Exploring Minds Academy

Exploring Minds has been great for our two girls! We were lucky to find it when we first moved to the area with a five month old who started in the infant room. She is now in the pre-K class and has thrived. We particularly appreciate the emphasis on outdoor time and the huge playground area for the kids, the warmth and cuddliness of the infant and toddler room teachers, and the structure of the older classes as they begin to get ready for school. Our oldest picks her classroom 'job' every week (calendar helper, door holder, sweeper, snack helper, etc.) and is always excited for it. Also, lunch and snacks are included with tuition!

When we moved to Erie almost two years ago, we toured multiple daycares for our then 2 year old. As soon as we walked into Exploring Minds, I knew it would be a great fit for our family! The teachers are so caring about each student, the school prioritizes outdoor time with lots of free play (which is an excellent way for young kids to learn), and they communicate well to families. My now 4 year old will be going to kindergarten in the fall and is so prepared. He knows how to help in a classroom and is familiar with many concepts that he will expand on in kinder. He’ll also keep going to Exploring Minds for after school care and summer camp. The summer camp is great and the kids get to go on so many different field trips in the area. I recommend visiting Exploring Minds to see if it will work for your family if you’re looking for a daycare in Erie.

I don’t usually post reviews, but my daughter had a bad experience here and I’ve heard the same from others. I think people should know. I didn’t realize how bad it was until we left. Don’t let the website fool you! They do not use any Montessori methods with the children. They do not serve organic foods - lots of Cheerios, pancakes and waffles. It is a dirty facility. They teachers are tired and seem irritated by the children. They also let the young children intermingle with children much too old from the before and after school programs. My 4 yo came home one day and told me one of the girls wears a bra. She also started napping again there after not having napped for nearly a year. Later on she told me that the teachers yelled at them to sleep. This really affected my daughter more than we realized and I don’t want others to make the same mistake.

Exploring Minds has been our first and only daycare for our family and we couldn't have asked for anything more. The staff is beyond friendly and all them together have created a warming/welcoming atmosphere. Moreover, with so many daycares seeming to have plastic playgrounds, we have really enjoyed the openness of the play area at Exploring Minds. We have been comforted by the ample experience of many of the teachers (especially the infant teacher) and have come to rely on the daily reports supplied by the school. All in all, we are truly humbled to have such a dedicated team looking over the youngest member of our family.

My son has been in the infant room at Exploring Minds since he was 2 and a half months old and it's been an amazing experience. We absolutely love all the teachers and the smaller, more family-like feel. He gets to be around babies/toddlers at different developmental stages, which has just been so valuable for him. He's also been sick much less frequently than my friends who have infants at other facilities. tl;dr: We're incredibly grateful to everyone at Exploring Minds and so thankful he was able to get a spot there.