Cole Academy

Can’t say enough good things about Cole academy. We came from other daycares and they have a tenured staff who you can tell truly care about every individual child. They have patience for children experiencing big emotions and development milestones. I felt at other daycares, the providers were more concerned about documenting kids than caring for them and it’s the opposite at Cole.

We love this school! Our two boys have attended Cole Academy for the last four years and I cannot say enough great things about our experience. The staff are all so caring and make personal connections with the children. You can tell they really care about each child. Other parents are always amazed by how much our kids know and how well mannered they are. The staff and administrators are very intentional about partnering with parents on any concerns and communicate both good and bad feedback in a thoughtful way. The school is always super clean and welcoming. We are so thankful to have a great school for our kids!

I was fortunate to tour several area daycares in 2020 just before everything closed up for awhile. This was my top choice even then. I had read that it was hard to get into but we kept trying. Once my little one was here a few other places had room for us, but I kept trying at Cole Academy and am so glad I did. Each room is a stepping stone for the next. They work on age appropriate skills through play. So many places seem to be either free play all day or overly strict, this is the happy middle. The building is kept secure and if they are not right at the front desk it is easy enough to find the director or assistant director if additional assistance is needed. I am completely confident when I leave my child there that they are being loved, nurtured, and taught as if I was leaving them with family. The teachers meet my child at the appropriate level for their developmental stage. We have been there almost 2 years and I cannot imagine going anywhere else. Any concern or issue (all minor that you would experience anywhere) is dealt with quickly and compassionately. Not only have we been thrilled with every teacher we have encountered, the director and assistance director are amazing. I am big on communication and having doors closed to parents made that extra difficult over the last few years, but they made it work and found ways to keep us all on the same page. I watch how the interact with other families and children and consistently there is a level of respect and compassion you don't often find. I have seen them take a child who was "having a rough morning" and turn that around within minutes before settling them into their class. Which helps not only that child, but the whole class. Cole Academy doesn't have some of the bells and whistles you see at some places (constant video feed available to parents, etc). Honestly though I prefer that. It helps keep the cost down, and I am able to focus on my work without constantly access to check in on my child. I trust that my child is in good hands and don't feel the need to check even if I did have access to such things. We all know it takes a village to raise a child, and I am glad that my village includes Cole Academy. I will have no problems turning the second baby over to them in a few months.

I've been debating leaving this review for a while. We had our children at Cole for about a year. Our older child liked it pretty well (1.5 stars because she liked it). I think her teacher did the best she could with insufficient support. Our younger liked it okay after the first adjustment period, then grew to hate it the last few months we were there. He started to show many textbook signs of either being yelled at or ignored too often by his teachers. He was too young to explain, but began to clutch onto us and cry at dropoffs among other signs. I finally witnessed a teacher yelling myself, reported the teacher to ownership, and requested that my child change classes. The offending teacher seemed to be better for a while, but was apparently removed due to another incident after we left the school permanently. After switching to a healthier environment at a new daycare, it took nearly six months for our son to grow out of his fears of daycare. He asked for nearly a year if we're going to "new school" or "old school" and I have to reassure him that we're never going back to his old school. I hate to associate the good teachers (there are some) there with this review, but in retrospect, I feel terrible and guilty that I didn't better understand the signs and take action to remove our kids sooner than we did. Since leaving, we've heard other stories, some much worse than what we personally witnessed, from those who have also since removed their kids.

We’ve been at Cole academy just under a year now and we love it! We started when my daughter was 3 months old and she’s about to turn 1. The staff is SO caring and great with communication. They really love and care about those kiddos and it should shows!