Preschool Suggestions

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILD TO GINGERBREAD!!!!!!!!! That place should be shut down. Montessori schools and Goddard schools are good if you can afford them. Holly Springs School for Early Education is good(my son goes there)The Learning Experience in HS is run by the same lady that ran Gingerbread but that do have a good program. I don't know if she left there because of how disgusting it is or if they got rid of her. These are some of the places I've looked at and I hope it helps!

Hi. I live in North Raleigh so I am sorry I do not know any good names of preschools around you, but I wanted to suggest church preschools if you don't mind them going to chapel, hearing Bible stories. My children went to Millbrook Baptist and it was such a wonderful experience. They were definitely prepared for Kindergarten and have made wonderful friends. They didn't overwhelm them with religion but did go to Chapel once a week. They did wonderful artwork, had a great music and movement room/class, lots of outside time, went on field trips in the older classes, practice all the basic skills. I would make a list of what is important to you, find places closeby (you don't want to have to drive far if your child is only there 9-12) and go visit. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Have you tried checking out The Goddard School in Holly Springs. I have been there for just under 2 years and my children are doing great. Transitions are wonderful and the teachers and management is always warm and smiling. It is also the best smelling school in town :-) No diaper smells in my child's classroom ever, that means a lot to me. The teachers don't seem stressed out. I like that there is an owner, I have known of schools where directors leave and the place falls apart. There has been change of directors here, but you wouldn't know it if you didn't get notification because my child's class was unaffected. What matters the most to me is my children don't want to come back home in the evening....good luck with your search.

I don't know about Gingerbread University. Do you need full-time or part-time pre-school? We live in Holly Springs. My daughter goes to Imagine That pre-school in Apex & we love it. It is year round (if you want), half-day pre-school. She will be starting her second year this summer. (she has one more year before she starts kindergarten).

My daughters have attended (and are attending) Salem Baptist Preschool in Apex. They have really enjoyed going there. They have made great friends and have learned a great deal and have been prepared for Kindergarten in all aspects. It is only a morning preschool 9-12 and does not serve lunch. The tuition ranges from about $120 - $225 depending on # of days. The teachers are great!
There is also Johnson Pond daycare. It has great programs and you have a variety of options as far as # of days, time spent, etc. My neighbor is a teacher and she is great! She really enjoys the atmosphere there and the teachers. It is located off of Johnson Pond Rd.
Hope this helps!
Oops! P.S. For Salem (and most preschools) Fall registration has already happened. (usually Feb./March-Salem's is in Feb.) Most have waiting lists and will let you know. Especially with the preschool/daycares they will have spots opening up all through the year.

When I first moved here (and didn't know any better), I made the mistake of taking my son to Gingerbread Littleversity. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILD THERE! He would come home dirty, the facility always smelled nasty, he hurt himself to the point he could have needed stitches one day and no one bothered to call me, they don't keep accurate track of your payments so they are always putting you on the publicly posted "did not pay" list, and there were several instances where I found that notices and things in the classroom were spelled wrong. I didn't feel I wanted my child learning from teachers who couldn't even spell. And...when I needed to voice concerns, the director or her sister were never anywhere to be found. It was such a struggle to find anyone or get answers. Just my advice...maybe others have had different experiences, but from several others I have talked to, the consensus is all the same.

I take him now to South Wake Preschool and Academy right past the Food Lion in Fuquay on the right. Right now they only have 3 stars, but that is because they are fairly new. My son has been going there for almost 2 years now and I love it. The people there are wonderful, and they are definitely not a babysitter...they are a preschool and are dedicated to teaching the children and preparing them for real school. It's the closest I've found to the Montessori environment without the price tag. They do ice cream socials, parent/teacher conferences to discuss development, strengths and weaknesses, and have monthly and bi-monthly meetings to keep the parents informed on changes in the school. They are working on raising money now to get cameras in each classroom so you can see your child during the day online, and also to get additional play equipment. I highly recommend you check into it! The phone number is ###-###-####. Talk to Tammy-she is wonderful! Good luck!

We are in the same boat and have looked at Fuquay Varina UMC and Fuquay Varina Baptist. UMC states that they are not about the learning experience, but about the interaction with other children. Baptist has Spanish class, bible time, etc. Both cost about the same (a 3 year old 9-1 day is $159 for Tuesday/Thursday at UMC and $180 for MWF at Baptist), but we will probably take our son to Baptist because we've been going to church there. UMC is fairly filled, so you may have trouble getting in there. We are new to the area and also have a 2 year old, so let me know if you would ever like to get together for a play date!

M.