I have been holding off on writing this review for nearly a year, and finally I feel like I can…read morewrite it with confidence.
About 1 year ago, I had my then 18 month old son enrolled in a different, nearby daycare (which I also left a review for), and it was a nightmare from the start. Being a parent, all you want to do is find the perfect place to bring your child, somewhere that you will make you feel comfortable, and not filled with constant anxiety. I have been lucky enough to feel so happy and confident in my decision to send my son to Legacy Academy.
I will preempt this whole review by saying that my son is very difficult. Not in a bad way, but in a hard way. He is super sensitive, very scared of strangers and unfamiliar environment. I know this sounds typical of a toddler, but he is a very extreme case. It was very stressful finding a center that would deal well with this, and really deal with it well. Luckily, Legacy Academy was very capable and willing to work with him.
When he first started, he was in the early toddler room (18 months-24 months), with a teacher named Ms. Jenn. When I first met Ms. Jenn, she seemed quiet and reserved, but she was anything but. She opened up in front of the kids and really helped my sensitive child transition into this day care. She is caring and extremely patient and attentive...qualities that are hard to find in people. One thing I really liked about the early toddler room is that it is only kids that are 18 months to 24 months, making all the kids very similar in where they are at developmentally. The whole time he was in this room, there was only 1 teacher because the number of students was so low (I think 6), which is very good for a class size at a day care.
Once my son turned 2, he was moved up to the Senior Toddler room, which was a very scary transition. However, the staff was very thoughtful in planning the best way to transition him, and worked with him over the course of a month to slowly warm him up to the 3 new teachers in the Sr. Toddler classroom. The classroom is led by Ms. Estelle, a teacher who has been with the school for OVER 6 YEARS. this is unheard of in day cares. If you are interviewing day cares, be sure to ask how long their teachers have been with them, because it's a very good indication of how the staff is treated. Six years really speaks for itself. Ms. Estelle is the sweetest, and nicest teacher. She did everything she could to help my son and she still does to this day. She understands he requires a little extra patience and attention, and she gives it to him so effortlessly. She is amazing. There are 2 other teachers in the Sr. Toddler room, and they are great as well. My son loves all 3, which is something I thought would never happen due to his temperament.
Another thing I love about the school is their approach to learning. Every week we get a detailed outline of the coming week's schedule and lesson plan. They have all the time filled with different educational activities etc. They explain why they are doing each activity and how it contributes to their education. They have spanish once a week, and they have music class too (someone comes in to teach it, he is great!). Now that it's summer they are offering a sports program. All of this is included in the tuition.
Legacy Academy is NAEYC certified, (The National Association for the Education of Young Children), which is the highest certification a day care can attain. They are very strict and diligent in checking standards and holding facilities to them. In the Alpharetta Area there are only a few other schools that are also certified with this accreditation.
Legacy holds regular events for families to get together, and mingle and engage with other families. They host picnics, holiday events, and all sorts of events outside of the regular day. It is nice because it gives working parents a chance to meet other families in the area, with similarly aged kids. They also have monthly date-nights where parents can drop off the kids in the evening, so parents can have a night out.
I am sure I am leaving out 100 positive things I could mention, but I think this sort of sums up my overall experience with Legacy Academy. I absolutely love this school, and having my son attend it. I feel confident dropping him off, and never worried about his well being or anything.
If you are curious to learn more about the school, I urge you to contact them. They are very helpful and willing to answer all questions. The first time I called, I talked to Ms. Silvia (co-owner, and mother to owner, Ms. Stephanie), and we talked for nearly an hour about the school and my son. Also, you can feel free to contact me if you have questions...I would be happy to give you my honest opinion.
