Chestnut Mountain Academy

My son only has gone here for a week. He was having a hard time adjusting as I’ve been a stay at home mom his entire life. He came home upset a few days but I think it more so had to do with adjusting to being told what to do by another adult. The staff was amazing at making me feel reassured and confident that he was safe. The director and Ms Kara are the kindest women I think I have ever met and in just a short frame of knowing them I would send my child here again in a heart beat! They make you feel like you’re apart of their community even in just a short frame of time . The only reason we left was because of a family matter that just made more sense for our family but this school will make you feel confident your children are safe. Even if your child is like mine and it’s a brand new experience and they have to adjust to new authority figures. Please reach out to them! They are the kindest humans!

My daughter has attended Chestnut Mountain since she was 7 months old (she's 2 1/2 now) and we have always been happy with this daycare! The teachers not only in her class but other classes greet her with a smile and are always so welcoming. She comes home saying all new phrases, counting well and singing all sorts of songs she's learned throughout the day. This daycare is 40 minutes from our house but we continue to bring her here and wouldn't think of having her anywhere else! She loves all of her teachers and friends she has made along the way.

My daughter came to this facility for Pre-K & honestly it was such a great experience for her. She always came home speaking very great things about her teachers and she was always excited to go back to school. Communication between teacher and parent was good as well! Def recommend to anyone looking for pre-k classes!

My child has been coming to Chestnut Mountain since he was just a few months old. He has loved all of his classes and teachers. We went through the biting stage, and the hitting stage. It is always frustrating to hear that your child has been bitten or has bit another child. The staff has always been forthcoming and honest with us. I feel like they have all handled the situations well. He still runs back to his first teacher almost every day to tell her bye and that he loves her.

My daughter has attended this daycare since she was born, and we never had any major issues until about three weeks ago. In that time, things have quickly gone downhill. Over the last three weeks the staff labeled my daughter as "violent" and claimed they couldn’t handle her, even though she's a freshly three year old toddler going through a normal phase of testing limits. Instead of approaching the situation with patience and professionalism, they isolated her from her peers and began finding excuses to push her out of the daycare. One of the most troubling aspects was how they would isolate her in an *infant crib* as a way to "contain" her and supposedly protect the other children. She was kept in the crib for 30-45 minutes at a time, crying, screaming, and spitting, but what else would you expect from a toddler who feels she's being imprisoned and excluded from her class? This is, in my view, emotional abuse, and no child should be treated this way, especially in a daycare that is supposed to provide a nurturing environment. Despite this, her father, grandmother, and I tried to work with the teachers and staff to address the situation in real time. I have spoken to the staff and offered to come into the classroom and assist the teachers/ observe my daughter. Instead of allowing us to come to the school, and help integrate her back into the class, after throwing a tantrum, we were told “nope she needs to go home”. It was clear they had no interest in supporting us or our child. Instead, they seemed focused on dealing only with children who are easier to manage. Today, I decided to show up unexpectedly to the daycare, just to see how things were going. After all, usually around 10am I receive a call to pick up my daughter because she has misbehaved somehow. I decided to come in at 9:00 and I planned to stay all day if I needed to. At 10:00 they asked me to leave to "see how she acts" without me around. I told them I would leave for an hour and be right back before lunch. Reluctantly, I went to a nearby store because I had a gut feeling something would happen. Not even 20 minutes later, I was called back because she had thrown a tantrum about not wanting to clean up. They then suggested that if I picked her up and didn't bring her back for the rest of the week, they wouldn't charge me. I had only been gone for 20 minutes! It was clear to me then that they couldn't wait for me to leave-they just wanted her out. I knew in my heart I should have stayed, and this whole experience has only confirmed that they had no intention of helping her adjust. The entire situation has caused me so much stress and anxiety-l've cried multiple times over how my daughter has been treated, and the lack of compassion from the staff has been heartbreaking. This particular woman apart of the front desk staff has always been rude and dismissive, and now after seeing all the reviews regarding the racism and unprofessionalism in this center, it all makes sense. In the end, we made the decision to withdraw her, but it felt like the daycare was forcing our hand all along. If you've made it this far, l'm sure l've missed other things that have gone on, but I want to make one thing clear-l'm a parent who takes full accountability for my child's behavior, and I would never excuse extreme or inappropriate behavior. That said, my daughter is a normal toddler, and until the last three weeks, she had no behavioral issues in any other public setting (church, playground, etc)—ONLY at this school has there been issues. We're starting her at a new school next week, and after talking with them about what has happened here, they agreed that the treatment she received was unacceptable. They have assured me that my daughter will have a better experience, and I truly look forward to her starting fresh. I now see leaving this daycare as a blessing, and I'm hopeful for a more positive experience moving forward