My son has been at POA for a year and a half and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the school. The teachers are engaging and truly care about the kids, the facility has everything you can ask for, and the Directors are hands-on and make sure that the kids and teachers enjoy being there which in turn, makes the parents happy! My son was in the infant room for a year and I loved his teachers, they respected my "first time mom" concerns. He is now in the toddler room and it's amazing how much he has learned and how much he loves his friends and teachers. It's obvious how well cared for he is when he runs out of the apartment when I say it's time to go to "school." I feel very blessed that we are a POA family! read more

In response to the woman who complained about the POA classes on the bus: first, they came from a different Preschool of America location than the one you're reviewing here. Second, I was a parent on the trip that you're complaining about. Yes, we had the stunning audacity to take a city bus across town to Central Park. Just like hundreds of parents have the gall to take their children to school on public transport every morning. The children were not acting like animals, banging on windows - in fact, I see far worse behavior on buses from older children on a daily basis. Every single child had a parent with them on that bus, there was no danger to anyone. I'm sorry if your travel this morning was disrupted by our presence; these are the chances one takes when one rides **public** transportation. read more

I WOULD GIVE THIS PLACE NO STARS OR NEGATIVE IF I COULD. I completely agree with the last reviewer dated 1/2/2011. This preschool is awful. My daughter was never allowed outdoors even in the best of conditions. When I bought this to the director's attention she was surprised. Isn't it the job of the directo to know what is going on in all the classrooms? My daughter was stuck in a classroom with no windows and was crying all the time. I have never been happier with the decision to take her out of this school! Don't bring your chlld here!!! You will regret it. read more

Took the tour of the facilities and I was not impressed with the amenities and just completely grossed out by the quality of the furniture the kids use. Kid-sized sofas had tears all over them. Looked like something you would see on the sidewalk when someone throws out their old disgusting couch. Their idea of a play room is a empty room with a plastic slide in the middle. Really?? Maybe my expectations were too high because I had sent my kid to Bright Horizons on Park Avenue before this, but after that tour, there's no way in hell I'd send my kid there. read more

I totally agree with the review before me. This place is wonderful. The teachers are loving and caring, the place is clean, and the kids are learning a tremendous amount. I have my 3 1/2 year old there and he gets to take classes in Mandarin, Kung Fu, Art, Dance, Yoga, Spanish, Soccer, and more. I toured a bunch of preschools in the area and I thought this one was perfect. This isn't a day care. It is a school. Jennifer, who runs the place, is so sweet and helpful. She always makes time to talk and listen to any concerns. It is expensive, but so is EVERY SINGLE preschool in the area. Worth every penny, knowing your kid loves school and is learning things you can't teach them at home. read more

My daughter has been attending this school for about a year now. She loves it! I love and you will love it too. The Director Jennifer is very friendly and the teachers are great. They truly care for you child and teach them. My daughter would come home having learned something everyday. The school is clean and very large they have a lot of rooms for the kids activities. They also feed the kids with healthy meals everyday which is great so I don't have to worry about packing meals. The hours are also great even when I'm late they have some there to watch over my daughter. read more

I had never left my 3 year old daughter with strangers before, not even for a minute. We moved here from Ireland and had a lot to deal with. The support I received from Jessica and the flexibility given was amazing. My daughter skipped in the door on day one and 10 months later she still does. Every teacher i meet is friendly, attentive and professional. My daughters teachers kiss and hug her like she was their child, she adores them. She comes home with her hair braided, speaking Mandarin and doing Ballet and Yoga. She naps there, eats healthy food there and as a whole the school is just amazing. read more

I'm sad to see this grumpy note from Juju... It certainly doesn't seem like you love kids from your tone. The children had a wonderful time on the bus- yes some squeals of delight here and there.. For some of them, it was their first time riding a bus. As a parent, it's unfortunate that you chose to let a cute little field trip ruin your commute. You need to understand that you live in NYC- when you take public transportation, you will see people (and children) and you may get bumped/shoved out of the way...Or you may even hear some noise. I suggest you pay for a taxi or get some headphones... And try to be happy. Preschool of America is a wonderful place where their children thrive & your review was ridiculous. read more

This review is strictly for the management overseeing Preschool of America. I have no problem with the care my child received at this school location. As far as I'm concerned, communication is key when it comes to running a business and keeping customers happy. I had a very unpleasant experience with upper management, with many unanswered emails and a real lack of consideration for my financial concerns, or my longterm future with the preschool. If you're looking to spend $2k/month on childcare with a company that's flexible/willing to work with families when extenuating circumstances arrive ... or even just have your emails returned in a reasonable amount of time ... look elsewhere. read more

Obviously a lot goes into the decision of childcare - including things totally independent of the specific daycare provider. Our experience so far, bringing our 9 month old since she was 3 months old, in an infant room at pOA -West End has been WONDERFUL. First, the directors are hard working, loving, and competent. We asked for our daughter to practice a couple of things and they were on it! Second, the teachers in her room are genuinely amazing. I truly love them and love how they treat all the babies. They are a great blend of being professionals and also showing the babies affection and love! I hear them talking about the babies: their development, plans for the day, special requests from the parents. They clearly get along and are a great team-POA does a good job selecting their staff. They play kid appropriate music, are constantly engaging with the babies and are sweet: you can't fake this level of enthusiasm! They take pictures of the babies, provide valuable advice etc. Finally, the floating teachers all know my daughter's name and clearly have spent time caring for her. I recommend POA-West End if you're choosing a daycare for your infant. read more

As a parent who is familiar w this school I would like to point out a few things concerning a review by Christina C that I mostly AGREE with. 1/cleanliness.......true I have observed teachers slacking in this area....its not that they are not cleaning and wiping hands,noses,behinds,faces many,many,many,many,many times as day its that some teachers are more vigilent than others. Preschool/Daycares are breeding grounds for everything icky so as much as they do it needs to be better. Basic handwashing should be strongly reinforced. No exceptions! 2/The books.....The books that are out ARE generally torn and ripped. However, ALL of the classrooms have many books that are kept on the classroom shelf and brought out DAILY at storytime or circletime etc.Do you think the teachers rip the books on the weekend and put them back on the library shelf on Monday? Kids tear,throw,eat and play w books.... its a preschool. Teachers put most of the books away so they are not ripped and torn and again bring them out daily to use. Yes, the sofa is an abomination. 3/ The teachers Yes, understaffed and overworked. Ive seen head AND assistant teachers clean. In the classrooms kids have,breakfast,lunch and snacks, they use paint,glue,and piss the cots at naptime. Parents throw birthday parties,do the parents sweep the floor,wipe the crumbs from the table,grab paper towels for every spill,make sure all of the kids hands and mouths are wiped from all the chocolate cake YOU brought to school for the "real teachers whose priority should be on teaching" to serve? I feel the assistants do step up but sometimes stepping up means putting your ego aside and wiping off the table so the class can move onto the next activity. This is a PRESCHOOL!, I have kids and I DO NOT think less of an assistant because she is setting up the lunch for my child? Don't you expect your kid to eat during the day?Who is this magical unicorn of a person who appears and helps your child tie their shoe,hugs them when they cry or encourages them when they are trying to figure out a puzzle if its not the TEACHERS who are in the room 40 hours a week? Do you clean your home,do you wash your dishes,bathe your children and tuck them in at night? Are you any less of a parent because you do these things for your child as well as provide a roof over their head? Working in a classroom is a team effort if you are to good to get your hands dirty then you are in the wrong line of work.....or at least working with the wrong age group. People cant have it both ways where you only consider a teacher a "real teacher"when she is carrying out the days lesson plan but not when she is wiping the table after a messy art project? The same parents who think this way are the same people who go to the office and complain about ripped books on the shelf........never thinking its your kid who is ripping the books in the first place! Of course not,because little Johnny doesn't rip book he sits quietly in the library corner cultivating his love for books................rrrrrrrriiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhhttttttttt. Also,sometimes kids need to be taught to wait. Thats life. What you can do at home when you have one or two kids is not what you can do in a classroom when you have 12-20 kids. If you want one on one individual attention with a shorter wait time then hire a private nanny or a private certified teacher with early childhood education do not put your kid in a classroom with 100 other kids. 4....classes.... Yes ,these are kind of a joke...lol I agree, but for different reasons honestly I think it has more to do with the attention span of the kids. You are dealing with kids mostly under 5.This is a preschool so its mostly to serve as an introduction to various subjects. As high as tuition is there is no reason to have only 1 teacher responsible for so many kids at one time. Invest in good teachers,better pay and ratios, reduce the hot mess ,high turnover rate at this preschool. read more

All this school cares about is : YOUR $$$ !! 1) Program and age issues First of all, management does not respect the age program you can find on their website and other official documentation. The reason : $$$ of course. Everytime there is spot open they sell it to the first kid in the waiting list regardless of the existing roster and movements to come in the coming weeks. The impact for your kid: he/she can be stuck in his/her class longer than originally scheduled. Your 14 months toddler can spend his/her day in an infant room (with a 4 months baby); no problem at POA. In addition, they have this great after school program called "Night Owls" where, after hours, all the kids are gathered in classroom with one or 2 teachers (again regardless the ages of the kids). It's simply insane for the price parents pay (close to $2,000 per month). I am not sure is even safe and compliant with regulation. 2) Ethic issues a) Gym No ethic neither. During the winter 2009, they closed the gym in order for the DOH to make sure that this gym can become a classroom later on - they would like to extend the school and guess who is fueling this growth : YOU !!!-. During several weeks, kids could not go out (was freezing outside) and could not go the gym neither to run. They got stuck in their classrooms (many of them have no natural light). b) Teachers Then the teachers protested that they were underpaid, tried to form an union and most of them got fired. The atmosphere at school is horrible !! 3) Nobody to complain about the situation The 'Director' is a puppet; has no authority; Joanna, Jill and Mego at the headquarters rule everything with an iron hand. Bottom line: Find another pre-school; it might be a little bit more expensive but it's money well spent. According to their website, this school was founded in 2004 and has more than 14 schools in 2010!! You are fueling this growth at the expense of your kids. read more

We sent our daughter to POA when she was almost 2 for about 6 months before taking her out to start immersion school in Sept. We were at first hesitant about POA as it seemed a little older and on the dirtier side. Our kid also was assigned to a windowless room. We couldn't be more wrong. Our kid ended up loving her teachers, making friends and getting socialized. We are sad to have left POA. It is well run by Lena, Deborah and Kathy, the directors, and the teachers couldn't be any better or more caring. The staff all know the individual kids. Tuition includes lunch and an afternoon snack which was super helpful. Highly recommend POA 101 West End! read more

Re the grumpy person complaining about POA children taking the M72 bus: I'm sorry that small children exist and made your PUBLIC bus ride less enjoyable. Does it also bother you when the bus stops to accommodate the handicapped or elderly? To your assertion that city buses arent tour buses or school buses: in fact, on the contrary, they most certainly are, by virtue of their being PUBLIC. If you can't handle the diverse city citizens who are more than welcome to board them, find yourself a chauffeur and a limo (or even an Uber or taxi or pair of headphones). There was nothing irresponsible about this trip on POA's part. On the contrary every single child was accompanied by a parent or teacher to ensure their safety. I too was a parent accompanying my 2 year old on the bus this morning and can vouch for that. As for the delays our group supposedly caused on the bus, the time you took to draft a Yelp review criticizing a loving school you know nothing about proves you have plenty of time on your hands. read more

My son absolutely loves going to school here! They have wonderful age appropriate activities planned everyday so that he is constantly engaged and interested in learning while developing friendships. The communication between the school and parents is outstanding. I am constantly informed on what my son is doing at school, what special events are coming up, and always feel invited to come into the classroom. He looks forward to going to school everyday and we couldn't be happier with the school. read more

I'm not sure where all the hate is coming from. I can only assume things have changed since the last review was posted. Our ten.month old has absolutely loved being at PSOA. The teachers he has, Ms. Marisol and Ms. Estervina are patient, kind, loving and amazing. I like the structured day they provide the kids. Story-time, music class, art and crafts, the activity gym and of course trips to the park pretty much everyday. (Perhaps they weren't taking kids outside in January because...it's January? Just a thought...) Leo comes home happy and I can't ask for more then that. Hope this offers some solace to parents in the neighborhood looking for something slightly more affordable with not too crazy of a waitlist. GL! read more

As others have said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with POA and parents taking children on public transportation for a field trip. The grumpy, entitled poster is in fact the irresponsible one for suggesting the trip was dangerous - a totally ridiculous statement. I was also on this trip with my 2.5 year old and can assure you it was extremely well organized and safe for everyone involved. We have been part of this school for 5 years (starting with my older child) and feel so lucky to have found it - the director and teachers are absolutely fantastic, the kids are happy, well cared for and learn so much - in part because of the effort they make to organize educational trips like this! read more

We started our son at POA West End when he was only 3 months old. Going back to work after maternity is undoubtedly hard, but it was made much easier knowing that my baby was being well cared for by the teachers and administrators at POA. They not only put up with my "calling to check in" or "this may be a silly question but" moments, they encouraged it!!! I have always felt like I am a part of my child's education at POA, and that they truly care about him and his development. My son is smiling when I drop him off, and smiling when I pick him up. We have been at POA West End for about 7 months now and truly couldn't be happier or have nicer things to say about it. We will be trusting them with our son for years to come! read more

I would give this place no star if I could as well. My two years old daughter was enrolled in the program at the Ansonia Building location. I decided to pull her out after two days (less than two hours each day) there based on the following reasons: 1. She was one of the two girls in a class of 11. There are two bang-bang boys in the class who require most of the teachers attention. 2. My daughter is the only child in the class that has been potty trained. I made it very clear to the director as well as the head teacher of the class about her routine and the signs that she would use when she needs to go. She got a poppy pants on the second day cause the teacher was busy with other kids when she tried to get her attention (admitted by the teacher I inquired about it). 3. The teacher asked the kids in the class to bend over and have their little hands on the floor so she could wipe their little behinds while sitting on the stool herself (I saw it with my own eyes). There's no hands washing for the kids afterwards. When I brought it up to the administrator of the school, the response I got is "The two years old are too big and heavy for the changing table, and plus how else would you do it?" I took my baby girl home after the second day and saw her bending over and put her hands on the floor that afternoon, I knew she was not going back to that school ever. I can't help to wonder if other parents have ever seen how they change their kids poopy diapers at the school. Not to say when they served the French toast for breakfast one day, all the kids used their hands to eat the toast without having their hands washed them first (the whole class was sick and you wonder why). I did feel like this place is just trying to fill up all the spot and put its profit first instead of your precious one. read more

Re the grumpy person complaining about POA children taking the M72 bus: You clearly have too much time on your hands to write such a review without even knowing what you are saying. Public Buses are called PUBLIC for a reason, and that's for anyone's use at their leisure. I find it very funny that you start your sentence saying "you love kids" because someone that loves kids wouldn't be so disturbed by it. The kids were very well behaved, and none of them were banging on the windows or screaming too loud. Everyone should be free to use any public transportation they wish. I am sorry little things as that bother you so much during the day, that you have the time to write such a review. You clearly have too much time on your hands. Next time i suggest you use other forms of transportation if you have so many complains about the commute. These kids are residents of NY (not tourists) rest assure that their parents are paying taxes so you can have this great public transportation so Please get a life, and be a little nicer to your fellow residents. P.S- and probably time is not your problem, if you had the time to write this review on such a caring and loving school. read more

After 4 years, we are very sad to be aging out of Preschool of America. It has been a supportive, educational and safe place for our daughter to have spent her toddlerhood, and we could not have been more pleased. The staff that we have gotten to know there have been wonderful from top to bottom. We have known Kathy and Deborah in the office the longest, and couldn't say enough good things about either of them. Our daughter has some need for therapists to come to the school to work with her and they have from day one not only been supportive of this but also involved in a way we never would have expected them to, all for the betterment of our daughter. This, to us, is invaluable and shows the commitment that they have to the children there, even the ones that have extra needs. Lena, too, is kind and wonderful and does an excellent job directing this sizable school. There are always activities going on, the facilities are exceedingly clean and decorated, the teachers seem happy and there is a nice energy going on there. The teachers that our daughter have had have been excellent as well - in fact, in 4 years we have not had one teacher that we didn't respect or like. Our daughter's therapists always have positive feedback about the teachers, the materials, supplies, curriculum and involvement with the directors. In fact one of our daughter's therapists was elated to tell me that Deborah sometimes goes around observing classrooms and at times will give feedback and pointers to the teachers. It's efforts like this that have kept us there for so long and that have had us feeling happy and secure about where our daughter spends much of her day. I would highly recommend PoA at this location to anyone :). read more