Baby Academy

I graduated from Baby Academy in 2009 and I really enjoyed my time there. The food was great and it sometimes was better than my mom's ( I will regret writing this when she reads it!). I remember that when I came later to pick up my little brother and Boris welcomed me and led me in and fed me. About six years later i am way older and don't have many memories from my early childhood but this remains one of them. I consider myself lucky to have spent time there and I wish for other little kids to have the same.

Baby Academy is an outstanding place. It has a loving and caring environment, where every child feels that he is the favorite one. The teachers welcome the kids in the morning with hugs and kisses as if they were their own children, whom they have not seen for a long time and have missed a lot. The setting is very relaxed. I've never heard anyone raise his voice or even talk strickly to the kids. All problems are resolved in a calm, kind way. The physical space is very clean, which is a very important consideration for us: in the previous day care she attended, Becca always had skin irritations. Not here! What's more, the kids sleep in comfortable beds in a separate bedroom and come home well-rested.The food is organic, healthy, and very tasty. The staff of Baby Academy is extremely accomodating. Becca is allergic to potatoes, and since potatos were an ingredient in almost all of the soups that the staff prepared, we had asked them to refrain from giving her soup at all. Instead, they cooked her her very own special soup, since "she loved soups so much"! Baby Academy gave up a peace of mind. We never had to worry about anything. We knew that in the winter, Becca would never be allowed outside without her gloves, scarf, and other warm clothing and that in the summer, sunblock would always be applied and she would drink plenty of water (they always drink water when playing outside in summer) and always have her sunhat on for outdoor play. We could rest assured that all of our requests would always be carried out and that Becca would come home healthy and happy. There is a great balance between structured and free time in Baby Academy. There are plenty of educational toys, the kids play outside a couple of times a day, and there are lessons where the children learn a great deal--math lessons, reading lessons, arts and crafts. In addition, they have themed dicussions, like North American Animals, Autumn, and the like. They also play role-playing games, where kids impersonate a character from a book. The kids love this activity, and it is extremely good for child development. Music lessons are given 3-4 times a week, where kids sing, dance, and learn how to read music. The music teacher is great and the kids love both her and her lessons. Two times a year, Baby Academy holds concerts which deserve special recognition. These are real 1.5 - 2 hours concerts, with an execellent script, where all the kids perform, dance, sing and recite poems. The children wear beautiful costumes that they change two to three times during the performance. The costumes--which always fit perfectly--are provided by Baby Academy. Parents are never asked to wash, clean, or fix the costumes; it is all done by the staff. The concerts always start on time, usually at 10 in the morning, and by the time the audience arrives, the kids are always ready and have already had breakfast, the girls are wearing pigtails with huge bows (the hair is done by the teachers!), no one is stressed out, no one is running around with last-minute preparations; in short, everyone is happy and relaxed. How they do it, I have no idea. I suspect that Larisa secrectly hires Mary Poppins in those days. And how they celebrate kids' birthdays! They make it a really special day for the birthday boy or girl. The celebration lasts for the entire day and for that whole time, the child is the center of attention. But most important of all, the celebrations teach the kids to be happy for someone else! Becca always came home after birthdays with a happy face telling us that it was, for example, Marina's birthday and they had a lot of fun! The director of baby Academy, Larisa, is always in control of every situation and always knows what is going on. She is always in her office, with a monitor on her desk where she can see all the rooms of the house. I can not imagine that there can be a better place for kids and for the parents!

I think the best evaluation a parent could give a daycare is to say that she wants her second child to repeat the experience her first child had there. It’s more than just “recommending it to a friend”. It’s entrusting the life/health/joy of your most loved one to an educator. I am planning on enrolling my second child in Baby Academy (when she turns 2). So are most of the parents whose children are currently enrolled in the program. Baby Academy exceeded my expectations. When we were searching for a daycare for our older son, we were looking for a safe and clean environment, healthy food/daily routine, and a nice group of children and caregivers where our son would learn social skills. Baby Academy offered me that and much more. They do take pride in calling themselves “Academy” and intellectually stimulating our kids. My 4-year-old came home one day (he was 3 then) and told me about our Solar system. I had to buy the Solar system appliqués not so much to complement Baby Academy’s program but to refresh my own memory about planets’ order in the system (I guess that means Baby Academy has stimulating effects on my brain too:). Having often heard that young children go to the daycare not to learn academic subjects, but to learn how to be social, I am amazed at how effortlessly, playfully and successfully very serious academic subjects are taught at Baby Academy and how our children benefit from it. I am very thankful to the teachers of both groups for being so motherly affectionate with our children. I do recommend Baby Academy to all the loving parents.

My son has attended Baby Academy for 3 years, and my daughter is in her 3rd year now. I am very happy with this outstanding program, and I don't get tired of recommending it to my Russian-speaking friends. The teachers are loving, caring, attentive, and have been there for a long time. Baby Academy has a true academic focus, and the program spans far beyond learning to read in Russian and advanced math. My kids come in the evening surprising me with their knowledge, “this is a Van Gogh's painting, I can name 8 planets of the Solar system, or I know what the Olympics logo means”. And yet, it is not an academic boot camp. The kids go outside one or two times a day, do art projects, have plenty of free play, and nap during the day. Very important for me, they learn to socialize, respect each other, and build real friendships. Sometimes my daughter would not want to leave for home at the end of the day, and her favorite pastime for a weekend is to meet with her Baby Academy’s friends. The food is unbelievable. My son, the pickiest of the eaters, would finish Baby Academy’s soup and second course, and ask for seconds. Besides, the food is healthy and made of organic products. I secretly hope that Baby Academy opens a catering business as well :) I would enthusiastically recommend Baby Academy to parents who value high standards in education, play, cleanliness, safety, and enrichment. You have to sign up in advance though, as the spots fill up pretty quickly :)

Our daughter started going to Baby Academy when she was 2.5. Before we signed her up, we had scheduled a meeting with the owners. They spent 1.5 hours with us thoroughly explaining their philosophy, teaching methods and gave us a tour of the facilities. It's been 2 years and we couldn't be happier, in fact our son will be starting at Baby Academy coming September. They have EXCELLENT academic program, organic daily prepared hot meals (fruits and veggies too), clean and well equipped indoor and outdoor facilities, professional and knowledgeable staff. It has been proven to us on multiple occasions that they would do what it takes to make sure kids are happy in their care. My husband and I both feel grateful that there is a place such as this for our children to go.