My daughter Hannah has been attending Legacy Academy since she was only 14 weeks old (Infant A), and she is now in the final classroom (4B) and will enroll in kindergarten August of 2025. My husband and I have had a great experience overall with all of Hannah's teachers going back to 2020 when her infant teachers made it easier for me to be confident that she was receiving wonderful care to now when Mr. Armando has been our favorite teacher for her yet. He is the assistant director but loves to work in the 4s too, so we have appreciated how much she learned from him when he was her teacher for a couple months last fall, and we are so glad he is currently covering while they look for a qualified replacement teacher after some recent turnover. Mr. Armando is kind and empathetic- he always treats the kids in his class well and is supportive to parents as well. My only complaint is that he is so great at his job that they keep pulling him out of the classroom because he is so good at his job as management too (and I just want Hannah to be lucky enough to have him be her full-time teacher). Mr. Armando is the best of the best! Wendy and Chris have treated Hannah so kindly over the years as well, and it's nice to know that the owners care about the students as well as their families. Hannah has loved so many of her teachers, and I wish that I could name them all, but I will settle for a few of her other top teachers in addition to Mr. Armando. She has loved Ms. Brooke (she always seemed to appreciate Hannah's quirky personality), Ms. Kat (they bonded over their shared love of Stitch), Ms. Arianne (so sweet with her and has always thought Hannah was funny), Ms. Lisa (has helped her grow in her writing skills and appreciates Hannah's chatty ways), Ms. Natalia (takes care of her at the end of the day and reads her all her favorite stories), and Ms. Riley (wrote Hannah the sweetest note about how much she enjoys taking care of her and coloring with her). I can never leave out one of the most important employees at Legacy in a review- Ms. Chari (the prep cook) has been with Legacy for over 3 years now, and she is amazing. She is so sweet and has such a warmth about her. Everyone in the building clearly loves her, and Hannah thinks she is the best. Hannah talks about Ms. Chari all the time at home, and it's so apparent how wonderful she is with her. I am getting reflective here at the beginning of her final year of preschool, and I am so grateful to everyone at Legacy who has helped us have such a great experience for our daughter. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Chapel Hill, Durham area (we drive 30 minutes from Graham, and it's worth it- the preschools in Graham are not as high quality as Legacy). read more

Legacy Academy - My daughter working on making her own volcano in Mr. Armando's class - Preschools Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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We immediately pulled our kids once we realized what was happening. They are now in a daycare which has not given us any similar complaints. Things seemed well for about a year here until my oldest son moved up a classroom. He was sad, a lot, which I assumed was from adjusting. (He also picked up the phrase "crying brat"). Immediately a surge of complaints came home every day. He was "impossible" to potty train, he was frustrating to deal with, he didn't nap long enough, etc. Never a positive. I wrote the teacher a long note trying to see what ways I could help. He's an extremely friendly kid and I didn't understand what was happening...I took their suggestions. Both my husband and I noticed negative interactions when my son was crying in the room...As though they were disgusted. We would stay behind and watch for a minute, and became concerned. I did everything I could to figure out what they were talking about and how I could help. Then they neglected diaper changes...Twice I picked my son up in the EXACT SAME diaper I dropped him off in. I have several witnesses to this, including Legacy staff. Diapers which fell apart into yellow slush when you tried to take their pants off. Almost immediately after finding this, the director spoke to me in her office in a very condescending way. She said she didn't know what to do anymore about my son, and that we should "give him rules and boundaries" (We are BIG on that at home) and "teach him not to run away". And said he had ran off the property into the parking lot. The day before. They hid it from me until then. He could have been hit by a car or gotten lost. She then described what she believed were "sensory issues" and said they couldn't help him anymore. I asked her if she meant autism...She said, maybe. I took him to two different pediatricians to get this assessed, both of which said there were not any flags for any disorders. The second asked me not to take this childcare center seriously. I'm still angry about this. My son was obviously running and not cooperating after months of mistreatment. They blamed us for the 3's teacher departure as well as the unhappiness of other staff who stepped in. Not any apologies or acknowledgement for the pain we went through, only pleasant when we withdrew. I still have nightmares about what he went through. It's hard to write this review because there actually are very good staff at Legacy, particularly the pre-K and infant rooms. But due to high turnover in some rooms, desperate hires, and the complete lack of responsibility or empathy from the Owner, I would never recommend this place. read more

Our experience with Legacy Academy has been nothing but positive. My infant son's teachers love him like he is their own... I couldn't ask for better. The facility is very clean and organized. My son is always smiling and happy when I pick him up and his teachers are happy to see him when he arrives each morning. If there is ever a question, the school reaches out to me directly, and his teachers encourage me to call/text them if I have questions or just want to see how he is doing. One big plus for me (a working mom) is that Legacy Academy has hours a bit longer than other places I've looked at- 7 am to 6 pm. I have peace of mind knowing that my son is well cared for and working on his developmental milestones while I am at work. read more

My daughter has been at Legacy Academy for about a year and a half. Our experience there has been largely positive, and I recommend giving it consideration if you are searching for a preschool in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. I have given it four stars although if Yelp allowed me to do half stars, I would probably give it 3.5. The facility is very nice, with clean rooms and a good outdoor play space. The owners and staff are very pleasant. My daughter's teachers have been great. She seems very happy there and she is progressing well. I don't know much about the curriculum but it seems like they do fun stuff with the kids. It also has very good hours. Legacy Academy does less in terms of parental involvement than some of the other preschools we looked at, though there are occasional late afternoon and weekend events. I consider this neither a pro nor a con and I'm simply offering it as information. If you like to just drop off and pick up your kid and then be on your way, it works just fine. If, however, you are looking for more community in your preschool experience and opportunities to get involved, you might be happier elsewhere. Tuition is very reasonable, lower than many of the other area preschools my wife and I considered. The deposit for reserving a spot was also very reasonable. Getting our daughter enrolled was a smooth experience, and overall, I think Legacy Academy offers good value for the money, though it does come with a few drawbacks. The biggest drawback is the high turnover rate. There have been at least a few different directors since we've been there, and many of my daughter's teachers have left for other day cares. Fortunately, we have really liked the new ones brought in to replace them. However, if you are looking for more stability in terms of management and staff, Legacy might not be the place for you. Either way, when making a decision on what preschool to enroll your child in, I don't recommend putting too much weight on how much you like any particular teacher, because she may not be there the whole time. I also wish the food served at Legacy Academy were a little more nutritious. There is often a healthy lunch but the snacks are usually things like bagels, muffins, biscuits, waffles, crackers, etc. However, I don't have a good sense of how this compares to other preschools, since my wife and I weren't thinking that far ahead when deciding where to send our daughter. If the food served at day care is something that's important to you, I suggest trying to get as much information as you can so you can make a fully informed decision. Finally, there have been times when I believe management communication and responsiveness could have been a little better. For the most part it has been fine, but I still think there is some room for improvement. read more

great experiences for both children. attentive, kind and responsive staff. clean and nice learning environment and activities. kids get outside most days too. meals seem nutritious and kid friendly. how do they get all those toddlers to nap at the same time?! kids have made sweet friendships. read more

We moved to area last summer and enrolled our 1 and 3 year old's last September. This is a relatively new school with a 5 star rating in a park-like setting that our kids love. Management and staff very attentive to any of our concerns. Our 3 year old hates to leave at nite! Cons: There hours are 7-6pm. Our previous preschool opened at 6:30 am. read more

My son was at Legacy Academy for a year and a half before I had to abruptly remove him last week. I tried to tell myself that certain things were in my head until it became abundantly clear that I was not imagining it. While the staff are great, the owner Wendy, has some serious issues. I believe her to have some serious implicit bias towards children of color. She also has run off at least a dozen staff members during my time there, including an AMAZING director, my son's favorite teachers and even the COOK. She speaks in the most condescending manner to her staff members, and I've personally witnessed this on many occasions. In those instances, they hadn't even done anything wrong. I took my son out because she was constantly labeling him as "aggressive" and as a bad child. He's a busy toddler. That's to be sure. But, he's loving, smart and completely normal. Other parents and his teachers attested to that. However, he had a file like a three-time felon because she had him written up with incident reports for even the most minor of things. If a report is warranted, I have no issues with it. If my child misbehaves, I want to know about it and correct it. However, I DO have a problem with my child being singled out and being written up for things other children are not written up for and for inequitable treatment overall. I also have a problem with labeling a 20 month old child. That's how it all starts...... I said to her, "Wendy, you know it's not just my child, right? All toddlers throw toys, etc." She said, "actually, it is...." and our conversation went downhill from there. If you meet Wendy, go with your gut. Don't be an idiot like I was and convince yourself it's in your head for over a year. Something will just feel a little "off" with her, and you should trust that instinct. I will say that Legacy is clean, serves good food and has a great curriculum. Unfortunately, the owner isn't changing, so I just had to change my child's school. I will also say I've discovered two other past families so far who had a similar experience. One family was black and the other was Hispanic. Editing this post on 9/02/2017 to respond to Wendy's reply. As I stated in my email to you this morning, Wendy, You are flat out lying and borderline deranged if you could lie this blatantly. You never had that conversation you claimed to have had with me. I would have welcomed it! I can't correct biting at home if I have never seen my child bite anyone. He goes to birthday parties, has play dates, and all sorts of supervised interactions with other children. We've never seen him bite. I'm not saying he didn't bite at school. I'm sure he did. But that doesn't make him an aggressive or bad child. You need to read up on label theory. I never said he didn't throw anything or bite someone. I said you didn't treat the other children the same as him when they exhibit the same behavior. There is a difference. Show me a toddler who doesn't throw toys or bite and have tantrums and I'll show you a unicorn. I also never said you fired the people you mentioned in your reply. I said you ran them off, meaning that they quit. These are not my assumptions. I'm in contact with many of them who are willing to do whatever is necessary to expose who you really are. I have also been contacted by several white families since posting my review who are currently at Legacy or recently left. They assured me my feelings of your implicit bias were not in my head and that they feel the same way. It's time for you to take a deep dive and do some serious work if you want to stay in this business. read more

We started our son at Legacy Academy of Chapel Hill when he was still an infant. There are always mixed feelings about sending your precious child into the care of others, so we visited numerous day care facilities in the Durham and Chapel Hill area. We selected LA despite numerous other facilities that are closer to both home and work based on many factors. The first priority was an NC-rated 5-star facility. The state has rigorous standards to earn the highest rating, and LA meets those criteria. We also wanted a facility that had a balance of activity that would help develop our son on multiple levels. Our son is now 2 1/2 and sings the alphabet, can count to 20 and is nearly totally potty trained thanks in large part to the efforts of the excellent teachers at LA. He is also socially well-educated and LA has played a vital role in exposing him to various cultures. Our son looks forward to attending class and names off favorite teachers and classmates (a list that is wonderfully long!) when he is not attendance. Other important aspects to me are sanitation, safety, nutrition and developmentally appropriate play and learning equipment. LA is by far the cleanest facility I have ever visited in terms of visible cleanliness, clean smelling and infrequency of school-related illnesses. The facility is new and is well-maintained so safety is no problem at all. The nutrition is among the best I've seen of any program: The school chef creates fantastic meals and snacks made of mostly all-natural ingredients that are enjoyable even to adults (I want some of their recipes - especially the rosemary chili!). The learning equipment is exactly as I would hope to be: books, indoor toys and outdoor toys and equipment. It also exceeds my hopes with a working community garden for the children to learn and enjoy! Turnover is always a concern in day care facilities, but this center has many systems in place to keep this to a minimum. Full-time staff are indeed offered benefits, despite another review. Benefits are actually beyond those offered by most facilities in the area, even going so far as offering a 401(k)! These benefits help attract great talent. In concert with these benefits, the leadership's focus on creating a great environment for children and staff help keep the best talent. This naturally leads to stability which is great for our son! I highly recommend Legacy Academy of Chapel Hill to my friends and clients. I think it is an excellent center in an area full of high-quality options. Truly the best of the best! read more

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/kicking-kids-out-preschool-damaging-experts-say-so-why-it-n1038706 There's enough said with this article. Listen to the bad reviews. They try to act like they care about your kid, but really they only care about money. It's sad how much psychological harm they caused my daughter by pretty much forcing her out of their facility because she was a "bad kid" and was "dangerous" The only nice person is Ms. Tonya. Unfortunately she can't do it all and the owners are extremely fake. Chris the husband is SO rude. He was the one to call me and tell me my child was dangerous and they don't have the resources to "deal with my kid" and followed that up by hanging the phone up on me (all while I'm in the middle of my shift at work) One Incident was when my kid was put into time out and decided she wanted to peel a small piece of already peeled wallpaper off of the walls in the time out corner that they have next to the office away from the rest of the classrooms. I was ALSO told that MY DAUGHTER was the reason her teacher Mr. Armando was about i quit. And they cared so much for him that my daughter was no longer allowed to be there past 12 Lunch time. (Like i can support my daughter and myself with a 3 hour job a day )ALSO, The turn around is huge here and for obvious reasons. They can't get good teachers to stay because they treat the staff poorly. It breaks my heart that my kid still asks everyday why she can't go back to legacy academy and see her friends. (We used a voucher through the state and i defiantly felt judged based on that alone) read more

For the past year, I worked as the cook at Legacy Academy. I've been able to observe a fair amount. I've seen teachers come and go for a variety of reasons: to further their education; to other jobs; moving away to distant cities as my family did and a couple for not measuring up to the standards set by the owners. The Academy currently has a fabulous staff and I considered myself privileged to be associated with them. Teachers are responsible to submit all instances of injury to their supervisors, who have the responsibility of addressing the issues. Chris and Wendy welcome the diversity that the area brings to their program. If I hadn't moved away, I'd still be happily working for them. If my grandchildren lived nearby, I'd want them to attend Legacy Academy. read more

Not much of a five-star experience... We enrolled our 3y/o here in a rush after the year had started. They had a really nice, brand new, infrastructure (though the playground has barely any shade), and we basically trusted the five star accreditation that is boldly displayed on their front gate. We were not really impressed with the teachers from the start but tried to take things easy. As the days went by, it was evident that there were some out of control boys in the classroom that the teachers were unable to tame down. Just one week into this new preschool, our son arrived home one day to say "I'm so glad to be home, it feels safe here" big red flag!. Although we tried speaking to the teacher and the school managers, it's really hard to change the rules once a child has been used to get away with anything for weeks. I was able to see by myself one day as all the kids sang in a circle with the teachers, while this 'odd couple' would run and scream around the room doing whatever else, and nobody tried to stop them. Then my son starting putting a struggle every morning before going to school, and complaining about his classmates' "violence". Teaching preschoolers is really hard, it requires being sharp and fast, and very special skills for controlling behavior. The most important things for kids to learn at a preschool are behavior management and socializing, all the other stuff on the curriculum is just secondary. These people may have the best intentions, but they are sorely lacking the skills and training. After about a month at Legacy Academy, we switched our son to the Kehillah Preschool and he loves it. The teachers are really sharp and focused, and the children are really sweet and well mannered. Now my kid is asking me to go to school on weekends! --- In response to management's reply. I probably did not give the best example by citing the kids jumping and screaming around the circle but I was trying to be gentle with my review and to state just what I saw directly. But my child's complaints (and I trust him fully not to lie to me on this) were pointing at outright bullying and violence in the classroom. He was beaten and shoved by the other kids; and as an extremely compassionate child, he got very upset when he saw these kids beating others, and even each other. He was having nightmares as weeks went on at his school. The last day I picked him up, the teacher was extremely nervous talking to me and she told me he had hit himself in the forehead, yet later that night he told me that it was one of the other kids who hit him in the head with one of the toys. When you know you have special needs children, you know you should have especially trained teachers, and know to never leave them in a room with only one teacher. read more

My son has attended Legacy for the past 1.5yrs. He had a tough go of it with a few of the teachers but has really connected with his peers and is well taken care of. Teacher turn over is one of the toughest variables in this industry and the owners do a great job of communicating with parents when it happens and supporting the kids as well. They have a working garden, beautiful LARGE classrooms and a very clean environment. The playgrounds are fantastic too with a water feature for the kids to enjoy in the summer. read more

Beautiful new school. This Chapel Hill family owned business is an excellent place for children to get their first experience with education. It is clean, the staff is friendly, and the location is in a safe residential area. After touring the building I would love to send my children to a school of this caliber. read more

Anyone that puts this place down or says this place has a problem with kids of other races need to stop smoking the green stuff because I have seen nothing of the sort in the 2 months we have been there. The staff is a mix of different ethnicity as well as the students. Staff and children are all happy and if they aren't they are great actors. My 2 kids love going to school here. My 2 and a half year old was a very slow developer that still wears 18 months clothes, doesn't talk and could hardly walk. Now she is saying words, running all over the place and acting like a normal child. Wendy and Chris were the only owners all over Chapel Hill that allowed us to put our child in an 18 month old class to get her caught up with kids her age. They also understand our financial concerns and work with us on a weekly basis. They always have good food prepped, holiday events, picture days, and most importantly the place is extremely clean and very homey. I just can't believe anyone would leave a bad review. Thank you very much for everything!!! read more

We enrolled our two boys at Legacy Academy about a year ago and our experience has been fantastic. The owners, Wendy and Chris, have treated us like family since we began. Every morning they are there with a friendly greeting and have helped me so many times when I have my hands full. Ms. Tonya, the Director, is very knowledgable of childhood development and it shows in her interactions with all the kids at Legacy. I was so impressed with her from the start! Our oldest son began Kindergarten this year after being at Legacy for preschool, and the transition was easy because of how well he was prepared at Legacy. I'm an educator, and Legacy has a reputation among many of the local Kindergarten teachers for how well they prepare students for Kindergarten. Our youngest son has absolutely loved his teachers and has a special bond with Miss Selena. She is so caring and loving and he talks about her non-stop at home! We've so enjoyed our Legacy experience that our youngest child, a baby girl, will attend when I return to work. I highly recommend Legacy to anyone who is searching for a local childcare agency. read more

I highly recommend Legacy Academy for a good family experience . The entire staff that has cared for my daughter have always been attentive to my daughter's medical needs and my son has been there too for summer camp and I can always say that my kids are happy and healthy when I arrive to meet them at the end of their day. The academy has well rounded activities that are available that my child participates in such as soccer, gymnastics and tumbling that my kid absolutely loves and the staff are great with kids as well. The owners are engaging as well that is available to help with any questions and just to help out period. So many wonderful and great things that take place everyday and I absolutely would recommend . read more

Just to follow up, we've been at our new daycare for a few months now and I was astonished to find out that my son does not actually dislike school--in fact he loves it. He cried every single day I took him to Legacy and literally has not cried even one time at his new school. I thought he just didn't like school, I had no idea it was the particular school. He loves school now and sometimes doesn't want to come home! After experiencing a different facility, I am more convinced than ever that Legacy is not quality care. read more

Legacy Academy is truly a 5 star school. My daughter is well prepared for Kindergarten, and through their curriculum she has advanced with her social skills. The teachers are friendly and their best interest is for the kids. They focus on each individual child and their needs. My daughter has been there ever since she was 9 months old and she is now 4 1/2. I would recommend Legacy Academy to help your child have a good foundation along with helping them to prepare for the real world. read more

We enrolled our child here shortly after they opened. We were pleased with the facility and the manager that they had at the beginning, Claudia, was wonderful. We liked that they would be speaking Spanish to the children, the healthy meals that they would prepare and their commitment to the children. Shortly after we enrolled our child, Claudia left and a new manager took over. In the 2 years we were there, they went through 5 different managers. They all left for a variety of reasons. There is a huge staff turnover. Our child would just start getting comfortable with a teacher and the next thing we knew, that teacher would no longer be there. They often left with no notice given to the parents. We would just walk in to find a new teacher, and have to go through the whole process of becoming comfortable with someone else. While I understand that some staff turnover, especially in a new facility is to be expected, this seemed a little extreme. Especially in the managerial position. As someone else had mentioned, we were also not initially told of the part-time problem that would result in our slot being given up if we elected not to go full time. We were told this one day about 6 months after starting to complete shock. 2 weeks later we received the letter stating that this was the policy. We finally pulled our child out after we were shown pictures of the undercooked meat that was being fed to the kids. Apparently, they had a new cook and the food that was being turned out was not being cooked well. Some of the teachers were still feeding this food to the children while some of the dedicated teachers made sure that all the food was returned so the kids did not eat it. We also learned that the Spanish speaking was not occurring in the classrooms, not a deal breaker but not what we were led to believe. Since starting at a new daycare, we are amazed at the differences that we see. We were old that our part-time spot would not be taken away from us. The food that they feed the kids is all pre-cooked meat, so no risk of undercooked food. Most importantly, our child is excited to go to daycare. I had thought that a little crying was normal when you drop them off but after only 1 month at the new facility, our child is running in the doors and cannot wait to get started. In the less than 2 years at the other daycare, we never had an easy drop-off. We would not recommend this facility. read more

We enrolled our two year old boy here just three weeks ago, because his previous daycare center had to close. We only had experience with smaller independent daycares before, and were initially a little hesitant to enroll our guy in a fairly large center that is a franchise. However, we have absolutely no regrets and are very happy with Legacy Academy. The whole facility is brand new (it opened in October 2011). It is state of the art, full of great equipment, toys, and supplies. Perhaps even more importantly, the staff are both professional and warm and caring, and they have made our little guy feel right at home. The curriculum balances free play with structured activity in an age-appropriate way. In short, this is a great new center serving the Chapel Hill - Carroboro area. read more

My daughter has been at Legacy Academy for over a year now, and I couldn't be more thrilled! My daughter is 18 months, and when she first started she was a little under 4 months old. I was a nervous wreck; I was so upset at having to leave her. The staff could not have been more kind, caring, or warm to support both of us during this hard transition. I drove so fast to get her the first day, envisioning that she'd been screaming for me all day, and much to my surprise, she was extremely happy! She has loved Legacy from the very first day, and that is a huge testament to the environment. Each morning now she asks me "school?" and literally runs in the door to hug her teacher. The owners have been wonderfully supportive and responsive to any questions I have ever had, and it is clear they are very hands on and knowledgeable about what happens in the classroom. They have EXCELLENT supports for families who have to go to work early, such as myself. I am a teacher, and have to report to school by 7:15. Legacy is one of the only schools in the area that opens at 7, which is huge! As a Kindergarten teacher, I have seen first hand the evidence of the enormous impact a quality preschool has on a child's ability to learn and thrive once they go to elementary school. My husband and I are impressed every day with our daughter's rapidly increasing vocabulary and social skills, and we are so grateful for her excellent teachers. She is currently transitioning to the next room for her age group, and the entire staff has been extremely supportive during this big change. Legacy is a great place to be, and I would recommend it to anyone! read more

Our three year old daughter has been at Legacy for a year now and we recently enrolled our three month old son into the infant program. Both children benefit from their programs and the great people that surround them each day. Our daughter has made wonderful friends at Legacy and has developed great social skills from participating in Spanish, tumble tots, music class, etc. She looks forward to going each week and I never worry about her during the day. I believe her experience at Legacy Academy will give her an advantage once she enters into elementary school. Our son is closely monitored, loved and well cared for in the infant room and I am very thankful to have found this environment for him as well. I would highly recommend this facility to families with young children of any age, as all of the different programs cater to the designated age groups appropriately and with the highest of standards. read more