Reason for choosing: We have a five year old daughter and one year old boy at OFLC. My daughter has been here since she was 3 months old. We live between Allston and Brookline, and work in the Longwood medical area. So when my wife was pregnant, we looked at various places in all those areas. We chose OFLC because the staff seemed more caring and less business-like, and the facility was cleaner than most, and other kids and parents from many different backgrounds, including Russian (although we are not), appeared genuinely happy.
Management: Now that we've been here for almost five years, we didn't realize when we started how important this is. You mostly talk to teachers, so you don't appreciate how the management/owners can set the tone and standards for the entire school. The previous owners were nice, but their own kids finished attending the same daycare, and I felt that their heart was no longer in it, and they weren't as involved. But OFLC has had a new owner since last year, and the improvements have been remarkable. I have seen the owner buying furniture for kids, greatly expanding play area, washing blankets in the baby room himself, making changes to staff and teachers so that the focus remains on the kids not people who work there, etc. He has a track record of running really successful daycare centers elsewhere, and he is in the process of bringing many of those ideas to OFLC. The excitement among teachers and parents and kids is palpable (we are about to open the biggest indoor playground/reading area/arts&crafts area in Boston within the daycare).
Teachers: Many teachers here actually come from Russia or nearby countries, and many of them have advanced degrees in child psychology, education, music etc. before coming to the US and working at a daycare. Many are also older and have much life experiences, which is apparent in how they deal with kids, parents, and one another. They all speak English fluently, and our daughter reads/writes/speaks English very well. There have been a couple of sad departures of teachers we loved dearly, but fortunately they have been replaced by other teachers who are as equally loving and effective. The teaching style varies. The school overall has a well structured programs that is communicated to parents by email, but there are teachers who also emphasize free style thinking, creativity, and critical thinking (again, a benefit of having some teachers with much educational and/or psychology background). The result has been that our kids adore their teachers, we have grown close to all of them, and our daughter is meeting or exceeding her educational and personal developmental milestones.
Facility: It's on a third floor of an office building. The school has a high ceiling, multiple spacious rooms for classes, library, and an enclosed outdoor playground where kids can run around, ride bikes, play in sand and playhouses. The new owner has been upgrading all of the baby cribs, tables, decor etc. The new indoor playground/reading room/arts&crafts room is a converted dance studio, and it is huge (the largest in Boston). We can't wait for it too be open soon. And I really hope they open it up on weekends. They have installed some HDTV screens with pictures of kids throughout the day so that parents can see them when they come into pick them up.
Cost: Raising kids in Boston is expensive. So this is a consideration. OFLC is ~$200-300 less expensive than other daycare centers we visited in the longwood and Brookline area. So given all the positives, especially with the new improvements, this daycare is definitely worth a look.
Summary: We love this daycare before all the improvements. We now love it more. Everyone should at least check this daycare out, especially if they live in Allston/Brighton/Brookline. A bit of growing pain is definitely worth for what's to come, and it's really nice at the end of the day driving home and hearing my daughter saying how much she loves her teachers and how she wants to invite all of them home. read more