In 2021, my husband and I were excited to close the chapter of needing day care in our lives as our…read morethree children were old enough not to need it. Then in 2022 we were blessed with our "bonus" baby. With a degree of reluctance, we opted to enroll her in the same daycare our three oldest children attended. This decision came with a touch of hesitation, considering the significant changes that have taken place at the small, intimate center we once knew and adored. That center did not seem to know the direction it wanted to take and there was some toxicity with one of the owners. (Never once was I concerned about the care she received in the rooms by the staff.) During the year she was there, the boundaries with one of the owners felt chaotic and unpredictable. It was time to cut ties with a center we had been at over 10 years and began looking for a new daycare for our daughter to attend. We were fortunate that Goddard-Lakeville had availability for our daughter to attend. The very first thing we noticed was the level of safety/security at the center. There is no entering the building unless you are welcomed in by a staff member. I have seen grandparents needing to show their ID's prior to being allowed in the building. In today's day, the level of security is incredibly comforting. The second most prominent feature is the teachers' level of involvement. Right from the tour, we observed how the teachers were fully engaged with the children, not lingering on the sidelines with their phones or engaged in conversations amongst themselves. Thirdly, the communication is outstanding. There's no ambiguity regarding the center's operations - it's clear, concise, and consistent. The policies are fair- they do not change based on the most recent parent's complaint. The extent of our daughter's learning journey is astounding. We're immensely thankful for the age-appropriate curriculum. As advocates of education and evidence-based approaches, Goddard truly stands out as exceptional! Finally, the teachers are fantastic! They genuinely invest in the well-being of the children under their guidance. They understand my daughter as a unique individual and cater to her specific needs. Based on our experience with two prominent daycares in the Lakeville area, I wholeheartedly endorse Goddard-Lakeville. The owners cultivate a community that balances professionalism and healthy boundaries while providing a nurturing environment for children to flourish. The teachers are top notch! Any family that decides to invest in the care at Goddard-Lakeville, will not be disappointed!

The Goddard School in Lakeville has been an excellent choice for our daughter's childcare. Since…read morestarting there at 2, her vocabulary has dramatically increased and she is doing fun and adventurous things every day, while expanding her knowledge of various cultures too. Her safety and well-being, along with those of the staff, is always a high priority for the owners. Our daughter is greeted with a smile each day, and eagerly awaits going to school every day. We are so thankful for the care and attention that has been given to her, and that she now has a whole community of trusted people other than her parents who have her best interest in mind. It's true that it takes a village to raise kids, and this is a great one to be a part of!

I have had my daughter in a few different daycares, all in a different city. I had heard about…read morePrimrose through other family and friends and decided to give it a shot! We enrolled her and she began learning faster than we could keep up. It was amazing how much she would tell me she did in a day during our 45 min car ride home. She would sing, and dance, and continued to tell us what she learned day to day. This year, she started into Kindergarten in our school district. In November, when they closed the schools due to COVID, she was expected to be full distance learning and complete numerous packets for her work. She began to "hate school" and didn't want to go to school, even though she stayed home. We heard there was an opening in the Private Kindergarten and without hesitation, dis-enrolled her from our local school and placed her back at Primrose. Within the week, she was back to loving school, singing and dancing. Nothing makes my heart melt more than her smiling and giggling as she tells me about her day and how much fun she had. If it wasn't for Primrose, I can't imagine where my little girl would be in the realm of her education as well as her mental health. Even though school is back in session and she would be welcome back in our towns school, we refuse to pull her from Primrose and will make the 45 minute one-way drive every day, as it is more than worth it for us and her.

Overall experience: This is my 5th daycare in 3 states. And…read morethis center is top notch! From the moment you enter the premises you know they care. The level of care is off the charts and this center is a favorite of mine. I work full time and dropping my kids off at Primrose everyday really eases my mind. I know they are in an environment where they are cared for and where they are learning. Experience in learning/readiness: I have seen my children continually learn and we have seen growth in their readiness. I have a 5yo who has been at Primrose for the past two years. I have no doubts that he is ready for kindergarten. Primrose's curriculum prepared him for kindergarten not only with the information but by helping them become independent. They also focus on the whole child. When we first came to Primrose our 5yo was not eating very many things. One of his teachers was super concerned and constantly encouraged him to try new things. Now he tries all types of new things. When things go wrong: Several months ago a serious accusation was lodged against my son. This mama bear was ready for battle!! The Director of Primrose took everything really serious and started fact finding without any accusations or choosing of side. She interviewed teachers and a few students in a gentle (the kids didnt even know they were being interviewed) and caring manner. The issue was resolved without incident. To me a true test of a school is when things go wrong. Things went very wrong this time but the folks at Primrose stepped up and handled it with care and a thoroughness that speaks to their commitment to excellence. Pick up/ drop off: Pick up and drop off are pretty easy. You get a key fob to gain access to the building, you log your children in and out on a computer. Recently I took the kids out of school for the day to hang out. I did not check them in and did not leave a note in tadpoles (awesome app)...so the school called us to check on them. With all the hot car deaths this small action really touched me. This school cares and they show it! Gosh, I have so much to say! I still have not talked about the app (tadpoles that tracks all the kids do during the day and you get photos) or about the healthy lunches and snacks by the in house chef. I haven't touched on the fact that the chef makes a cake for every child on their birthday...or that families are celebrated monthly. Some may say the cost is too high...but you get what you pay for. If I can't be the one watching my children I want to pay for the best..and the best is Primrose!!!

This daycare is a joke I thought I found a great daycare with all the welcoming smiles but NO…read moreEnergy shifted so fast My son just started because we just moved to the area I'm not sure if they like black people with the employees as in rob uncomfortably looking at my but unfortunately I put a phone in my back pocket just to catch him looking at my but that's inappropriate and just staring at me weird to the caucasian parents they would look at me so weird like they never seen a black person before no hi no nothing just stare at me like me in my child wasn't wanted at all my child was the only black child in the daycare maybe 1 other so I knew it was going be something so bias I had problems from day 1 first attempt they called me multiple times while I was on my way to a interview telling me that my case is closed I'll have to pick my son up didn't have any written notice just going off what somebody said on the phone rushed to the daycare just for it to be a miscommunication so I missed a whole interview for NOTHING because of Mindy caring to much about the money in not being patient with the system it's sad that I have to depend on the county but I'm a single parent doing my best the 2nd time they accused me of smelling like marijuana they waited until I got home to try to email me in confront me about a weed scent I don't even smoke weed all black people don't SMOKE WEED I would never risks my child for no one the email was uncalled for in bringing up cps is the reason I ended care do not assume in put out threats just because you smell a scent when your could've directly ask me in person when I picked my child they was picking at me since day one. Avoid the hand-ache if you're black they do not want you there.

My twin girls have been going to Creative Kids Academy for a little over a year. I am always very…read moreimpressed with the communication, care, joy and creative programming that CKA staff showcase daily. I would highly recommend this daycare to any parents looking! Clare M

First of all this is in Apple Valley MN not St Paul. My child has been going here for 6 years. Very…read moregood teachers. My child was a child to howl about in January also. The class sized are high however, 32 in his class. Field trips are good. My child has felt safe and not bullied. There is some diversity but not a lot. School has early start at 830 am and done by 240 pm. This appeals to working parents as most elementary schools begin at 920. This school also has some open enrolled students. There are a lot of PTO fundraisers but no pressure If you dont participate. If you live too close you have to pay for bussing. This school was built in 1970's and has a boiler heat system and my child wears t shirts in winter as a result. They are very aware of peanut and nut allergies here also.

It has been over 1 year since my children have attended EMAS and it was the best decision we have…read moremade for them. My wife and I consistently talk about how they are thriving in this environment. The standards of accountability, care and education speak volumes. Nearly all the teachers know our children, teacher retention is astounding compared to previous centers, and my kids talk about their teachers constantly. The staff address any concerns immediately with open and honest communication. A very welcoming and caring community, I highly recommend to family and friends!

We have moved quite a bit for my husband's job, so we have seen many daycares/preschools. We wanted…read moreto enroll our 3.5 yo son in a preschool that actually focused on education and social development. We could not be happier with EMAS! My son has been a student here for about a month now. They are very attentive to both my son and the parents. Communication is fabulous. We get frequent emails and the teachers talk to me all the time. The director checks in too, asking if I have concerns, how the adjustment is going, etc. my son has already learned so much and he looks forward to going to school every day. He does five half days and he ends up missing the afternoon craft. The teacher overheard him telling me he didn't have the art work from the previous day hanging on the wall, and she said she'd do the craft with him the next morning. I figured although she meant well, there was no way she'd have time to do a one in one craft with my son. Amazingly, she did! My son was so happy and I am beyond impressed with her dedication to making sure my son felt included. I can't say enough. My son loves the food, he gets plenty of play time and lots of education. He's happy and so am I.

We pulled our child out after 1 month due to many violations we saw including infants sleeping in…read moreswings and bottle propping. We also noticed many times the staff on their cell phones instead of interacting with the children. The explanation I got from the director was that they were logging what the kids were doing, even though the classroom had tablets to do so. The director also told us to speak to the teacher instead of email her about our complaints. The last straw was when the infant teacher was holding our 4 month old baby under just one arm and not supporting his neck or body and feeding him. They have turned off Google reviews because they were getting so may poor reviews. This place was the cheapest daycare we found, and you really pay what you get for. Be sure to look them up on MN DHS website for all the licensing violations they continually make. I would never recommend anyone send their child here. Edit to add: we 100% went here. I still have the emails from the then director Meagan. Here are some exact quotes discrediting some of your claims: "I do feel overall that if you have concerns or questions it is best to start by chatting with the teachers." "As far as the Brightwheel App itself, most of our teachers do have it on their phones. It tends to be a quicker process as each teacher who is in charge of a certain job or task can input that information without having to share a device." PS you should check your chat GPT response before copying and pasting and fill in the app name like it suggested in your response to the other negative review.

We were a past family of All Stars - for quite a few years. They at one time were a really highly…read moresought out school. They had a lot of their core staff leave over the last few years and it has since gone down hill. We ultimately made the tough decision to pull our children as we could not fully trust the leadership in the building. The communication is now terrible for families, and I am unsure how many teachers are in the building because as teachers left, it seems they just moved previous aides/assistants in their spots to make it seem like all was handled in house. We are disappointed with how things turned out, considering we were once a proud ASM family who would recommend them all the time. Seems like more families are having the same experience as we have seen some pretty negative reviews come out in the last year or so (various parenting groups etc).

Good school. I am a mother of a child at this school and in…read moremy opinion it is a good place. Teachers and staffs are friendly, flexible and treat the children very well. My child is happy at this school and has made lot of progress in being independent, the montessori way. Thanks for all the help the school gives.

From the owner: Location established in 2004, Burnsville offers an excellent Montessori program with extended child…read morecare for young children under 5 years. We are open throughout the year except major holidays. We offer affordable rates and flexible schedules. The Prepared Environment: The Montessori Method is based on the theory that children develop individually, at their own developmental pace, in a carefully prepared environment. The prepared environment possesses a certain order and builds a strong foundation for learning, fostered by the practical life and sensorial materials in the classroom, enabling children to move through a continuum of curricula, naturally advancing with each step. The Toddler Environment: Children in our toddler program flourish in a prepared environment, which respects, supports and responds to their basic needs for independence, exploration and the building of trust and self-esteem. The structure of the curriculum is based on five developmental areas: Sensory and Perception, Physical and Motor, Self-Help Skills, Language, and Social and Emotional development.