Turning Sun School East Lake

We have loved our first year at turning sun! The educators and staff are incredible. Everyone knows my daughter’s name and cares about her deeply. There are lots of opportunities to get involved without it being overwhelming for parents. The school curriculum, meals, teachers, events, and space have truly exceeded our expectations.

This was initially one of our top choices, so I'm really bummed at how things have been handled here. After paying the fee to join their waitlist (when I was 4 months pregnant) and waiting on that waitlist for what has now been a full year... we can't even get a status update on our spot. I've emailed. I've left multiple messages over weeks. I've called every number they have listed. I've even tried to go see if I could catch anyone in person to just have a conversation about why I haven't heard back. Absolutely zero communication. It's hard not to feel like they just took advantage of a new parent who was already overwhelmed with all the decisions facing her. Even when I was still hoping to hear back from them (I've long given up), beyond my disappointment in their lack of communication, it made me nervous for what would happen if my child was enrolled there and I actually did need to get in touch with someone in case of an emergency.

Staff is good and engaging with children. I would warn working parents about TSS. "Full Time" is considered 0830-330 which does not coincide with more conventional business/work hours. They seem to have staff meetings every few weeks which they schedule at 130pm and force you to pick up your kids 2 hours earlier than normal (instead of scheduling them after 330pm). Of course you pay tuition by the month, but they certainly are not pro-rating their tuition for all the time they seem to have early pick-up or are closed for holidays/breaks. They do publish their school calendar on the parents' site, so take a look closely. The school follows the Decatur schools calendar, even though their East Lake school sits on the border of Decatur/APS (Drew) schools. If you have an older child in APS schools you'll find yourself paying for supplemental care. The school does not provide food, so packed lunches are required. They're fairly particular about how you prepare and what you prepare for lunches (no PB&Js here). I feel our child receives a good experience with pleasant staff, but I feel we pay a lot in tuition at a school with a very fluid schedule that requires working parents (like my wife and I) to spend additional funds on supplemental care to avoid taking time away from work. I'd say the school is more ideal for families where 1 parent works part-time or is stay at home and just looking for a break from the kids.

Called in to get information about this school however I was transferred a couple times just to be told to go to their website. The way the call was handled I most definitely don’t feel comfortable sending my children here.

My son is finishing up his first year here and we had an amazing experience with teachers and staff. Highly recommend this caring, creative and attentive school.