The Children In The Shoe

I absolutely love our daycare and pre‑school, The Children in the Shoe – Olney (“The Shoe”). Our daughter, now 5 and in the pre‑K class, has been part of The Shoe – Olney community since she was just 14 weeks old. We enrolled her in the middle of COVID, and we’ve never looked back. Our daughter has truly thrived in The Shoe – Olney’s care. They focus not only on basic childcare, but also teaching through play and enjoyable activities. The children are exposed to different languages, and participate in activities such as yoga and dance. It’s so well-rounded. Our daughter’s speaking, problem-solving, and comprehension skills - and her social skills - are advanced and we know The Shoe - Olney is a huge part of her success. She is well prepared to start Kindergarten in the fall. It’s unmistakably clear that the teachers love the children, and their long tenure speaks volumes about how much they love what they do and where they work. Turnover is remarkably low – 10‑ and even 20‑year anniversaries are common. When we toured other centers, high turnover was the norm, and it made us uneasy. It’s hard to build trust when caregivers change constantly, especially when your baby is still in diapers. At The Shoe – Olney, one of our daughter’s very first teachers – who cared for her at 3 months old – is still there, still remembers her at age 5, and still comments on how much she’s grown. And truly, every teacher is like that. The staff‑to‑child ratio is excellent, with multiple teachers and support staff in every room, ensuring every child is known and cared for. The administrative team at The Shoe – Olney is just as exceptional. They know every child and every parent or guardian by name, greet everyone warmly, and keep the entire center running seamlessly. From the moment she could walk, our daughter has raced ahead of us each morning to get to her classroom – eager to see her teachers and friends – while we pause to say good morning at the front desk. I can’t say enough positive things about The Shoe – Olney. We are absolutely confident that we made the best possible childcare decision for our daughter. I recommend The Children in the Shoe – Olney wholeheartedly and without hesitation.

The daycare experience at The Shoe in Olney has been so much more than I ever imagined, and I am incredibly thankful to have my children in such a high-quality, nurturing environment. The warm welcome we receive every time we walk through the doors helps start our sometimes teary drop offs on a positive note. The staff are kind, patient, and clearly care about all kids. Communication is consistent, and I always feel informed about my child’s day. The teachers provide both pictures and summaries about the day which is so nice to read. I'm very grateful for the care they provide and would definitely recommend this daycare to other families. Leaving your babies is never easy, but knowing that they—and we as parents—are treated like family makes it so much easier and incredibly reassuring.

We came to The Shoe when we had to seek childcare unexpectedly after a death in our family. We were initially nervous about putting our daughter in daycare but the experience has been amazing. From the very beginning, the Shoe has been a warm, compassionate, and supportive environment where our daughter is able to thrive. Across the different classrooms she’s been in and with each of the teachers she’s had have been so kind and she has learned so much. They really care about our daughter and I can’t say enough good things about the staff. We receive meaningful, regular updates about how she’s doing throughout each day, which has given us a great deal of reassurance and trust. We will definitely be sending our future children to the Shoe and can’t recommend them enough!

This place is really special. We have been so pleased with the care provided to our infant this past year. You can clearly tell the teachers love and care for the kids and genuinely love being at work. Their high retention of staff speaks volumes. The front desk’s customer service is top notch. I could go on, but I would highly recommend!

Our infant son has been going here for the past few months. They are amazing! Great communication, very observant of his needs/behavior, and a super enriching program. Stephanie (owner) and Latonya (his primary teacher) are especially amazing, though every caretaker there has been warm and caring. 100% happy!