Daycare for children. The best part of Cole is they take small kids under 2 years old. The care takers are personable and do their best to help the small kids around and have lesson plans to help them progress in this very early part of the journey. Some of the great people there Ms. Liz, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Elli, Solomon and Ms. Diane. They are flexible and understand that kids are all different and the parents also have different schedules. Highly recommend this daycare to anyone needing daycare for a small one in the area. read more

Teachers are always changing and they always look not happy. The school combined classes w/o any notice when my child's last year so he didn't learn anything in the precious time of the year. I noticed how school was I regret it and not changing the school. When your child goes up to Kinder, you will know your kids didn't lean much more than kids who attend cheaper and smaller school. Parents, pls take action and don't regret later. read more

It really saddens me to write this review but it's been really bugging me. A couple of months ago my husband and I were checking out day care spots for my daughter. I took off that day and we toured about three places. One of them was the Cole Academy. I first got information about the Cole Academy from the Baby Expo that was held at Blaisdell. I put my name on a slip that gave my information to show my interest at the Expo. And then from there, within a couple of days, I was getting calls from all the Cole Academies. It was a little annoying. Maybe they should have an option on the form of which one you're interested in. When the Kaimuki one called I made an appointment to do a tour. The tour was great. We were greeted promptly and we got to tour their playground area, toddler class, and 2 year old class. It was nice to see the kids interacting with their teacher and other kids. I really like the way that the school was presented. At the end she sat us down and talk to us about cost, lunch options, and availability they had. We were pretty excited because they had days that were perfect for us. But we couldn't fill out an application there, she said we had to do it online. Which is fine, I just went home and completed the application. Now comes the sad part. I waited and waited. I thought hmm maybe someone else who came on a tour before us took those spots. I waited one week and no call. Then my husband says, why don't you try calling them. So I do and they still have that spot available. So I'm thinking how come they don't even call back?! So I tell them that we're interested in having my daughter attend their program but would like to start in August. During the tour she says that prices go up in August. So I asked her how much are the prices gonna go up. She couldn't tell me. She asked me if it depended on whether or not I would enroll. I said yes because it depends how substantial the increase is. So she said she would find out, call me back, and let me know. So I wait a few more weeks and I hear nothing. A month goes by and they call to ask if we're still interested. I said yes but I was waiting for the call back as to how much tuition was gonna be. So she finally tells me and then tells me that they only have one of the days that we want now. They gave away one of the days that we were inquiring about! They need to get a little more organized. It just seemed like they really weren't interested in recruiting more kids into their program. It's kind of sad because I really think my daughter would have done well here. And to this day, I still get emails and phone calls from other Cole Academies around the state about openings and tours. I just wish this location could've been more attentive. read more

I am taking the time to write this review to warn all other parents to please search for alternate childcare facilities and avoid The Cole Academy at all cost. I started sending my oldest son to this location at 10 months old in the baby room. This was in 2019, and the school was being managed by Gaylen. The facilities were okay, definitely doesn't feel like an "academy" but the staff was very nice and I felt good about it overall. If you are reading this, you know our daycare options are limited for children under 2 in this area. Once my child turned 2, I sent him to another program. When my younger son was 1, I decided to send him to The Cole Academy as well. He went right into the wobbler room with Tiana whom we knew previously and loved. I found out a majority of the staff that had worked here had quit in the interim time between my children. Soon after he started, Tiana had decided to leave as well. There were basically none of the original teachers remaining, which should have been my biggest red flag. He transitioned into the toddler room for a few weeks and then I was given 2 days notice from Diane (the director) that the classroom was closing due to staff shortage because so many people had quit. How long was the closure expected to be? Unclear, hopefully a month she said. Until she could hire more people which was TBD. This was in March. I am writing this in July to say the toddler class is still shut down. As a family with 2 working parents with two children under 4, I cannot begin to explain the extreme strain this has put on our family. I was able to enroll this child in another school but he wouldn't be able to start until he turned 2. The Cole Academy has not worked with me at all to accommodate my child in these past 4 months. Diane is nice, but she has proven to be an extremely unsuccessful director of this "academy". This all goes without mentioning the safety hazards I have witnessed first hand in the classroom due to their ongoing staffing shortages. While I do not know the exact HI laws, I can say I have witnessed the toddler classroom of 10 being watched by only 1 adult. The dingy facility, the unreliability, and most importantly the safety issues are all reason to pass on this school. Do yourself a favor and find your child an alternate daycare program or get a nanny. read more

I can't say enough good things about the Cole Academy in Kaimuki. Our almost 3 year old has been attending for almost a year and a half now and his growth and knowledge base is incredible. He has gone from a shy and quiet child to a confident, easy going and "comfortable in all situation" kid. His academic knowledge has sky rocketed but more importantly his growth as a little human has just been phenomenal. The Cole Academy is not a "day care" - it's a well rounded, balanced, and nurturing school where your child will grow by leaps and bounds. Their teachers are teachers, not baby sitters and they all quickly become like family. I'm not a big Yelp person but I wanted to share what an awesome gem this school is. Don't let the cost scare you off. You really do "get what you pay for" and what is more important than your child's education? read more

The Cole Academy - Kaimuki - Preschools Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My daughter is currently in school at another location. I was considering to transfer her to Kaimuki location. I got a call for a space , but I told B I have some questions and then we will decide. She told me to have someone call , but never happens. I keep calling to follow up , but B said she told to someone to call or email me. This school , if you don't take immediately , they don't treat you nice. Today, I call again , but space was taken. B doesn't feel even sorry to me. Because they have lots of customer, their attitude is arrogant. They don't do tour , that's why I requested her to talk with someone about my questions before make decision. This school is very expensive, but I feel it's just ok. There are lots of good preschool than this with lower cost. read more

Be aware that Cole has a 24 hour sick child policy. Meaning that if a 3 month old, for example, is deemed to have thrown up rather than regurgitated food by their staff, of whom is not medically trained, your 3 month old child will be required to go home and will not be allowed to return until 24 hours later, even if one of the parents is in fact a trained and licensed medical professional (i.e., a doctor or nurse) and deems the child free of contagious illness and is otherwise healthy - meaning the child was misdiagnosed by the non-medically trained staff, most of whom are VERY young at this kaimuki location - including the supervisor/boss! In other words, if your child is sent home at 2p, your child cannot return to that day care, which is what it is, until 2p the following day, even if you - the parent - think your child is healthy prior to 2p the following day. But wait! It's super ok to bring your child back at 2:01p the following day!!!! See how ridiculous this policy is?! read more

I send my 1 year old baby boy here. The staff is great. The kids are so cute. I'm glad we found this place. They also give 50% off the first month's tuition! I recommend this school to everyone looking for great day care. read more

Totally the worst experience I could feel in this island. Office staffs are very rude and lazy, always miss the phone call and never give call back. Teachers looks very exhausted even in the morning. I was very lucky to notice these things before the end of deposit return date. read more

I've had both my kids here since they were 5 months old and the reason why we stayed so long is because of the teachers and staff. They've become like good friends, almost family, who really care about my children and notice all the small things they accomplish throughout the day. They've even helped me become a better parent, giving me tailored advice on feeding, sleeping and potty-training my kids. My kids have flourished under their teachers' care. Their student to teacher ratio is small so they can really keep a watchful eye on the kids, and whenever I go there to pick up my kids, the staff is constantly communicating with each other, adjusting the teachers based on the census, which tells me they really care about appropriate and safe staffing for my kids. In addition, they recently hosted their first ever movie night under the stars, and although I was hesitant to bring my kids 1) outdoors to a 2) movie at night 3) past their bedtime, I'm glad I did. They had a blast seeing their teachers and administrative staff members in a more relaxed, fun setting. They had a lot of games, prizes, snacks, drinks and they even pulled out some of the toys the kids loved to play with on the playground so the very little ones wouldn't get too bored. The kids loved it and had no problem staying for most of the movie. What a great event for the families and kids. Thank you again to all the wonderful staff there! Keep up the amazing job you guys do each day. We really appreciate everything you do! read more

Can you put a price on your child/children's education? Yes it's expensive and yes there are other private day care facilities that are less expensive. However the Cole Academy only takes the 8 major holidays and the day after thanksgiving off. You can drop off starting at 6:30am and pick up is at 6:00pm. Unfortunately, food it not provided, but they do have a meal plan that you can purchase. All baby supplies (diapers, creams, wipes, clothes etc) are provided by the parents. The classroom ratio is 1:4 & there is a structured lesson plan daily. At the Cole Academy, you truly get what you pay for. read more

Horrible experience! The Cole Academy took my deposit of $2K and has not returned it!!!!!! I was told the terms changed because of Covid and when I said I will not be going to the school they still have not given me my deposit back and it has been 5 months!!!!! I am a single widowed mom of 3 young boys and need my $2k back, I can not get any information or update. read more

This is a review for the downtown location. Overall it is clean, professional, and the location is great. Classrooms are bit small and there is no outdoor area. Our main teacher was nice but there were issues overall. I did pull my kid from this place because of the following reasons. I stayed with my child to see how the daycare was and how the transition was going. Some of the things I observed were absolutely not ok. There were 2 teachers, although, really you could say only one because one of them was busy filling out their reports, hanging art on the wall, or busy with other stuff that did not involve watching the kids. Strike one. On some of the days instead of the lady, there was a 20 something year old awkward guy that was the other teacher/assistant. No offense to young men but had I known that a 20 year old guy would be one of the teachers to these infants, I would not have enrolled my child here in the first place. Strike two. The main teacher was nice but she was so overwhelmed at times because the other teacher was busy with other stuff that she would use her phone and play cartoons to get the kids' attention. It wasn't for a long period of times or anything but no screen time means no screen time. Strike three. They must've overbooked or something because there was an older kid in my kid's group. Later I was told they were waiting for space in the older group to transfer this kid out. This older kid was acting up (maybe out of boredom or due to age). This kid was scratching other kid's faces, grabbing and pulling hair and face. It happened a few times to my kid and I let it go as kids being kids. However, it started happening every day and I observed other ones picking up her behaviors and showing signs of aggressive behavior to others. My kid had a scratch mark on the face and when i addressed this with the director, she basically hinted at us being lucky and that there is a waiting list for this place. This type of attitude from the director is not acceptable. This means that if I have concerns with anything in the future I wouldn't be able to address it with her because she would just remind us how "lucky" we were. There were a lot of other issues but this review is already getting long. All of the factors taken separately would've been ok, however, when you start having this many issues off the bat, especially for a place that charges more than any other daycare on this island, you have to question whether this place is just taking advantage of parent's desperation. Our money was not returned but we had little hope for that anyway. I wish they refined their procedures and maybe assistant teacher should not be allowed to fill out the paperwork when kids are awake and need to be watched instead. I also wish the director was a bit less condescending. read more

I originally was not going to write a review because I had verbal agreement that the Cole Academy would correct their issues and refund our deposit.... I've waited 3 months and still haven't been refunded. First off, my daughter only attended for one day and we immediately pulled her out. Since she began on the last day of the month we were told we were considered a drop in that day and we would receive 50% off our first full month. However, our bill indicated otherwise. During the 8 hours my daughter was there she only received 1 ounce of breastmilk and was only offered it 2 times the entire day. She was also left to sit in her own feces for over 2 hours. She came home dirty and raw from being rubbed too harshly. When my husband picked her up he waited over 5 minutes and watched both teachers, from the window in the door, ignore her while she screamed even though there were no other children present. When he entered the room she was literally tied down to a chair using a soiled blanket that was not ours. The yellow sheet that came home with my daughter, that reflected her day, contradicted itself and the time frame did not add up. We had to take our daughter to her pediatrician to be treated for dehydration and extreme diaper rash after her stay at Cole. I immediately contacted Cole Academy due to safety concerns for my daughter. I agreed not to publicly voice what happened or press the matter further if we could remove her and receive our refund. They are now refusing to contact us back despite our continued attempts. Besides the ill treatment of my daughter, the lead teacher in infant room B at Kapolei was very rude to me and disrespectful towards me. She was polite to my husband and daughter when they met her without me present. My husband is dark skin and I'm white... it was obvious on her face she was judging me based off my skin tone. As a mother I feel obligated to let other parents know what is really going on at the Cole Academy. Everything looks great up front and the yellow sheets they send home seem legit. But, we caught them in their own lies and our poor daughter suffered. According to their Academy our safety concerns and daughters well being aren't a top priority. Shame on you Cole Academy read more

We've had a really great experience with the Kaimuki branch of Cole Academy. My daughter has been in the 2s class and is absolutely thriving. (Miss Kelly was her primary teacher.) All of the teachers at Cole are very affectionate and gentle with the kids, and I love the structure and playful approach to learning. Transitioning to daycare was a bit tough for both my daughter and me, but the staff at Cole really did their best to make it as easy as possible, and my daughter eventually came to love and look forward to "school" each day. She adores her friends and happily shares all the exciting things she learns and does each day -- everything from experiencing the foods and traditions of the Phillipines to counting to 10 in Japanese, colors, letters, numbers, social habits - they really do it all here. I highly recommend Cole to other parents! read more

Our daughter went here for 8 months and was in the 2s class with Ms Kelly and Ms Liz. Overall we had a wonderful experience. The teachers are so patient and loving. Our daughter had a hard time adjusting (this was her first day care experience) and they really made her feel safe and helped ease her into her new environment. The 3s teacher, Ms Cathy is also very sweet. Our daughter would spend time in her class as well and always talked about how much she loved Ms Cathy! The curriculum is well rounded and multi-cultural. We love this place! read more

My child has been attending the Cole Academy since 1 year old and will be graduating this year and already talks about visiting when in kindergarten to see the teachers. All the teachers in all classes are great and really caring. As another yelp reviewer noted, this is not a daycare but a true preschool with a structured curriculum. We applied to 5 private schools for kindergarten, including the top schools on the island and my child got accepted in 3 and wait listed for 2. I attribute this to the Cole academy. This is a great school with wonderful teachers and staff who will prepare your child well for the next steps whatever they might be. Their hours are amazing also. They open at 6.30 and close at 6. I highly recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a trusted and nurturing environment for their kids read more

Our experience with the Administrative staff has always been positive and, when they are not in the office, it is usually because they are interacting with the students. That said, we enrolled our children here based on two primary factors: (1) safety and (2) educational quality. We did exhaustive research on which early school to send our children to and The Cole Academy in Kaimuki came up again and again as the top choice, which has proven to be well deserved. The teachers did a magnificent job preparing our oldest for the extremely competitive private school kindergarten admission process here in Hawaii (she was accepted to her first choice), and our youngest is learning by leaps and bounds. Great school. read more

I am so thrilled to have found this gem! From the day my son and I arrived I have felt a part of the family. The teachers are warm and loving. My son began in the 3 year old class and his teachers went beyond my expectations in making sure he felt comfortable with his transition into school. Within a month of him entering Jr. K he was reading and doing addition. A good education is worth every penny, to me! The office staff is also lovely to work with. Love, love, love! read more

My daughter came to Cole in Kaimuki for 2 years. Great transition to childcare and school environment before she went off to another preschool. Teachers are loving, patient and kind. Lots of great activities, outings, performances for the kids and they bring a book fair regularly so you can stock your home library. We love Miss Kelly who was so great with our daughter and Taira does an excellent job running the program. Thanks for taking great care of my daughter!! read more

I don't understand why there aren't hundreds of reviews shouting praises for this daycare / preschool. My granddaughter has been going there for over 3 years, since she was 9 months old. I believe the main teacher in each room has a degree in elementary edu or early childhood development. Their interactions with the children are beautiful to watch (and learn from). The curricula is rich and varied -- granddaughter comes home with facts and insights and experiences that she never would have gotten otherwise. The children learn and are loved. Our only concern: when she goes on to kindergarten and beyond, will her school come even close to the quality of Cole. read more

We moved our child from another well known licensed care provider to Cole Academy this past April... And, we've been very happy with our child's physical, mental, and social development. Our experience with the infant care and the wobbler/toddler program has been great. Some of the things we like... The teachers (who make all the difference) in the infant room and the wobbler/toddler rooms are wonderful. We like the structure and the leadership that the school provides. We also like the outdoor play ground, and the monthly themes and Friday water play. All of this adds to the growth and development; and learning how to interact with other children, and preparing for the future classes. read more

My daughter has been attending the Cole Academy 10th Ave. location for 6 months in the infant classroom and we absolutely LOVE this school, the teachers, and the office staff. What I love about this school is: 1) my daughter is loved and cared for by her teachers and is part of a little baby community of friends in her class. She is welcomed every single day by name and is shown so much love. 2) Their curriculum! My baby has learned SO much in the time she has been at this school and is not only engaging in play but is learning through play. She gets a report every single day with her activities that always involve music, art, reading and socializing. 3) The office staff is so amazing. They are always so willing to help and are great at answering any questions. We are moving to the mainland and WISH that we could find a school like Cole Academy 10th Ave. for our girl in our new city. We are SO sad to leave but are even more thankful for the incredible care our baby has received from this school. read more