THE ACADEMY OF COOL SPRINGS

I would like to share my experience with the toddler classroom at this daycare. First, I want to say that overall the daycare appears to genuinely care about children, and I appreciate the efforts made by the administration. Unfortunately, my experience with my son’s classroom was very disappointing. My son was 2 years old when he attended Ms. Becca’s class. Like many toddlers, he would sometimes cry during drop-off as he adjusted to being away from his parents. As a mother, I expected the teachers to help him feel safe, comfort him, and work on building trust with him during this transition. However, on several occasions I stayed nearby after drop-off and observed what happened once I left. I was shocked to see multiple crying children being ignored. Rather than checking on them or trying to comfort them, the teachers focused their attention on children who were already content and occupied with activities. It was difficult to watch my son and another child crying intensely without receiving any support or reassurance from the adults responsible for their care. I also experienced ongoing issues regarding my son’s meals. Due to his dietary preferences at the time, I occasionally brought food from home and specifically asked the staff to give it to him. Ms. Annabelle would always smile, take the food from me, and assure me that she would give it to him. However, on multiple occasions I later discovered that the food remained completely untouched, despite being told that he had eaten it. One incident in particular deeply concerned me. I had brought my son a snack and sat with him for about 10–15 minutes before leaving. Both Ms. Becca and Ms. Annabelle saw him holding the food and never informed me that it violated any classroom policy. After leaving, I returned a few minutes later to check on him. I found my son and another little girl crying heavily. At first, neither child was being comforted. When Ms. Annabelle finally approached my son, instead of comforting him, she took the snack from his hands and threw it away, stating that outside food was not allowed and that the rules applied to everyone. Had this policy been communicated to me beforehand, I would have respected it. What upset me was not the rule itself, but the fact that it had never been explained to me, especially when staff had previously agreed to feed my son food brought from home. On a separate occasion, I overheard Ms. Becca and Ms. Annabelle discussing and criticizing me for requesting what I considered to be basic care and accommodations for my child. I found this very unprofessional. If there were concerns about my requests, I would have appreciated direct communication rather than hearing those concerns discussed behind my back. After these incidents, I spoke with the director, Ms. April. To her credit, she listened carefully, took my concerns seriously, and helped arrange a transfer for my son to another location within the same daycare organization. I am very grateful for her professionalism and support. The difference at the new location has been remarkable. My son is happy, comfortable, eats the meals provided, and has developed positive relationships with his teachers. His experience there has been everything I hoped for when enrolling him in daycare. I am sharing this review not to attack anyone personally, but to inform parents of young toddlers about my experience so they can make the best decision for their families. I also sincerely hope that my feedback was taken seriously and that appropriate conversations or additional training were provided to the staff involved. Since this location is the only one within the organization that does not have classroom cameras, I believe it is especially important for management to carefully consider and investigate concerns raised by parents. Parents place an enormous amount of trust in daycare providers, and that trust should always be matched with accountability, transparency, and compassionate care for every child.

I am hesitant to write a review because I want to gate-keep and ensure they have room for our next baby BUT we love this place so much I would remiss if I didn’t. We drive an hour round trip everyday to have our toddler go to school here. While we have closer options, none compared. Our toddler has been here since he was an infant and we have always felt so much warmth from the teachers and staff. Our toddler has made close friends and learned so much. It’s so invaluable as a parent knowing our baby is going to school at a place where he is loved and safe. I can’t say enough about how great AOCS is.

Highly recommend Academy of Cool Springs. Everyone there is so friendly, caring, and wonderful. Our daughter has been going since she was 5 months old and we have had a fantastic experience. Her teachers are fantastic and do a great job communicating with us. We love Academy and so glad we sent our daughter here!

Three and a half years ago I found myself suddenly and unexpectedly a single father of an 18 month old baby girl, and in need of daycare. Fortunately I was able to find an opening at the Academy of Cool Springs. It is truly hard to find the words to say how much these people have meant to me over the years. Looking back and realizing how much my baby grew and developed there, and the friendships she made, and knowing that when I dropped her off each morning that she was safe and in loving hands has been invaluable to me as well as my daughter. All of the staff loved my baby and took care of her when I couldn't. I cannot thank them enough for the love and care they gave to us, and we will certainly never forget them. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for care for their children!

We were so pleased with our academy family. I feel the Coolsprings Seaboard location was great family atmosphere. The communication I received from our teachers while she was in their rooms, and the transition to the next class was great. We left at no fault of Academy. Circumstances for us changed. If things change again. I feel very comfortable and would want my daughter to go back to academy.