably typical. While the annual Christmas tree sale shifts may be tiring, they are also a great bonding experience, and a lot of fun. Old First Nursery School is one of those things that makes Brooklyn special!

We are profoundly disappointed by Chai Tots. The Director, Sarah Hecht, assured us that the class…read morewould be fully occupied. When the year began, and we discovered that there were only 3 full time students besides our daughter, we asked Sarah to relocate her to the Park Slope branch. Ms. Hecht assured us repeatedly that there would be a place for our daughter at the Park Slope location, but insisted that our daughter begin the school year at the Prospect Heights space. Week after week, Sarah came up with new excuses why she couldn't move our daughter. First, she had to observe the class for a full week. Then it was the week of Sukkot and she was busy with preparations. Then, her son was getting married. On and on. We share this review because, after many years as Chai tots parents (3 kids, total of 7 years), we have had many families in the community asking us what happened that we moved our daughter to Luria Academy (where she is extremely happy, the staff there just couldn't be better). We are as baffled as the other parents about the inexcusable behavior of Sarah Hecht. Worst of all, after breaking her promise for months and months, stringing us along, and finally leaving us no choice but to leave because the class was so small, unsocial and gloomy --Chai Tots has still not refunded the $9,000 we paid in good faith that there would be space for our daughter in the location that Sarah promised. There were whispers in the neighborhood that the Hecht family had gotten greedy with all the new locations opening--now we witnessed this for ourselves. This school aggressively markets positive Jewish values. Regrettably, their actions are to the contrary. We look forward to sharing better news when our tuition is refunded to us.

I love this school so much! There are much bigger and more popular preschools in the neighborhood,…read morebut when it came time to put my 22 month old I chose Chai Tots. From the moment I walked in I knew this was the place for us. They have such a warm and nurturing environment and my kids are so happy there. My daughter has been there for 4 years now and my son just started this year. The teachers not only show such warmth, empathy, and patience to all the kids, but to the parents as well. I've learned so much from them throughout the years. It is really a community and teachers become part of your heart. I feel so lucky to be a part of this school.

What a fun and educational class for littles! We love that it's outdoors and a great opportunity…read morefor kids to socialize while playing and exploring in nature. The songs are pretty catchy too! I always recommend this class to other parents with toddlers/pre-schoolers. Love that you can find classes all over the country, and they even offer virtual classes.

This "class" is as good as it gets!…read more I started going to Tinkergarten with my three and a half year old last fall. I battled the BQE to get to Park Slope from Queens for these classes - that's how good they are! The whole premise of kids playing and learning outdoors appealed to the educator in me; the one who laments the lack of play time for children in today's testing-driven world. My daughter and I truly had some of the best weeks of our lives during those classes and made some beautiful memories. Meghan was an exceptional teacher who was able to make the outdoors come alive for children. The activities designed by Tinkergarten helped children explore their surroundings, flex their imaginations, and learn deeply about themselves and their world through play. The activities were fun, engaging, and truly got you learning by getting your hands dirty! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Tinkergarten. My only regret was that our "semester" ended. It was a bittersweet end of class. My daughter still talks about Miss Meghan and remembers, vividly and fondly, all the different activities we did. An added treat to Tinkergarten is their vast collection of activities that you can find on their website (for free!!) As a working mother I don't always have time to prepare activities for my child. What I appreciate most about Tinkergarten activities is that they require minimal to no preparation. They can also be done ANYWHERE! While it's great to go on a "bell hunt" in an outdoor space where you can run around, I've also been able to use it in my small home. We've put a "compass" on our head not just at a park, but when we walk up the block to go to our nearby deli. We've also made a "magic carpet" using household items when it's raining outside. Seriously - visit their website and learn more.

Our son started Honeydew daycare at 4.5 months and it's been wonderful (he's 10 months now). The…read moreteachers take great care of him, share lots of updates and pictures throughout the day. He's always happy to go to Honeydew (never cries) and he seems to have lots of fun there. It's quite emotional to start daycare but Honeydew made it very easy on us and our LO. Highly recommend!

To anyone looking for a place for their child, I highly recommend honeydew drop! My son enjoyed his…read moretime at the nook infant and toddler program and safari too. He is currently enrolled in their 3K program and is having the best time

2 of our children (boy and girl) are at Kinderhaus and we are very grateful for Kinderhaus. Our…read morechildren's development has been excellent. The school has helped them become fluent in German and they have many adventures and activities with Kinderhaus. The teachers all have degrees and certifications in childhood education and it shows. The curriculum is fantastic and they also have arts and crafts activities. The children also get a chance to play outside in the backyard of the school. The parent community has been amazing as well and we have made friends with the other families.

From the owner: KinderHaus is a German immersion preschool in Brooklyn with a Waldschule, forest-inspired…read morecurriculum recognized by the German government. Our play-based, science-rich, and nature-focused program sets children on a wonderful educational path. Our KinderHaus graduates go on to NYC’s top public and private elementary and high schools, many of whom now attend top 10 colleges nationwide, and have continued their studies in Germany.

My kid's time at Juguemos was everything we could possibly hope for. It is a warm, loving…read moreenvironment where we could be completely comfortable leaving her. She learned so much - not just Spanish, which we do not speak at home, but also social skills, pre-acadmic essentials like colors, numbers, letters, and all sorts of fun activities like mailing letters or playground games. Great teachers and clean, bright facilities too. Really the best all around experience (and value) I could imagine from a preschool.

From the owner: Spanish Immersion Preschool, after school classes, online classes, tutoring, summer program and…read morefamily activities

My son just graduated Zusin after 2 years, and the change between day one, and where the kid is at…read moregraduation, is astronomical. My kid was six months when he started. Couldn't walk or talk or anything. Now he poops in the toilet all by himself and uses words like delicious and floss. Insane. What a journey. I remembering hugging all his teachers for the last time. We were all crying. So much love flowing that day. Not to mention, gratitude. That's what I felt the deepest. Sadness and loss for sure. But mostly, I felt thankful. Because what the heck would we have done without childcare? We never would have made it. I cannot believe our good fortune, both in being able to afford daycare, but also having loving teachers who were really good at their jobs. It's funny, I was thinking about the old phrase, "good help is hard to find."No it's not. Good help is as abundant as the sun. Care is not a scarce commodity. Competent people are not rare, unreliable or hiding somewhere. What's hard to find is our own ability to recognize it, afford it, access it, trust it, accept it, and acknowledge how much of our lives depend on it. The transformation my son underwent during those two years? It's not a miracle. It's thousands of tiny acts performed by caring people. Meals served. Diapers changed. Tears soothed. Words repeated. Shoes tied. Conflicts mediated. Naps negotiated. Bodies protected. We applied to our daycare during the second trimester, got on the waiting list, and the day he turned six months, we sent him to school. And now he's like a real person. So what I feel right now is mostly gratitude. We hit the lottery. I wanted to sing Zusin's praises, quite literally. So I wrote a song about them. Here's the link and lyrics attached: https://open.spotify.com/track/5ndOpjUbPDVS99veN6WrkC?si=81586b69662b4576

Zusin is just absolutely wonderful!!! As a FTM I was really nervous about where to take our…read moredaughter. She grins from ear to ear at dropoff and pickup; the caregivers are just so wonderful with her and we love music class! Our girl has absolutely thrived at Zusin!!!

Lots of tender loving care went into this business! Follow them on FB and you'll see how active…read moreand interactive the children are. They are really learning things and having a great time too!

My son is enrolled in the Ladybug 3s preschool, and I cannot say enough positive things about his…read moreteachers and our experience. The kids are always doing engaging, educational, and fun activities. They also spend a lot of time playing outside and are extremely well taken care of. We've seen a huge uptick in our son's development and learning since he started at Ladybug! Erica is a wonderful head of programing who's always prompt to answer our questions and send us information. Another huge perk is Ladybug's camp offerings and willingness to stay open when other schools have snow closings etc. We are so happy to be part of the Ladybug family!

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.

Our daughter attended Bumblebees R Us in Park Slope part-time from age 2 until she was 3.5. The…read morefacility is clean and bright and the children would often take walks in nice weather or go outside on the patio to play. Our daughter especially loved when the dance teacher would visit and loved doing arts and crafts. Ms.Liljana, the director was wonderful. My daughter still misses her. She is loving and warm, the kids are all very attached to her. We've grown attached to her too and still visit occasionally to say hello.

Our son attended this daycare from the age of 1 (in the infant room/2nd floor) through 4.5 years…read moreold. This place fit us perfectly because it is only few blocks away from home. Nothing beats quick access during those rainy and snowy days and access to subway one block away. The staff ratio upstairs is unheard of- 2 babies per caretaker is excellent. They have an outdoor patio and sometimes they take the kids out for a walk to the park one block away. The daycare also rarely closes (only for those main 10-11 national holidays a year and few pre-scheduled professional developmental days). All kids at this locations must follow state/CDC vaccination schedule, which is a plus! They have cleaning crew that comes in and cleans toys and stuff around all the time. The staff actually like kids and are very maternal; the best part of all, the kids love them as well. The downstairs is for kids 2 to 5 years old; although there are rarely any kids who are over 4 at this place. They have yoga teacher and music teachers come by once or few times a week. The ladies at that location are very creative and always find something to occupy the kids with. My son learned so much here. He is 4 now and I wouldn't be surprised if he read in few more months. Another big plus is, this location has stroller/bike parking in a garage next door that is secure. It always strikes me how an expensive place such as Beensprouts have all strollers outside in the rain and completely unsecured. The only time this location does not allow for stroller parking is when there are Christmas Tree sales, but once that is over, the garage is available for use again. I had to take one star off because the daycare has become increasingly more expensive. It went up the price at least 3 or 4 times during our son's stay of total 3 or so years. Thanks to Beensprouts prices, I am not surprised why all nearby locations are trying to even out the prices. That is too bad.