My two sons attended StarChild since June of 2022. When I went in to pick up our kids yesterday…read more(12/21/22), I received a booboo report to sign that Ms. Zuly scratched my 3 yo's arm causing him to bleed in classroom Preschool C. He had a bandaid over it so I didn't see the extent of the damage while there. Removing his bandaid for his bath showed my husband and I both a gouged out section that is not just a scratch. It is a clear scar of a full curved thumbnail from her digging so hard and deep into his skin to draw blood and leave behind such a wound. She claims she was hugging him but that would not result in the purposefully caused laceration she has inflicted the inner portion of such a small child's forearm. I have pictures to document the physical harm and the center had camera recordings of the room. They refused to let me see the footage from what she did and what other actions she may have taken against my son. StarChild claimed they didn't have video but calling th actual camera provider proved that all plans included cloud storage. StarChild refused to provide contact information until I spoke with the regional director - Liz Reece. I left a voicemail at 8am. Then called back at 9am. I finally spoke with her at 10:19am. She then drove to the location and said she spoke with the teacher and others who may have been in the room yesterday. Ms. Zuly claimed to have no idea that she caused this injury despite it being such a deep wound to draw blood. Ms. Liz "provided coaching" and when the location director got back from vacation at the end of the next week, more "coaching" occurred. This is absolutely unacceptable. For a teacher to cause injuries to a child and for a company to then pretend that "coaching" of a few minutes was sufficient is ridiculous. The only repercussion for the teacher was that she got a letter in her file stating that she needs to build stronger relationships with parents. DCF got involved and even the worker said an injury, such as the one inflicted on my son, was not possible accidentally. If you send your child to this facility, be aware they don't care about your child or their safety.

I would never take my child back to Starchild. After touring many daycare centers near Apopka, we…read morewere excited about Starchild Apopka/Wekiva. By day 3, our daughter came home with two finger nails completely ripped off, and fingers that were very red. It was clear that she smashed her fingers during the day, but the daycare had zero incident reports or any information on what happened. Knowing our daughter, she would have screamed her head off, in pain. On day 5, we started watching the cameras more closely because our daughter refused to enter the classroom anymore. That was out of character. We noticed that she was not eating lunch, yet the teachers marked her eating the "entire lunch" even though they removed the plate full. On day 6 is when we pulled her. During nap time, I witnessed one of the teachers grab her, use force to push her onto a mat, and threw a blanket on top of her. I could see my daughter crying through the video. When I arrived 2 hours later, the rest of the kids were playing, but my daughter was still on the mat, traumatized, and still crying. If you need a quick place to start daycare, and have ZERO options, then I would say to stay away. Your kids are safer anywhere but here. There are other daycares that are cheaper, with much better quality.

Where do I begin... We started researching preschools for our son when he was still a young baby…read more Given our very high expectations we could not have been more relieved when we learned about Growing Minds and had the immense privilege of meeting Mrs. Uzma Ansari! She has undoubtedly gone above and beyond dedicating herself to early childhood education for over 20 years. Her passion and compassion along with her genuine love for all the little ones is undeniable! Our son has attended the school for almost 3 years now. We feel so blessed that his first experience with formal education has been at Growing Minds. The teachers follow Mrs. Ansari's vision and have worked alongside her for years, (which is so rare nowadays) and makes such a difference! Being a Montessori School, our son has consistently had the same teacher: Mrs. Carattini. We could not be more grateful for how loving, patient, gentle, nurturing and caring she is. The result is, our son, along with his little peers' flourish into confident, independent, curious children who have undoubtedly been positively impacted by a unique, positive learning environment. Montessori education makes a world of a difference and challenges students to remain true to who they are while cultivating a genuine love for learning. I could not recommend Growing Minds Montessori School more highly to anyone who is looking for a solid educational foundation as well as a loving, nurturing environment for their child. It was the best decision of our lives, and it will be yours too!

I chose this school for my twins who were entering pre-k4. They did such a phenomenal job with my…read moregirls that I elected to keep them there for their kindergarten year. Now they are entering first grade well above grade level and are often regarded as the kindest and most well-behaved children. I credit much of their social and academic development to Mrs. Ansari, Mrs Carratini, and the other wonderful teachers at GMMS. If you value high quality montessori education and want a supportive and peaceful learning environment for your little one then this is the place!

We love the TLE and so does our daughter. After a couple years here we have built a relationship…read morewith the staff team. Our daughter always looks forward to going to school and learning. She is way ahead of her peers in other day cares and she is always singing the songs they teach in school. Ms Nina, and our daughters teachers have equipped her to grow and mature so much. We are so thankful for them!

I've never met a nicer group of people who, regardless of early mistakes, have been working hard to…read moremake our kid's experience a memorable one. They improve everyday, and always with smile. And yes, my child is safe, cared for, and well educated.

Great teachers. Great curriculum. Great program. Bottom…read moreLine: Great school! My wife and I have been very pleased with what this school has to offer from infant to preschool to kindergarten and 1st Grade. If they offered higher grades we will be first in line to enroll our child.

My daughter, 3, has been in her preschool class for a few weeks now and she loves it. The schools…read moreare a franchise but what I like more than any of the other schools we looked at was the program itself. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They offer classes from infants to kindergarten. Children learn academics, language, science, dramatic play, art, and much more. The food is carefully selected and healthy. The staff has given me updates on how my daughter is adjusting daily. You can tell a good place when all the children are happy and shining. She has been with a Primrose school for over a year now and has really opened up academically and socially too. We are very discerning parents when it comes to my daughter. Overall, we love the curriculum and my daughter loves going to school.

StarChild Academy Winter Garden (SCAWG) is a great option for preschool; however, I strongly…read morecaution against enrolling your child in the elementary school. The overall positives of the school are cultural diversity among the staff and student body, a family feel, and friendly, caring faculty and staff, as well as building updates on the preschool side. Preschool Pros: curriculum Preschool Cons: Teacher retention; on average, children go through at least 2 lead teachers a year, and it's a revolving door for assistants. When our children were attending SCAWG, it was advertised as an advanced curriculum school; it's not. We withdrew our youngest child first because it's easiest to succeed in surrounding charter schools' lotteries when entering kindergarten. Youngest attended from age 2.5 - 5 (VPK). Youngest is testing above grade level in ELA (was even promoted to grade 1 phonics class at new school) on Florida's statewide standardized assessments (F.A.S.T); however, Math results were below grade level. Elementary School Pros: N/A Elementary School Cons: no technology in classrooms, teacher retention, no behavioral specialist, inadequate disciplinary action, unrealistic amount of at-home supplementing, ineffective curriculum, no positive reinforcements for academic achievement, no standardized test prep, combined 4th and 5th grade class Oldest attended from age 3-9 (grade 3.5; we withdrew after mid-year). For context, in kindergarten, first, and second grade, the oldest had all A's with 1 B for the whole school year. Q1 of third grade all A's, one B, Q2 of third grade all A's, one B. Oldest tested at grade level in ELA on F.A.S.T and below grade level in Math. At SCAWG, they introduce concepts and move on quickly without allowing the child adequate time to practice or retain what they've learned. While every institution has its pros and cons, we're most disappointed by what we now realize is a horrible curriculum and questionable teaching styles. There are better elementary school options in the area than SCAWG, and I urge you to exhaust them. SCAWG Elementary turned out to be a colossal waste of money for us - it shouldn't have to be for you, too.

This is a great location for day care and private elementary. My oldest is currently in 1st grade…read morehere and I can't say enough on the curriculum and how well she is learning and growing with her school work. Our youngest is now in Pre-K3 and has had a harder time adjusting, but the teachers are patient and kind with her. She is learning ahead of my expectations and has friends she is in class with now. There are also cameras there to peek in on them and give me a little piece of mind with the youngest having such a hard time adjusting. This is a fantastic place to bring your kids to grow and learn!

My kids it's a beautiful place, the attention of the director every day, the staff is kind and…read moreempathetic with our son. we recommend it!

Just wanted to follow up on my initial review of MKA 5 years ago…read more I've had many people reach out to me with similar stories. The center has had high turnover for teachers. The director at the time told me that my then 4/5 year old son was difficult, impossible to deal with, didn't listen, and would do poorly in public school. They refused to give him additional work to do in Pre-K, saying they could only give him the same items that the other children had; he was constantly finishing work before others and was bored. MKA kicked him out 3 weeks before Pre-K graduation, so his academic career did not have a qualifying Pre-K certificate. He was diagnosed with severe ADHD when he began kindergarten. With the right medication, and taking karate daily, my son grew leaps and bounds. His teachers in elementary school were all aghast that he was kicked out of Pre-K since they could see he was just bouncier than other kids. He just began his last year of elementary school, and is a 2nd Dan black belt in karate. He is consistently on honor roll, and is an all around happy guy. Just beware that some centers really do not have the time or patience necessary for kids. If my son was one who didn't have ADHD, then he may have done well at MKW.

I love everything about this school. My child started in August they have always been extremely…read morepatient and kind. I love the teachers my daughter is learning soooo much thanks to Rosemarie Vaughn. From the moment we come in we are greeted with kindness. Thank you for all that you do!!!!!

I brought my children there this year. I've heard poor language being used and it concerned me and…read morethere was often different staff in the rooms on a frequent basis. I've seen a change in management and have left voicemails that weren't returned on more than one occasions. I have not said anything because I have spoken to other family members and it has seemed to go on deaf ears by employees. What I don't understand is the male employee seems annoyed as he walks around and he has been employed there for a long time at the center. I recommend checking out other local options.

My son attended Enlighten Montessori for 2 1/2 years. I cannot stress enough how Enlighten not…read moreonly exceeded our expectations, but we found our son had grown both emotionally and academically under the guidance of Ms Malinda and her staff. Our son was one of the younger students in his grade, and we had some concerns about whether to allow him to enroll or to wait another year. The Montessori teaching and experience was very engaging for my son, and he learned to read and do math exceeding expectations at his grade level. In addition, he grew extensively emotionally and socially as well. I believe Enlighten, due to its smaller class sizes, has the ability to focus on the students needs which was definitely a game changer for my son. We truly highly recommend Enlighten Montessori if you're looking for a solid option for your children's early education.

If you're looking for a top notch Montessori education, with the feel of a homeschool--you just…read morefound it! My daughter received excellent and personalized attention. Malinda maintained rigor and high expectation while also exuding the feeling of being laid back and calm. What a gift! There is also a feeling of community among the parents of the school; my daughter walked away with friends, and so did we! After graduating from the program, my daughter has maintained a love of learning, and consistently tests above grade level in all subject areas. We are forever grateful for our time at Enlighten Montessori.