Key Element Learning

I highly recommend Key Element Learning, where both of my daughters have attended and my youngest is still enrolled. From day one, the experience has been incredibly positive. The environment is warm, welcoming, and safe, with staff who are genuinely caring and passionate about what they do. Academically, my oldest daughter entered kindergarten already reading and doing basic math, thanks to their strong foundation. The team is responsive, patient, and flexible with parents, always going above and beyond. What stands out most is their genuine love and enthusiasm, creating a nurturing and stimulating space where my girls thrive. I’m truly grateful for the exceptional care and education they provide. If you want the best daycare that balances learning and care, Key Element Learning is it!

Our baby has been at KEL for about 2 months now and we are so very relieved at the great care, attention, and love they show our baby. It is our first time enrolling a kid in daycare and we were nervous at what may come, but KEL has done such a wonderful job putting us at complete ease. Leadership/management is responsive and helpful, our primary caretaker (who is invested deeply in our baby), knows our baby's needs in and out. We truly love that we ended up here after taking a look at several day cares in the neighborhood. The school feels very personal and their updates through the day are welcomed (they use the Brightwheel app and use it thoroughly). We hope to be here for a very long time.

I wouldn’t recommend sending your children there. Here’s why: • Meals: Breakfast isn’t planned — teachers just grab whatever is in the kitchen (crackers, fruit, cheese, yogurt, applesauce). Lunch portions are often cut in half because there isn’t enough food, and snacks (if given) are usually just the same items. Kids are often left hungry. • Incidents: Parents are only told if there’s a visible mark or if staff think the child might mention it at home. If a child hurts another, the parent of the child who did the hurting often isn’t told, because the directors want to “keep parents happy.” • Ratios & Safety: Classrooms are often over capacity, which means children don’t always get the supervision they need. This leads to unsafe situations, and the center still hides it from parents. • Learning: Most of the day is just free play. The children are barely learning anything compared to what parents are being told. This is either because teachers don’t want to implement lessons (and it isn’t enforced), or because the proper supplies and materials simply aren’t provided. • Professionalism: The director and owner play favorites and even talk negatively about employees to other staff. It’s unprofessional and creates a hostile environment. • Dishonesty: Parents are frequently misled to protect the center’s image. Inspectors aren’t told the truth either. A second center has been open for months even though it wasn’t ready, and parents weren’t allowed to see it. I’m not even sure the inspector knows it’s being used. At the end of the day, kids are the ones who suffer — from being hungry, from not having safe supervision, from missing out on learning, and from parents not being told the full truth. Parents deserve transparency, but that’s not what happens here

As a working mom, I can not express how satisfied and grateful I felt with KEL and the teachers. My son has been attending this school since 2017. He loves this place, his friends and his teachers. He is the happiest kid thriving there. We loved the convenient location, the bright classroom and most importantly, we loved the teachers. They were so nice and patient with the kids. They helped with my son’s potty training in such a successful way which was really a relief for me. We feel that we are a close big family at KEL. We couldn’t have found more caring and creative professionals. I know each day when I dropped him off he is in good hands. The location is so convenient because it is only a few blocks away from where I live. And now they also serve the lunch and snacks which save a lot of our time. It also helps my son adjust to eating a variety of items and to having good manners at the table. This school is the best secret in town. It has the best teacher student ratio in the downtown area.

KEL in Jersey City has a very nice, clean facility. The staff members are super friendly and extremely patient with young children. The director Diana is a kind lady and is always willing to be flexible to accommodate parents' needs such as swapping classes. They are great at communications and I always get my questions answered in detail and on time. Highly recommended.