I pick up my niece from NGCC twice a week and I wish there was a center like this around me for my…read morefamily. Every time I go in , it is so clean. Everyone at the front is friendly and helpful. They even helped me with questions for a childcare search in my area. They offer all meals in house and they do laundry! I don't pick up often but when I do I always feel welcome .

From the owner: Welcome to Next Generation Children's Center, located at 15 Strathmore Rd, Natick, Massachusetts…read more We offer full‑service daycare, preschool, and pre‑K programs for children ages 6 weeks through 8 years (and school‑age/aftercare options available). Our state‑licensed center blends nurturing care with a play‑based, developmentally appropriate curriculum across all domains -- social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. With multiple indoor play spaces and three age‑specific outdoor playgrounds, safety and engagement are our priorities. Serving families throughout Natick and surrounding communities like Wellesley, Wayland, Framingham, and Sherborn, we're committed to helping each child grow, learn, and thrive every day.

Our daughter started at Kiddie Academy when she had just turned 18 months and she's been there for…read moreabout a month and a half so far and... we LOVE it! We did not visit many daycares before settling on this one, but we had spoken to friends who had visited 20+ places around the area and we went to the one that had ended up at the top of their list and it was .... fine... but a little sad, a little run down, a little crowded. The food provided was all pizza, burgers and hot dogs. Most importantly, the teachers looks just tired and on the verge of not caring. The kids walked off in their own direction like lost sad little puppies. It just felt a little bit like a sad zoo. I'm sure it's fine and safe and the kids learn there, but we were just so dispirited coming out of there, especially since we had it on good authority that this was THE place to be in town. To boot, they had a year waitlist! We got on the list and set out search aside and decided to continue our somewhat dysfunctional childcare arrangements of the time. Then Kiddie Academy opened. It is very close to our house, but we never went in at first before we had not heard anything about it. Well, let me tell you, we are SO happy that we checked it out! It's a franchise, newly opened, newly built-out. The space is pristinely clean. There are windows everywhere, so it's very bright. We went there on a Friday afternoon, same as with the first place. End of the week, end of the day. Instead of finding tired, run-down teachers in a run-down place with sad aimless children, we found everything in perfect shape and order, the teachers were all SMILING and AWAKE and ACTIVE. The kids looked content and happy and playful and well-cared-for. They looked like CHILDREN, not like little imprisoned zoo animals. The owner and the director were both present and they both new the exciting highlights of each kids day. The parents that walked in to get their kids gushed about the place. This is a franchise. The owner, Esther, worked four years to get the place planned and opened. She's proud of every furniture and architectural choice. She cares about every kid and she takes a huge amount of involvement in the standard of care the children receive. The place is rigged with webcams, so you can watch your child's classroom and the outdoor playground from your smartphone. Esther uses the camera to watch the children and teachers. She's there every day, but she notices things even when she's at home in the morning and watching remotely, and she gives immediate feedback to the teachers if she things something isn't ideal. I know they've lost a few teachers because of this kind of supervision, but you know what? The teachers that are left are amazing - a significant cut above what I saw at the other place. They CARE about the kids. They LISTEN to the parents. And the communicate to us the details of our daughters day. The place is very high-tech. There is a TV at the entrance with all the camera feeds. The teachers have iPads. At the end of every day, you get an email with a very detailed log that tells you what your kid ate and how much and when, the history of her diaper changes that day, any special notes, what mood she was in and what activities the class did that day. There are also photos and sometimes even videos! Since starting at "school", our daughter has been HAPPY to go in the mornings and not always very happy to leave in the afternoon. She's been developing impressively. Everyone knows her well - not just her teachers and the director and owner, but also teachers from other classrooms. Most teachers have different schedules to accommodate their own life, so there is a lot of mixing where teachers from various classrooms cover shifts in other classrooms. I actually really like this flexibility. It gives the kids a larger social circle and the teachers seem to know what's going on with all the kids, not just a small group. And there is a variety of care and activities and personalities. They provide lunch and a morning and afternoon snack. The morning snack is basically a full breakfast, but it's at 9am, so we bring a breakfast and other parents do, too. It's a supervised normal meal, just the kitchen is not open yet. The food menu is varied and quite lovely and healthy and not at all fast food after more fast food. They do great art projects all the time and have music every day, but also a great "creative movement" class weekly or biweekly and that's where the best videos come from. They go outside twice a day. The playground is brand new, with nice equipment. The doors are key-coded. The hours are great: 7am to 6pm. Occasionally, they do little events where parents are invite. Esther once told me that she didn't just want to open "a place", she wanted to open "the BEST place". And that really shows through.

The children are left to sit around in the classes and entertain themselves. The classrooms are…read moredirty and outdated. I would never allow my babies to be left by their overworked and overstressed teachers. Never let your child go to the school. They are only in it for the money.

Our son is very fortunate to have grown up with the Scalliwags class and be exposed to so many…read morelearning experiences.

They don't follow guidelines. They also understaff. I was shocked to find a door out to the parking…read morelot with no lock or child safety lock either. Avoid at all costs. Owner is more interested in their fleet of cars than child enrichment. Or even safety

I happened to find this daycare by chance and booked an appointment to check it out. I loved the…read morespace in the activity room and the ton of options for the kid. Lilia is very sweet and makes the kid feel truly welcome and special. My daughter started attending the school as a preschooler and she loved it. She still talks about the friends she made and the teachers!

Best daycare in the area. My one year old daughter has been going there since June2018. They have a…read moregreat in-house kitchen and the exposure of different activities they provide for physical and social emotional development is amazing. Also, the love and care that the teachers, staff and the director show is just unmatchable. Very grateful to have found them!

Honestly no I feel their care is not there I had a toddler in there care they self diagnosed him as…read moreautistic (which I had tested elsewhere and he's not) and just stopped working with him left him to play all day without any structure or rules he came home throwing food and refusing to eat unless he was walking around things they just allowed him to do. Also they didn't do any progress reports of any kind my son was ALWAYS sick and by always I mean every week he had something new was sent home sick. He go in perfect and come home at night with a fever and cough. He came home dirty and don't get me wrong I am ok with him being dirty but not with his breakfast and lunch still on his face neck hair when I pick up. He has reacted to all types of diapers except one which I provided half a box not even 3 days later I was told he had no diapers at the center so they used someone else's diapers on him. Sure enough that night he had a huge rash. The last straw that really hurt me the most was I went in on a Thursday his first day back after being sent home sick Tuesday that pinkeye was positive in his classroom but that the teacher had clean and disinfected everything 3 days went by so I was happy nothing happened I thought they cleaned but no they hadn't Monday afternoon at pick up Halloween day I notice his eyes were very red and he had discharge if this is they case when I pick up and he was how he was why didn't they call me to inform me he had possibly got pinkeye I would have left school to go get him early. Multiple times I have gone to pick him up and no one great me at the door many staff walked by without checking to see if I was getting helped or if they knew I was there. I watched my child get attacked by 3 children and nothing happened they didn't even check my son who ended up with a small bruise on his back from the kids sitting on top of him. It got to the point he would scream and cry at drop off wouldn't let me go. They do have cameras which is why I thought it was going to be a good choice but my son was not there a year and I would NEVER send another child there after this honestly.

From the owner: The Teddy Bear Village Inc, Childcare Center is a Day Care Center located in Framingham, MA. We…read morespecialize in Toddler Care, Infant Care, Preschool, Early Childhood Education, Pre K and more. The Teddy Bear Village Inc, Childcare Center philosophy is based on the premise, children must feel safe to explore, in order to begin the learning process. Studies show that children learn and retain the most information through educational stimulated play. Our program therefore encourages play, while leaving room for individuality in a structured setting. We encourage parents to visit the center throughout the day. There is no need to call to let us know you are coming. Happy Parents make Happy Children. Call us (508) 599-2100 with any questions.

My baby Emily goes to this daycare she is 9 months old and she just love it. I get pictures of here…read moreduring the day and she looks so happy. The teachers are warm and loving and it just make me feel comfortable leaving my baby with them. They doing great activities Emily loves the days that they do water play outside. I highly recommend this daycare !

Our son has been going here for the last 9 months and he loves it! He's happy to see all his…read moreteachers and friends. My wife and I love to get the updates on his day and all the pictures they take. The teachers are truly caring and compassionate. We look forward to continuing sending him and watching him grow while he's there!

DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO THIS SCHOOL. I opened a yelp…read moreaccount just to write a review about this horrid place, b/c I want to warn other parents before they make the same mistake I did. I sent my child to this school for two years on the recommendation of friends. Since then we have all withdrawn our children and are very disappointed. The directors are dishonest and money hungry, they lack all compassion and principal. Their are some nice teachers ( Jan) but others leave a lot to be desired. Their policies are extremely rigid in terms of withdrawing your child or changing your schedule, and they will try to rip you off at every corner. . Framingham has plenty of day cares/preschools, don't put your child in this one, it will be a mistake.

This is a wonderful preschool, we absolutely love it. I really don't understand the other reviewer,…read more because everyone I know who has gone to this school absolutely loves it. My oldest son started preschool here at 2.9 and had a very hard time adjusting as he had been at home with me before that- the teachers were warm, supporting and so wonderful with him. He soon loved it and went all the way through Pre-K there. My younger son is now following in his footsteps. We actually lived in Natick and travelled to Framingham to go to this school. All of the teachers and directors are warm, loving and have the childrens best interest at heart. I have recommended this school to many people. It is a nurturing place for kids to learn, it reminds me of preschools of 20 years ago - a classic nursery school.

I come here mainly on weekends, when my home Y closes way the heck too early (4pm vs 7pm here)…read more I'd say that about 70-80% of their equipment is fine. Lots of free weights and strength machines. The highlight is the huge, high-ceilinged (30-40ft?) functional fitness space that features a turf area, a sled, kettlebells, plyo boxes, plyo smash balls, a do-it-all calisthenics multi-station that includes weighted pulleys, dip and pullup and monkey bars, a free hanging real boxing bag (nice angled uppercut bag that's just the right weight to make you "dance" to avoid the swing back, yet forgiving enough that you can punch it without gloves without risking a broken wrist or bruised knuckles), a pair of Assault bikes and treadmills, a Concept rower, some meh Schwinn stationary bikes (more on that later), and two full squat cages with plenty of plates and barbells. So, what about the other 20-30%, you ask? Well, their cardio machines range from so-so to unusably lousy. All the treadmills are Precor, which are a clear step down from the Life Fitness TMs most Ys have: smaller uglier fuzzy screens with spotty internet connection that can freeze up in the middle of a workout, noisier and less stable platform. The stationary bikes are a mix of Precor (typical mediocre gym bike with crap ergonomics where you feel like you're on a creaky toy bike pedaling against some barbaric pad not magnetic resistance) and Espresso (video-gaming type bike clearly designed to seduce ADD teenagers or lazy af adults) and the horrible Schwinn bikes (just as bad as most home exercise bikes, you can understand why people mostly use them as clothes hangers). Please please please can you guys get at least a few KEISER bikes? We know you can have decent taste in cardio machines because you kept your CONCEPT rowers instead of choosing some oversized gym-brand rowers which look impressive but have similarly lousy ergonomics. Oh and they have non-mechanical Assault brand treadmills which nobody uses because they are brutal on the knees, too narrow and unstable. I don't know who was in charge of choosing the cardio equipment, but that person needs to be put to work cleaning the bathrooms or something more appropriate! The other major gripe I have is their sauna --- it's spacious and new and pretty, but who in the hell decided to have only ONE row of seating? Completely idiotic, folks: did you not pass seventh grade Life Science, where they teach you that heat RISES, and that's why all real saunas have TWO levels of seating, with the 2nd one being a good 4-5 feet off the ground so that you get the full benefit of the heat in the room? Here you have to STAND on the damned low benches if you want to get a decent sweat in ... the sauna thermometer reads 170F but if you're sitting down you'd be lucky to get 140-150F, which is useless. (The sauna of the Melrose YMCA has the same idiotic mistake.) So, while I'm grateful that this Y offers me decent hours to work out on weekends making the long drive out there worthwhile, their cardio machines selection and sauna design really really need a rethink.

Terrible manager terrible customer service terrible experience!!! After 5 years I canceled my…read moremembership! Don't waste ur time or Money!! Classes are crap, they have young kids coaching, u have to just keep taking the same class over and over there is no going anywhere is just basic redundant classes!! The facilities are nothing exciting and prices are going up now every year!!

It was the spring and I planned on having my daughter start preschool in the fall when she would be…read more3 (not knowing at the time FCNS is one of the only that take children at 2 yrs old wish I knew sooner!). I went to visit many places and nothing felt right until I visited FCNS. It was the BEST decision!! First off I love that my daughter has spanish class, cooking class, yoga, as well as music, gym etc. How many schools offer all those great things?! That was a good selling point for me as well as the extended day since I work f/t. She is learning more than I could have ever expected it's amazing. Outside each classroom they have a weekly calendar showing everything your child is doing all day every day. For me a great way to try and incorporate some of it at home to make it more consistent, but also just good to have such concrete information. Although that is posted they still come home with so much artwork. The amount of projects they do daily is great I enjoy seeing them when I pick her up and getting a better feel for what she does every day. They have a good amount of family activities throughout the year as well: picnics, nutrition class, halloween trunk or treat, ben and jerrys night, family day, pasta night, trike a thon...as well as themed days of dressing up and even the staff get so into it and all decked out!! Arriving to pick her up there are MANY times I am stopped on the way to the classroom to hear a story from one of the directors or other teachers about something my daughter did that day. Its reassuring to experience so many making my child a special part of the school and being such a big part of her life. When it comes time to pick her up she never wants to leave she is having so much fun. To the point that if she is misbehaving at home I can actually tell her she won't be able to stay in school as long the following day and it changes her behavior (I don't do it often but I am sure you all have those moments you want them to listen;)) This is only our first year and I am so close with everyone there it truly is like our family. The teachers are all amazing I chat with them often and we communicate alot to be on the same page with my daughter. Not only have they taken time to get to now me, my daughter and husband but they also put in the effort with my mother and sister as well. You can visit whenever you want and do not need to give them a heads up. They encourage you to be as involved as you would like: reading stories to the kids, baking with them, assisting etc. I visit often and cannot express enough the joy I have seeing my daughter so happy and having so much fun. The directors Kay and Jacey also go above and beyond to get to know each and every child and family! My daughter spends time just hanging in the office with them from time to time b/c she cares so much for them already. There was one instance when my daughters class was doing a project and the director Jacey was part of it and Kay was not there yet...my daughter is so close with them that she insisted they wait for Kay to arrive so she could be involved as well! That is how our relationships are with everyone. I do not think there are many places where you will find such a close community. I highly recommend anyone looking for a preschool GO TO FCNS!! I can guarantee you will love it as much as my daughter and I have:) They are always available to take a call or provide a tour to all. As soon as you meet them I am sure you will know its a good fit for your family as well. Not only will you experience all these great things I am sharing, but you will feel confident in your decision and be able to relax and focus on other things each day knowing your child/children are in great hands and VERY VERY well cared for!! GOOD LUCK:)

Not only is this daycare phenomenal, the approach to learning is unique and encourages kids to grow…read moreand develop at their own pace. Great appreciation for nature and natural learning. This is one of the best schools around.

MOUNTAINSIDE CHILDREN'S CENTER is a very warm, loving, and family oriented learning environment…read more The teachers and staff are very friendly, loving and warm!

So, I send my kid here, because apparently not every day can be bring-your-kid-to-work-day. It's a…read moreshame because I think they'd enjoy my office more than I do. The teachers are pretty decent, and have been relatively willing to work with my wife and I about a number of specificities we had around potential allergens and religious requirements. We're not a big fan of the sleeping area sitting in direct sunlight, and right next to the play area and loud doors. It means naps are even worse at Mountainside than home, but compromise is key. They also have clear ideas as to when children should be doing what (ie - My kid's the only one with a sleep sack) but once again, compromise. It's hard to rate a place, because they do everything different than I would. They're competent, and five stars would be me taking care of the kid, and of course it's not reasonable to expect Mountainside to do everything as I would. It's just hard to nail down a rating.