This place is excellent for toddlers and older kids. I like the fact that is a Spanish language…read more(Bilingual) Montessori school. Something hard to find if you come from an Hispanic background and you want your child (children) to explore their ancestry language outside of home. Also great for those who want their children to start learning another language too. So, you get a bargain here they teach them the Montessori way a second language at the same time. The teachers are very caring and friendly. They show a lot of respect and kindness to the children and their parents.

Our daughter, age 4, has been a student at Montessori Escuela for almost two years. We have been…read moreconsistently astounded by every aspect of the school - the gentle kindness, the astonishing academics, and the true love for learning they instill in the children. The teachers are incredible. They each embody the type of kindness we need more of in this world. They model patience, respect, grace, gratitude, and kindness at all times. They teach these qualities with elegant purpose, integrated into a curriculum that beautifully weaves in discussions of diversity, respect for differences, and peaceful resolution of conflict. On top of their wonderful work to promote strong character development and peace, Montessori Escuela runs a top-notch educational program. The students positively thrive. They excel academically (we are constantly in absolute wonder at the students' work), while most importantly developing a true love for learning. Our family only speaks English at home, but to our delight, our daughter is seamlessly learning Spanish. When you enter Montessori Escuela, you step into a beautiful educational preserve. The children are happily involved in their various "works," often helping one another. The sunlight shines through the windows. There is a reverence for concentration and true accomplishment. The children are smiling, truly genuinely happy, absolutely thriving in their special discoveries. Our daughter comes home happy, singing tunes from "Circle Time," and enthusiastically telling us stories from her day: what object was in the "Mystery Bag," what foods they prepared in the kitchen, what project she is working on (and can't wait to get back to!). The range of projects from all subject areas is mind-blowing. We love the influence of the Montessori method that we see trickle into our home: she understands the value of organization, responsibility for her own actions, and quiet focus. She is truly excited to initiate things like sounding out words or seeing how high she can count, with a twinkle in her eye. This happens at home without prompting - seemingly from an internal curiosity, although I know it has been significantly cultivated by the loving educational environment of Montessori Escuela. I cannot say enough good things. I feel incredibly grateful to this preschool. This program is a hidden jewel!

My son is starting his second year at Little Wagon. He is very happy there. We do not have any…read morebackground in Mandarin, but my son has learned so much in one year. He has learned greetings, counting to 15, the colors, and then also built upon other preschool skills - cutting, writing his name, English alphabet, etc. The teachers are very kind, hard working, and cater to my son's learning needs. Even though my son didn't attend over the summer, his teacher still consistently emailed us Mandarin activities/songs/shows to help my son practice. Some other benefits: very clean and colorful, long hours, catered lunch (for a fee), Amazing Athletes class, and outdoor/indoor play areas.

Nice to have an option for chinese school near the waltham area. My son enjoys the classes very…read moremuch and he is maintaining his fluency in Mandarin which is great. Teachers are very involved and tailor their approach to each student. Very nice hours makes it convenient for working parents.

The Sage School is a great environment to help children develop and attain their potential. I am a…read moreparent of a current Sage student who has been at the school for 7 years. Sage has a rigorous academic curriculum, a school environment designed to develop students to be successful in different walks of life and a faculty that is thoughtful and adaptive. The focus of the school is to develop the curious mind and bring the best out of the natural gifts of every child. In 2020, Sage set an example for being responsive and adaptable. Through the summer months, the Head of School, faculty and staff worked hard to re orient the up coming 2020 -21 school year. They were able to re start, in person, the new academic year, maintaining the School's rigorous standards along with the necessary safety precautions. As a small independent school, Sage personifies a close and nurturing community that helps students and their families celebrate their children's academic talents while also providing them the challenge they need to meet their potential.

Sending my child to this school was by far the best decision I have made. He started in 3rd grade…read moreand my only regret is that I didn't bring him to Sage sooner. Its a place where your child will be known and celebrated for his abilities. I couldn't recommend this school highly enough. just fyi, I am NOT affiliated with the school. Was never told to write anything. My child graduated a year ago and I miss the school and all the teachers and the intellectual, supportive, warm vibe of the school. If you have a curious kiddo who loves to learn, don't think twice. This is a truly magical place that will be your child's second home until the end of 8th grade.

We absolutely adore RCCC and its staff. The center fosters a powerful sense of community among…read morestaff and families by facilitating opportunities for constant engagement. I recall visiting multiple daycares before enrolling our daughter. While the corporate daycares seemed fine, I couldn't escape the sense that most of the staff members we encountered saw their job as mostly just that: a job. The vibe from RCCC staff felt very different. The staff seemed engaged in their roles in a deeper way - they maintained a sense of high professionalism in parallel with an abiding affection for the children that transcended a paycheck. One shouldn't undersell their professionalism, though. The staff will happily discuss the philosophy behind their tactics for stimulating the children's development - a goal that they ceaselessly pursue. People say that no one will ever care for your child the way that you (as a parent do). Maybe so, but the RCCC team comes awfully close.

Both my kids attend RCCC and it is about as special a place as you can get; so much so that I…read morecontinue to schlep my kids there after moving from Cambridge to Brookline. There is a core group of teachers who have been here for 5, 10, 15 years, even, and there is a real effort to build community and do right by every child, every family, and every staff member. Professional development and pedagogy inspired by the Reggio Emilia tradition is a central value; teachers are encouraged and at times sponsored to attend workshops and conferences to stay current and engaged, and they take consensus very seriously even when it comes to teaching -- teachers take cues from the children's interests and shape curriculum accordingly. RCCC invests in its teachers and it absolutely shows. It's a pretty diverse group of families - lots of other languages flying around. The site has its own spacious playground (with two large play structures and a huge sandbox) so the kids have a safe space to place outdoors, including trikes, ball games, building forts, and gardening. A small "jumping room" for kids to get active even in inclement weather. They make frequent use of the Harvard campus, with whom they are affiliated, so you'll often see RCCC kids playing in the courtyards and grassy spaces around the college dorms. They're right by the Charles, so expect your kid to come back obsessed with Canadian geese for a while. And curriculum is enriched by regular visitors who play music, teach hip-hop, and bring new experiences to the kids (firemen, policemen, farm animals). For the older classrooms, swimming, soccer, and dance are also incorporated, pulling together a really rich and diverse experience. Boring stuff: it's competitively priced with the bigger corporate daycares, 12 month contracts, enrollment is in the Fall, so kids stay together the whole school year and generally move up together, something that contributes to the community feel and strong relationships. Teacher ratio goes well above Mass regs (e.g. 4 teachers to 7 infants) and teams work real well together. RCCC will take kids from 4 months up through pre-K. Hours are 8:15am to 5:30pm. Small parking lot for pick-up and drop-off...sometimes it does get crowded, but Harvard Sq. real estate is what it is. The one minor frustration is that it's linked to the Harvard system, so whenever Harvard has its holidays on top of the regular Mass. holidays, RCCC is also closed, so you're talking one week in March, two weeks in the summer, and one week in the winter where you're scrambling for alternate care if you have to work. Snacks are provided, but you pack your own (nut-free) lunch for the kids. Progress reports and parent-teacher meetings scheduled 2x a year. But it all comes back to the amazing teachers. I can't say good enough things about them -- they'll work with you and whatever parenting concerns and phases you're going through at home. The director is a steady presence and is accessible and responsive to parent concerns when they arise. Ultimately, this feels like a community, not a business, and I'm going to be real sad when it comes time to leave.

We love JNJ. We chose where we live to be close to this great center. Our daughter has attended…read morefrom 4 months to now 2 years. Every teacher has been great. They clearly care about the kids. I know she is getting great care because: 1) she loves to go to school. She loves her teachers and her friends, 2) she transitions classrooms well when she ages up- it's not just one great teacher it's all of them, 3) she learns new skills and words every day! She sings us songs, talks about her teachers and they help us with self-feeding and potty training. 4) diaper rash (minimal and occasional) is just as likely at school as at home- so they care for her basic needs about as well as we do, 5) she goes outside at least once every day and they have great play equipment, 6) she makes art and/or does music every day, 7) they have great structure to their day that is age appropriate, for example circle time for toddlers and up, 8) Ms Monica is a gift and a treasure. She took such great care of our tiny baby and it made it so much easier to go to work everyday knowing my baby was safe and loved, 9) there's an app and I get updates and photos throughout the day, 10) the center is well organized for everything from billing to their COVID response. I feel confident in their COVID prevention plan that they are doing everything reasonable to keep everyone healthy and the center open. JNJ was bought last year by Kids and Co. Overall the change has been minimal and good. We had no price increase last year. Under non-pandemic circumstances they serve amazing, healthy, global cuisine hot lunches and use meal times to teach life skills. We understand that during the pandemic these meals are on hold, but they were so nice. The price is comparable to other centers in the area and the hours are great. We could probably find a cheaper place, but I worry it would be a big step down in quality. To summarize, our family loves this center. Knowing that our daughter is happy, safe and learning makes it so much easier to go to work everyday. I will never get sick of the run-and-hug when we pick her up though!

Jack n Jill provides a fun, clean and safe environment for my child. At her previous day care it…read moreseemed as if she was unhappy, as she would scream and cry all the time. It was extremely difficult to leave her knowing she wasn't happy. At Jack n Jill, it's been almost a year and she has not cried once! She loves it and I really think they love her too! They also provide healthy hot lunches that she loves!

Best all around preschool in the metro west area…read more Amazing teachers who are committed to not only teaching but encouraging your kids. Awesome location, with a great outdoor playground, and kid-oriented spaces. I recommend it to all my friends.

Hertz is simply the best! All three of my children attend/attended and the community is so loving…read moreand wonderful to be a part of. The teachers care tremendously about the well being of their students and have made a meaningful impact on their lives.

My daughter's first daycare was far better than this center, and I have been extremely frustrated…read moreby this daycare since my daughter started attending this past fall. Communication with this daycare was awful. I often was not notified that there was an event until that day, and then one teacher would tell me that I had to be there at such and such a time that same day, giving me no time to plan or no idea what to expect. This center needs to do a better job of communicating with busy parents. Being spoken down to by an older teacher, who was the only teacher who actually notified me that there were in-classroom events that I was invited to attend, was simply unacceptable. On the one hand, I appreciated her notifying me of classroom rules and events, but on the other hand the way she spoke to me was rude and disrespectful. There were a handful of teachers that were absolutely outstanding - both to my child and me - but there were others that made me feel extremely unwelcome almost every time I dropped my child off or picked her up. Moreover, the curriculum was structured in a way more convenient for teachers than it was for kids. My daughter's former school stopped nap time for children 3 and up unless the child was tired, but nap time is mandatory at this school even for older kids. At Soldier Field Park, most of the time teachers were simply observing children rather than interacting with them, aside from story time or circle time. My child's former preschool scheduled ballet with a professional instructor several times a week, scheduled outings to museums and plays, taught kids as young as 2 and 3 to play together and help each other, and was much more accommodating for a child's individual needs at the same time that they encouraged children to learn and play together. Soldier Field Park could use to learn from other education models and curriculums. I know other parents that had a great experience at this same center, but the preschool my daughter attended before was half the price with far better service, better food, better quality education - it was better in every way. I would not recommend this childcare center to anyone.

We love this daycare. Our older daughter is in preschool 2 now and has been attending the center…read moresince toddler 3, and our youngest just joined the infant/toddler 1 room this year. The teachers are very loving and the play based curriculum taught our daughter to write without her having to go through anything feeling like a lesson. As a full time working parent it is often hard to drop your child off in the morning for a whole day. Most of the time both children are very happy the moment they enter the classroom and see their teachers, but sometimes leaving mommy is hard. Whenever the drop off was a bit harder, the teachers followed up with an email for me, telling me how the day went so far. The center has three playgrounds, and a tumbling room for rainy weather. So there is always enough room for gross motor skills. There also are new age appropriate sensory bins greeting the children every morning, to develop fine motor skills. On top of this, it is an all inclusive package, because they provide lunch, snacks and diapers if needed.