I researched seven schools in the neighborhood before selecting Learning Ladders and I sure am glad about my decision. Sending your child to a pre-school is a big decision - and that is why this review is really long and detailed. I am an Internal Auditor with over 20 years of experience - which gives me unique skills to see processes, controls and risks - and make an informed decision. That's why I have also provided examples for each of the reasons why I gave this unsolicited five star review. Here are the reasons why this school worked out great: 1) Staff - a really caring and expert staff - especially the teachers my Neil got - primarily Ms. Latisha, Ms. Nia as well as other visiting teachers and administrators such as Ms. Khyati and Ms. Shiobhan. These people TRULY love the children in their care. For example, when my son reduced eating - they sent us personalized emails about his eating habits. There is no way we would have known or addressed it but for this. If you drop off before 9 AM they allow you to take the child to the classroom and my son's eyes lit up whenever he saw Ms. Latisha and Ms. Nia - giving them hugs - if he didn't feel love from them that would NOT happen. 2) Expertise - it is clear that the school invests a lot in their curriculum. They do arts and crafts, story time etc. even for really young babies and in doing so exercise their gross-motor skills. My son was also delayed in speaking, and the pediatrician had recommended speech therapists but he did not accept strangers. Since he was already happy/familiar with his teacher - Ms. Latisha, Ms. Nia, Ms. Khyati and Ms. Shiobhan PERSONALLY worked hard on him such that he developed the confidence to speak without us having to spend for a speech therapist. They ALSO guided us on practical things we can do at home to help speed up his speech development. 3) Interiors - New, spacious, well-lit and lively, the interiors have an amazing energy about it. Real estate in this area is VERY expensive... 1000 sq feet 2 bed room apartments go for $5,000 so you can imagine why all the other schools I saw were cramped - perhaps to squeeze in as many students/classrooms as possible - BUT NOT this school. The classrooms are expansive, with a play area, a seated activity area, a dining area, a big private bathroom and a cubby dedicated to each child. 4) Safety - the classrooms, all the furniture etc is very safe - rounded corners and padding everywhere... this makes it VERY safe for the children. Over and above - the school follows all applicable laws in a very strict manner. Once my son had a fall while running and they filled a complete incident report for me EVEN THOUGH there were NO visible scratches and he of course could not communicate. My point being, they could have NOT followed procedure and we would be none the wiser - that day my trust on this school and its staff increased even more. 5) Transparency - at least 3-4 updates about the class's activities, videos and keep sake photos (you are only allowed to download solo photos of your child) show how the children are progressing and what they did during the day. It allows you to connect with them better. They check diapers frequently and update the app. They keep the children so clean. 6) Dashboard - before each parent teacher meeting - the school sends a graphic report that shows how your child is doing vis-a-vis what is expected for his age. Then the teachers explain their plan to work on the areas where the child is falling behind. 6) Ramp-up plan: We were amazed with their plan and guidance to help my 2-year-old adjust to pre-school. They warned us about what to expect, and what mistakes to not make. Within a week the crying stopped and within two weeks - our son was EXCITED to go to school. 7) Honest billing - month to month with no long-term commitment. Easy to exit when your situation changes. read more

We've been associated with learning ladders since my child was 1.5 years old in 2019 until now when he is 5.5 years old in 2023. Our experience has been pretty decent in terms of the child care, extra curricular activities and tuition for extended hours. What I like the most is the freedom to share my concerns freely with Swati/Zenaida and ensuring that they're being addressed. I also appreciate the transparency in curriculum which they added in last school session and the graduation ceremony. In all, I have felt the my child was very safe and in good hands throughout our time. I'd definitely recommend the school for infants/ toddlers. read more

We have had our son at Learning Ladders 5 days a week, for the past year and a half, since he was 6 months old. We would highly recommend this daycare to anyone looking in Jersey City. We were of course initially apprehensive dropping off our first child at daycare when he was 6 months old, but it has been a positive experience from the beginning. Our son has formed a close bond with all of his teachers and likes to recite the names of his friends from his classroom. He is always excited to go when we drop him off and typically in a good mood when we pick him up in the evening. The teachers and administration do a great job of keeping us up to date with how he is doing in school and seem to communicate well if any issues come up that we should be aware of. Fortunately, our son has adjusted well during his time there, so it's been mostly smooth sailing. They do a good job with early childhood education -- our son frequently comes home from school with a new word or skill that he has learned that we didn't teach him at home. read more

I cannot say enough good things about Learning Ladders. Swati, Zenaida, and the entire staff are some of the kindest professionals you will ever meet. Our daughter was born six weeks premature...We were naturally nervous about starting her in daycare at four months, but the staff here made us completely comfortable. My wife and I immediately noticed how quickly our little girl started to develop while at Learning Ladders. Beyond the expert service provided here, the level of communication is top notch, with daily updates and photos. Unfortunately, we recently moved to the suburbs so we had to switch to a closer daycare...Our last day here was a very sad one for everyone. I would not hesitate to recommend this institution to anyone. Our daughter went in as a little baby and came out as a little girl. read more

We love Learning Ladders! My son started at the Morgan campus when he was 9 months old. It was so hard to leave him after having him home all day every day, but it quickly became clear that this was the right setup for our family. He is so happy to be dropped off, and it's SO apparent how much care all the teachers and staff there have for each kid. My son lights up when he sees them. They're great at communicating about day-to-day activities and have fun school-wide events like Halloween parades. We feel very lucky to have found such a wonderful place for our son to learn, make friends, and grow. read more

We enrolled our 2 yr old son for a monthly half day program last year. Unfortunately, due to some unexpected developmental issues we had to remove him after 3 days, as he was experiencing severe behavioral problems. We paid $4000 upfront spread across several fees - when we asked for a small refund (given our son spent a total of 10 hours there) we were told there would be nothing offered. We looked to be reasonable and finally just asked for the $400 of materials we paid for - again were told that we would receive zero. The owners made it clear that profit is their only driver - they refuse to discuss and have been entirely uninterested in our child's condition. Be very careful considering this place if your child might need any help - very disappointing experience for us as we (naively) expected the school to be understanding (or at least speak to us) when we explained the issue. Sadly they had our money by this point so got what they needed. 0/10 read more

Our daughter started her learning ladders journey in the infant room. As first time parents, we were obviously anxious. However, the staff and management made us feel comfortable and our daughter thrived. She moved from the infant room to the toddler room and we couldn't be happier with our choice. Learning ladders has a caring and stimulating environment with happy kids. We had spoken to multiple parents before making a decision. read more

Read the "other reviews that are not currently recommended"! That is where strong reviews from someone without other reviews get buried. A lot of parents clearly signed up to tell the world about their negative experience with Learning Ladders, but the algorithm hides their review. It is to control bot-posted reviews, but when you read them, you can tell they are real. I regret sending my child to Learning Ladders. They attended from June to August 2021, during what the company calls "camp." It was safe, cheap, and nearby, but I would not do it again. It has been more than a year and my child still talks about their negative experience. I waited so long to write the review just in case we had to use it for summer camp in 2022, but now that we're past that, I want to share my experience. If you go way back into the reviews -- both on Yelp and elsewhere -- you can find some pretty shocking feedback on Learning Ladders (especially on "other reviews that are not currently recommended"). Stuff about kids being pulled across the classroom by their arm, etc. The more recent reviews are much better, but when we started having bad experiences at LL, those reviews I ignored returned to haunt me. One problem that does not seem to have improved is the high teacher turnover level. The teachers at LL seem burnt out. The owner clearly does not pay them well, which is true for most of the daycare sector. Even the parents who love Learning Ladders will admit that turnover is high. The owner seems to tightly control the teachers and put the screws on them, based on a few reviews by teachers I found and my observations. Over the summer, there was what my child still calls "the mean teacher." And, to be honest, she was mean. She was rude to my wife and me and did not care about our child. And when we raised the issue to Swati (the owner), her response was unsatisfactory. This teacher refused to help our son open his lunch. I think she would keep them sitting there as punishment for not being able to open his bento box. I thought they were telling me a fib, but when I dropped them off in the morning, she was warm to the other children and cold with my child. It was 12+ months ago, so I forgot some further details, but I was uncomfortable handing my child over to her daily. When we raised the issues with the teacher with Swati (the owner), we got a lecture about how critical it was for my three-year-old to be able to open their lunch box, and that they were only preparing my child for kindgergarten. Mind you, my child goes to PreK at PS16 now (which we love), and the (very loving teachers) help them with their bento box. The bento box IS HARD TO OPEN -- that's why we use it! Because I don't want spills in their backpack. After our talk with Swati, the teacher took on an obnoxious attitude, exaggerating her excitement to see my child. It was so clearly fake that my child commented on it. It did not make me feel better. That LL employed someone of this low caliber and that the reaction from Swati and management was a shrug drove home that this is a business. Others love it, but I wasn't comfortable. Add onto this that the windows are filthy, there is dog pee on the sidewalk outside of the school, and we never got to know the teachers, it was a crummy experience. Some parents LOVE Learning Ladders. The parents who stick it out for years say they love it. My son's class had a clique of parents who had their children at Learning Ladders since birth. We never found them welcoming, and I always thought they oversold the program's quality. My worst suspicion is that parents turned a blind eye to the concerning stuff because Learning Ladders is almost impossible to beat for the area. When we enrolled in Learning Ladders, we hadn't decided if we would enroll our child in PreK at PS16 or stay at Learning Ladders. We were worried about the bus and were skittish about Danforth being so far away. Our crummy experience over the summer made it easy to rip the bandaid off and do PS16. In our second year, we are very happy we did! We sent our son to Deer Mountain Day Camp for the summer with the money we saved from Learning Ladders. Swati runs a business. She has an MBA and worked at Goldman Sachs. That's fine, but she is not an educator. I think it shows, not only in her aggressive billing practices (well documented in other reviews) but in her successful business model: have an A+ location, charge the most competitive price within easy walking distance in Paulus Hook, and pay her staff as little as possible. It works! Tons of parents choose LL because it is affordable and convenient. I held my nose after reading the bad reviews but came to regret it. If you have a bad feeling when you tour Learning Ladders, read some of the negative reviews, or when your child is attending, my advice would be to trust your gut. If we have another child, I'll bite the bullet and walk further or pay more. read more

Our daughter attended Learning Ladders (Morgan Location) from 5 months old to 3 years old. We had a great experience with them. As with a lot of daycares in the area, teachers come and go, but they always had great teachers that helped my daughter thrive. The school directors were very responsive and always acted in the child's best interest (they even took time to help my daughter overcome a personal matter and communicated with us on progress). From a space perspective, their rooms are much larger than other daycares in the area (especially the infant room), allowing kids to have more space to play, nap etc... overall I highly recommend them as a daycare. read more

I just wanted to report my happiness at the Morgan at branch for Learning Ladders. My baby son was treated with love by all his teachers and admin kept me updated with pertinent news on a daily basis. I was able to see photos every day through the app. They were very honest about bumps and bruises and I totally trust the team there. I am a very satisfied customer and would recommend this daycare to others. Jeff L. read more

My daughter has been attending Learning Ladders since May 2021 and will be finishing up this summer before she goes to public school for Pre-K3. She has really enjoyed the program at Learning Ladders, and we, as parents, have seen her mature and grow quite nicely. We would highly recommend LL to anyone. The teachers are very loving, as my daughter runs and gives her teachers hugs every morning. read more

Our daughter started at Learning Ladders (Bay Street location)when she was just about 1 and we saw a clear improvement in her vocabulary, social skills, ASL, and creativity week after week. Her teachers (and even teachers in other classes) have shown our daughter a lot of love and our daughter runs to go to 'school' every day. It's a joy to see our daughter love school so much. We're moving out of state and I wanted to endorse Learning Ladders for other families because we will certainly miss it a lot. read more

I wished we could have kept our son at Learning Ladders because he loved it, however they expected full tuition when my son's classroom closed for two weeks on two separate occasions due to two students testing positive for COVID, which is completely unreasonable when daycare is so expensive. My husband and I both work very demanding jobs and long hours so we had to pay for additional childcare after each incident. Also 8:30-5:30 hours are not reasonable for parents who work and commute to NYC. Administration can be very tough and passive aggressive, don't expect that warm, fuzzy feeling when you interact with them. Ms. Siobhan however was a sweetheart and we will miss her dearly. read more

Our daughter spent a wonderful year in the goldenberry and strawberry rooms - the staff is so thoughtful and caring and we feel so lucky to have her taken care of every day. read more

My daughter goes to the Learning Ladders in the Morgan and we are so happy with it. I've had a great relationship with Ms. Sara an Ms. Roxana, and my daughter LOVES her teachers and her classmates. She will literally pull me to school in the morning. When we wait outside to go into school (COVID restrictions mean one family at a time gets dropped off) she squeals when she sees her friends, and gets upset that she has to wait to go in. Daycare is just so great for kids and I am so happy she's been at Learning Ladders! read more

Has anyone who wrote a positive review gone to the state website to view the horrible citations of learning ladders? It's appalling and see for yourself. http://www.nj.gov/dcf/families/childcare/centers/120400170.shtml Learning Ladders owner and the administration office's pattern of inattention, negligence, unresponsiveness, and questionable business practices will be highlighted. Read the reports from the state. http://www.nj.gov/dcf/families/childcare/centers/120400170.shtml My only advice is to not fall prey to the administrations specious ways. This message is for future job seekers and parents. Employees and children are not treated to standard. Please do your due diligence parents and keep your child away from this place. read more

I have 2 kids (1,5yo and 3.5yo) at Learning Ladders and they absolutely love the school. I'm impressive how much they are developing themselves there. I'm not American and I had difficult time with my older one in the past. Although, once she starts at Learning Ladders, no problem at all. She loves her teachers, Miss Cherry and Miss Zenaida. They are very good with international students and make them fell safer there. I really recommend this school for your kids. read more

Our daughter started going to Learning Ladders (morgan street) since she was 2. Now she has been going there for 2 years and absolutely love her school and teachers. The staff is creative, caring and extremely talented. We have seen the growth in our daughter, her social skills, coloring, numbers, alphabets, phonics and what not. She loves her fun activities like music, dance, soccer classes, arts and crafts. Covid phase was difficult for everyone and the school handled it very well - they managed to run online classes efficiently for small kids, and follow the regulations before opening the school again in June 2020. They managed to run classes with staff as separate bubble. Communication is the key and We have faith in the staff and this school I will recommend learning Ladders to everyone. - Sarika and Dharmendra read more

This was an excellent experience for our first day care/preschool. My husband needed us to temporarily relocate for a 4-month work stint and I had a quick window to find childcare. I got ahold of Miss Sara via phone and she put me at ease - super sweet, didn't make me feel rushed with all of my questions and coordinated with my mom for a last minute tour since I didn't live in state. My son was 18-months so in the blueberry classroom. He was welcomed and given the extra attention he needed his first few weeks. He fell in love with his main teacher Miss Victoria although all of the staff are kind, cheerful and get to know the families. They use the Tadpoles app so you receive updates at the end of each day with sleep, meals and photos of activities throughout the day. They do circle time where they sing and practice numbers, the ABC's, colors, days of the week and I honestly saw a huge spike in my sons vocabulary during the four months we were there. We participated in the lunch catering program which was convenient and high-quality, lots of options. I also like that they have the parents take off their shoes in the lobby area. All in all, a great experience and we're sad to be leaving. read more

I wish I could give zero star. Avoid this daycare at all costs. I had a horrible experience and my son suffered so much here. He joined the infant class in mid Jan 2017 and within 2 months had more than 3 ear infections, 1 major lung infection and 2 ER visits. Our ordeal is still not over as he has been referred to the ENT to check on his hearing because he had so many back to back infections. I do know that kids do get sick in daycares but so many infections in such short span was too much for us to take. He was constantly ill every time I send him back there. I have serious concerns about the hygiene of the place as I witnessed with my own eyes another kid drinking from my son's sippy cup and a teacher sheepishly pointing out when l enquired about his cup. Finally we decided to stop his daycare as he was at home sick most days. And here comes another blow, instead of Feb 28 I sent out the email notifying that on March 1st. The management especially the owner who was always replying promptly before we joined the daycare didn't bother to reply or enquire why we decided as such. Finally she decides to keep our deposit which is a month's fees just because I notified them a day late about March being our last month. 2 months notice is her way of making sure they have your deposit because in case your child is constantly sick you won't be sending them for 2 months to suffer. I literally pleaded her to consider our situation and she is so good at lying portraying that her directors are the ones who makes all these decisions and she has no say which I very well know is not the case. The owner is a very money minded person as many other parents have pointed out. Most daycares in the area has a wait list and here there is always place available which does explain now why. Do not in any case agree to the 2 months notice. The only plus is the location and I do agree that some teachers were good but in all not the right place to send our kids.Please do read the non recommended reviews here before making your decision and I am not sure whether my review is going to end up there. Horrible place and Shameful management. Parents also read the inspection reports available on the NJ gov website before joining any daycare. Update- As soon as I posted my negative review within an hour a positive review is posted from an account who has never written any reviews before. Makes me doubt that the owner or management is posting fake positive reviews under different names. read more

My son attended Learning Ladders for two years (Strawberry class through Bridge) and we had a very positive experience. He loved all of his teachers, especially Ms. Clarisse, Ms. Cindy and Ms. Dariza. They are very kind and nurturing. He would surprise me with the new songs he learned and with singing the ABCs and counting to 10 just a couple of months after his first birthday. He had fun while learning. I feel that Learning Ladders gave my son a great foundation for education and socialization. read more

Our daughter spent 18 months at Learning Ladders starting at 4 months old. It was a joy to watch her development during her time there, and to see the care and support she got from her teachers. She started at a challenging time early in the pandemic but the all the staff made her transition to daycare so much easier, and we really appreciated the bond some of the teachers had with her. read more

Learning Ladders has been such a great place for my baby girl! I just went back to work 6 weeks ago and from day one, the staff has been amazing with this transition. Before I went back to work, they strongly recommended that I bring her there for a few hours each day in the week leading up to it... to get her used to it (and to get me used to it). I am so thankful they had me do that because it made my first day back to work so much easier. I know that my baby is in great hands. They are so thoughtful, caring and attentive and I could not be happier with choosing them to care for her. They treat each child like their own and really care so much about them. When I had to take McKinley to the doctor, they asked me the next day how it went. When they were running low on food I brought in for her, they called me concerned she would get hungry before I came to pick her up. They noticed her feet were cold and doubled up on socks. When I drop her off in the morning, they are genuinely so excited to see her. It is little things like that... that make me feel so good about choosing them. As it turns out, my husband and I are buying a house and we are moving out of the area within the next month. Although we are very excited to embark on this new adventure, it is bittersweet because we are sad to be leaving Learning Ladders. If you are looking for a daycare in the downtown Jersey City area, I highly recommend Learning Ladders. I only have experience in the infant program but that experience has been so amazing. Being a working mother is really hard but when you know your baby is in good hands, it makes it so much easier to adjust. Thank you Nereida, Miss Madeline, Ms. Basma and everyone else that helps take care of my little girl! read more

As soon as my daughter turned 1, we enrolled her into Learning Ladders (Bay St location). We've tried other daycares before (in NYC) and were never as happy as we've been with Learning Ladders. Everyone from management to the teachers genuinely cared for our daughter. The most important aspect of a daycare for us is leaving our child with people we trust and Learning Ladders is definitely trustworthy. Our daughter loved the teachers so much, she was always so happy going to daycare and being dropped off (which can be a parent's worst nightmare if kids don't like their daycare). Our child learned the ABC's so quickly along with her numbers- she would come home and say things that she obviously learned from Learning Ladders. We eventually moved and are no longer at Learning Ladders but I would recommend this daycare to anyone with a toddler! read more

I had my 9-month old son here and it was a mediocre experience. The caretakers in the classroom were nice, but we had a bad interactions with the administrators and the whole place just never earned my trust. We pulled him out. Here's the flavor of my experience: my son fell and whacked his head a couple times, and I get it, this kind of stuff happens. But in this situation, the attitude of Learning Ladders was not "ok, here's how we're going to try to prevent this happening again" but "well we only told you because there's a mark that shows and the law requires we tell you". Interesting. So what else happened that you didn't tell me? read more

First off I'm so surprised by the negative reviews. My 3 month old is enrolled in the goldenberry class at the new Morgan Street location and my husband and I relieved to have found a reliable, clean, curriculum driven school for our baby. The teachers are friendly and care for the baby as their own. He is developing very well and comes home learning something new every week. The teacher to student ratio is 4:1 and that paired with affordability makes Learning Ladders amazing. The normal hours are 8:30-5:30 which makes it difficult for my husband and I but they do offer early drop off and late pick up for a fee. Overall I would say this isn't your average daycare center. The owner and administration is very much invested in the children as much as the teachers are. I would encourage anyone considering Learning Ladders to take a tour, speak to the staff and then make a decision. read more

Great school and very dedicated teachers. My son Nickolas was at learning ladders for close to 2 years and i am very happy he started his first steps into real education there. Nickolas became a very independent child and he is really enjoying learning and loves school. In general this is a great school with a very pro staff. read more

Our daughter has been with LL for 3.5 years and we have been so happy with it. The curriculum is great and i cannot say how much she learned! We do not speak English at home and still, we have this little person able to talk, count and now already read some words in a langage we've never taught her!! once she joined public school, she was largely above grade thanks to LL. Teachers are very inspiring and nurturing (thumb up for miss Clarisse, miss Mylin and miss Uniqua). Definitely recommend! read more

For the last 3 years my son attend Learning Ladders. It has been a wonderful experience with the all the staff. They are very nurturing and loving, and I have seen my son developed socially and emotionally. I would definitely recommend you to take your child to this place. read more

We had our daughter under the care of Learning Ladders, and we couldn't have been happier with this place. Before Learning Ladders, our daughter was taken care of by a nanny, and as first-time parents, we were not sure about putting a baby under 1 year old in a daycare. But she adjusted beautifully within a few days, and started to love going this place. And we noticed that she became much more social and interactive, and overall, this place was really helpful for her development. When we were searching for a daycare, we looked into different places including the one that was literally in our building. It was a place that had better online reviews and reputation. But when we visited the place, we somehow felt Learning Ladders had a better vibe in terms of teacher-children interactions. So despite the distance (10 minute walk) we decided on LL and we never regreted the decision. I was especially touched by how much teachers here cared about our baby. When she had to switch classes after turning 1, I could see how her teachers in infant class were really attached to her and sad to let her go. One teacher in particular (Ms. Lisette) even became teary as she held our daughter and whispered to her that she'd miss her. And even after the switch, I could see how her old teachers always welcomed her and had very sweet interactions with her. My husband and I are engaged in our work/studies full-time and we really don't know how we could have pulled through the stressful first/second year were it not for the care Learning Ladders provided. During their working hours, we could rest assured that she's in good hands, which was a huge relief. We recently moved to a different city, and after a couple of weeks in a new daycare here, we miss LL even more. Not only the facilities in LL much better, they were much better maintained and we feel that teachers at LL took so much better care of our daughter. Also, I have heard complaints that LL has very rigid rules, but speaking for myself, I appreciated that everything was so clearly fleshed out and never ran into occasions where I felt they were unfairly enforced. All in all, I want to thank Learning Ladders (esp. the ground staff) for their excellent care and would like to recommend this place to parents in the area. read more

As first time parents,  we had no experience with daycares. We were not sure what we should give preference to. We wanted a safe place, with good education, affordable and close to home.  We found all that with Learning Ladders. My daughter has been with the school for almost 3 years now and she loves it. The teachers are very loving and caring. Miss. Hilsen is my daughter's ​favourite teacher. We love to hear about the things that she is learning everyday through the daily individual electronic report. We appreciate that our daughter is being cared for by teachers who want to see her succeed in life. read more

Leaving your precious one in the hands of others is a tough decision which must be made wisely. After seven months since our kid started at Learning Ladders, we are happy with our decision. Having a camera facility to view my kid in real time provides an extra assurance. As a first time parent who moved to Jersey City recently, we are very thankful to them for taking such a good care of our kid. After taking a tour of four other centers, we like them most. read more

This is a ZERO star review because yelp hides negative reviews for some reason. In short, anyone can write a fake positive or negative review so I'll just stick to the facts - some classes had 1 year commitment. Ask yourself, why? - have to pay by bank direct deposit. Again, ask yourself why. - 60 day notice required. All other day cares only have 30 days. Again, ask yourself why. When you speak to the owner, look her in the eye and ask yourself.. "is she lying to me?". Does she give you the impression, she cares only about your money and your money only. Only you can be the judge. Some teachers and staff were extremely nice, I don't know if they still work there. A few more facts: - easter, and other celebration days, you will be asked to bring in 'school supplies' such as eggs and baskets - you will be asked to buy books for the class - You already paid a 'class supplies' fee, so whats all that about? Did it actually go towards to children or just to the owners pocket? only you can decide if you want to take a chance on this place read more

My daughter went to Learning Ladders when she was 18 months old for about 15 months. While the teachers were good and generally caring, the administration did not encourage it or were not flexible at all. My daughter has 2 scars because of her time at the day care. The first one was big and needed stitches (she fell and banged her head on the furniture), I chalked it up to kids get hurt but did not really talk to the owner more than "please do better next time". The second one, was after my daughter could talk, while she told me who hurt her (an older kid in the class), non of the teachers noticed the wound till we pointed it out. The owner insisted that it was just a paper cut and nothing more. This was on the day the daycare had a book fair and the teachers were busy with the fair and I assume were not paying attention. When I bought it up, the owner and the admin said "we cannot do anything more", which hurt. I send my baby to his place for 8 hours a day, "we cannot do more" is not what I wanted to here. I still see these 2 scars on my baby's face and feel bad her sending here to this place. These could seem one off, but in general I have found that the care in her new daycare is better. 1. Sometimes when the kids were not able to finish their breakfast in the allotted time, in the new daycare I have seem them finish it during circle time. Learning ladders would not have allowed for it. 2. In the new daycare I see that during pick up time the kids are still entertained, and learning ladders during pick up I have seen tired and bored looking kids, 3. At learning ladders parents are expected to pay additional for the field trips in cash. 4. All the times I have spoken to the owner I have felt that she would say anything to defend her position, it does not really have to really make logical sense. She is more defensive than, compromising which makes its very had to talk to her. 5. When ever I raised a concern with the owner I have heard "we do the best of what we can", She never says "Lets all meet and discuss and come up with a solution to the problem" 6. In the new daycare I see that small things are taken care of, like applying sunscreen on kids before they take a walk - learning ladders would send a mail saying they would "NOT" do it. 7. All in all, I feel that the new daycare is more caring for the well being of the children than how much money the school makes. All in all I can honestly say, I've seen better. read more

My daughter (5.5 months) has been at Learning Ladders for about 1 month now and we are very pleased with our experience. I am only giving 4 stars because it has only been one month and I will continue to update my review. Returning to work was pretty difficult for me - the first two weeks I kept thinking, "I don't know if I can do this!" - but everyday we pick our daughter up from Learning Ladders she is completely happy, healthy and active the rest of the evening and/or weekend. Not one day have we picked her up and thought, hmmmmm, something is off! Quite the opposite! I was especially concerned about returning to work because our daughter has (and still does) refuse to drink from a bottle. But Madeline, Basma, Afaf, Nereida and all of the other girls have been so helpful in making sure our little one gets what she needs and have been exceedingly reassuring to me - I just know she is in good hands. Madeline, especially, has been such a source of comfort for me when I drop my daughter off in the morning and has been very helpful in helping me navigate this new transition into daycare - she is great. Our daughter has continued to develop a social personality and hit major milestones and I know that this is only enhanced by her experiences at LL. Every week Learning Ladders sends out a newsletter for your child's class. When I rec'd mine the first week and saw the picture of of our daughter sitting in a bouncy chair smiling up at the camera - I literally burst into tears. It has been such a comfort to know that our daughter is happy, safe, and thriving during this difficult time (which has obviously been harder on me than her!) In short - so far so good. I look forward to our continuing relationship with the staff at Learning Ladders read more

Great staff! I think the class sizes are perfect, and the teachers are just so loving. I'm so happy with my experience there. I'm looking forward to having my son continue at Learning Ladders. read more

I started to bring my son here when i went back to work- and he was about 4.5 months old. I was very nervous to leave him but the teachers in his classroom were so wonderful that i was quickly put at ease. i feel like his teachers truly care for him and that makes me so happy- they are truly wonderful. Edit: he is now 2 years old and loves going to "school" everyday. He has learned SO much and continues to be a happy and loving- which i think is a product of his environment. I'll be putting my 4.5 month old daughter in this week and i'm happy to be able to do so read more

My daughter has been at Learning Ladders since she was 4 months old and she's now almost 3. She has been so happy there every day and she loves going to school. Her teachers have been caring and careful, the school is clean and they communicate well with the parents. I am always so impressed with the things they are learning there. The classes are so creative and she has learned her colors, numbers, Spanish, as well as done science experiments, learned about stranger danger and fire safety, weather, animals, seasons, done soccer, gymnastics, dance, and would have had a cooking class if we weren't moving out the area. The hours here are the earliest in Jersey City, with drop off as early as 7:30 and pick up until 6:30. We have loved the staff and the teachers and are so sad to be leaving. I have recommended this place to many friends and they are all happy as well. Wish we could keep her here! read more

Learning Ladders has provided a great nurturing learning environment for child. The 6:1 student to teacher ratio for the pre-K programs is probably the best you can find. The small class size allows the teachers to give more attention to each individual child and accommodate their specific interests and needs. Everyday there is a take-home note outlining the day's activities so I can always know what my child has learned and talk about related topics at home. My child has been through three different daycares in Jersey City and this is the only place that provides daily notes. The school's owner, educational director and teachers are very kind and accommodating. The teachers are experienced and care about the children. The facility is very new, nice and clean. The bathrooms are very neat and well maintained. The library is well-stocked with lots of great new books. I would strongly recommend learning ladders to anyone looking for quality daycare in Jersey City. read more

We had a horrible experience with this daycare. Unfortunately they don't have much of a waiting list so they were the only option. The director appears to be very business focused and the caregivers in the baby room seemed incredibly overwhelmed. I've heard from other moms that they also didn't care for the director. My best advice -- as soon as you find out your pregnant, get on the waiting list for the River School. You couldn't pay me to send my child to Learning Ladders. read more