My son attended Westport from infancy through the 3-year-old class. The setup is concerning:…read morebabies, toddlers, then suddenly 3-year-olds placed with 4-5-year-olds in a larger room. That alone shows how little thought goes into the children's development here. This daycare receives funding, yet when I was one of the top two contributors of a fundraiser, the money went to an employee's personal house fire relief instead of the children. You would think a go fund me account would be started instead of using money from a fundraiser. Where's the integrity? Without cameras, parents have no way of knowing what really happens during diapering or bathroom routines, and children can't always explain it. That lack of transparency is unacceptable. Daycare is supposed to support working parents, not make us question our child's safety. Trust is everything in childcare, and this place failed at the most basic level. On top of that, tuition rates were sketchy. I asked multiple times about a rate adjustment after my son was potty trained with moving to the 3 year old bigger class, and got vague answers until his last day--when suddenly the rate dropped by $40. This center has been in business for years, but that doesn't mean it's safe or trustworthy. Longevity without integrity means nothing. I am grateful my child no longer attends Westport. Parents, be vigilant and push for cameras in every classroom, because without them, we'll never truly know what's going on. ------- ------- Updated Review after Business Response: Thank you for your response. I want to clarify a few points for parents who may be considering this daycare. Classroom setup: While ratios may technically follow state guidelines, my concern was with the developmental mix of children. My son's experience showed that compliance and what is best for children's growth are not always the same thing. Fundraiser funds: The center did communicate that fundraiser proceeds would be directed to teachers affected by a house fire. While I sympathize with their loss, I personally felt that using funds raised under the impression of benefiting the children and center was not the most appropriate approach. A separate GoFundMe or designated collection would have offered parents a clearer choice. Safety and transparency: The response did not address my concern about the lack of cameras. In childcare, parents value reassurance and transparency, especially during moments when children cannot fully express themselves. Tuition adjustments: My questions about tuition changes after potty training went unanswered until my son's final day, when suddenly the rate dropped. Clear communication about costs is a basic expectation for parents budgeting for care. Finally, I want to add that I was asked multiple times to leave a review while my son was enrolled, but I chose not to at that time. Reading the tone of the center's reply to my concerns has only confirmed that decision. Rather than addressing my feedback constructively, the response came across as defensive and dismissive. This type of communication does not build trust with parents, it further erodes it. I understand this center has been in business for decades, but longevity alone does not equal trust. My review reflects my personal experience, and I encourage prospective parents to ask detailed questions and tour thoroughly before making a decision.

We've had two daughters attend Westport School. My younger daughter started at 3 months and is now…read morein pre K, so we've been with them through all the ages, from diapers to toddlers to graduating pre-K. My daughter had a very easy time transitioning to kindergarten after finishing preschool here. I recommend Westport School highly and without hesitation. It is a small family owned establishment, which really lets the staff know the kids and form close relationships. Communication with management and teachers has always been easy. My daughters have both been very happy here and my older one loves to stop in and give her favorite teachers hugs even now!

Love it! An excellent Montessori institution in Creve Coeur, MO. There are numerous options in…read morethe St. Louis but if you are looking for a safe, clean and caring environment definitely pay HOPE Montessori in Creve Coeur a visit. The facilities are excellent and Susie Shelton-Dodge is the Headmistress and is wonderful and very approachable. They do have before and after school care which is included in tuition. They participate in numerous field trips. The menu in the cafeteria also has very healthy items. The summer camp is also wonderful with numerous fun activities but my favorite part of summer camp is the swimming lessons. They do have a very nice swimming pool on campus (fenced) and teach swimming every day during the summer. Lessons are dependent on ability and age. There is even parent observation day at the end of the summer. No this place isn't cheap but well worth the money. Overall my favorite aspects: 1) Before and after school care 2) Summer camp swimming lessons 3) Small class sizes 4) Safe, diverse and comfortable environment

Our experience started ok. Our son did pretty well but eventually started sharing how some kids…read morepicked on him. These kids tended to be from affluent families and made fun of his clothes or shoes. There became more concerning issues when one child was being threatening towards the children in the class. When we expressed concern the teacher became defensive of the other child and it became very uncomfortable after we had built what I thought was a good report. I found out later that the teacher was close with the other family and even went on a ski trip with them. The director also showed little concern for these more serious issues. I also had to address the fact that my daughters class never washed with soap and water but used hand sanitizer instead. Both of my kids would express that the wrong kids were often disciplined and others got away with whatever they wanted. Every day I asked them how school was and they had nothing good to report sadly. It was hugely disappointing for the amount of money spent there.

Great school! Friendly staff and beautiful learning environment. I had a tour here and have learned…read moreso much about Montessori.

Guidepost is the best. The staff is amazing and our son has learned so much. He can't wait to go to…read moreschool in the morning and doesn't want to leave when we pick him up. Highly recommend!

Christina had an opening for us when our other daycare shut down the classroom. Incredibly…read moreaccommodating and enjoyed everyone. Our child loved attending, enjoys her ABC's, knows her 123's and made some great friends. Thank you for everything!

As of February 2017, our daughter has been going to the Creve Coeur Kindercare for nearly two…read moreyears, ever since she was 6 weeks old. Even after moving out to Ballwin, we've kept her at this same Kindercare location because of the bonds she's made with the other toddlers and her teachers. WHY WE CHOSE THIS LOCATION: When we were looking for daycare for our daughter, we did a lot of online research. Some of that research was looking up ratings for each place, like you're obviously doing now. Throughout the reading-up-on-reviews process, we kept in mind that negative reviews are often more common, as people with great things to say about places tend not to be very vocal on Yelp or Google. We also looked at data that's less subjective or disputable. What incidents were reported at the locations you're considering? Are they licensed? Are they accredited? (There's a good description of accreditation and why it matters here: http://www.kindercare.com/about-us/who-we-are/accreditation.) I encourage you to do as much research as you feel comfortable with. This is obviously an important decision. So, we saw that, at the time, the Creve Coeur Kindercare was licensed, accredited and even working toward a second accreditation (I think it has gotten it, too, since then). We saw it wasn't too far away from home, so that was nice. We visited a couple of other locations nearby and, to be honest, they seemed dirtier, or more chaotic, or less safe. That's partially where that accreditation comes in. The weekly rate did seem like a lot until we did more research and we saw that it was competitive with other daycares' rates. Yes, it is still a decent amount of money, but the safety and education of your child is worth it. And again, it's nowhere near the cost of Montessori school, for example. Plus, rates go down on your child's second and third birthdays. SAFETY & FOOD: [This section was deleted to save space. Please speak with the location for these details.] CURRICULUM: Each day, teachers will send home a report on your child's activities, what they learned and how they acted. It's really helpful to follow along for those parents who are interested. Our daughter has responded seemingly very well to their teaching style. Her communication skills are very advanced for a child her age, and she has really taken to learning as much as possible. Of course, it's hard to say if this is just our daughter or if this is Kindercare's doing, but I just had to brag on my little girl some, I guess! Again, when you visit, ask what the kids are learning at the time. They have lesson plans they follow, so the answer should be an easy one to get. Also, in case you're worried, they don't have TVs in the rooms, so they won't just be watching Barney all day. STAFF: Everyone has been wonderful to me. I like to stick around when I drop my daughter off and when I pick her up and talk to her teachers. I'll ask how she did, what her mood was, if she did anything (positive or negative) noteworthy. All the teachers have seemed invested in our daughter's care, education and growth. Some have decades of experience with professional childcare, even at Kindercare. Others are going to college to study it. The woman who previously managed the location was wonderful, but recently left to pursue an altogether different career. Her replacement is very kind, knowledgeable and vibrant and, while I'm no expert, she seems to be doing a fantastic job in the month or two since she started. BONUS: Once a month, on most months, the center will host a "Parents' Night Out" where, for an extra $15, they will feed and watch your child until 9. This is a wonderful way to have a built-in date night on the cheap, especially for people like us who don't have family close by to babysit on a regular basis. They also provide crackers for the ride home, which really come in handy with kids once they need snacks to keep them civil during car rides. There are plenty of smaller details, but this should cover the bulk of it. To be fair, this is the only daycare we have ever brought our daughter to, so we don't have any other experiences to compare Creve Coeur Kindercare with. But I'm just happy that my daughter is safe and learning everything she can in an environment that is well-suited to her. I hope this covers any questions you may have about the location. Good luck with your little one!

I have worked here since the day we opened. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with. We…read moreare not just a daycare so if you are looking for a true early childhood education for your child this is where to look. I have made some of the best friendships of my life from people I work with. My bosses are supportive and caring. I feel truly lucky everyday to work with such amazing people and to get to be part of the lives of some amazing families. The facility is clean and well maintained. We have an onsite chef who makes most all our food from scratch and cares about children and their allergies. I have loved working here every moment for the last 11 years and look forward to many more.

Writing a review of a daycare is difficult, because there are so many different types of people…read moreinvolved. The teachers at the goddard school are great, the families are great. This review is about the management, and more specifically the owner. In my years of experience in daycares/ preschools I have never worked under anyone as disrespectful as her. Many of the teachers in that building expressed the same feelings about the management to me in my time there. I worked at Goddard for two and a half years, and was a lead teacher for a large portion of that time. I won't claim to be the best teacher ever, there are absolutely areas I could've approved in, but I was a good one. One who cared and put a lot of effort into assuring the kids in my care were safe and happy and learning. I wouldn't have worked there for so long or been promoted from resource teacher, to assistant, to lead if I wasn't. Then, one day after informing the bosses that I had an interview at another Goddard closer to my home, I was fired. The owner and the assistant director pulled me into the office and berated me with blatant lies about my job performance for half an hour before terminating me. This happened during nap, never even giving me the opportunity to say goodbye to the kids I cared for for so long. The owner told me herself that she spoke with the director at the other Goddard giving her "opinion" of me, and then unsurprisingly I did not get that job either. If you are considering bringing your children to this school or working here, keep this in mind: when I went to the owner looking for help in figuring out how to teach a child much younger than most of my other students, she told me "from a financial standpoint, I would put an even younger child in there if your room was the one with space for them". I believe a school should focus on what is best for the children, not only what will make them the most money.

Harper School is the best choice my husband and I made for our kids' preschool education!! Our…read moredaughters began when they were 3- and 4 year old respectively and despite English is not their first language, we are impressed how quickly our kids learned their alphabets, counting forward and backward, and holding a pencil! Our 4 year old daughter learned to write her name within 2-3 weeks starting at Harper! Our 3 year old daughter resisted our attempts to teach her how to properly hold a pencil at home but Harper was able to accomplish this! Harper serves a lot of physician and health care professional families working nearby at MoBap and Mercy, so they are less likely to cancel school days (for snow) compared to the local public schools. The heads of school surprisingly know the students very well, they are both very involved in all the classrooms with all the students and teachers, and also have a personal connection with the families, which contributes to an inclusive, warm, welcoming, and nurturing environment. Even though English is not our children's first language, Harper miraculously over came their language barrier to help our daughters feel loved and included and drops off became happier and less tearful. Harper undoubtedly has a strong and successful academic curriculum but most impressive is their cohesive and nurturing environment because our kids feel safe, loved, and seen. Thank you Harper!!

We send our 3 year old here and I am very grateful for the teachers and head of school. They are…read moreprofessional and have a sincere love for kids. They are also interested in making sure your kids are learning. I was at first hesitant to transfer schools due to his food allergies but they have kept him all safe!!!

Their work out room is pretty nice though a couple of the machines need have ripped cushions…read more Staff is generally friendly and helpful. Many folks working out will wipe down the machines after they used them. There are plenty who don't though. I've noticed some of the Y staff introducing new customers to the area not instructing/encouraging them to wipe down the machines when done. That practice needs to start with staff.

So many Karens leaving bad reviews, so here's a good one to balance out the crazy…read more Staff are friendly, facility is clean. Some of the members are cranks, but you'll have that anywhere.

Stay away from the J. Management is poor, and their primary concern appears to be revenue rather…read morethan students. Once payment is made, they make every effort to keep it, including stretching their refund policy to suit their needs, even when they cancel classes themselves. Worse still, the program quality is subpar, with outdated facilities, low-quality instruction, and a poorly designed curriculum.

I was very impressed by the huge fitness center, the cafe, and all the programs available to…read moremembers and the wider community. My family especially loves the summer camp and the Jewish-forward programming. Yet, the facilities are availa le to the wider community, making it a great place for anyone in the area to work out and enjoy a program.

Lucky Lane is a St. Louis gem! My daughter has been attending for about a year now, but the school…read morehas been a part of my family for much longer. Both myself and my father attended Lucky Lane, so the decision to send my daughter there was a no-brainer. The staff at Lucky Lane is great. The teachers are all so kind and the director, Carly, is easy to work with. One of the most unique things about Lucky Lane is their flexible scheduling. It really makes a huge difference to my family, and I have not encountered another school that offers anything like it. My daughter has learned so much there. She always comes home singing new songs from music class, with new books form the library, or with stories about playing with her friends outside or in the wheel-toy room. She is always excited to go to school in the morning, which makes dropping her off each morning a breeze. I simply can't say enough great things about Lucky Lane!

My son has been attending Lucky Lane for almost a year now and we both love it! Lucky Lane has…read morecompetitive pricing and flexible scheduling options that really work well for our family. There are multiple playgrounds and lots of outdoor space to run and play which my son loves. We also love that Lucky Lane feels like a real school and fosters independence - the kids get to move throughout the school and experience multiple environments from thier regular classroom to the onsite STEM room, library, music room, and large indoor wheel-toy room. They even teach the kids French! We love Lucky Lane :)