An absolutely wonderful school. Both my kids have gone through this school, and by the end of this I'll have spent nearly 8 years interacting with the staff - all of whom are truly amazing. A huge part of who your kiddos become is influenced by the people who are teaching them that early on in life, and the JKA teachers really drive home kindness, curiosity, and being thoughtful, helpful kiddos. My son is going into elementary school already ahead of the curve, and I could not be more grateful for the love and support these amazing teachers have shown our family over the years. As for the logistics: easy drop off/pick up, great communication with parents through the brightwheel app, lunch and snack provided so takes the stress off, and staff is really open and communicative about safety and any other issues (we went through Covid here with an infant, which they handled really well). read more

Our two boys (4 and 1) have gone to Parkside for over a year and we are very happy. First of all, during the pandemic, Karen (the director) and her teachers have done an amazing job of keeping our kids happy and safe. Our older boy has struggled with the realities of not seeing family, not being able to go playgrounds, and being afraid to go near people. Ms Pat and Ms Lisa have done a great job providing him with a sense of normalcy, while teaching him to read and write. Our little one thrives in an environment where he gets to draw and play outside with friends every day. As a scientist who work woks with covid, I really appreciate how hard Ms Karen has worked to follow all covid-safety regulations, reduce capacity, and keep our children safe. Additionally, we have moved around quite a bit and for our older son, this is his third preschool and it's by far the best one we have experienced. They do a great job combining play with learning. Both of my kids are excited to come here every day. Also, Ms Karen made the kids a full thanksgiving meal so that they could all experience it together, which is objectively amazing. I would recommend this preschool to all parents. read more

Can I just say Hallelujah for Parkside Joyful Kids Academy?! We had our son in a in-home daycare nearby and had a really bad experience and had to pull him out immediately. We toured 3 different schools in our search and decided that Parkside was the best for us. We are about a month in now and I can say that we have noticed a drastic change for the better in our son's speech, he's saying full on sentences since starting here. He raves about school non-stop at home and is excited to wake up in the morning and get ready for school. Jeanette is the new director and she is in the process of making some great changes. They even have an app that your child's teacher can send you updates on your child throughout the day, food eaten, length of naps, potty, and even potty attempts/accidents. Today I got a photo that my son had tripped and fell over a toy but says he's "okay" :) I love it! read more

Joyful Kids Academy - Preschools Near Me - Concord, California

I rarely write reviews but felt I needed to write this one in case there is another parent out there with a similar situation. This school is ok for children who are easy, but is not a good fit for a child who needs any extra time, effort, or assistance. I will start by saying there are good things to the school. There's a great app that allows you to check in on your kid, and they send pictures Staff is generally kind. We had some teachers we loved but there is a lot of turn around. Food is provided (though I wouldn't say it's as "healthy" as they describe it) They have dealt well with Covid protocol, and we felt like our daughter was safe going to this school Now for the not so good. Our daughter has a language delay, which makes it hard for her to some times get her desires across. She also (partially due to the pandemic) has some issues with socializing; she mostly plays by herself. This, and her strong will, makes her a little harder than your average child to deal with, but not something that a preschool shouldn't be able to handle. All of this was discussed with staff, and many times we tried to convey what she needed in order to be happy and in order for them to have an easier time working with her. Instead, she was often ignored, and would come home complaining of being lonely, saying things like "want to make it stop", "stop sulking" (a phrase we never used at home), and generally showing a desire of not wanting to go to school. Because socializing was one of our main concerns with our daughter that we had discussed with the staff, I stayed to watch from outside the gate one day after I dropped my daughter off. I watched as they brought her to the playground, and afterward completely ignored her. They didn't ask her how she was, they didn't invite her to join in, they didn't even help her with her backpack. She just sat there completely alone. This is not the way to encourage a 3 year old to start socializing or engage with others. When we brought this incident to their attention they ignored my multiple messages until my husband contacted them, and when we discussed it on the phone they told us "well she prefers to be alone, so we just let her be." In the end, they kicked her out for being too sad and claimed they were not equipped to deal with her. We asked if she bit, hit, or harmed other children and they said no. If you met my daughter, I think you would be astonished that she could get kicked out of a preschool. What it comes down to is that they simply did not want to put the time and effort into making our child happy and growing at this preschool. While the staff was nice overall, they weren't always honest, and they tended to do what was easiest for themselves and not what was best for our child. A preschool should be accommodating to all kinds of children, and three year olds shouldn't be expected to be "perfect" all the time. After only 2 weeks at her new school, we've seen a vast improvement in her development and overall happiness. It is very clear to me that Parkside was not the place for her, and unless your child is very easy to manage it might not be the place for your child either. read more

My wife and I would like to thank Joyful Kids Academy in helping our toddler Olivia learn Spanish, improve her social skills and communicate more with her words. She has learned a lot and we will miss this place. From our experience the teachers have been Outstanding and Caring. They have earned our level of trust. We consider this place not just a daycare but more of a school. The teachers are caring and committed from what I've observed. It's a safe and friendly environment which we feel Good about. Director Karen runs a Good facility and we absolutely recommend this daycare school center. Thank you so much we hope to come back if the next school doesn't work out. God Bless. read more

My son have learned a lot going to Parkside Joyful Academy. He learned to count in Spanish and in English here. All the teachers are very friendly and he gets along with everyone. He loves following his teacher around and love to play with everyone. Sadly we are in the process of moving so we have to find a new daycare later, but overall this daycare is amazing. read more

My son was kicked out after he moved to the next larger class. He was bit on several occasions and then I learned kids in his class were "playing tag with their teeth". My son has great communication skills and the teachers would ignore him when he tried to talk with them. The staff seemed to be frazzled and past capacity in almost every way. We found a new+smaller environment for him in an in home setting. It took him about a year after Joyful kids to not freak out any time we mentioned 'school' or saw a school - we had almost zero contact with his teachers since they had covid protocol so I don't know much of what happened to make him that traumatized. But Ms Karen seemed to have many gaps in her story and she even mistakenly sent me a text about "telling the parents the truth". It all seemed strange but happy to report my son is doing well. read more

My wife and I moved to Concord and found Parkside for our child to attend. He had been enrolled since 6 months of age and we could not be happier with the care that was given to our son. The only reason why we had to unenroll was because we moved up North otherwise he'd still be flourishing in the programs created by the center. Our child loved all his teachers and they provided us with daily updates regarding his performance. Our family appreciates the foundation we helped establish with the help of Parkside. While I understand everyone has different expectations, Parkside exceeded ours. Thank you so much! read more

This school is a gem! Such caring staff, great curriculum, spacious and clean facilities, and most importantly I know my two children really enjoy being there. We've had a wonderful experience with PJK the past 3 years and I couldn't recommend it to other families more. read more

My daughter started at Parkside when she was 3 months old and is now almost 3 years old. It has been a wonderful experience. They've done a great job at planning daily activities to keep our little one engaged. Also, it's such a delight to receive photos and videos with the app throughout the week. They had a very wide range of hours but had to adjust during the pandemic. I also really appreciated all the protocols they adopted to ensure safety and cleanliness for all the kids. read more

Our son started going to Joyful Kids Academy when he was only 4 months old up until pre-school. He thrived and learned so much here, much credit to all the caring and dedicated teachers. They have a great curriculum designed to help kids with their social skills (during circle time and small group activities), language, cognitive, sensory, and their imaginative development. They also provided breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. I appreciated the daily updates with photos thru Brightwheel, which we also used to communicate with his teachers. l also loved all the artworks he brought home! My son will be starting Kindergarten in Fall--we will definitely miss this school and all the awesome teachers/staff. read more

Parkside Joyful has had so many staff changes here; I can't count how many directors and teachers my daughter has had in the 2.5 years we've been attending here. The lasts set is not my favorite but the location makes it really difficult to change daycare. They haven't replaced her favorite teacher yet (been 2 weeks). Drop off has been terrible because the current temporary teacher doesn't greet her when she arrives or assist in any way, so I'm constantly late for work. Constantly change in teachers is making it harder to leave her with new 'strangers'. No outside food is allowed as too many parents were bring in special food since they provide typical cafeteria junk food (spaghetti, pizza, fish stick, etc). This can be a real problem when your kid brings their breakfast with them every morning. Their playground has gravel, which I'm constantly dumping out of her shoes at home. read more

Let me start with I found this place 5 days before we needed child care, when I contacted them they only had one space left in the age group that we needed but Jeanette the director was fantastic at getting the process rolling as quickly as possible. Our little one had never been in daycare and she is 20 months old. She had only ever been around adults that she knew, and so she had a bit of a rough start. Her teacher Jamie has been fantastic with the transition. In fact all the teachers there are really skilled. For the first couple of weeks I actually stayed for 20-30 minutes and watched how they dealt with the kids and I was truly impressed. The classes are separated by age, I've never seen the 2 year olds with the 4 year olds. This place also has an app that they send you pictures and videos through out the day. The teacher can send an alert when your running low on diapers or wipes, etc. The app also allows you to send messages and tells you when your child has been dropped off or picked up. Perfect for parents that share custody. This place and the staff are a class act and I am so grateful we found them. Thank you Parkside for keeping us at ease while we all make this transition. You have all been amazing. read more

My oldest graduated from Parkside last year and now my youngest son goes here. He is 2. He is thriving! He loves his friends and he has so much to tell me when he gets home. His vocabulary is very broad for a 2 year old and I think school is helping tremendously with that. The teachers are so nice, I am very thankful for them and what they do for my child. To leave him with anyone is a huge trust issue for me and so far I have entrusted the two loves of my life with the Parkside teachers. That is saying something! And during this pandemic they have done they're part to keep everyone as safe as possible. That's one less thing to worry about. Thank you, teachers!! read more

I have to first say that I struggled with whether or not to write this review, but after pulling our son out and seeing the wonderful care he is now receiving, I am compelled to write this review for anyone with an out of the box child or one in need of any extra supports, that is potentially considering this place. We were at Parkside for three years and during that time we had some wonderful teachers. Only one of them remain and that is Ms. Pat. She is truly amazing and I would give her all the stars. Our son learned so much from her and she actually cared about his development. We would have kept him there if he could have stayed with her. That being said, the turnover here is insane. In 3 years we saw 4 directors and too many teachers to count. Why did we stay? Because of the rare gems we encountered along the way, coupled with the fact our son enjoyed coming here. Now to why we left. Our son can be stubborn and he was exhibiting some behavioral issues. He is also very smart and caring. We attempted to work with his teacher and the director, Karen, to come up with a plan. We brought in an outside therapist that observed our son 7-8 times and concluded while he could use some assistance, most of that needed to come from the teacher. The teacher didn't work with my son the way she should have and that was stated to me by the director herself. The therapist suggested we bring in another agency that would help the teacher with tactics. Before we even got to that point my husband and and I were called into a meeting where my son was demonized. I was so upset and emotional by their complete and utter lack of experience and willingness to help him rather than make him the villain. The bottom line is they didn't want to "deal" with him. HE WAS 4 and they were allegedly professionals. We pulled him out and it was the best decision I ever made. So the short is, if you're looking for compassionate, professional, and experienced caregivers, keep looking. If you need daycare, this might be your place. read more

This place is amazing! My son started coming when he was 1 year old and can't believe he is now 3.5 years old. It's his second home. So many positives for our family... I will list a few of what keeps us so connected to this community. At the beginning, as new mom, my separation anxiety was over the top. Joyful kids has the coolest app that allowed me to bring some peace of mind with frequent updates. Updates on naps, activities, pictures, random check ins. Staff- When we started coming there was a director transition which was a bit rough initially. But I must say we totally love current director Mrs Karen. She is smart, organized, caring, and truly is committed to providing the best education to the kiddos. She has been so thorough and has opened her office doors to help with tips on best practices to handle normal toddler behaviors challenges. Always open to feedback and great communicator. Education- Every staff has been transparent about their agenda. Mrs Nona, Mrs Melissa, Mrs Lety, Mrs Tiffany and Mrs Pat to name a few are the best!!! No concerns ever about my son being left with someone I felt was incompetent. He knows so much as a 3 yo. Current teacher Mrs Pat is the best!! She has totally changed our dinner routine :) My son wants to rehearse his school "ground rules" and wants to be more independent with chores (because Mrs Pat says it's important). Knows things I thought you learned in Kindergarten! It's awesome! Covid Pandemic- on top of guidelines!! As a Nurse Practitioner and concerned mother , I thank Mrs Karen and staff for lessening my panic about covid 19/ safety of my child while at daycare. They acted immediately and were able to update school protocols to keep staff and children safe. Food is delicious. My son asked for things he eats at school. :) Most importantly, my son loves it! School environment is clean, feels like home, nice curb side appeal, and my son calls it his "escuela" (school). I'm grateful to have found this gem in Concord Ca. Thank you Joyful Kids! read more

Parkside Joyful Kids is such an awesome school! The kids started going there when the school was already under the new management and I have nothing bad to say. They are GREAT! The teachers are nice, sweet, and caring. The school itself I think is pretty good in size and very clean. That's very important to me. Potty training with my oldest was a piece of cake. They assisted with that and we did it in less than a week. I'm forever grateful! The food is well balanced veggies, starch, meat, fruit, milk etc (for lunch), plus snacks in between.. My only suggestion is maybe something more substantial for breakfast? I'm Filipino so I eat rice, eggs and meat for breakfast lol! I'm not expecting that but something a little bit more in my opinion.. But other than that I really have no complaints. Anytime I have a question Miss Laurie and Miss Nicole will always have an answer. The lines of communication is very good. They are very flexible if I have to add a day to take the kids in. My schedule is all over the place. So I'm glad they are always so accommodating. And most importantly I love when the kids come home from school with their artwork. We talk about what they've learned. Talk about their friends in school. I know they really love it there!! It makes it easy for me being away for 10 hours and I come home to happy kids and I know they were in a very good and safe place. Keeps me sane. Shoutout to Miss Anna! My son adores her even though he's not in her class anymore. He loves her so much it's cute hearing about it. I hope this was helpful to whoever is checking out this school. read more

Not quite sure what happened but my godchild's experience was not good here the last few months. His parents decided to not re enroll him this fall. I picked him up a few times usually outside. Too many children for two teachers. Always children seemingly unattended. He was with kids of all ages. Children I felt should be separated. 2 years to 6? Complained teacher was mean. Tried to ask him who but he didn't know her name. I babysit occasionally he is close to me. No name?! My friend said his teacher was often someone else? Eventually started crying upon drop off. My friend was a mess and changed places and enrolled him in a more professional place he loves!! I don't know what happened there but things have changed and I would recommend going somewhere else. Kindercare is great!! read more

My Son has been going to Parkside for over a year now and he loves it. He just moved up from the Fox Rm to the Owl room (3yrs) and he is beyond excited to be there. Lil Man gets to run outside, play on the cool playset, play with cars, play with animals, sing, laugh, and have a ton of fun each day. He's having so much fun he's singing himself to sleep. SAFE & CLEAN // I love that their is security cameras in each room and a combination on the door for security. Each kid has to be signed out and even with security measures its super easy to drop off your kid and pick them up. My wife and my mom were with me when we went looking for daycares and they are kinda clean freaks so this place passed their test with flying colors and that says a lot. My mom in particular is really picky where her grandchildren go. FRIENDS // My son has made a ton of friends there and his teachers are beyond kind to him. He has friends in multiple classrooms and that's really cool, he talks about them all the way home. AWESOME TEACHERS // Since my son has a bit of energy I can only imagine how tired they are at the end of the day but they always seem to have a smile and give lots of hugs. Most days my son is one of the last ones there but he's still having a blast. FUN & LEARN A LOT // They also have extra programs like sports and high energy activities there. It's a really good place to bring your kid and I love that it's not just a play place but they actually learn some really cool things. My son brings home the coolest art projects. FLEXIBLE // Oh, almost forgot they are really flexible with schedules. You can do 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, full days/half days. It makes it easy. AFFORDABLE // We looked around at a bunch of places and most were way to expensive but this place seem to be the right price especially for all that it offered. read more

I have taught for 20 years in a public school, 10 of which were in special ed . I also taught at an after school program with kids with disabilities such as autism. I never worked with a child that I felt that shoud be asked to leave because that child was to challenging for me to handle.I feel that I am qualified in giving a review to a daycare progam that has kicked out my ONE yes one year old grandson. What kind of director cannot deal with a busy one year old child. If it were my business that director would have been the one to asked to leave. If the Parkside Kids Academy cannot deal with a one year they should not be in the business of taking care of your children. Please don't put you child through having to be uprooted in the middle of their daycare experience because the director can't handle a one year old. read more

I've had my two tots here since 1/2018. It's been absolutely amazing. We were on a full time schedule to start, but with changes to my position and hours we went down to part time, and they were absolutely easy and willing to offer that. My kids are definitely, ummmm, a handful. My son is quite emotional and is capable of tantrums of epic proportion, and my daughter is as sassy and assertive as they come; and their teachers still love them and it shows! Although the educational component is important for us, what matters the most during this time is that they are having fun and learning social skills that'll help them to learn later. Although they've covered the planets and the solar system, and my daughter will go on and on about the food going down her "esophagus and into [her] stomach and then in [her] body", I love it the most when they talk about gratitude. Gratitude will take my kids much further than memorizing rote responses; you rock Ms.Pat!!!! That said, they do a MARVELOUS job at providing a curriculum that's enriching and AGE APPROPRIATE! My son is 2.5 and when we've toured other locations and saw the "twos room" it was incredibly disheartening and many places were filled with "baby toys". My son is pushed to what a 2.5 year old is capable of and given options. Their classrooms are beautifully set up and organized. There's a very open feel to the rooms and you get the feeling of *quality* when you're there. And finally, major love to the wonderful woman that spends all day feeding our babies. I feel awful I don't know her name, but I'm sure to say hi to her and thank her regularly. Wednesdays are spaghetti days and you can always smell the garlic and onions. They make a lot of food from scratch there and provide a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables- which was very important to me since full time kids will probably have more meals there during the week than at their own homes. The school is peanut free. I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. Even though our schedules have changed and we reduced hours, we wanted to keep them here- despite it taking 20/25 minutes to get to from home some days because of traffic. It's absolutely worth it and we are looking forward to another year! read more

My grandson has gone to Joyful kids Academy since he was just about a year old. This place is just fantastic!. The staff is so helpful and the building and playground are kept in really good condition. He gets breakfast, snacks and lunch. They send pictures throughout the day of what he's doing so I can keep up. The teachers are kind, nurturing and patient. He has learned so much in the time spent here! He's 4 and knows the continents! It has always been a safe place for him with the locked doors with passcodes, but since the Covid pandemic the safety measures were increased accordingly and the school continues to be very safe. When the time comes for him to move on I know I will have a difficult time finding another school that can match the caliber of education and caring that we have experienced here. read more

Since our new director came along, I could not be happier. This school is a place where I feel the teachers and our director our part of our family. I trust them, I feel that our child is loved and cared for here. My toddler's teacher Miss Jamie is a gem- she takes her job seriously while providing so much fun activities for the kids. I could not do it better, to be honest. The number of ideas, art projects etc is mind blowing. In our last parent teacher conference I was blown away how well prepared she was, providing me specific examples of my child's development, all paired with educator's opinion and experience. And our wonderful director? She is open to new ideas, always eager for improvements and I sense that she also has a very friendly and warm relationship with all our wonderful teachers. All together, our school now is a happy place and I would honestly recommend this school to anyone. read more

I am so happy that I found this day care. I went back to work when my son was 3 months old. He's now 8 months. Every morning when I drop him off he is happy. Every afternoon when I pick him up he is happy. They take care of my baby, that's what makes this place amazing. read more

My daughter was there for almost a yr when they changed her teachers. I noticed that there was a change in her attitude, eating habits and she would start crying when we would leave her there. So one day she came home with a bad rash and they had failed to put vaseline after every diaper change. Then the following week she had scratches on her neck and when I asked the teacher she said she didn't know. Maybe she scratched herself. My daughter is 2 and she said that her teacher had hit her. The same week of the scratches she came home with a bruise on her lower back by her bottom. I then brought this up to the director and she stated that maybe it happened at home. I checked my daughter every day and she did not leave my house with a bruise. So I got no explanation. I decided to take my daughter immediately out because she was crying and clinging in my pants asking me to please not leave her there. On her last day there when I went to pick her up she had no shoes, no sock and her nose was all dirty. This was the worst experience I had. I was not at peace because I did not know what was going on in that classroom. As as mentioned she was 2 and they still had her with the one yr olds because they would not have space to transfer her to the next class until 6 months later. She was ready to be potty trained and they refused and were holding her back. My friend who has her 2 children there is now experiencing bad things. They baby got foot mouth and hand disease from there and they lacked sending a note home stating that 4 other kids went home with that. The poor baby has blisters in her legs and feet. Her son also got it 2 days later. Then when she picked up her son he had no socks and no shoes. The little boy also had dried poop all in his shorts and he smelled really bad. How could they not notice and have this poor child like that all day. This preschool lacks hygene and as well they neglect keeping the kids clean and telling parents whats going on. They are so expensive as well! I really don not recommend this place. As first they are nice and your child seems happy, but as time passes you will notice a change in your childs behavior. read more

There has been a high rate of turnovers of teachers personally feel the quality has gone down.

I was on a waiting list to get my daughter in the Parkside Kids Corner and she has been going there for a little over two months and I LOVE it. i was home with her for the first 17 months of her life so it was hard for me to let anyone else watch her. But I can't say enough about Parkside Kids Corner. It is worth every penny. Her teachers are amazing and they are teaching her new things everyday!! read more

Loved this preschool before new ownership took over. Very disorganized. Teachers are very rude, and neglectful of the children. It's all about the dollar sign now. Would not recommend whatsoever. read more

We switched to Parkside Joyful Kids Academy when our now 4 yr old son turned two. He has been in 3 different classrooms and we have had wonderful experiences with all of his teachers (Ms. Letty, Ms Nona, Ms. Melissa, Ms. Tiffanie, and Ms. Pat). They are caring and have been strongly invested in our son's academic and emotional development. Our son has enjoyed the structure of the Montessori classroom with Ms. Pat and we have integrated several practices at home. In general, we have found Parkside to be well-organized, responsive, proactive, caring, and safe. They use the Brightwheel app and communication has been timely and thorough. On the administration side, Ms. Karen and Ms. Lisa have been great. They have taken COVID regulations and procedures very seriously- which we greatly appreciate. Overall, we recommend Parkside without reservations and will be sending our second child there as an infant. read more

We absolutely love Joyful Kids Academy. Our two kids have progressed through several classrooms as they've gotten bigger, and all of the teachers and staff have been incredibly friendly and focused on their development. They provide healthy, home cooked meals every day, and fill the kids' days with fun, stimulating activities. They also send updates and photos throughout the day. We came over from another daycare a couple years ago and were immediately impressed with the structured "circle time" and emphasis on learning for young toddlers. Our oldest (2.5) has learned her ABCs, counting (in English and Spanish), so many songs, and even how to use the potty (!) thanks to her wonderful teachers. Our youngest joined the school when he was 6 months old, and it's so convenient to have both kids in one school where they can grow for the next few years. We really can't recommend it enough! read more

My niece was there for almost a year and at first everything was great and loved her teacher. Then all of a sudden there was a change of teachers and new faces. I dropped off and picked up and never saw the same faces. Everyday she came home with dirty nose and diaper. She all of sudden never wanted to stay and cried at both drop off and pick up. More than once I saw the head teacher in the twos classroom yell at a child to stop crying. My niece went home with scratches and bruises and when asked what happen we received the same response we think she fell you know how kids are. The so called head teacher wasn't ever fully united to be a teacher. On the last day of pick up I found my niece without shoes and socks walking outside, mind you it was freezing outside since it was late December. When asked why her shoes and socks were off the response was well I'm not here to bw constantly putting on her belongings. I was so upset I spoke with the director who had nothing to say and just nodded her head like a jack in the box. I was so upset I left that place in tears. I myself have worked in early child care for almost 6 years and was disgusted by the nonattentive response of the teachers or director. I would never recommend this place to any parent looking for child care. read more

I can't believe how lucky we are to have found Parkside. Both of my children are doing well there. They both have successful sleeping and eating habits and they love to sing and play there. I was pretty freaked out about leaving them at a large daycare, but they love it. I think it is because the teachers are sweet and present with both of my children (one is one and a half and the other is almost three). When we pick them up the teachers always update us on how our kids days went and they are also very inviting when we drop them off in the morning. Honestly, they are pros and again, my husband and I could not be happier. My toddler comes home singing almost everyday. I am often influenced by yelp, and I am glad that these reviews were posted after we started coming because if I had read them, we may not have given Parkside a shot. As I already stated, I am pleased that we did. Just to respond to fears that the other posters may give someone-there are cameras all over Parkside, I do not think anything would happen there because there are cameras, because there are tons of adults, and because the people that work there are nice. Kids get scratched and bruised when they are two. All daycares get "diseases" at one time or another. I can attest that Parkside is constantly cleaning and doing their best to minimize germs. I know this because almost every time I am there, someone is cleaning. I have never picked up my children with a dirty diaper. I have had good experienced with the directors as well. Diana and May are always available to listen and I have never felt that they are simply nodding their heads. Everyone that we interact with at Parkside is working their tail off and I feel VERY grateful to all of them. read more

This is a great school for all ages. My daughter has been going here for the last two years and has been with several different teachers in several different class rooms. When she started she had never been watched or even with anyone but family, she was very nervous for the first couple of days and Ms. Jenni stayed with her until she was comfortable. She then moved up to the three year old class with Ms. Nicole where she came home after two weeks singing her months of the year and days of the week. Not only did Ms. Nicole teach her a lot she would fix the kids hair after nap and truly cared about each of the kids. Now my daughter is in Ms. Lisa's where she is learning the responsibility of homework and being is charge of certain tasks such as line leader and lunch helper. I am very pleased with this school anytime something happens such as a fall, a scratch, and even being bit I was called or there was a report by the time I picked her up explaining the incident. Great teachers and Great Directors. read more

I've had my daughter here at Parkside for almost 8 months. I originally thought they were doing a great job, but things have seriously deteriorated since they hired a new director. I've found her to be rude and snappy with the kids. My main complaint, however, is the lack of space for the children. Don't take my word for it, just peak over the fence at any "play time". They have school age children riding trikes at full speed right along side a toddler who can barely walk. It's really scary and dangerous. Most of the parents I've spoken with have commented on the amount of injuries acquired while at school. I know accidents do happen but it seems like I was signing an "ouch report" on a daily basis. I really like the owner of the school she seems very genuine and interested in the kids welfare, but unfortunately she's not around enough to see where her school is failing. I'll be looking for a new school as soon as read more

My daughter has been with Parkside Joyful Kids for a couple years now. We have embraced some changes but all for the better. They accept Infant - Pre-K and are extremely flexible. Being a single parent and the only caregiver to my daughter, not to mention being new to Concord, you can only imagine how terrified we both were to begin this new chapter in our lives. I felt safe leaving my daughter here. The front door has a security code, they ID anyone they don't recognize and they have cameras in every room. Every evening I am sent an e-mail through an app that informs me exactly what my baby ate, how long her nap was, what she learned in class that day and extra side notes. I can honestly say I am extremely fortunate to have found such an amazing group of women to watch after my daughter. I have watched my daughter blossom socially and academically. They truly encourage creativity. My daughter can't leave without giving all of her teachers a hug good bye. I am sad to know our time here will soon end yet excited we will move forward to kindergarten. I feel they've done an outstanding job preparing her for what's ahead. Parkside Joyful Kids has became like a second home to us. read more

This school is going downhill fast! The Director quit about 2 months ago and I think it was the owner who came in to help, who we had never met. She started making changes to everything even though she sent out an email saying she wouldn't make changes and all the teachers would remain the same. Then she hired a new Director who never introduced herself to anyone and they started getting licensing complaints almost immediately. They were cited for not having fingerprint clearances on file for the Director and a teacher and for mixing age groups. The report says a 1 year old was in the 3 year old classroom! Another report says they don't have the proper cushioning under the slide and raised cars. Another report says there was an open body of water! I sent my preschooler there to be safe. I trusted them and they broke that trust and I don't feel my son is safe. All of a sudden teachers are leaving or being fired. 2 teachers have quit in the last month since the old Director quit and 2 teachers were fired last week! One teacher they said was aggressive but we don't believe that. She was amazing, loving and caring. She got fired the day after her child fell off the climber outside and she was upset about not being notified of a head injury. The parents knew she was fired before she did. She came to a parent meeting and had to ask if she was fired becasue the parents were telling her that's what they had been told. She should not have been fired or treated so badly! Lots of parents at the meeting tried to get the owner to change her mind. WE LOVE HER! I think they fired her to cover up their negligence. I don't think the kids are safe there and I pulled my son out as soon as I heard that his teacher was fired. Actually, they fired both his teachers. They said the other one wasn't a "good fit" whatever that means. She was wonderful and it's sad that a preschool doesn't put kids first. I would recommend going somewhere else. read more