My two children have been students at Children's Village since they were seven months old (now…read morenearly 2.5 and 4 years old), and we have had a fantastic experience throughout! The teachers in every classroom are warm and caring, and go out of their way to ensure comfort and impart learning to the children. The range of activities is varied and interesting, often with seasonal themes (for e.g. they baked an apple pie this week using apples picked on a field trip), and the complexity increases with age and ability. Apart from the wonderful resident teachers, there are weekly enrichment activities led by external professionals, such as music class, gym class and yoga. There are two large dedicated play areas, one indoors and the other outdoors, and the outdoor one even has vegetable gardens that the kids love to monitor and help with. Water play is also a fun summer activity in the outdoor space. The classrooms also go to nearby playgrounds and parks nearly every day. They organize fun family events- for example , for Father's Day, my son's class hosted Popsicles with Pops, before which the teachers and kids made fruit popsicles and thoughtful gifts for the fathers. We still have and display the well made Mother's Day, Father's Day, holiday gifts etc. that the teachers help the kids make for us. There's an annual Art Show, which is spectacular with each room displaying intricate and coordinated artwork. The Halloween celebration is another highlight of the year, with live music, treats and a parade. We get photos and daily reports detailing food intake, bodily functions, naps and activities. The food provided is varied and nutritious, and caters to all sorts of dietary constraints. We even get the menu for each week, and the kids often talk about the nice lunch or snack that they had that day (e.g. three cheese pasta bake, or chop seuy).The administrative staff is also friendly and well organized, and everyone knows all the children by name and sometimes even their birthdays. All in all, it has been a lovely experience and we couldn't be happier!

My son went to 4 different daycares because of our moving, relocation to Boston area, and our…read moreunsatisfaction of a previous daycare in Belmont. Children's Village is our favorite of the four. That's why we didn't think twice before sending his younger sister to Children's Village.

My daughter has been at CPP for two years and it is a DREAM. The school is situated in the Latvian…read moreChurch. The classrooms are in the basement, but the children also use the large church space for dance and movement. There is a beautiful play yard and the children spend a lot of unstructured time outdoors. The teachers all have specials strengths but every one is nurturing and creative. The curriculum is play based with classrooms rich in books, art supplies, and interesting items to spark their imaginations. It is a small school so the teachers can really cater to each child's needs and interests. The schools celebrates families of different backgrounds and every year there have been some non-native English speaking kids. Because it's a co-op and has flexible afternoon scheduling it is more affordable than other preschools in the area. Parent presence in the classroom is not expected or required. The co-op jobs are very reasonable and related to administration. Two half weekend days per year parents volunteer for clean-up and organization type jobs. It's nice that you get to know the other kids and families may of whom are from our neighborhood and who will be heading to Kindergarten with us next year.

Nothing special just pure magic. Being very critical I…read morecouldn't not find a single thing I wanted to change in Clinton Path Preschool. The three teachers are like fairies in Sleeping Beauty. Each of them brings the gift that your child needs to feel loved and nourished. They sense what you kid wants and it is there in a matter of seconds, nobody is left behind, nobody is forgotten. They are so creative and organized that even a big messy project is finished just in time to start a circle time. They are always looking for new authors, new music, new art projects because they enjoy it as much as our kids. Whatever is happening in CP is done not out of duty but out of love and joy. Not only our kids can feel it, we, their parents, are also exposed to this wonderful energy. Isn't it what we all want for our kids?

Cambridge Montessori School embraced both of my children and placed them at the center of the…read morelearning experience. They love going to this school and their CMS experience has taught them to love learning. My second grader interacts with adults gracefully and articulately because of the skills and confidence this schooling experience has given her. CMS has an excellent arts, music, and drama offering and the teachers encourage academic excellence. I would recommend CMS to any parent looking for a school that supports a curriculum that encourages independence and confidence in addition to accelerated learning.

The school culture is rigid and judgmental, with a culture of pathologizing normal toddler…read morebehavior. Some of the things that made us withdraw our 3yo mid-year: Despite a stated open-door policy, parents were actively discouraged from involvement in or visiting the classroom. In March, a formal school memo forbade parents from speaking to each other at drop-off/pickup, asked parents to drop their children off at the front door instead of at the classroom door, and instructed parents not to carry their children or their children's belongings. The memo specifically suggested that any discipline problems at home were caused by not following the same rigid "expectations" as the school. When our son was afraid to use the toilet at school, the teacher forced him to sit on the toilet for 45 min while he cried in frustration. He was criticized for not doing work exactly the way the teachers wanted (e.g. sorting puzzle in the "right" order). In a parent conference, we were told our son was "too literal" because asked where rain came from, he said "From the sky," not "From clouds." He was already reading and adding at 3, but we were told this, along with his shyness, were signs of a possible psychological problem. We were bullied to take him for autism screening, even after a specialist and our pediatrician said he was likely fine. Administration, up to the head of school, either ignored problems or blamed us. When we sent a formal letter detailing our complaints, the school offered us a partial tuition refund if we signed a nondisparagement agreement. We refused. We've since learned other families had similar experiences. If you click on Yelp's "non-recommended reviews"--which are weeded out by algorithm--you'll see that other families have made similar complaints.

The Ecole Francaise of Greater Boston (EFGB) opened its doors in Cambridge in the fall of 2017 and…read moremy daughter was lucky enough to be in its first promotion. The school outperformed my highest expectations. The teachers are top-notch, and they bring students the best of American and French educational systems -- with an emphasis on creativity matched by structured activities and clear rules. The students in our year came from a mix of cross-cultural families, representing 14 countries. The Cambridge campus, which is on the ground floor of a luminous building with warm, bright colors, welcomes kids aged two through six, while the Watertown branch of the school is open to older children. The school's location in North Cambridge was convenient to us, as we work at Harvard and MIT. They also have built in pre-school and after-school care to allow flexibility for working parents, like us. I envied my daughter's activities, which ranged from yoga, expressive dance, singing, painting, reading and numeracy to scrambling in the school's playground with a mix of kids of all ages. The crafts she brought home -- pictures of baobabs, an ant made of an egg carton, an aquarium in a shoe box -- are unique pieces that I treasure. Furthermore, the teachers created a lively Facebook page so we could stay engaged with our child's activities, for example, watching a caterpiller grow and hatch, or witnessing the joys of a group of toddlers getting their first taste of honeycomb. Whether your family are native French speakers or not, you would not regret sending your child to the EFGB. I can't imagine a better school.

I posted this on the original EFGB review page; it applies to EFGB Cambridge, since that's where…read morewe've been sending our children. We've been at EFGB in Cambridge with our two children since September 2017. It's been a wonderful experience. All the teachers are native French speaking and the children are completely immersed in French. They spend their days drawing, playing, singing, reading, and everything you would expect in a high quality preschool. There's even a weekly yoga session! The teachers are warm and engaged. The class sizes are small and the teachers know all of their charges very well. There's a playground attached to the school and they go out every day, even in bad weather. It's been great to get involved with a Francophone community. The parents are engaged and we see each other for holiday parties, birthdays, and playdates; we hope to still be in touch with French friends even as the children grow older and graduate to public schools. The schedule is a little less convenient than a typical daycare for working parents (more like a school schedule, no food provided though that may change soon) but for us, the loss of convenience is more than made up for by the quality of the school and unique ability to have our children's early years be completely bilingual.

I'm not surprised that these five reviews are over six months old…read more As it is now, this school is neither close to Montessori expectations nor close to where it stood before. My children attended for over three years, and I pulled them out after this school year started. Things have changed: The new director, Ms. Judy Cavanaugh is both immature and unprofessional and very disappointing in the way she treats children. Another head teacher, Ms. Shante, who was my child's teacher has poor manners and transfers "negative emotions" to children. I witnessed how she treats children in several occasions and felt extremely disappointed. In general, many staff members and teachers who function at below zero level and demonstrate so both by the way they treat children and unprofessional demeanor. The environment is extremely negative.

I love Torit! Children are engaged and it is evident that their individual learning styles are…read morehonored. My children come home telling me so many stories about their day, what they are learning. I've observed that my children are learning, not just about math-language-etc., but about the world around them. That is beyond price. We made the right decision choosing this school. I tell everyone I know how valuable Torit is.

We absolutely loved Stony Brook School for both of our children. Our son attended 2018-2020 and we…read morewere delighted when our daughter was old enough to attend starting in 2022-2024. Both of my children, who are quite different, were well known and well cared for during their respective times at this school. I was truly moved by how deeply they were seen and responded to. I believe this school does so much to value the children as humans with real needs and complex emotions. I loved the environment, the thoughtfulness of the space and the lighting. The staff were motivated to spend a great deal of time in nature, which was so good for my babies. I felt seen and heard by staff and engaged by the administrators. I recommend the Stony Brook School to many of my friends and have been pleased when they have thanked me for the referral. Trust me when I say: you will be so happy to bring your child to this place and see them cheerfully say goodbye and rush toward one of the engaging activities that are set out each day.

Our daughter has attended Stony Brook for 1 year. She has a great time playing with the other kids…read moreand learning new things. The kids get a good amount of outdoor time at the 3 public playgrounds near the school. The school staff are great - friendly and enthusiastic about education. The administration has been easy to work with and is flexible.

After hearing nothing but praise about this establishment, I was beyond disappointed with my…read moreexperience of trying to get BASIC information from their staff. Run-a-muck was highly recommended to us as the "best in Salem/Danvers", and was 1 of 2 preschools recommended by my PEDIATRICIANS office for my son. However, after contacting through their website, them via email, it was like pulling teeth to get any information. I still have no clue how much it would cost - and I asked about tuition 3 times! Finally, I requested that Valerie (the lady in Salem that was not giving me any information besides that they had a wait list, and only accept full days/weeks students) to give me the name, address, and phone number of someone in Danvers. I was given a name (Gretchen), and a phone number that was disconnected. She also stated that she forwarded my emails to her. When Gretchen emailed me, it was basically the same information - Please let me know what questions you have....yet nothing had been answered. In her defense, I didn't bother to respond. I'd already made up my mind, thanks to Valerie and her lack of information. Needles to say, this has left a very poor impression on me. I don't want to seems my child to a place that can't even figure out how to give information out to inquiring parents. If you are looking for someplace that refuses to answer questions, this is your place. I'd you want to know the ins and outs, and *gasp* talk to a real person...keep looking.

My son has been at Run A Muck since he was three (he is now five), and we have nothing but…read morewonderful things to say. He has never been bit, hit, pushed, shoved or hurt in any other way except for accidents on the play ground, such as a skinned knee. Even when this happened, the school called me right away to let me know and I was given an incident report when I picked him up. But kids will be kids, so I expect him to get hurt, I did when I was a kid! The staff are very attentive, friendly, helpful and great teachers. My son can now count to ten in three languages (four if you include English) and he tells us amazing facts that he learns at school. I highly recommend Run A Muck!

This location seems to be one the better ones, but the school management tends to have a…read moremini-corporate feeling, with little flexibility for situations outside policy. The Centre Street location in JP is less attractive, with classrooms packed into the ground level floor and almost no indoor play area, a problem in winter. There are better options in JP.

We selected Pine Village after a lot of research. It was important that our son continue to learn…read morea second language but even more important that he be in an environment where teachers are supported and love what they do. I believe that when teachers work in a supportive setting that fosters their own creativity and professional development it strongly influences the learning culture for the children. This is definitely true at Pine Village. The teachers are always engaging and appear happy and connected, working well as a team. My son is greeted daily by every teacher and the director. Our son's teacher, Marcella, is creative, smart and develops firm boundaries but in a loving way. Pine Village is a strong community rich with culture, art and lots of love. I couldn't be happier with our choice!