My grandson attended Pre-K for 2 years since he has a late year birthday and he is more than ready…read morefor Kindergarten. My grand-daughter was required to change programs since she was accepted in UPK. SonShine was much better for her than the current program. In addition to the teaching they are a loving and concerned group.

Please ignore the 1 star review. It's ridiculous (those aren't even the names of the staff!) its an…read moreincredible daycare! We just started and moved from another daycare and you can tell this one is better! There's more curriculum, healthier food, the teachers are so kind and patient and VERY capable, and my daughter is so happy and CLEAN at the end of the day. Naptime is set in stone with dim lighting and soft music and they work with her crib issues to get her asleep. This is a friendly, all involved daycare that I can feel good about her being in. If you can get in here, please don't hesitate, it's top notch. And being in the federal building, it's secure. I also love that they include what she is developing when she does an activity (motor skills, etc). And you get a detailed report at the end of the day!

LOVE this place! I have been working here coming up on a year now and it is by far the best place…read moreof employment I have ever had. The kids are amazing and coworkers are great to work with! Recommend for both childcare and a place to work!!!

From the owner: Ithaca Community Childcare Center (IC3) is a non-profit, NYS-licensed, and NAEYC-accredited…read more(National Association for the Education of Young Children) center that has been serving the community since 1976. We offer care for children between 8 weeks and 10 years old, and are committed to providing families with the highest standard of child-inspired, professionally-nurtured care and educational opportunities. Our innovative continuity of care program is nationally recognized. By providing a safe environment where children can explore and experience hands on learning, we offer a truly child-centered approach. We are proud of our committed staff and low teacher turnover. The average number of years a teacher has been working at IC3 is 12 years! Our experienced, professional, nurturing teachers will help your child grow a lifelong love of learning. Come see why IC3 is such a great place to play, learn, work, and grow!

Both of my boys have attended preschool here. The teachers are great, and the boys were always…read morehappy. This is definitely not a childcare though. Most students have stay at home Moms or a nanny.

Our daughter has been enrolled here since she was 6 weeks old and it was the best decision we have…read moreever made. We love the staff here as they have so much compassion and love for the kids in the center. In the infant room the teachers are very flexible and make sure the infant's day is as close to a day at home as possible. They allow you to bring in food and snacks from home once the infant is old enough for solid foods and have no problem adjusting to any meal substitutions. Our child loves coming to the center and lights up every time she sees her teachers. They incorporate age specific activities in their curriculum to further the child's growth. Education is a big part of the curriculum in all classrooms which is very important to us. The Gingerbread House was voted best daycare center in Syracuse for a reason and I would highly recommend enrolling your child(ren) here.

my son attended smart start from 4 to 16 months and we are only stopping because we are moving to…read moreanother state. They are super accommidating and allowed us to use cloth diapers and glass bottles. When we started my baby had a hard time napping and they did whatever they could to get him to nap, even having someone hold him for an hour long contact nap. My son LOVES Miss Kristen in the continuity room. It was so reassuring leaving him with people he cared for and I feel, truly cared for him.

I am so glad a preschool like Smart Start exists. It can be hard to find high-quality and…read moreaffordable childcare; it can be especially hard to find such care for infants. The staff in the infant room have all been warm, bright, creative, patient, and so awesome at responding to the ever-changing needs of our little girl. She had not been in daycare before--we had a sitter who came to our home--and they worked with us to help make the transition as easy on her as possible. And, as she has grown and developed, they have provided new activities to keep her engaged. (Shout out to Ms. Alyssa, Ms. Katie, Ms. Hillary!) Walking in, you frequently hear the joyful squeals and chatter of children in the older classrooms. The setting is great, too: big outdoor play areas, lots of grass and trees, and the kids get plenty of fresh air and exercise. I just can't say enough good things about our daughter's experience there. Ultimately, I knew we made the right choice enrolling her at Smart Start because, when I would come to pick her up, I'd peek in the window, or stand around the corner where she could not see me--and my girl always looked happy.

Amazing place. All of my kids loved it. Great staff. It always felt like a school than a daycare in…read morea good way. My kids learned a lot there. Caring and loving teachers. Chris and her assistant are pretty cool as well.

Today was my daughter's pre-k graduation and she will be heading off to Kindergarten in the fall;…read moreshe has attended Kindercare since she was 18 months old. Every day, my husband (SU prof) and I (hs teacher) knew that we were bringing her to work with teachers, administrators, and support staff who knew our daughter well and cared for her, taught her, and loved her like she was their own. It is so hard to leave your child in the care of others, but those extra-special people at Kindercare make it feel like leaving your little one with family. We were incredibly happy with the curriculum, but more happy that each day is play-centered. The other students and families are kind and great community. Every teacher knows each student in the school - truly, it is a special place that we will both miss and recommend.

My daughter went to Cullman from 10 weeks to just over 1 year old and she and I both loved it. I…read moreloved that they were open early in the morning and later in the evening, it worked perfectly with my work schedule. The ladies in her room were amazing, they all took the time time to get to know me and my daughter-they always asked how my day was and genuinely seemed to care. My daughter was always happy to go to "school" in the morning, and didn't want to leave at the end of the day. It was so nice to know that I would be leaving my child in the hands of people who really cared about the kids, who were dedicated to making sure they thrived, and who really enjoyed their jobs. The only reason we left Cullman was because we moved, otherwise we would absolutely still be there!

My daughter loved it here, and learned a lot in a social aspect to prepare her for entry into pre-k…read morein the neighboring school system. The staff seemed very accommodating to specific parental requests and most are informative of the daily occurrences. Unfortunately, there were a few happenings throughout the year my daughter attended that brings my rating down. Firstly, management failed to address a staff member that I informed them of being unprofessional. With that, the staff member would flirt and speak inappropriately to my husband, whom she had exchanged phone numbers with - all being behavior that I would say breaches a professionalism manner in all ways. This was brought up several times to management and the staff member remained employed there, even while other parents have had the same issue. Employee meetings were held to review what is and isn't appropriate and the behavior never ended. Secondly, there was an incident where my daughter hit her head. I received a phone call of what happened but the staff was so distraught and were not giving me clear details. They were unaware of the dilation/reaction of her pupils and I was given two different explanations of what actually happened. Once the report was written, there seemed to have been a third explanation on paper on what and how it happened. While my daughter was ok, I had made a precautionary ER visit within minutes of the occurrence as I was unsure of the details of what actually happened - this all made me very uneasy.