I had never heard of a cooperative school before I started my search for a local preschool for my…read moreson. I didn't even know this concept existed but I have since discovered it's an awesome way to run a preschool. I started out enrolling him in the parent's day out program which was awesome. I wasn't yet a member that needed to volunteer or anything so it was just a nice way to try it out and see if we liked it. It was like 4-5 hours (I forget) for a seriously small amount of money, especially compared to the babysitter I was considering hiring for $10 an hour. He brought his lunch and played with about 4 other kids, some younger some a little older. Everyone was aged 2-4 and the 2 teachers had great themed activities laid out each day. He was shy at first but by the time the program was over in the Spring, he was chatty and had made new friends. He was like a totally different kid. So after that, I officially joined the co-op. I was sold. I'm reviewing this as a "customer" and as someone who sits on the school board. The thing about a co-op is: you're both. I love that I get more than just a small say in the stuff my son is learning. I love that I get to help out with the running of a school and sit in on his class about once a month. I think if I had gone the traditional preschool route I would never know what I'm missing by not spending a whole day in class with him once in a while. It's great to watch learn and interact with other kids. OK so one thing you're wondering is: what am I going to do with my baby while I'm helping out in the classroom? This crossed my pregnant-lady mind when I first found the school too. Turns out I'm not the only mother of a preschooler with a baby (who'da thunk it?). We just swap baby sitting days in a toy filled room at the school. I tell you, my babysitting day is my favorite day of the month. Just this week I snuggled a wee baby while my 15 month old zoomed cars around on the floor with a 2 year old and it was an overload of adorableness. Way too much cute packed into one room. My son has blossomed since starting school and he has learned SO much. I am amazed at his social development too. He loves his teacher, so much so that he has a teddy bear at home named "Miss Marlo". I love that there's a focus on learning through play, a large focus on science, healthy snacks and lots of outdoor time. There's a huge outdoor play area with so many activities. I honestly feel like I've become a better parent because of what I've learned from my experience at this school. That sounds incredibly cheesey but cheese or not, it's the truth.

This school changed the way I thought about early childhood education and gave us exactly what we…read moreneeded - play! As a parent who really values the attachment that I share with my kids, I didn't want to send them into a school on a regular basis not knowing anything about their day, their peers, or their teachers. I had made that choice initially and realized quickly that it wasn't a good fit for us :). This school, on the other hand, welcomed my whole family through its doors and encouraged all of us to approach learning together. We took a tour, registered, and fell in love. I only wish we had found it sooner :)!

Good teachers are attracted to this school, and this benefits everyone. There is balance between…read morelearning and playtime. Kids can be kids while learning.

I love The Goddard School Fishers 2 location. My daughter has been attending since May 2015, and…read moreshe is excited to go to school everyday. She is only 2.5yo, but I've noticed a marked difference in her social and educational development. The teachers work very well with the students during lessons and playtime. Upon entering the school, staff is sure to acknowledge their young scholars first. I can tell this makes my daughter feel welcomed and safe. When my daughter misses a day, she is anxious to get back to her friends and school family. I actually feel guilty when I keep her home, because I know she will miss a worthwhile lesson. She has been in three different classrooms in 7 months, but only because the administrators insist on placing children in the classroom that best suits their development pace. In her first classroom, her teachers managed to get her about 85% potty-trained within her first week of school. We were amazed. Also, as a neat freak, I love that the school is kept tidy. I always notice upgrades to the facility and new toys. Lastly, at this location, many extracurricular activities are planned for the students and their families. We look forward to each one!

Both my husband and myself have Professional Doctorate degrees and corresponding careers. We value…read morea safe, educational and nurturing environment that will inspire an early love of learning in our child. After visiting and interviewing several private preschools, we decided to enroll our daughter at Community Montessori School (CMS) in Fishers, IN. There are only two AMI accredited Montessori schools in the state of Indiana. CMS is located in Fishers, IN and the other AMI accredited Montessori school is located in Carmel, IN. CMS starts at age 18 months, whereas the one in Carmel starts at 3 years old. The CMS building is fairly new and was built specifically with the Montessori environment in mind. The classrooms all have tons of natural lighting and an open floor plan. All the Directress/Teachers have college or graduate degrees. Every Directress/Teacher at the school knew my daughter by name by the second day of school. I get daily reports via email on my kid, letting me know her days activities. The toddler classroom will help potty train as well. Every personnel at the school I've come across has been courteous and informative. The diversity of the staff is a definite plus. Exposure to diversity promotes curiosity, creativity, and encourages the search for novel information and perspectives - something we want our child exposed to early on. There is an entrance interview that CMS calls "an encounter" where the Directress spends approximately 30 min with your child in their respective classroom, observing them play with the particular "work" they chose and how they interact with their surroundings and other children in the class. I came to value a school with an entrance interview after I visited other preschools that didn't have one. The preschools that did not have an entrance interview take anyone and everyone as long as the parents have the means to pay the tuition. Preschool age children are sponges, quickly picking up social and behavioral cues from their peers and surroundings. The children at CMS, in general, seem to be more respectful of their surroundings and peers. I would attribute this to both the Montessori environment as well as the existence of an entrance interview. There have been multiple social activities throughout the year, hosted by CMS, that allow the parents an opportunity to mingle and meet other parents. There is a real community feel for the parents and students at CMS, which we value. Although we feel our daughter is in a safe, educational and nurturing environment at CMS, we are realistic about accidents that may happen from time to time. Having inspected her classroom, I know CMS does everything they can to keep the kids safe. However, children can still trip, stumble, or fall despite the safe environment. The child-to-teacher ratio is right in line with state mandate; in fact, in my child's classroom, the child-to-teacher ratio is better than state mandate. In terms of fundraising, I agree with the other reviewer who said "of course, any private school will have fundraising activities." This is true for all the private preschools we looked into as well. And come to think of it, this is true for all the schools my husband and I have attended as well (college, grad school, professional school). Giving is always optional. If you do give, it's a tax deductible contribution that is used to further create and sustain the Montessori environment and education for your child. For this reason, we were happy to contribute. I was not familiar with Montessori schools and methodology until I started researching preschools. Although my husband is a product of a Montessori preschool, I was not. It's one thing to read about Montessori online, but it's another to actually see and observe the classroom and environment for yourself. I'm glad I took the time to visit the various private preschools and observe the children in their respective classroom environments. CMS was the clear choice for us. My daughter has been at CMS for almost a year now. What I like most about CMS is that my child loves it; she is excited to go to school every day. As a parent, you can't really ask for more.

Three years later, we are still at CMS and our appreciation of the school has only increased…read more The turn-over at the school is not high, as proposed by a previous reviewer. My child has had the same teacher for three years in a row. The elementary teacher has been there for several years, as has the toddler teacher. The three primary teachers have all worked there for three years or more. My child loves to go to school and is sad when something (illness etc) prevents attending that day. They use the Montessori methods that build long periods of concentration. At home, my child is now able to concentrate on one task for a very long time. I know that this is not true for all five year olds. There are so many positive developments that we have seen in our child. Every year, my child makes friends in the classroom that really mean a lot to her. Because there are frequent all-school events, we are able to meet other parents and children. There was just a fabulous fall hay-ride pitch-in. Since parents have required volunteer hours, there is a strong sense of community. This service is a great model for children. Involved parents are a great thing!

We love play school at Saxony! Our daughter has been going here since she was 4months old (she's 2…read morenow) and she has absolutely loved it! Our son (7mo now) has been going since he was 3mo old and I have peace of mind knowing he's well cared for in the infant room. They don't just put your baby in a bouncer and call it a day. They interact with the babies and give them age appropriate activities to make sure they're hitting their milestones and giving them love and attention. My daughter has loved all of her teachers and even grown a special bond with one of the teachers she's gotten to have in her infant room and her toddler room. It's the sweetest! The toddler room seems so fun for our new 2 year old with lots of arts and crafts and learning activities (she learned how to count to five in what seemed like a week)! They also have a Spanish class every day which I love. The new gym they recently added on is really nice for the kids during gym time- it's just like an elementary size school gym so lots of room for kids to get rid of energy. The building is well kept and they've been doing upgrades as needed- they just got new floors. The staff has always been very kind and helpful! Krista the director has been amazing! We get weekly lesson plans and a monthly newsletter with everything that'll be happening. I'm so happy my babies are safe and happy here, we love it!

We love The Play School at Saxony! Our son started attending for his Pre-K year and learned so…read moremuch before Kindergarten! Since then he has been going to their after school program and the Summer Camp for the past 2 years. He absolutely loves it! The teachers are all so nice and helpful! We have been very pleased with our time there!ankaiser87@gmail.com

I cannot recommend Miss Linda highly enough. My son started seeing her about 15 years ago when he…read morewas struggling to find his voice and wasn't talking yet. Under her care, he truly blossomed. Fast forward to today: he is 18 years old, maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, and is headed to Purdue University next year! We truly believe his academic success and confidence started with the incredible foundation Miss Linda provided all those years ago. If you are looking for someone who genuinely changes lives, she is the one.

I spent months looking at all of the preschool options in the area and I am so glad I chose Little…read moreScholars. Miss Linda is absolutely amazing. After one school year with Miss Linda my three year old is reading, writing, and spelling and has so much confidence it's amazing. I was very afraid of bringing my daughter to preschool because she was very attached to me and I thought she would have a hard time being away from me. My daughter met Miss Linda and was instantly smitten. Miss Linda's devotion to each student's individual development is amazing and my daughter is always so excited when it's a school day. It's truly amazing to see what my daughter has accomplished in one school year with Miss Linda. I truly feel that Miss Linda has instilled a love for school in my daughter and I am so grateful.

We have had a positive experience. We love the well educated and trained staff, plus the nurturing…read moreenvironment. Their main focus on child development and learning through a play-based curriculum Is what drawn us to this location. The center provides a welcoming space.

The staff is warm, inviting friendly. And has been very accommodating. My child comes home from…read moreschool most days, and shares what he has learned. Kiddie Academy is always doing new and exciting activities that involve the children. I feel that my child is loved and safe. I am a mother of several children, and I am highly satisfied with the curriculum at Kiddie Academy. I truly believe that this is a great program to start your child off to be ready for elementary school. I have witnessed many of the teachers in different classrooms interact with the children. I am pleased with what I have seen. I highly recommend taking your child here to not only learn and grow, but to be cared for as well.

I am in love with this daycare! We were at a different daycare about 10 minutes away from this…read morelocation.....and moving to this place was the best decision I've made! We are In the infant room and the ladies in there are amazing! Our first day, when we walked in they said "This must be Ella!"...this was a huge difference from the first day at the other daycare where no one was there to let me in the building. They are accurate with bottle feeding times and amount, diaper changes, and nap times. They send you a daily report about the activities she did and also how these activities help with her development. We also get a photo each day around lunch time! When I drop her off they are welcoming and she smiles so big. They also tell me every morning to have a great day at work! It's the little things. Great place and I would recommend it to everyone!

I just took a tour there today. The place is clean. I love how they have cameras to monitor each…read morearea. The environment feels very friendly. And the pricing is definitely reasonable. And the woman that gave me the tour was very knowledgeable of the way things are ran there.

Read Me if Considering this School!!…read more I write today to share our experience with ABCs and 123s now doing business as The Weston School. When we first toured the facility we found the staff friendly and welcoming, the only catch I was apprehensive about was we were offered a small discount in exchange for a 5 star review. The menu they offer the children is ridiculous, I don't know how many times I saw from their app my child was being fed things most adults wouldn't eat on a daily basis (hard boiled eggs, baked beans, egg patty) . Often I would pick up a child who was clearly hungry because she's picky. I understand they're trying to provide a healthy meal but I would rather her eat. Security isn't taken very seriously, I cannot count the number of times parents have tried to follow me in without signing into the computer system that opens the door or parents just holding the door for anyone to walk in behind them. The staff while generally friendly seems to change often, I can't count how many "directors" they've had. Parents without proper placards and Staff parking in handicap spots that is never enforced. I've watched people with actual placards have to wait for parents who have no business parking in them to clear the spot. However the real issue comes at the end. With very little warning, they decided to stop driving the bus route to take our daughter to school (a school that if you check the list of schools they service is still listed). They claim a lack of staff caused this as well as our child being the only one attending that kindergarten school, however other schools are still serviced. ZERO attempts were made to help keep us as clients. It was just sorry but we're not going to drive to your child's school anymore so we're dropping you completely, with little warning. My advise is look into other schools. I know that finding child care is difficult however I'm sure that better options can be found as this provider will have no loyalty to you and will drop you with no warning.