I eventually went on to teach kindergarten but I did teach at the cedar House School. I really…read morethought it was a pretty good school! I'm generation x so I'm a little bit older but they still had a very very good environment. I thought! I really did. I mean some parents were a little dramatic but I could always deal with that. The teachers were pretty good too! Didn't have a problem there as a teacher.

I do fire inspections for this location and I always enjoy coming in and doing the fire drills with…read morethe kids. Super cool fish tank when you come in, teachers are all really friendly and really seem to enjoy their work with the children. Owner and desk personnel are always helpful when I am on site. I would send my kids here if I had any. Don't really ever see any of them in there having a bad time. Most of all, a very Safe and secure location. A lot of these types of places are lax on doors being locked but you have to be buzzed into this daycare to get inside. Not sure on pricing but give them a try!

Let's start off with cleanliness , this DAYCARE allows staff to come to work while sick doesn't…read morematter what they have. The lady at the front desk with short hair is always rude and nasty. There are a lot of people who work at this place who are rude to the children. The teacher in the 1 year old classroom is very rough at times with the toddlers. Nobody follows rules or guidelines or even laws at this place. If you are thinking of enrolling your child here I suggest you don't. I suggest you find a nanny instead of this DAYCARE. Because they don't teach the kids much at all and then yell at the kids when they get a question wrong. This place is disrespectful and evil.

My two children are current students and we've loved our experience here. The teachers are…read morequalified and communication is excellent. Any questions we have are always answered and the teachers and families are amazing.

We wouldn't recommend this preschool. It was a church day care and a bit dated. There were some…read morenice kids, but the director and workers in the rooms are either parents of the kids or their friends. It was rare to see a full time staff member because most were just substitutes.

I went to this daycare for preschool then every year for summer camp till middle school. Found one…read moreof my closest friends there and now that we are both 18 we still talk about the memories we made. While I can't speak on the education aspects as I simply don't remember, I can speak to all good it did for me on a social skills side, learned how to talk with other kids and the field trips taught me how to act out in public. Forever grateful my parents chose this place. As a side note if Mr. Turner still works there, he was real one.

Academically this is a good school. They scored low for me because they did a poor job with…read moredeveloping social emotional and problem solving skills. They also do not provide support in the form of resources for parents whose child is having a difficult time adjusting to the new atmosphere. I wouldn't recommend.

Three kids through this school, and we've loved it every time. The days feel thoughtful without…read morebeing over-structured, and the kids come home happy, dirty, and full of stories--which feels like exactly the point. The teachers are incredible--kind, patient, and so genuinely invested. It's just a really good place for kids to spend their days. Stop your search, this is the place!

My youngest son went here and I really wish my oldest son had the same opportunity. This school is…read moretruly a special place. My son really became socially and emotionally aware at his time at the preschool. Yes they play in the mud and dirt and they are learning so much through their free play, and how to socialize with others. They come home happy and have spent time out in nature and far away from screens. They learn to work together and support one another. They learn empathy and compassion. Each child's uniqueness is celebrated and they have the opportunities to try so many different experiences through art and nature. My youngest acquired so many social skills that my oldest son didn't get from his traditional preschool (that mainly focused on getting him ready for kindergarten and being able to write his alphabet).I encourage you if you're thinking about sending your child here to take a tour and see for yourself. You will experience the wild at heart vibe that is to be celebrated of young children. This is where they are encouraged to be themselves and think for themselves and to not be conformed into anything else.

I am soooo happy I found this daycare center and we are absolutely in love with our teachers and…read morethe center!!

I can't say enough good things about everyone and everything involved in Midlothian Children's…read moreAcademy. A wonderful and caring staff that always greets you with a smile. Viva la Midlothian Children's Academy!

Things like this, among many others, are why I am so grateful to have my daughter at Central. They…read moretake care of my child like family and have supported me through a lot as well. Thank you, Central!

We had a very unpleasant experience with this establishment. From a revolving door of teachers to…read morethe absence of communication from staff and administration, much was lacking at Central Montessori. The communication issues were evident from the start. We never received a school calendar or got added to the mailing list upon enrollment, so we were surprised with several school closures in our initial time there. Over the course of roughly six months, the teachers were unable to follow through on the meager commitment of one short note per week to let us know how our child was doing in class. We had no idea what he was doing during the day and eventually he returned home with language and behavior consistent with a complete lack of Montessori principles being used in the classroom. ("I'm a bad kid... I'm going to sit in the corner....etc.) After voicing concern about multiple changes in teacher with no notification, the director told me the new assistant teacher wasn't certified, didn't have the requisite experience, but was "super interested in teaching Montessori." At this point, I started enquiring about our location of waitlists elsewhere. It is clear that Central knows they have parents trapped due to the lack of options for childcare in the area, because they let the disorganization and unprofessionalism continue. We eventually could tell that our child was not receiving the care or education we were promised, so we found a new school where he is absolutely thriving. I sincerely hope that a change in leadership can turn the tide at Central for the sake of the other children and families still enrolled.

When my wife and I moved to Richmond from Raleigh in 2010 in some ways it was like starting over…read more We had both lived in North Carolina for 17 & 14 years respectively and the change while welcomed presented many challenges, especially with 2 young children. One of the first things we did when we arrived was to seek out recommendations for a good pediatrician. From that point we had the amazing fortune of being given the contact information for Joan at Open Arms Christian Preschool by our children's new doctor. The pediatrician we ended up seeing knew that with a diagnosis of autism and being on the spectrum our son would be in great hands and care at Open Arms Christian Preschool. The nervousness we felt while driving to meet with Joan for an initial tour of the preschool was immediately forgotten as we were greeted with the kindest most genuine energy and welcome. Within 5 minutes of touring Open Arms we knew we had found the right place. In our time spent at Open Arms we had both of our kids enrolled. Even when we moved to Glen Allen after the first year I fixed my work schedule to be able to drive 40 minutes back and forth for drop off and pick up. Our oldest child is on the spectrum and has been diagnosed with autism. He is high functioning but to this day has sensory issues as well as social issues. Joan went above and beyond to work with us day in and day out, gave us guidance, put us in touch with different professionals and organizations and always made herself available. She was always a phone call away and as with any situation involving children the communication factor was key. There was even a point where an additional staff member was brought in to help. For all of these reasons my wife and I will forever be grateful. I could really go on and on raving about this preschool as we had a 4 year run there. There is not one negative thing I can say about our experience at Open Arms. If there was I would be honest and post it. There were times when we had reports come home about our oldest and quite frankly a few times where we thought, 'that's it they are going to ask us to leave'... but that never happened. And I believe the communication between the school and us was a vital part of our unique situation. Communication is always key. The tuition is very reasonable for what each family receives. Activities, special trips and guest 'speakers' just to name a few of the things which go on. Art comes home regularly and the kids are also in a true learning environment which is such a plus as they get ready to make the transition to elementary school. If I could give this preschool 10 stars I would. If I could give Joan and her amazing staff 10 stars I would. I have given Joan permission to give out my phone number to anyone who has parent to parent questions. We will be forever grateful for the foundation which Open Arms Christian Preschool has given both of our kids. And we will especially be forever grateful for the added support we received to help us set our first born and only son on the path to being able to deal with his autism related issues. While Open Arms was just one piece of the support chain we received it was a vital part which helped us truly make the difficult and important decisions about our situation without added stress. Without the positive reinforcement and guidance this would have been a much more difficult road for us. Reach out to Joan with any questions about this program. She is always eager and happy to meet and welcome new faces and families. Cheers! And thank you for reading my first novel! (sorry I got carried away...) -Michael Soekawa (yes my full name)

The post previously made is inaccurate and incorrect. We toured several schools and chose Open…read moreArms last September because of the attentiveness, love and professionalism of the teachers and Director. In January of last year, our son began having seizures - the first in his young 2 year old life. We were terrified and concerned about the present and future health, well-being and development of our child. Not only did the team at Open Arms show their love and support for us, but the families surround us with friendship and prayer! Our son Eli had a rough 4 months; spending over 80% of the time in the hospital. During that time, we received weekly emails and texts from the Director, Eli's teachers and parents checking in and asking how they could help. When Eli was stable enough to return, the entire team at Open Arms worked with us to give Eli a chance to come back to school - even part-time. I met with the Director, Joan Brennan, and his teachers regularly to discuss his development, areas of challenge and prognosis. They worked diligently to ensure that Eli had a supportive environment where he, and the other children, could thrive. They took care of our son and our entire family during one of the most traumatic times in our life. Eli has now been seizure free for several months and returned back to school full-time this year. Before starting the year, Joan and the teachers worked with my husband and I to determine where Eli might best thrive (in the older 2 or younger 3 classroom). They have walked with us over the last several months as we have evaluated his growth and development. During parent teacher conferences this week, his teachers shared with us areas of challenge for Eli and some options to help him thrive. While it is always tough to hear that your child may not be thriving and may need additional evaluation, the way that they lovingly and supportively discussed the challenges with me made me quickly aware that they were on our team. They wanted what was best for Eli's development and wanted to provide the right opportunities for he and the other children in the school. As a parent who is diligently involved in the well being of her child, I feel like I have a team of support at Open Arms. It is a community! I learned about Open Arms from a friend that entrusted the development of her two children to the school. Having now experienced the great support and student-to-teacher ratios she encountered, I have openly recommended the school to other families. Including families that have been dealing with issues such as epilepsy. While the school is not a school for children needing one-on-one shadowing or those with aggression and anger issues, it is a school for families that need a little extra support or those that simply want the best environment and greatest opportunity for the growth of their children. I love Open Arms and am saddened by the libelous comment below.