First Years Academy

Our kids have been at FYA for years and I don't know what we would do as working parents without them. A few specifics that we really appreciate: 1) The app communication is great - it is so easy to connect with teachers and the director if someone is staying home sick or we need to contact them for any reason. 2) Our daughter rides the bus from school each afternoon for afterschool care - FYA also allows us to send our school-age daughter any time there is no school (early dismissal, snow/cold days, school breaks). 3) They make every effort to get the kids outside even in winter - they get their snow gear on and play outside! 4) You cannot beat the prices for a daycare center. We used to do in-home childcare but the reliability of a center was a necessity for us. 5) Steph, Hannah, and all of the teachers are so well-loved by our kids and by us!

We encourage other families often to consider "First Years Academy" due to many factors that include the security of your child, education, socialization, adaptation and creativity this program offers. The teachers show remarkable love, patience, and knowledge at every level your child is set at. We absolutely love this facility, and it shows in our childrens smiles everyday.

We love First Years Academy! After moving to Waconia about one year ago, without a doubt this was the perfect fit. Clean, attentive, kind and our kids learn so much!

We LOVE First Years Academy. The teachers are so loving and nurturing. Management is friendly and always greets you with a smile. They both go above and beyond to keep my children safe and healthy! With RSV so bad this years I had no worries sending my infant to daycare. My school age child loves coming when he doesn't have school and often is sad when he has to leave. You can really tell that Ms. Steph and Ms. Hannah care about their staff and do everything possible to make First Years Academy great! You often see them helping in a classroom or cleaning the hallways/bathroom. I would recommend First Years Academy to anyone looking for childcare.

1.) This place is an RSV playground. 2.) The owner doesn't give staff enough time at the end of the day to properly sanitize because she wants them out 5 minutes after all the kids are gone. (She likes to save her $) 3.) My child was sick atleast 3 days out of every week when enrolled here. Now she's at an in-home daycare and has only been sick once since enrollment. 4.) It looks nice on the outside but it isn't cleaned properly and I even found out the person preparing food is also the person scrubbing toilets. Ew🤢 (if you look at her indeed listing for cook you will see that the cook does all sanitization of common areas and bathrooms. That isn't safe by any means) 8 years custodial experience and training is how i know this place is ran backwards.