Best Daycare Centers in Newark, NJ

THE LEAGUERS HEAD START in Newark receives mixed reviews. Parents praise the friendly staff and clean facilities, but several express frustration with poor communication and lack of administrative responsiveness.

Parents consistently praise The Institute of Intriguing Minds for its educational approach and caring staff, with children showing significant academic progress in early literacy, math, and social skills. The facility is described as going beyond typical daycare to provide a kindergarten-level curriculum taught by certified teachers in a warm, family-like environment.

Reviews praise the campus cleanliness, attentive staff, and safe environment. The facility is noted as affordable with helpful faculty and good community connections. However, reviews also mention concerns about the surrounding neighborhood and inconsistency in academic quality among professors.

Rosa's Daycare Center in Newark receives mostly positive reviews praising staff professionalism, child development, and caring environment, particularly highlighting director Ms. Tanya and teachers Ms. Jenny, Ms. Mallory, and others. However, two detailed negative reviews report serious concerns including physical injuries (bite marks and scratches), lack of daily communication about children's activities and eating, and emotional distress causing long-term behavioral issues.

New Community Harmony House Afterschool Pro is a shelter-based facility in Newark that receives mixed reviews. While many residents praise the dedicated staff and helpful programs for getting back on their feet, others report issues with pest control, privacy concerns, and overly intrusive case management practices.

NCC Harmony House Early Learning Center is a shelter-based facility in Newark that receives mixed reviews. Most reviewers praise the dedicated staff and programs for helping residents transition to independence, though some report concerns about pest control, privacy, and intrusiveness of case management.

Feedback for the Early Childhood Center of the Ironbound is sharply divided, with one parent describing the school as amazing, welcoming, and highly committed to child development, while another labels it a terrible school with lazy and uncommitted staff. The positive review highlights friendly staff, engaging activities, and a supportive environment that encourages children to achieve their goals. Conversely, the negative review warns that the lack of teacher commitment will prevent children from succeeding.

Parents consistently praise Bumblebee Early Learning Center for its warm, family-like atmosphere and attentive staff. The facility offers convenient hours (6:30 AM - 6 PM), school transportation services, after-school programs, and strong communication with parents. Children show enthusiasm for attending and demonstrate developmental progress.

New Life Daycare Center receives polarized reviews with 5 parents giving 5-star ratings praising staff care, professionalism, and safe environment, while 4 parents gave 1-star ratings citing unprofessional conduct, poor facility conditions, and unresponsive management. The facility appears to have significant inconsistency in service quality and parental experience.

Parents highlight the center's consistency, cleanliness, and caring staff, noting that teachers have remained with the program for a long time. However, one parent reports a serious safety incident involving reckless driving by a bus driver near a school crossing.

Some parents highlight the nurturing environment, academic focus, and homemade meals, while others report serious concerns regarding staff conduct, cleanliness, and safety. Feedback is divided between those who value the Christian values and personalized care and those who experienced aggressive interactions and neglect.

One parent describes World of Kiddie Kollege as the worst school they have experienced, citing unsanitary conditions and a lack of supervision. The reviewer claims staff do not feed children and allow physical aggression between students.

Parents highlight the school's strong academic focus, homemade gourmet meals, and supportive staff, with one reviewer praising the director's responsiveness. Conversely, a separate account describes the facility as dirty and unsafe, alleging staff negligence and aggressive behavior towards parents.

One parent highlights the facility's cleanliness and respectful atmosphere, while another strongly warns against using the center due to severe structural issues and alleged business misconduct. This negative account cites pervasive termite infestation, rotten wood, and an unsafe environment for children, alongside claims that the owner was rude and failed to pay a contractor.

One parent describes an exceptional experience with caring staff who foster a loving environment, while three others report negative experiences involving perceived discrimination against a child with autism, unprofessional conduct, and a profit-driven attitude.

One parent describes the facility as clean and respectful, while a separate reviewer, who performed construction work there, alleges the building is infested with termites and has rotten wood. This same reviewer claims the owner is rude, refuses to pay for services, and considers the environment unsafe for children.

Newark Federal Kids Care receives highly polarized reviews. Six parents praise the dedicated, professional staff, enriching activities, and safe environment where children thrive developmentally. However, three parents report serious concerns including neglect (dirty/hungry children), lost items, inadequate supervision, and unprofessional behavior.

Montgomery Heights Steam School has mixed reviews with ratings ranging from 1-5 stars. Parents appreciate the location and cleanliness of the facility, though some expressed dissatisfaction with application processes and staff-related concerns.

Bumblebee Early Learning Center receives consistently positive feedback from parents who praise the caring, attentive staff and owner Mr. Eric for creating a welcoming, family-like environment. Parents highlight the convenient hours (6:30 AM-6:00 PM), school bus partnerships, after-school programs, potty training, daily communication, and developmental progress their children have made.

One parent highlights the educational benefits and potty training support, while another appreciates the staff and family-like atmosphere. However, a separate review strongly criticizes the facility for allegedly prioritizing profit over health and safety, citing frequent illnesses and infections among children.

One parent highlights the usefulness of the center's mobile application, while another strongly criticizes the facility for neglecting children's needs and failing to provide parental-level care, with the exception of a staff member named Ms. Alisha.

Feedback is mixed, with one parent praising the staff's dedication, while others report significant issues including unfulfilled financial promises, lack of communication, and wasted time regarding housing and employment services. The center's reliability is questioned due to broken commitments on rent assistance and mortgage counseling.

Rising Star Learning Center receives mixed reviews with stark differences in parent experiences. Positive reviewers praise staff professionalism, strong parent-teacher communication, and child learning outcomes, while negative reviewers report strict policies, lack of empathy, dismissive management, and frequent requests to pick up children. The center appears highly dependent on parental engagement and director-parent compatibility.

One parent describes the center as wonderful, well-mannered, and absolutely beautiful, while another criticizes the facility for lacking safety and friendliness.

Parkside III receives consistently positive feedback from current parents who praise the caring staff, strong leadership under Director Ms. Leslie, and inclusive environment. Parents note significant improvements at the facility and recommend it highly, though they acknowledge older negative reviews exist.

One parent describes the staff as kind, patient, and careful regarding the well-being of children and adults. Conversely, another parent reports that infants are left crying for extended periods with dismissive responses from staff who appear to ignore the babies' needs.

One reviewer reports significant noise disturbances from church activities, citing loud music and yelling late at night. The feedback highlights concerns about the center's consideration for neighbors and potential disruptions to the surrounding environment.

Play Learn and Grow Daycare has highly polarized reviews with significant concerns about management and operations. Multiple parents report unprofessional and disrespectful behavior from owner Natasha Johnson, operational issues including late meal service and unresponsiveness, and safety concerns. A small number of positive reviews praise cleanliness and staff friendliness, though some reviewers question their authenticity.