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    Highland Learning Center - Interactive, updated, clean classrooms

    Highland Learning Center

    (2 reviews)

    As a parent, writing this review breaks my heart--but I feel it's important to speak up to protect…read moreother families from what I experienced at Highland Learning Center. What I witnessed there was deeply concerning and not at all what you would expect from a place entrusted with the care and development of children. The management is extremely poor and disorganized, with little to no transparency or accountability. Communication with parents is inconsistent at best and often dismissive when concerns are raised. Many of the staff members are unqualified and unprepared to properly care for children to support their learning, which creates an unsafe and chaotic environment. What's most troubling is that the atmosphere does not promote learning, growth, or emotional safety. The children are not engaged in meaningful educational activities, and there seems to be very little curriculum guiding their day. I personally never felt that my child was in a setting that prioritized true education or individualized attention. Even more alarming, the director has made comments that overstep professional boundaries--discussing or suggesting potential medical or behavioral "diagnoses" for children, despite having no medical background or qualifications to do so. This kind of behavior is not only inappropriate but dangerous, and it reflects an unacceptable lack of professional judgment and training. I do not feel that Highland Learning Center is a safe or nurturing place for children, and I would strongly urge other parents to explore other options--regardless of what the school's ratings might say. No rating can make up for the lack of qualified leadership, poor communication, and unsafe environment that I and other families have experienced.

    This center is by far the best daycare center I've ever experienced. I enrolled my son a few months…read moreago terrified of putting him in a daycare center. As soon as I walked in, I felt so much comfort and love. My son was in nursery one. The wonderful women in that classroom have filled not only my hearts but every single member in our family. This week is our last week, as we are moving-we all welled up with tears. This center treats our family as theirs. I'm so incredibly saddened that we are leaving but I will forever be grateful for the tender care and love we have received. My son was always so eager and excited walking into those doors. I'm crying as I am writing this. Thank you again! You truly are the definition of Gods Love

    Earthshine Learning Center

    Earthshine Learning Center

    (6 reviews)

    Words can't express how grateful I am to have found Earthshine, we are coming up on a year that my…read moreson has attended here and he couldn't be happier! He has grown so much over this last year and it has been so exciting to watch. All of the staff is amazing, if your looking for a great place for your little one this is it!

    After reviewing many preschool options for my 3 year old boys, we started out at a fancy, expensive…read morecenter that had an amazing campus. My boys weren't very happy there and, although the center was amazing, the classrooms seemed overcrowded compared to what we were told the ratio would be. My autistic son has an aide who remains in the classroom with him and she reported to me that sometimes the room would be stuffed with children beyond the official capacity. We received a lot of behavior reports concerning my other son and, again, my aide reported that the classroom spent way too much time sitting at the table instead of letting the kids move around the classroom. The time spent outside was minimal, even though they had very beautiful playgrounds. I've spoken to several early childhood education experts who say that in this age range (under 5), you should look for centers that have more open play space than tables. You should also look for places that are less academically focused, since what's most important for kids this age isn't in memorizing facts, but learning how to get along with others, developing self-sufficiency, and enjoying the process of learning. Earthshine's Center isn't the prettiest of places, but don't let that fool you. My boys both absolutely love it and my one son's 'behavior problems' completely disappeared when we switched schools. My boys were never really happy to separate in the old school, but after about a week at Earthshine, they were eager to bound away from me. I think the format of Montessori - where the child leaves the parent instead of the parent leaving the child - helps tremendously. The best thing about Earthshine is that, if the weather is good, they are outside. Playing, eating, learning, is all done in a space that's big enough for the kids to really run around and burn off their energy (which makes bedtime easier for me). Inside the classrooms, the tables take up a smaller portion than any other center we toured. Children are encouraged in self-directed learning, but unlike many other Montessori centers, this one isn't as hands off as some are, which can cause some children problems in that they aren't given ANY direction. When we were considering this school, my son's behavior therapist warned us that Montessori schools can be either really good or really bad. The really bad ones basically have no structure and, while some children are motivated and interested enough in learning to complete their basic education on their own - many, if not most children, are not. This school is one of the really good ones. There's enough structure that my boys know their general plan for the day (lunch and nap happen in the same order), but enough flexibility to keep learning fun. Like any good Montessori school, they have 'observation stations' where you can watch your kids through a one-way mirror and observe them in the classroom. I see my boys select a playmat and toys, play with the toys on the mat, and then clean it up themselves. They've become much more independent since starting the school. Their special needs knowledge and accommodations are top notch and the best I've found. My autistic son has really benefited from attending. There are many schools that turn down an aide. We toured a lot of places and many refused to let my son's therapists in the classroom. To me, this is suspicious at the 2-5 year old age. A aide is trained to help the child inside their environment and it isn't like the other children will be distracted by another adult, who they see as just another teacher. It speaks volumes for the transparency of Earthshine that they allow aides provided they meet the state requirements with detailed background checks. We are moving soon and I'm going to miss Earthshine. I'm sure my boys will too.

    Fort Bragg KinderCare

    Fort Bragg KinderCare

    (4 reviews)

    Was able to help register my child with such small time notice, when went in interview they were…read morevery clean and sanitary

    Definitely has gone down in quality over the years. I don't have enough time in the day to express…read morewhy KinderCare is not the place to send your children. My kids have been there for about 3-4 years I believe and the only good thing I can say is they work with the parents as much as they can for the most part.There are a few employees who actually take pride in their job but the rest of them are lazy, neglectful, and incompetent. I'm going to hit the most recent reasons why I wouldn't even recommend sending your dog there. Yesterday I was called and said my 3 year old who is potty trained had an accident on herself. I was told by the assistant director my daughter said she had to use the bathroom but they had no one to take her. I said so y'all just let her stand there and pee on herself? She then says well yea...pretty much because we couldn't send her by herself...(although her class is about 4 steps away from the bathroom) . One day after it had been raining all week and all day, they took the kids outside. Even though there is no area to take them that's not covered in puddles and mud. I went to pick my daughter up and she was soaked from her waist down. I was told she jumped in a puddle. Her socks and shoes were soaked...pants and undies soaked and it was freezing outside. Instead of changing her clothes (because she definitely had spare clothes) they allowed her to walk around in drenched clothes and tried to send her home that way. The director saw how pissed I was and sent her back to be changed. She then was sent back to me in the same soaked shoes...completely defeated the purpose in changing her socks My 11 year old had a grown women (teacher) talk to her disrespectfully, then that teacher and another teacher talked about her like she wasn't sitting there...just antagonizing her, "Your parents must not be raising y'all right, if you were mine I'd smack you dead in your mouth". Brought it to the directors attention and told her I wanted to speak with the teacher (with the director present) to get to the bottom of the situation. I was told she didn't want to bring her to talk because "she doesn't know how the teacher would respond", ...in a professional setting I would expect her to be respectful and PROFESSIONAL. Needless to say, IM COMPLETELY OVER THIS DAYCARE. Cannot get my baby out of there fast enough smh

    Smartstart - elementaryschools - Updated May 2026

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