This is a very good school, and I highly recommend it. It's small classes can give a student one on…read moreone time with the teacher. It's staff are super nice, and are always willing to help, and the lunches are absolutely delicious.

Administration turn over is super high here and is reflected in employee and student turn over as…read morewell. It is not a stable environment! This was a good school 3 years ago, but has gone down hill, quicker with every passing year. Don't make the same mistake we did and fall for the marketing and admissions hype. They sell a good story, but after you are in, the dream becomes a nightmare. We are not coming back next year and we dread having to work with the registrar and admissions to get our transcripts for our children.

In choosing a preschool for my twins I was the mom who treated it like picking out a college. I…read moreresearched, went on multiple site visits and tours, did my homework, and asked a ton of "interview" questions. I had spreadsheets going of what I liked, didn't like, the schools' responses to my questions, and notes on what made each unique. At that time I also had already had experiences in multiple preschools from my first child, from church preschools to Montessori schools, to a well-rated private Jr. K-12 school that she still attends, so I felt a bit more prepared. My priorities: very high academic achievement that pushed our children to their full capabilities while maintaining the excitement of learning and going to school, a love of curiosity, the acceptance that it's ok to fail (and ok for us as parents and teachers to allow it) because that is how we learn life-long lessons, and how good the teachers are (my theory is that a school is no better than its teachers). I finally ended up at a preschool in Huntersville that was not this one but ended up being the right place for us because, though we decided at the end of the year that we needed to be elsewhere for various managerial reasons, we met the most fantastic assistant teacher in the process who happened to be moving to Discovery Village the following year to teach their TK program, the class in which my twins needed to be enrolled anyway. Miss Melissa was the twins' head teacher that year, and the next 2 years also taught my youngest daughter, so we have had her for 3 years straight, and she now happens to be the director of the school as well as the TK lead teacher. The things that stand out about this school to me: - Absolute passion for the kids - A true love and strong bond with each child - Teaching a child to achieve her full potential at whatever level that may be. They are all different, and even my own children at times worked on different levels in areas of struggle. - A happy and exciting environment - A greenhouse! Kids were taught about recycling, growing and tending to the plants themselves, compost, etc. - After-school offerings that included soccer, after-school enrichment (science day or music day, for example) - For my youngest child, a complete excitement for school that I did not see in her preschool from the prior year. The kids feel comfortable and safe there. - The teachers are actually corrected if they do not allow the students to make mistakes. For example, if they are doing an art project where they could be using the scissors to cut everything out themselves and a teacher decides to do it herself then let them glue the shapes, they are not allowing the child to experience the trial and error from which they could be learning and therefore improving. In the world of preschool parents, I have run into SO many parents who, when I mention how great our teacher Miss Melissa is, they light up and say, "You have Miss Melissa??!" Then they absolutely light up and go on and on about their own child's out-of-this-world experience with her. It's a small world sometimes, but the number of parents who have happened to know her and the fact that 100% of them say she is the BEST teacher they have ever had to date makes quite a big statement. I am a big believer in finding the right teacher AND the right environment, and I can't sing enough praises about Discovery Village Academy.

The Children's Cottage is an amazing school and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for…read morechild care. My daughter started going there at 12 weeks and is now almost 2 years old. She has absolutely thrived and can't wait to get to school each day. She truly loves the staff and they sincerely love her as well. She's not just another student at the school, they love her and take pride in her accomplishments and achievements, as do I and that means so much to me as a parent. The teachers are caring and patient and use excellent state provided curriculum to ensure every student is prepared for kindergarten. The outdoor play area is like nothing else offered by other schools in the area and fosters a whole new level of outdoor learning and play. The Children's Cottage has been established since the mid 1990s and I am so thankful that my daughter is a student there. I know that when she is dropped off each morning, she is well taken care of, is learning, and has of fun!

I like the cleanliness of the facility, the openness of the classes and the knowledgeable…read moreinstructors. I feel like the storm Is keeping people away today but I'm here so I'll get my moneys worth!!

Awesome Y! They have a lovely outdoor pool with fitness classes or just to relax. This is a…read morebeautiful location and easy to find. The front office staff is super helpful. Shout out to Diane for telling me all about the Y here. Being able to visit any Y with your membership is the best part is the plan.

My son LOVES Ms. Gwen. We are so thankful for her and all the work she has put in to help him grow…read moreand flourish.

This is a very cool loft-like space that would be excellent for any large event. Parking is easy…read more Location is convenient. I'd definitely check this out if I were hosting a small wedding reception or holiday party in the area. Apparently they host art and music classes for people of all ages, which sounds awesome. They also host art exhibitions at regular intervals -- local art is so cool! I hope to check them out again soon!

I visited today with my little one. It was an attractive building in a former mill downtown. It…read morelooked like they had a good number of classes for adults and some for children as well. I was a little disappointed in their community-wide Halloween party. Their press release specified that children should be pre-registered for the party online; however, the software in use on the website would not allow for registration and gave no reason why when I tried to pre-register. I found out today that this was because the party was full. I found it strange that no mention of first come first served was mentioned in their press release, and their software did not specify that enrollment in the event was full. Maybe this was their first Halloween party for the community, and the kinks will be worked out next year. I think that since it is a party for pre-schoolers and an hour is about the attention limit for most preschoolers that they should split the party into two slots. For a two-hour event, that would give all of the kids in the community an equal chance to participate. It would also prevent kids from having to be turned away and disappointed as my daughter and several other young ones were today.