This school goes above and beyond to promote a healthy and safe place for your children. We were at…read morethe school for over 5 years and have recently "graduated" to public Kindergarten. They don't cut corners and have a full range of creative ways to help the children learn and grow. The preschool and school room teachers are exceptional. Both my daughters were more than ready for public school education. The outdoor play areas are large and have a very natural feel to them... They go out every day, sometimes several times a day and they do that year round. The classrooms are always changing with projects and paint and a liveliness that makes a parent feel good about trusting their children in these caretakers hands. Truly a wonderful school.

From the owner: At Leaps and Bounds Learning Center we strive to provide an educationally focused environment where…read morechildren can discover the world around them with the guidance of loving, dedicated, and qualified staff. We support children to understand themselves and their special place in this world through stressing the value of each child's individuality and creativity. Our mission is to provide rich and meaningful learning experiences in a safe and nurturing environment where children engage in activities to experience early learning success. At Leaps And Bounds Learning Center, we look forward to sharing in your child's growing years!

I cannot say enough about how wonderful our experience has been here thus far with Heather. She is…read morekind, communicative, organized, thoughtful, and a baby wizard! She has collaborated with us to get our 6 month old on a sleep schedule and start figuring out those day time naps, as well as support our decision to do a baby led weaning approach to solids. Our baby is loved and cared for in the ways I've hoped and prayed for. We feel incredibly lucky to have found her!

From the owner: We are an in-home day school located in Somersworth, NH supporting local families by providing…read morechildcare and early learning services to infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. Our curriculum includes daily lessons in math, science, and art with a strong love for music and adventure! We strongly believe in play-based learning as well as teaching children of all ages real-life skills and problem solving techniques. We strive to build confidence, positive communication, compassion, and expression by encouraging the kids to be independent, confident in expressing their needs and interests as well as nurturing everyone around them in their school environment. Outdoor time is spent exploring nature, playing with water, dirt and mud, as well as climbing, sliding and pretending!

Huge staff overturn all the time. I would pick up my baby and ask how her day was and no one would…read moreknow because they "didn't have her". Staff would overheat her bottle and "sometimes" check the milk before giving it to her. I found this out when I picked her up and they handed me her bottle. It burned my finger. I was told they put the hot bottle in a cooling bath. Disgusting to think that bottles with breast milk are sitting in a bath of water. This place is awful. We told the director about these issues and she claimed she had no clue. My daughter's diaper was on so tight one time that she screamed until I realized what the problem was. This was the only issue the director knew about.

This place is great. When I go to NH for business they watch my kids! The facility is clean and…read morefaculty is outstanding! I highly recommend!

The director here is a danger to children's well-being and safety. At first, we thought this center…read morewould be adequate for our child, and turned into a nightmare which would end up being a hinderance to proper care and development with a wildly out of touch, unprofessional and downright nasty director. My little one started at 5 months old. The center utilizes ProCare to communicate about daily happenings. It was not utilized properly whatsoever. There would be massive gaps in communication regarding nap time, feeding time and general issues daily. Opening teachers did not communicate with their closers and they never had info for pickup about how their day was and could not answer basic questions such as "what time did they eat, how many bottles, how long did they nap, etc" They could never give us a proper timeline of their day despite multiple complaints. Our little one did have some basic struggles for sure because of this, it's an adjustment to their tiny brains, but it was nothing outside the boundaries of normal and healthy development. On the surface, their teachers seemed to have adored him and the feeling was mutual. Recently, I walked in for drop off, and while still holding my child I was pulled aside and +informed in front of all the other parents that our care would be terminated due to our child's "incessant crying" I was told that "they cry all the time", and it is "detrimental to the staff and other children." I was then told by the director that staff members resigned because of our child! The school never mentioned this to us once beforehand besides the occasional "They had a rough day" or "They only slept 40 mins do you have any tips?" etc. There was no discussion to correct the problem via the official process laid out in their 15-year-old poorly xeroxed handbook. It immediately smelled fishy. Former staff members confirmed with us that they did not resign because of our child but because of the director and how she treats her staff, causing them anxiety. How quaint. It was clear that Cross road has serious problems. Therefore, the director's solution to her own insolvency, staffing and ratio issues beyond defaming former employees was to throw a perfectly normal child under the bus because she was too weak of an individual to take responsibility for herself and work through her problem. She took the easiest way out and blamed it on non-existent parenting issues she made up in her thick head instead of looking in the mirror and being an adult. When asked to confirm her reasoning for expulsion in writing multiple times, she refused beyond the "At-will terminate anywhere anytime" coward's way out. She is obviously aware of a hole she can't dig out of knowing we are furthering this issue beyond her control and influence. The state licensing unit was very interested in what we had to tell them. We kept every receipt, like when our child was forced to pose for a photo with a disparaging sign taped to their chest that bullied them because of their difficulty napping. They did this to an infant and thought it was funny. It makes me sick that caretakers would do that to a child instead of addressing the problem like a professional. We played along so they would send the photo to us to have on the record. Licensing took that photo very seriously. Teachers are actively contributing to the problem by not speaking up for themselves and allowing such a vile person to use children as leverage for her own massive shortcomings. It's inherently inappropriate, unprofessional, and unbecoming of childcare workers. I understand childcare is difficult to find in our area, but please don't take yours here unless you want them used and taken advantage of in a building where the director has lost control and drunk with power. It is a recipe for disaster.

We interviewed and toured a lot of daycare centers before bringing our newborn to DCEC. This school…read moreis by far the BEST! I second every kind thing throughout these reviews. From being able to watch your child while you're at work to the hand written notes that they leave about your child's day, to the incident reports to see how something was handled; they're INCREDIBLE. I email the staff at least once a week with a question or a food substitute for our son and receive an immediate response. Everyone who works there treats you with kindness and respect and you really feel like your child is part of a little family and our son truly loves his teachers! I would recommend this daycare without hesitation to ANYONE!

The negative post made earlier this week is truly upsetting, as someone who has two children that…read moreare and have gone through this center - and have loved every second of it. From eight weeks old, to five years old, my daughter thrived at Discovery. The same teachers that she had, my son now has. The daycare is as clean as any daycare is going to be. I can tell you, it is more sanitary than my house, with two kids, at the end of a (week) end day with them. SO, how they keep it as clean as they do, with more than two kids in each room - is truly something. As for potty training - I actually give them credit for potty training my kids. My husband always say, "we got lucky!" but really, the teachers did it for us. Positive reinforcement, continual reminders, sticker charts - they did it all to make sure their potty days were successful ones. The staff is hands down the best, and so many have been there for so long. Most who are Moms, also have their kids there in other rooms. That speaks volumes to me. IN addition to that - there are several who have left for college, and come back for summers, or who leave hoping to make more money (because everyone knows how underpaid child education is) and then come back! Everyday, we get a print out and a hand written note about what our kids did that day, if they were happy/sad/sensitive, what they played with, etc. They spend so much time outside, that at tub time every night, we could make our own sandbox :-) In the bigger room, just before Kindergarten, they spend less time outside, but that is because they are preparing them for what lies ahead in Kindergarten! At my daughter's first parent/teacher meeting in Kindergarten - we were told that she is excelling, and far above where she is expected to be at this point, one month into the school year!! Could not be more proud, and owe that thanks to Discovery. Any concern, though there be few, are always thoughtfully addressed by the owner and the staff. The comments that the ratio of children to teachers is high depends on what your opinion is, really. The state has regulations - and they have as many kids as possible to teachers, in order to run a profitable business. Otherwise, why run the business? Discovery - you keep doing you. I'd send my kids there again in a heartbeat, and hope that the "one person who is saved" by the negative post from earlier (jeesh) reads *this* post - and realizes that from a MOTHER, (not a disgruntled employee) you'd be doing your kids, and yourself a favor - to send them to such a great school.

we have been so happy with Honey Tree for our son. He has made so much growth since he began…read moreattending there this past September. I always feel he is safe, loved, and cared for! They are also very accommodating with schedules, especially for teachers.

Permanently closing. Awful management. Dover location ended up with a sixteen page long list of…read moresafety violations. Owner rarely present as she lived out of state. Staff would complain that their checks bounce on payday so they'd race to the bank with hopes of "beating the others". What a joke. Your kids deserve better. Stay away from the other location too.

We have had only great things to say about KinderCare since our daughter started here. We were at a…read moredifferent care center previously and our daughter used to cry at every single drop off. From the first day here she would say hi to everyone and barely care that we were leaving. She just waves and runs in to her room! The communication here is amazing. They use an app to send you updates through the day including pictures and what the kids did that day. They provide healthy snacks. There's always a few fun activities every month for the kids. The teachers are great. The outdoor space is amazing. They are one of the few care facilities that could give a SOLID start date- not just a "when there's a spot open." If I had to come up with any things to improve on- the inside of the building could use sprucing up- some areas are pretty worn- but still clean and taken care of. I'd also love for them to provide the option of school lunches. Take a tour, see how much the kids are enjoying it there.

This is a very clean and well organized childcare center. It was both my daughters first time…read moreenrolled fulltime in a childcare setting. The teachers were loving and considerate to my children's personal needs and communicated with me every step of the way. The app is awesome and keeps me updated throughout the day! Thank you KinderCare staff. Jen and Courtney are great leaders.

I really researched the preschool options in Portsmouth NH, and was alarmed at most of the price…read moretags. Through word-of-mouth we decided to visit Agape Preschool. That visit turned in to enrollment of our then 3 yr olds' first year of schooling. I haven't regretted this decision for a minute. I can honestly say there was not one morning that our daughter did not want to go school. Even when she was sick she would beg to go. The teachers are seasoned and experienced and mothers themselves (which makes a HUGE difference). They truly care about all the children. Every morning she was greeted with a hug and a "I'm so glad you're here today!" Positives: Small class size, field trips, caring experienced teachers, can't beat the price tag, extra morning hours and afternoon hours of care available, the special events they have i.e. Mother's Day concert and Xmas show are heart-warming. Only negative is she graduated a couple weeks ago and we miss it so much :-( We now consider our daughter fully prepared for kindergarten not only academically, but socially. She really came out of her shell and loved every minute of it. Thank you Agape.... I recommend to everyone looking for Portsmouth Preschool!!!