I'm a social worker who works with children & families across NJ and I have three children who…read morecurrently attend this daycare for well over a year now. Ms. Angela, Ms. Kayla, Ms. Tamia, & Ms. Zeba have been there from day one and are amazing early educators. I cannot thank them enough for the care & education they provide my children with on a daily basis. Other teachers/aides are also wonderful with the children, Ms. Sam & Alyssa have been wonderful additions to the classroom. The front office staff is very friendly, super helpful with communication, and answering any questions that may arise. Jamie, Julie, Bonnie, and Amy have always been supportive and available to our family and I've even seen them help out in the classrooms with the children when needed. The school has camera access so when I get a chance, I often see the children learning to write, sensory learning, circle time, and many librarian visits. They also offer breakfast, lunch, snack, & transportation. Kiddie Academy in Toms River has been a huge support for my family.

From the owner: Kiddie Academy of Toms River, an educational daycare in Toms River, offers age-specific child care…read moreprograms. Our flexible, standard-based curriculum encourages children to progress in school and in life. We pride ourselves in providing a daycare that focuses on developing positive character traits for kids, while providing a nurturing learning environment. Our programs can range from infant and toddler to kindergarten and school age. Read our child care reviews, take a virtual tour and learn more about Kiddie Academy to find the best "daycare near me" for you and your child.

Peppermint Tree is excellent when you have an only child! Even if you don't require child care,…read moreaffording your child that social interaction is huge for their growth! It is also an excellent place to prepare your child for Kindergarten so they won't go in overwhelmed and scared. At home we can provide structure and learning tools but it just isn't the same as a true school environment. My son gets excited to see his teachers & his friends. He looks forward to gardening, dance parties and art projects. His overall growth has also jumped leaps and bounds from when he first started last year. So much so we extended his hours from half to full day! We also LOVE that the classes are small & the teachers build a close relationship w/ every child. Touring other schools was quite scary seeing kids screaming and overwhelmed staff. I can assure you Peppermint Tree is not and never will be that way! You also have a built in Summer Camp w/ 2 pools to accommodate all age groups. Did I mention swimming lessons, class trips, gardening, ice cream days, etc? All those things are either part of class or an option to add on. So if you are on the fence about where or if you are going to enroll your child, Peppermint Tree is definitely the Best Choice!

My child was enrolled in Peppermint Tree's summer camp. He was there for 5 hours and he was out…read more(playground & pool) from 10:30 am until 11:30 am. Then they'd go inside from noon until 3 pm. This was their time to eat and sleep! Their naptime was 2 hours. So, if you want your 4.5 year old toddler to go to summer camp and nap for 2 hours this is your place. There were no other activities as promised on the schedule we were emailed to before camp began. The schedule showed that they were going to do arts, science and so many fun things. When I asked if he was doing any of these things I was told by his teachers that most of these were happening during his pool time. Really? Isn't the establishment's responsibility to ensure that all groups get to do these "fun things?" Why should a 4.5 yr old eat and sleep from 12 pm - 3 pm. There is plenty of time for his "teachers" to read books, engage them in fun/educational activities while they're inside. So really, all that money we paid for was only for 2 hours (run around in the playground and use the pool). Our child didn't learn anything, there were no educational activities as the written schedule showed, and we basically paid for 5 hours, 3 out of which were eat and sleep! I don't recommend this place whether it is for summer camp or as a daycare. Unless you want to use it as a babysitting place, sure, then it's fine. Just don't expect your child to learn here...

I am a 5 year employee of Sung Star Academy. Everyone who…read moreworks here loves children and they are all dedicated to their students as well as being amazing team players with each other. Our Director is such an phenomenal boss!! she is so compassionate, supportive and understanding of all of her employees. She is beyond professional and totally devoted to Sung Star including the health and well being of all of the staff, the students and their families. Ms. Young has created a positive, caring, safe and fun learning environment for all. I felt compelled to write this review after a false slanderous review was brought to my attention.

I just wanted to take a moment to shout out to the staff and owner of Sung Star. My daughter loves…read moreher school and is learning so much at Sung Star. The staff is amazing and I know my daughter is safe and having fun when she is at school. Thank you!!

Professional and caring staff. Very low turnover makes it feel like you are part of a big family.read more

New I would like to share my disappointing experience with…read moreWestminster school. My grandson was potty training. His teacher initially assured me that the school would follow our routine. However, when the teacher went on leave the teachers assistant took over and expressed that she couldn't regularly inquire about my grandson's needs. this seemed unreasonable, especially considering his age. The situation escalated when the teachers assistant falsely accused me of being aggressive. I was disappointed by the administrators handling of the situation, including false claims that I had instructed other parents on snack options due to my grandson's egg allergy. The administrators dishonesty coupled the teachers assistance. Actions led to our decision to withdraw my grandson from the school. The administrator, subsequent expressions of sadness seemed in sincere as it appeared to be motivated by financial concerns. I just want to caution others that it appears to be a culture of dishonesty among staff members. If a teacher assistant inability to engage in a conversation with a grandparent because she is sensitive. She shouldn't be interacting with the public. No one knew that the teacher went out on maternity leave.

My children have attended smart start for a few years. Wonderful staff. Clean environment. And most…read moreimportantly they are learning. Both socially & academically.

My son has been attending Smart Start Academy for 6 months now. He loves his teachers and his…read moreclass!! They are the best teachers and so attentive to all the children. He is learning so much in the toddler classroom!! I highly reccomend this day care!!

I enjoyed the tour I was given. Everything was nice, clean, and quiet. The staff there were…read moreexcellent and nice.

I am absolutely appalled by my experience with The Learning Experience of Toms River. Imagine…read morereceiving a phone call from Child Protective Services informing you that your child's teacher was anonymously reported for **physically abusing him**--this was my reality. I rushed to pick up my son, panicked and horrified, only to be met with a director who seemed more concerned about **staff conflicts** than the safety of my child. I was told that teachers may have reported each other due to personal grievances, as if that somehow made this situation any less alarming. When we rightfully asked for our money back--since there was no chance we'd be sending our child back to an environment where this was even a possibility--we were told we had to **wait for the investigation's outcome.** No compassion, no urgency, no reassurance--just indifference. And to make matters worse, we haven't heard a single word from them since. The investigation concluded with some teachers saying they witnessed the incident and others claiming they did not. Because of this, the state ruled they **could not confirm the allegations.** But what does that mean for my child, who was the victim in all of this? The teacher in question is now likely reinstated and undergoing "training." That is absolutely **sickening.** When I asked if they had cameras in the classroom during my first meeting with them, I was told, **"Yes, we do" Never did I think to ask, **"Do your cameras also record?"** because, like most parents, I assumed they did. Had I known otherwise, I **never** would have entrusted my child to this place. At the very least, I expected The Learning Experience to handle this situation with care and transparency. Instead, they offered **no support, no communication, and no accountability.** I feel completely misled, disappointed, and betrayed. If you are considering this daycare, **please think twice.** No child should ever have to experience what mine did.

PreK class had more than 20 kids - too big for a private school compared to other private nursery…read moreschools. Teachers need to do better as well as director. Overpriced for what they provide.

It saddens me that after nearly 2 years at OKA, my child was a victim of continued biting incidents…read morefrom the same student that were not properly addressed by OKA staff. Let me preface by stating that I understand this situation is regarding a two year old child who is learning right from wrong, my main concern lies in management's lack of transparency and failure to appropriately communicate and uphold any policy related to the repeated incidents that compromised my child's safety. Our child suffered bites to the face, both arms and hands by the same child on 4 different occasions. When the behavior first arose, my child was in the toddler level classroom and I was told by the school that there was a zero tolerance policy for this behavior once the behavior was displayed in the preschool level classroom. When it happened a second time and in the preschool classroom, I was then told that the policy was now a 3 strikes policy (a policy that was not documented in their handbook and is still not reflected on their website which has a 2020 version of the handbook currently listed). On the same occasion, the teacher informed us that the bite left no mark, until we requested a photo and only then she said said "When looking at it now you can see a small mark." When it happened again, the student was temporarily suspended. But at pickup on the day of the most recent incident, the director pulled me aside and asked me if my wife would meet with the mother of the child who was doing the biting. She then inappropriately requested that I as her father not be present during this meeting since she felt this situation would be best discussed between mothers. She told me that we needed to have more empathy and understanding for the personal situation of the child doing the biting, however we were shown a clear lack of empathy for our child who was the continued subject of the biting. In this conversation I was made aware by the director herself that this child had recently bitten another student, which meant that with my daughter's newest bite, this student was already beyond the three strikes. However because the other child's family (who's parent is an OKA staff member) was willing to give the biter a "free pass", it did not count towards the three strikes. When I voiced concerns about the exception of the three strikes policy to the director, and that it left the door open for my child and others to be harmed, I was berated by her and told that my wife and I were gaslighting her. After 4 incidents and repeated failure by the school to properly address the situation, we made the decision to take matters and our daughter's safety into our own hands and withdraw her from the program. I've never experienced this level of unprofessionalism in my life, and especially by someone who is supposed to be caring for my child. The state really should look into this school with a fine tooth comb and parents should proceed with extreme caution before considering sending their child here, as policies directly related to child safety are inconsistently applied by management.

My daughter only attended 5 months out of that I was asked to keep her home even with a doctors…read morenote over a common cold or had to pick her up because she coughed And still having to pay the 70$ day rate While in the waddler room teachers where nice once she got moved to the preschool room her teacher had an attitude every morning I don't know how you can work with children and not be compassionate or understanding to their small emotions I never got an evaluation of how's she's doing or anything overall wouldn't ever go back .