Stay away !!!! This place is not for working families. They will call you for no reason to pic up the kid. Those are there rules and thats it. Dawn is not the honest person to deal with. Any argument she will make you pay. Extra fees are everywhere. Other places are more convenient and loving. Early drop off is a rip off there. You are paying for lunch that basically kids don't eat. Need to supply them with extra. My daughter was left in cold weather outside, shivering from cold and crying, I found her in playgrounds and teachers says.... We gave her hugs and kisses I hope she will be well. Teachers are changing very frequently. That make it very strange. Either there are overwhelmed or underpaid. read more

The school is absolutely wonderful with a fun, stimulating and varied curriculum. In my opinion it's a perfect balance of activities that incorporate all the critical early development milestones. There is both predictability in the schedule blended with new experiences. My children love it there and cannot wait to return for another year. Location is ideal. The playground and outdoor scenery is picturesque, located on a one way quiet and clean residential street. The classroom is bright and inviting. My kids absolutely love love the art projects. There is even group yoga!! And introduction of computer skills. I think it's great how there are different themes throughout the school year with emphasis on important health, science, safety, and community topics and more. The staff are warm, friendly, patient and professional and they seem very well versed in early childhood development and education. The drop off and pick up are well organized. It is amazing how much my child has excelled and matured socially and emotionally thanks to this wonderful, thoughtful and well laid out program. Definitely highly recommend!!! read more

If I could give 0 stars for this school I would. Dawn had no issue taking a deposit without clearly explaining the requirements for admission. Since deposits are made through Venmo, nothing can be cancelled. She does not return phone calls or emails and is barely on premises, hence, not knowing what is happening in the school. After my child was disqualified as per their admission criteria, no attempts were made to reach out or even speak about returning the deposit. This school does not care about relationships with families but the money. Do not send your child here. read more

1 star for administration 4 stars for teachers Disappointed in the administration's ability to work with parents, their judgmental approach to labeling a child's disorder, and the wall they put up in stating your child is a threat to their business. Unless you have a perfect child - do not go here! My son was diagnosed with controllable epilepsy and is taking medication that can occasionally hinder his judgment of a situation which can cause a tantrum if not quickly diverted. Although the tantrums were few and far between and we were working on coping mechanisms with our son - and teachers were fine tuning their approach - the administration kicked him out. We had an informal agreement to define a structured path with milestones to improve behavior, however when it came time to define this, the administration was unwilling to work with us. If you are having issues, I assure you your child is not the only one. After it was conveyed to me that my son does not sit in circle time and sleeps too long (supposedly serious offenses), I picked him up from the class room. Where he was sitting in circle time and entertaining his friends while another child was having a tantrum not wanting to sit in circle time and yet another one would not wake up from his nap. Definitely double-standards and no compassion. I emphasize it was not the teachers who were unwilling to work with us and the parents are pretty cool here too. So anybody considering this school beware ... define a formal escalation process for issues if you choose to send your child here. read more

I can not say enough about the wonderful experience my daughter had at the summer camp program at Growing Tree. She is 2 and a half and it was her first experience at a nursery school. I thought her transition would be a difficult one as she is a stage 5 clinger! All of our fears were met with care and tenderness by all of her teachers and staff. She went from being scared on day one to quickly looking forward to all the fun activities she would be doing at camp everyday. If you are looking for a preschool in the area, look no further!! You will know what I mean when you speak/meet the owner/director Dawn Friedman. She is so helpful, knowledgeable and genuinely cares about her students and parents comfort. Her vast experience and dedication really shines through this place. You will not be disappointed. read more

This is honestly the best school I've been to. The attention to detail, attention to the children, even the parents--its amazing. My kids have been learning so much here. Science learning at age 3?? Spanish, yoga, soccer, splash day, the beautiful playground. Its really a bar above the rest. read more

I absolutely love this school! My daughter is happier than ever. Every morning she wakes up asking to go to school! She absolutely loves her friends and teachers! The teachers are amazing! Experienced and so nurturing to the children. Super friendly and inviting. The staff is great overall! Dawn - the director- is very well educated and organized. She knows what she's doing to keep kids learning! My daughter is in the 3s program has been able to write and identify her name for months. She's learned so much this year and we haven't even gotten the full year because of this pandemic!! All I know is that I highly recommend this program to anyone with littles!! It's super clean and so safe. They are structured and have their rules for good reason! I can't wait for my daughter to return for PreK! read more

I attended Growing Tree as a preschooler over 25 years ago, and jumped at the chance to consider the school for my own daughter. I truly had fond memories of my time there, and was so hopeful that it was still the loving, supportive, warm, and fun place that I remembered. When I first toured with my daughter, we were greeted with big smiles and genuine curiosity and interest in every room. The students were SO happy, and it was clear their teachers loved them very much. Not only was love apparent, but classroom structures, routines, and expectations were clear. Since beginning at Growing Tree at the start of this school year, my child has completely thrived. Her teachers really know and understand her, and she has grown so much. I am, of course, beyond happy with what she has learned, but I am even more thrilled that she has become so confident and has created such great friendships. Highly, highly recommend Growing Tree! read more

We love this school! The teachers are experienced, enthusiastic, caring and they know their pedagogy! Dawn, the director of the school, cares deeply about each and every one of her students and their families and goes above and beyond to build an effective and relevant curriculum for preschoolers! My son has been going here for two years and has also attended their summer camp and he has blossomed so much as a result of being enrolled here, with these teachers and staff! Before attending Growing Tree he had never experienced any sort of separation and the teachers here made him feel so comfortable and loved that he is excited and happy to attend school each day! His language skills have improved leaps and bounds and he has really come out of his shell socially and emotionally! We are so proud of what he's been able to accomplish at Growing Tree and it is a true testament to the teachers and staff there that he's been able to make such progress! We cannot wait for him to be able to go back next year once this pandemic is over! Growing Tree is a hidden gem and the parents who send their kids there know it! It is a fantastic nursery school! read more

I worked at the growing tree north, it is the same school in a different location run by the same family. If I could give them 0 stars, I would. They overcharge parents and charge them for certain child care amenities they are not receiving. Even though they tell the families they are receiving those amenities. Management is mediocre and does not treat employees appropriately. Dawn was nice the few times I met her. I met with her husband who ran the growing tree north school, twice. I personally didn't have a problem but heard horror stories from most employees. Some were long time employees. They do not provide appropriate breaks for part time employees when they work over 6 hours (which I had to do multiple times) and that is illegal. They told multiple workers they provide benefits for full time. Speaking with other employees, it turns out they do not. It is a family run business. The owners leave the office/daycare in the control of their less than qualified daughter, Amy. She is rude and nasty to the employees. She has that "I work for mommy and daddy" attitude and feels she can speak to people and treat them how she wants. None of the teachers like her. They roll their eyes when she leaves the room or demands something be done. Some of the children do not like her either. They hire anyone off the street (background check and fingerprinting completed) but some of the workers are not qualified to take care of the children. Certain teachers are not nice to the children. They yell and scream in the faces of 3 year olds. I have heard and witnessed this. Fire drills are conducted in all weather conditions, rain and snow included. They make the children and employees stand in all weather conditions. The babies are brought out in their cribs which are then brought back in, wet and cold. These children have to sleep in these cribs. DO NOT GIVE THIS DAYCARE YOUR BUSINESS. YOU ARE NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR. They may say there is a lack of turn over but having worked there and spoken to my coworkers, that is a lie. Yes there are some long term employees but they speak negatively about the employers and the way the school is run. They have said that they only stay for the children or because it is something for them to do. read more

If I could I would give this nursery school 0 starts. I was actually a teachers assistant here. The owner is probably one of the fakest people iv ever met. They treat their staff horribly. I am a teachers assistant and I would never ever send my kid here. They are very very very nasty and treat people horribly. STAY AWAY!! read more

My daughter had a great experience at this preschool for their 3's program. Her teachers were GREAT and the kids in her class were wonderful as well. I think that the experienced head teacher helped to make sure all of the students were learning, not just academically, but socially as well. Everyone was very respectful and friendly to each other and my kid came home with a good attitude, stories about her day and cool finished projects. The facility is beautiful and the playground was the nicest I have ever seen at any preschool. It is a bit expensive which is why some families might not be able to do more than a few days per week... It would be great if they had a scholarship program for low-income or even lower-end middle income families. I've suggested this idea and the owner did not express any plans to do that and so I would take away one star. The fact that you can do a few days vs a 5 day requirement is however, very nice to have as an option which is why I'm not taking off 2 stars. I know what it's like to have bad experiences with preschools since I have had some with my other kid, but everyone has their own unique experiences. Overall, we had a great experience here. read more

my daughter went there for the Pre-K program. It was horrible...she did almost nothing educational or learn social skills. All she did was play (without adult interaction), watch videos, and listen to music. Her teacher was also absent a lot and was not replaced with a consistent substitute. I was told she could not write her name. I came home and with in 10 minutes she was writing it. What were they teaching her at school all day 9am - 2pm five days a week? The teachers and director were always very defensive whenever I called about something. This was the most expensive ($11,000 for the year) and inefficient school that I ever encountered. As a teacher myself of early childhood for 23 years, I am appalled that a school like this continues to exist! I caution anyone who considers this school for their child as I am not the only parent who was unhappy with this school. Don't be fooled...they do nothing and they don't care! read more

staff is nuturing and work very hard. wonderful art activities. great facility. my child learned so much and was very prepared for kindergarden. she was thrilled to go each day-literally ran into school each day. very clean. classrooms are filled with sunlight from large windows overlooking roslyn duck pond read more