I spent two days at Preston Hollow Child Development Center and decided that it was not the right…read moreenvironment for me. During my time there, I personally witnessed teachers yelling at children and getting very close to their faces when correcting them. I also witnessed a two-year-old being placed in a corner after biting instead of seeing the behavior addressed through calm communication, guidance, and helping the child understand their emotions. As an early childhood educator, I believe young children need patience, respect, positive guidance, and developmentally appropriate discipline. Children this young are still learning how to communicate their needs and manage their emotions, and I believe challenging behaviors should be handled with understanding and teaching rather than fear or intimidation. My experience during those two days did not reflect the type of classroom environment I believe children deserve or the type of teaching environment I want to be part of. I ultimately decided not to doing my trainings there plus one teacher told me that I talked too much and I shouldn't be asking questions through my training, which I felt that was disrespectful. I asked questions for a reason to know the environment to know how these children work and how the teachers work. I don't have any pictures to prove and it's funny because they have cameras there. I wouldn't take my child here!!! parents don't know the reality of how teachers treat children. I've been working with early childhood for 10 years now, and this was a disgrace teacher, screaming at the children and putting them on in the corner.

We have been at Preston Hollow CDC for over a year now, since my son was 4 months old and have had…read morea great experience! They offer rolling admission which is helpful and allowed us to start in March, rather than waiting for the next school year. He has had attentive and sweet teachers and has gotten the right care for his age. Only downside is the hours are 8-5, which are hard for working parents, but means he has the same teachers all day.

Amazing little preschool! It is small so all the teachers know every single student!…read more Kids enjoy music class as well as Spanish class. Perfect school for mothers looking to send their little ones.

Great School both my boys attended. I know the director has been working hard at making some much…read moreneeded updates to the facilities. The new playground looks great and it keeps the family friendly appeal of a small tight knit preschool.

The Carlisle School was truly the foundation of everything I've achieved. It was there that I…read morelearned my letters, how to play chess, and--most importantly--how to think critically and believe in myself. One incredible teacher in particular didn't just teach me academics; she helped shape the person I am today. Carlisle gave me the confidence and curiosity to keep growing. After Carlisle, I continued my education at Christ the King, where I went on to receive three awards, then Ursuline, and now I'm proud to be at Fordham University. At every step, I've carried the lessons and values I learned at Carlisle with me. If you want your child to succeed--not just in school, but in life--The Carlisle School is where that journey should begin. It's more than a school. It's a place that builds futures. Thank you so much Mr. & Mrs. Carlisle for everything!

The Montessori-style private school is the of the best kept in the DFW, particular the Park Cities…read more Truly. My daughter began attending the Carlisle School at 3 1/2 years old. With Mrs. Carlisle's intrinsically sound education with detailed, intuitive guidance, my daughter entered Armstrong Elementary School prepared for all schooling experiences beyond preschool, kindergarten years! We have enjoyed returning for summer instruction between the regular school year as well. The individualized manner of instruction including traditional/classic education with outdoor play, and balanced routine is something I simply cannot fully express other than stating the growth and maturity that I witnessed in my daughter was profoundly positive. Just a beautiful gift. God bless the Carlisle School! May it continue to cherish, shelter, and foster our young brilliant children for another 45+ years!!

As a recent graduate from Alcuin, I can say without a doubt there is no place I would have rather…read moregrown-up. I started at Alcuin in 2005 as a primary student and graduated in 2018 as part of the first graduating class. There is an individualized approach to learning in both the Montessori and IB classrooms that grows students as people, learners, and teachers. The holistic style of education teaches students how the subjects they're learning apply to their daily lives, and indoor-outdoor learning allows young kids to connect with nature. I recently ran into my primary teacher at a Starbucks, and even 15 years later she still remembers me. For middle school and high school, the curriculum can be demanding. However, small class sizes and teachers who are passionate about their subjects make learning- dare I say- fun. Teachers always had one-on-one time available for students who needed extra help, and for students who simply wanted to know more. There was a reciprocated respect between students and teachers that made it easy to ask questions because the teachers really wanted us to succeed. In addition to the learning environment, Alcuin has an emphasis on philanthropy and always provided us with opportunities to give back. I now attend the University of Southern California as an honors student where I can say that Alcuin has given me a clear advantage over my peers. I learned critical thinking in all subjects, time management, and how to research and write well-rounded papers. Socially, the small learning environment has actually aided me in making friends and forming connections. I found in university that not only am I able to connect with all kinds of people, but I'm also able to form super meaningful connections with the right people because Alcuin taught me to be an individual and to be confident in my own voice and personality. I love everything about Alcuin; so much so that my peers and I frequently come back to Alcuin to visit or volunteer.

I attended this school over a decade ago. While not everything was negative, several experiences…read moreleft a lasting psychological impact--especially around how certain students were treated. Every part of this review reflects my own personal experiences and perspective as a former student. I share these observations in good faith and hope they offer helpful insight for others. Some teachers were kind and supportive, and I'm grateful for them. But others showed clear favoritism, often treating neurodivergent students, students of color, and those from less affluent families with less patience, care, or respect. I saw students singled out, shamed, or ignored when they needed help. That includes a teacher in the art department, Ms. M**ks (last names) who, despite appearing nice to some, often appeared to treat students who displayed neurodivergence in a harsh and dismissive way. One classmate with ADHD, for example, was frequently criticized for traits beyond their control. I will add that it appears that there is currently a new teacher in her place, and I cannot find this particular teacher on the school website, which is honestly a relief. I watched as she corrected, belittled, or singled out a few (even a few is too many) students who were neurodivergent or just different in how they expressed themselves. One student in particular, who had clear ADHD traits and a real passion for art, was constantly criticized for things like messiness, distraction, or "doing it wrong." It felt like she used that student's neurodivergent traits as targets, rather than offering understanding or support. The dynamic was painful to witness and left a lasting impression on me. There was also a time I was accidentally injured during a class activity involving a particular art material. I wasn't helped or offered first aid--just told it was my fault by that same teacher. That scar stayed on my body for years. There were also incidents involving body shaming in gym class and situations on school trips that felt physically unsafe. Students with invisible needs or without formal diagnoses were often overlooked. While the school talked about values like inclusion and activism, they weren't always reflected in how staff treated students. I hope things have improved since I attended, because all children deserve a safe and supportive learning environment.

Love this school! It really is as good as it gets, even though the facilities are not very…read moreimpressive, the teachers and staff are great. My son has learned so much and has grown so much at the school. When he started, he was very sad and hated to leave us, but after about a week he was happy to go to school, hugged the teachers, and didn't want to leave. The administration is also awesome! Unfortunately, we moved back to Virginia. We wish we could have brought the school with us. It is definitely our favorite thing about Dallas.

My wife & I and our two sons bounced around Dallas-Fort Worth quite a bit during our sons' earliest…read moreschooling years, leading us to 4 houses - and 6 (six!) schools - in just a few short years' time. Looking back on our experience, there is absolutely no question in my mind that the 2+ years we spent with St. Christopher's were the best for not only our boys (now 5- & 6-years old), but our whole family. From the smart, personable, and observant teachers, to the diverse (international!) feel of the community, to the bright & welcoming atmosphere created by Becky and the front desk staff, St. Christopher's truly raised the bar for our expectations of a school & faculty. Prior to finding St. Christopher's, our boys had attended both Montessori and non-Montessori schools in the White Rock Lake/Lake Highlands areas, and they've attended 3 other schools (1 Montessori, 1 public, and 1 private) in Dallas & Rowlett since. Being a part of so many different schools (not all of which were bad, by the way!) has taught us to appreciate the "small" things (hygiene!, front desk friendliness, student diversity, parental involvement) as well as the "big" things (safety/security, curriculum, communication, caring & nurturing atmosphere). St. Christopher's gave us all of those things and then some. As parents, we always felt welcome, and we rested assured knowing that our children were being exposed to cool neat things (languages, art, etc.) and ideas by people who cared about them & their respective development (our boys are pretty different from one another!). When my wife & I finally settled down in Rowlett (20 miles east of Dallas), our biggest regret was that we'd have to leave St. Christopher's - and even then, we made the daily 2-hour commute until we couldn't take it anymore. If you have the opportunity to send your kids here, I truly can't recommend it highly enough. It's the best, most nurturing and inspiring school we came across. Best wishes to you & your family, and I hope your experience is as good as ours was! :)

Super friendly and nice staff. Great location. Really caring towards kids. Excellent preschool…read morecurriculum. Highly recommend.

The teachers, administrators, and Chef Perry are the best. Really glad to have our younger girls at…read moresuch a great school!

Claire's is the hidden gem that every parent hopes to find for their child. Both of our children…read morewere at Claire's since they were infants. We moved out of Dallas so our daughter (6) and our son (3) were not able to attend this past school year. However, both kids are finally back home this summer! It has been great seeing all of the staff again, and our daughter and son light up every time we pull into the parking lot. We can't thank you enough for the love that you show to our kids. They truly enjoy learning and are eager to see what is waiting for them. For anyone looking for a home for their child, we recommend Claire's to anyone that we can. Our children were enrolled at Claire's and one of the North Dallas Private Schools simultaneously. The difference in the curriculum that we received from Claire's vs. the private school they were attending through COVID were night and day. We can't thank you enough. Thank you so much to all of the staff. We are so glad to be back. IT'S GREAT TO BE HOME!!! We only have 2 requests. PLEASE move out near us so we can continue with your program, and please extend past kindergarten.

We really love this school. Our oldest daughter attended for 2.5 years and easily transitioned to…read moreher all girls' private school. Our twins currently attend and will continue here for another year before it is their time to transition. The small, welcoming feel is what really sets this school apart. All of the staff are so loving and supportive. They still remember our oldest daughter and greet her by name whenever she comes with us to pick up the twins. We are so lucky we found such a special place.​

Park Cities Baptist Day School is a hidden gem.We were blessed to receive a recommendation from…read moreanother school about PCBC's summer program for my 2 year old. We had such a wonderful experience during the summer program that we cancelled our Fall 2019/Spring 2020 enrollment at a different school to keep our child at PCBC, even though its a further drive from home. It's worth it! First, the building has a nice, new and clean feel. Ease of entry and parking are very convenient. The school administration staff is so friendly and helpful--Nicki and Shanna are simply the best! Everyone is always happy and smiling, and its nice that they all know us by name. Their class sizes are small and each class has two teachers. My child receives a lot of attention and as a result can establish great relationships with the teachers and classmates. The environment is what we love the most--its the most loving, nurturing environment any parent can hope for their child to have away from home. PCBC really gets to know your child. Their school nurse Jennifer has been wonderful to work with regarding food allergies. Our son's teachers were very flexible and attentive when we started potty training, helping to make it a seamless and successful process. PCBC is not just a fancy daycare--they are certified and have a learning curriculum that is comparable to any private school. They have chapel and Spanish class--our two favorites. PCBC uses the Brightwheel app to update parents on your children throughout the day. I love the pictures and potty updates! We love PCBC so much and cannot thank them enough for being such a wonderful school that is perfect for our little one, and our family. I highly recommend PCBC for any parent looking for a nurturing environment for their child to grow their motor skills, social skills and more.

Terrible experience here. If your child acts like a four year old and has not been in a formal…read moreschool environment before, I strongly suggest you protect the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of your little one and go elsewhere. PCBC Day School claims to personalize the experience and holds out to be a Christian based institution, when in reality the actions of school leadership indicate quite the opposite. My experience with PCBC Day School showed me they are not willing to put in the work for anything less than what they view as perfect. After Day 1 of my child's first day at PCBC (and his first experience in a structured pre-k environment period), his classroom attendant, Ms, Walters, (in my opinion far less than a teacher or educator as she holds herself out to be) and the school director, Nicki, called out behaviors that I have never seen my child exhibit before and I was shocked to hear them say. They demanded an evaluation to determine whether PCBC Day School was the right place for him and said they had someone coming to observe him the next day. They then pushed it to Day 3 (our last day there), but ultimately the lady never showed and I suspect she never intended to and they were just going to say she felt it was not a right fit. They very clearly made up their mind on Day 1 after dad told them he previously went to ABA because he had an early autism diagnosis, which our evaluator later said would not have been given after seeing so much progress and that he was ready for school. On Day 2, Walters said he improved but still struggled. I decided to observe my son after drop off on Day 3 so I could understand what they were saying was so "abnormal" for a four year old. I was there for an hour and a half. Aside from getting up from circle time to play with a water table for a short duration and then return to circle time, I was incredibly impressed with his behavior and engagement. I was certain they would be telling me how much he improved and was on track to gaining the comfort and understanding he needed to continue at the school. Long story short, they did not. On that last day when I came to observe (Day 3), (1) first, the lady that they said was coming to observe my son and his behavior never showed; (2) second, Walters lied about my son's behavior, and stated he did things he did not do (which was during the time I was there observing him in the classroom myself); (3) third, Walters and the director said that the school was for "typical" children, so it was not a good fit for my son, while asking me what I would do if I was a parent of a child with a normal child missing out on what they paid for in the classroom; and (4) fourth, to top off the day, my son was sleeping on a cot in the middle of the classroom with lights on and his classmates playing around him when I went to pick him up. This was absolutely humiliating, inappropriate, and borderline abusive in my opinion-- all because they were too lazy to deal with a child that they already gave up on. Ultimately they dis-enrolled my son AND his little brother, and then attempted to go behind my back by removing me off of an email thread to schedule a meeting with my ex-husband to discuss our meeting. This was after I informed them that education rights and decisions were exclusively mine under our divorce decree, and that my ex-husband simply had the right to consultation by ME. Do your child a favor and do not support this joke of a day school.

I have the unique perspective of being a parent of two children in different learning classroom…read moreenvironments. My children also have experienced transitioning from one environment to the next due to age and readiness of skills. Here's a few examples of what I love about my children attending Park Cities Montessori in their crucial early years of life. The skill set of building concentration on one activity and putting it away before moving on to the next is huge. It teaches a sense of order, helps build patience and perseverance within a task, as well as learning how to take turns and wait until the work becomes available. No matter what activity the children engage in, there is a focus on the process and the beauty of slowing down. There is also ample opportunities for the children to experience nature. There is the crucial benefit to circle time and singing with one another and building camaraderie with one another as a class family. Zero screen time is a huge piece of what makes PCM great because it encourages children to use their imagination and engage in exploration when boredom arises. The practical life skills that my children have developed is incredible. When out in public, the amount of strangers that compliment the table manners our children have at such a young age is a testament to the time they spend at PCM. We put the work in at home, but it is with the guidance and advice from PCM that has led us down such a successful path. Plus it's super cute to see our 20 month old walking everywhere he goes with his hands behind his back. Finally, one irreplaceable quality that PCM staff demonstrates is the love they have for each of their children. My son was enrolled in Nido from 9 months old- 18months old. His bond was so strong with his Nido teachers that after he transitioned to the toddler environment, he would constantly want to show them the new things he was learning and show off his new glasses. The staff always made time for him and made him feel seen, even at a young age. My daughter started in the toddler environment when she was 2.5 years old and transitioned to the Children's House environment a month before she turned 3. Changing environments was worrisome because she was going to be part of a larger class with new teachers and it's always hard to start anew. However, she was always filled with joy and looked forward to going to school. She would get sad when the week was coming to an end and I know that's because of the love she had from her teachers and the love of learning they instilled in her. I cannot thank these ladies enough for everything they have done for my children. I also have a unique perspective being a toddler teacher at PCM and have grown very attached to my class of children. We learn all kinds of skill sets together from putting on our shoes independently, to what it means to listen and create friendships with each other, to learning endless vocabulary, as well as learning how to navigate through big feelings with one another. The children have become a part of me and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Tears fill my eyes as I write this review because I'm so grateful for Park Cities Montessori. Do yourself a favor and get on the waiting list- fast. You do not want to miss the opportunity for your children and family to join an incredible community.

Both of my girls have attended PCM for the last two years. We made a leap of faith switching them…read moreinto a brand new school right after the pandemic. After meeting the director Carolyn and her teachers, we knew immediately we made the right choice. PCM has become a second home to our children and the teachers have become surrogate parents to our girls while we are working. They have both grown leaps and bounds over the two years they have been there. Reading, writing, vocabulary, independence, confidence, practical life skills - academically and emotionally I couldn't be more thrilled with their progress and I credit PCM with fostering all of these qualities in a loving and positive environment. Reinforcing kindness, independence, and friendship with classmates, I couldn't have asked for a better home away from home for them and will be very sad when we have to move on to kindergarten! Highly recommend this wonderful true Montessori school!

This is the building where I learned to read and do math, a little earlier than most. My…read morekindergarten teacher was Mrs. McClure. My earliest friends and I traded Muscle Men, Garbage Pail Kids, MASK, GI Joe, and Transformers. We dug up bones in the yard. We pushed old tires around and pretended they were cars, playing Knight Rider. This building has a lot of sentimental value to me, and I would never forget it. The people back then, in that place and time, were real good, too. When I went there, this was both a grade-school AND a daycare. My Mom went to SMU, so this is where I went to kindergarten, but I eventually transferred to a suburban school in the far north Dallas neighborhood when my father remarried. I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I spent in this building, the kinds of friends I made there. Things were so simple then. I have warm, bright memories of those times.

I used to work for The Community School of the Park Cities, and I witnessed three Lead Teachers…read moremistreating the babies & toddlers every day. They leaned all their weight against the babies when washing their faces in the sink (which can injure their organs), lifted them by one arm (which can dislocate their shoulder), grabbed them aggressively, shoved food in their mouths aggressively, made them stay in their cribs for several hours, yelled at them for wanting to get up or for crying, swaddled them when that's against the law in daycare, and spent a lot of time texting & talking on their phones instead of watching the babies. The Lead Teacher in the Toddler Room was very impatient & squeezed their shoulders when they didn't obey, instead of using redirection. I explained these things to the director, but she said, "It's going to be a lot of work to replace those teachers." I later asked her what she was going to do about the incidents & she said her lawyer told her not to talk to me about it, so I reported the incidents to Child Care Licensing. They visited the school, but weren't able to do anything because I didn't have pictures or videos. I asked the director to install cameras, but she said no. Something must be done to bring awareness to the parents. Those lead teachers are still there & the director doesn't want to make the effort to replace them.