Outstanding preschool with great personal attention. Our daughter has thrived attending here. We…read morelove Ms. Jolisa, Ms. Mariah, Ms. Sadaf, and Ms. Angela!

Let me start off by saying that my son started in a different preschool nearby and we had a pretty…read morenegative experience (a review to come). He had never stayed with anyone but family before this, so I was pretty anxious about leaving him. When I found Matawan Montessori through an internet search for local Montessori preschools, I was excited because it was so close to our home. I immediately made an appointment to meet the director and bring my son in for a visit. Mr. Chris, the director, was delightful. He showed a true interest in my son and encouraged me to bring him in for a half-day session to see how he liked it. We did and the rest is history! He LOVED IT! I immediately felt very comfortable with the staff and environment there. Montessori was the perfect place for my little guy, who was just two and a half at the time, but started in the 3-6 year group because they saw that his interest and attention span were a bit above his age. He will be going into his sixth month at the school and I can't say enough about the staff. His head teacher, Mrs. Marina is fabulous and brings with her a lot of Montessori experience. Her assistants, Kelly and Sheeta show so much caring and compassion, and my son just loves them. He hugs them goodbye each day. Staff meets you at your car and escorts your child into the school. When you pick up, it's the same. They have a day each week where they spend some time focusing on music and one day for gym where the kids learn about fitness and eating well. They also teach Chinese and Spanish in the classroom one day a week. My son has really blossomed in this school. The Montessori method is a fabulous way to allow a child to develop their independence along with a sense of discipline and purpose. It allows them to learn at their own pace, regardless of age, and having the older children in the classroom with the younger gives the little ones role models. This lets the older children feel a sense of pride in helping their younger coeds. Matawan Montessori comes through with flying colors. I would recommend this school to anyone!

I would AVOID Kindercare of Aberdeen at all costs. I too was a very happy parent until the weekend…read morebefore the New Year of 2024. Our child was completely unsupervised for a total of 28 minutes and left outside in the cold, dark, back playground with all gates open for any predator to come in and have potentially kidnap her. Two teachers were unable to account for a measly eight students. This was absolutely terrifying and at no time did the center nor district director attempt to rectify the situation and just said sorry and that they would write up the two teachers that failed their protocol of doing a face to name check going out and coming back in the building. This just goes to show that just having bodies and not qualified intelligent individuals are sought out after for the care of our children. No one knew where she was when we couldn't find her when we went to pick her up until my husband walked past a window and my daughter saw him and immediately started hysterically crying. Total neglect. To make matters worse there is no transparency made to the parents of this incident and what actions will be conducted moving forward to avoid this from happening to another child and instead is all hush, hush. Unless you decide to disenroll your child, don't expect a call expressing a sincere apology or rectifications to any of your concerns or serious ill events such as if your kid gets forgotten outside completely alone. The assistant director was the only one with the decency to call and actually ask how our daughter, myself and husband were doing. Although she was also ultimately responsible for this horrific event, she is the only one that owned up to this mistake. Not the teachers, not the director, nonetheless the district director. If you're a parent of Kindercare I suggest questioning all of your gut feelings and having them addressed immediately. I have seen videos of same exact instances with Kindercare in another state and other daycare establishments with news stations involved for children being left outside for a total of 3 to 8 minutes during the day! Can you imagine how serious this is for 28 minutes in the cold and dark?! What could have happen that didn't, thank god?! Let this sink in as you read all the other positive reviews as did I. It takes seconds to make a life altering mistake for a family that entrusts their heart, body and soul with utter and complete strangers. Shame on you all. Our daughter is 2.5 and couldn't tell us what happened during that 30 minute time frame she was outside in the dark nor are there cameras over looking the playground with gates open at all times incase of an "emergency". All other centers have alarms on the gates at the very least. Simple, cheap, effective way to avoid kidnappings when your kid is forgotten outside by their caretakers. An investment that will hopefully be made very soon after this inexcusable mistake.

Our almost 3 year old daughter is receiving an Incredible education. Ms. Julie and ms. Leah are so…read morewarm and welcoming every single day- our daughter loves them and it makes dropping her off everyday so much easier. I am so grateful for them.

My son started Goddard at 18 months after we had two not so great experiences at other local…read moredaycares. From day one we were welcomed with open arms. As a parent, the #1 thing you care about when your kid is at daycare is that they are safe. #2 is that they are having fun. My son loved this school so much that often when I would pick him up, he didn't want to leave. My son exceled on so many things since starting this school - at 3 years old he can write every letter of the Alphabet and even say all of his colors and numbers in Spanish! But most of all, my son who used to be painfully shy is one of the most outgoing and social 3 year old I know. I have all of his amazing teachers to thank for this. This school is more then just a daycare, you are treating like family. Again, my son started at 18 months in the room the "strawberries" - which was a great first room for him. He's been in 2 other classes since, and has had nothing but fantastic teachers along the way. We are leaving Goddard to go into our towns public school and we are heartbroken to leave but we are so grateful to have made the memories and friends we made along the way. We will forever remember our Goddard family.

Terrible experiences with the teachers, from witnessing wrongful/abusive disciplining to not giving…read moreenough lunch time for kids. Not many staffs have been there a long time except 3-4 teachers and 1 Ass Director, Michelle, tho they sell you like thats not the case. Moms need to share their exp honestly, otherwise, our kids will suffer.

My daughter had a wonderful experience at this daycare. From the very beginning, the staff made us…read morefeel comfortable and welcomed. The teachers are caring, patient, and truly attentive to each child's needs. The environment is always clean, safe, and full of positive energy. I would especially like to thank Mr. Tariq, the owner, for his outstanding leadership. He is kind, professional, and clearly dedicated to creating a nurturing space for children and peace of mind for parents. I am very grateful for the love and support my daughter received every day. I highly recommend this daycare to any parent looking for a trustworthy and caring place.

I feel compelled to share a more candid perspective based on my wife Dana's recent experience as a…read moredirector at this school. Dana is a highly experienced, deeply principled professional who poured her heart into this role. She was consistently praised by families for her leadership and the genuine care she brought to the school community. Unfortunately, her time here was marked by persistent professional undermining from ownership. Over time, support from leadership--particularly from Rick--deteriorated to the point of complete silence, making it extremely difficult for her to carry out her responsibilities. This was not just discouraging; it was incredibly undermining and unsustainable. While many of the positive reviews may reflect genuine experiences, it's also important to consider that current staff and families can feel pressure to remain silent or offer only praise. My intent is not to disparage, but to offer a fuller picture of the internal culture--one that, in our experience, lacks transparency, professionalism, and respect for the very individuals who work tirelessly to support the children. I sincerely hope Rick and Rena reflects on the treatment of their leadership and take steps to foster a more respectful, accountable environment. Families deserve to know that the people entrusted with their children are also supported and valued. Good luck to you guys in your future at the schools you have- it is to my understanding that you will absolutely need it.

Wonderful place to send our kids. Love this community and the values it teaches our kidsread more

Freehold Montessori School was my (now four-year old) daughter's first introduction to a…read moreclassroom/learning environment and we could not have been more grateful and appreciative of the entire experience. Nothing has compared to the peace of mind of dropping her off every day knowing that she was being thoughtfully developed in a safe and joyful environment by an academic staff that would embrace her individualism while instilling within her the skills to become a life-long learner. Honestly, our only regret was not enrolling our daughter sooner. While I cannot say enough wonderful things about this school, here are the most immediate that come to mind: 1. Ms. Margaret - If only we could clone Ms. Margaret and put her into every classroom across the country! She is truly an effective teacher that is passionate about sparking curiosity in her students and ensuring they are given the tools to maximize their potential. She effortlessly goes beyond "textbook" teaching to insert micro lessons about everyday life. The students are constantly learning in a fun and memorable way. Ms. Margaret also understands that every student is different, she is very tailored in her engagement. While we did not have the pleasure of working with teachers from the other buildings, I have to assume they are just as spectacular and aligned with the overall vision and philosophy of the school. 2. Relatedly, we were very appreciative of the thorough parent-teacher/director feedback loop at FMS. Parent-teacher conferences are in-depth and productive. We were given the details of our daughter's performance, saw samples of her work, side by side progress in her writing, and tangible examples of her day-to-day/contributions to various activities in the classroom. We were given the gift of learning about our daughter in a completely different setting and were able to understand areas we could reinforce at home. 3. Similarly, the school director - Ms. Yogi - is prompt, accessible and always acting in the best interests of the students. If we ever needed anything, she was very responsive, took action immediately and was incredibly thoughtful in following-up. During my initial tour of the school with Ms. Yogi, I noticed that she not only knew each student across all three buildings by name - but she truly understood each child and their personality/needs. She is an impressive leader and has cultivated a nurturing and emotionally secure environment for her students, while delivering excellence in academics. Within the first few minutes of speaking with Ms. Yogi, I knew this was the school for my daughter. Having meticulously researched and visited most preschools within the area - I can say FMS operates in a class of its own. There is no other school out there that provides a nurturing, yet academically enriching and diverse learning sanctuary. I am confident that any parent enrolling their child here will be just as pleased with their experience.

On multiple occasions I heard the teachers in the older childrens' rooms raising their voices…read moreloudly at children who were simply touching things or asking questions (in other words, normal kid behavior that needed gentle guidance & redirection, not an emergency situation of any kind). I could hear this while standing outside the building during pick-up and I also heard it when inside the building in the halls. My child started as a very young infant and the 2 caregivers that worked with her most closely seemed annoyed that she was struggling to take a bottle, or cried, or wanted to be held, or struggled with the texture of some foods when she was later starting on solids. All normal parts of development, learning to eat, etc. Caregiver would make negative comments to my baby in front of me at drop off if the baby started to fuss when separating from me. The 3rd caregiver she had at the school did seem caring and attentive and started to do sensory activities daily. Prior to this, it seemed that there were no books read, songs sang, games played, sensory activities. Staff wanted babies to lay and play by themselves. When I entered the room on a few occasions, I saw most staff scrolling on their phones while sitting on the floor rocking babies in rockers or on their bodies, and with older babies crawling around and not being interacted with. My child seemed traumatized by the lack of nurturing caregiver with whom to bond on her first times away from her mom.

My daughter and I absolutely love Holmdel Preschool! I was so nervous to leave my baby and go back…read moreto work, but Debbie and her teachers have made us feel so comfortable and safe. My daughter loves going to school everyday, excited to see what new things they will learn. I've watched her little mind grow so much this year. I am so happy I chose Holmdel Preschool & will be bringing my son in September too!

As a parent, this is not easy to write -- but I believe other families deserve to know what really…read morehappens behind the smiles. While everything looks perfect when parents are around, once you leave, the atmosphere completely changes. Teachers frequently raise their voices at the children, even waking toddlers up from naps by yelling, instead of using care or patience. The environment feels tense and fearful rather than loving and supportive, which is the opposite of what any child should experience in daycare. They also claim the cameras are "live view only" and do not record, which leaves parents without any accountability or evidence if something goes wrong. Diapers are often changed only twice a day, and food or bottles are not always properly labeled -- small things that add up to big concerns for hygiene and care. This review isn't out of anger -- it's out of disappointment. Our children deserve gentle voices, patience, and genuine care. I hope this center takes this feedback seriously and makes the necessary changes to protect the wellbeing of every child.

My daughter went here for almost a year (age 12-23 months). We were very pleased with the…read moreteacher:child ratio, class size, activities, personal care (diapers, clothes, etc) and feeding cycles. The activities were very nice as well (my little girl learnt yoga there and would make us do it with her at home too). It didnt take much for her to bond with her educators. If we hadn`t relocated, she would still be going there till pre-K/K.

I do not usually write reviews, but I believe this is an issue of safety so I would like to warn…read moreother parents. My daughter attended one day at this preschool, and while she did like it and seemed to be well cared for, my issue is with the complete lack of security and seeming protocols this school has. The doors to the building are not locked as there is no separate entrance for the school. During drop off EVERYTHING is wide open and there is no security about who is coming in and out at all. We dropped our daughter off and were loosely told to sign her in and out. We were not shown where to sign a name or anything, or shown anything at all. There was just a place for the time. I put the time and my husband and I left. My husband went alone to pick up our daughter, I have two other children, and he was able to pick her up without 1. Signing her out 2. Saying who he was. He basically walked in, the teacher told him what her day was like and he took her home, ON THE FIRST DAY! They didn't know who he was? What if we had a custody agreement and her father wasn't supposed to be picking her up? To say the least I was alarmed. I called Christine and explained my concerns to her and got response like "well it was the first day" and "well the teachers know the parents from orientation". Just a note, we were not at orientation because my daughter was very ill that day, so they didn't know us at all. By the end of the conversation I told her I thought there practices were out of date and that I'd like a refund. She said she's "never experienced anything like this before" and I would get a refund by the end of the month. I also received an email with individual pictures of every child in the class. Not group pictures, not pictures of just my child, but a mass email of individual pictures to all parents. When I brought this up to Christine she said "well they're not on social media." Well they might as well be because I do not know any of those parents in the class and I did not remember signing a waiver, and even if I did, are you just too lazy to send the three pictures of each child to each parent? To say the least I am appalled at the lack of security in protecting my child and then the unapologetic reactions to my concerns. Times have changed and protocols should be updated.

I toured many schools when I first moved to the area and I'm so happy that I chose Busy Bear. My…read morechildren learned so much and loved it!! They always received one on one attention and with smaller class sizes excelled greatly and made life long friends. The staff is amazing and it truly felt like an extended family. My twins are just finishing their 1st grade year of school and they are off the charts academically but even more importantly teacher's have expressed that they are role models for their fellow class mates and I can definitely attribute much of that to their wonderful beginnings at Busy Bear!