Preschool for North Plano/West Allen Area- Primrose, Creme/Allen, Others?

You might want to look at Parker Chase Child Development Center on N. Tennyson. It might be too far south, but they are excellent. My kids are at/were at the Carrollton center and I can't say enough good things.

It is NAEYC accredited, the accrediting body for early childhood education programs. You can search the NAEYC website for centers near you. NAEYC's standards far exceed state licensing requirements for childcare centers and it is very difficult and prestigous to be accredited. For what it is worth, none of the Primrose or Creme de la Creme centers in this area are NAEYC accredited.

C.
Mom to a 6 year old 1st grader and a soon to be 4 year old

My child attends Primrose School of Forest Creek in North Plano. My child is schoolage now and has attended Primrose since age 4. The Education provided at Primrose is wonderful, my child's Kindergarten teacher said she was always amazed by the children in her class that had come from a Primrose School. Primrose has it together they have a nice homey environment, a great Academic curriculum, professional teachers, experienced management and the best overall balanced program for children. I whole heartedly beleive this. I am very happy with the decission I made for my child. I also think that that Primrose school offers a discount for Public school teachers. I think it would fall close to your budget. Check it out and tour other schools and get a feel for what is right for you and your child. There number is ###-###-####

Primrose west Allen is awesome, but depending on the age of your child, may be out of your budget. We have a 3 year old and pay over 200 a week. I'm told (haven't checked it out for myself) that Creme de la Creme is similar in price. We have been very happy at Primrose though. They have long hours to satisfy your full day needs.They would be more than happy to meet with you and give you all the information you need to help you make a decision, as I'm sure most places would be.

Both of my children go to Primrose of Bent Trail. I absolutely can not say enough good things about this school. It is one of the few preschools that is accredited. I am amazed at the things my four year old comes home saying that he learned. He can name almost all of the bones and muscles in his body (more than I know!), he knows several spanish words and phrases and he has a music class every week where he gets to sing and learn about and play instruments. He is also involved in a sports program at his school once a week where coaches come in and teach them skills for soccer, football, hockey, basketball, etc. The majority of the teachers there have degrees in early childhood development, or even advanced degrees. One of the early infant teachers used to even be a pediatrician. Not only do they learn a lot, but they have a lot of just good 'ol fun playtime as well. My boys always look forward to going to school. The teachers are great, the kids are great, even the parents there are great. I highly, highly recommend it. The only downside is that you will probably pay more than $180 per week. It is a little pricey, but I honestly believe you get what you pay for and Primrose is definitely worth the price.

I suggest Primrose School of North Plano or Forest Creek. My 9 month old attends Forest Creek and has since he was 8 weeks old. The things he has already learned from this school amaze me each day and he is only a baby! Primrose School of North Plano is great as well! These schools are both owned by the same great family and you just can't go wrong with either choice. I believe the price is in the range you are looking for as well. North Plano location is having an open house on July 30th from 6-8:30 and offering complimentary registration fees. You should check it out! Good Luck with your search!

I agree with Abby Z. I would check out Primrose School of North Plano on Coit and Spring Creek! Great school, experienced teachers and will really start your child off with a great foundation for learning! I beleive their number is ###-###-####. You should call and set up a tour soon as they will be filling up fast for Fall! Good Luck!

Years ago I had a home daycare and had a curriculum. But so that the kids would have a more structured environment I offered to transport to and from one of the schools that offered a AM program. Parents would drop off at my house or at the Am program in the morning and I would pick up in the afternoon feed a hot lunch and the kids would have a less structured learning environment the rest of the day. You might be able to find something like that. It has been years but the AM program was like three days a week for $90 a month. And I was very reasonable on my prices. Just something to look into.

Have you looked at First Baptist Plano Week Day School? http://www.fbcplano.org/preschool. There may be other churches in the Plano/Allen area offering great all day programs. I do know this one has a great reputation!

We feel the need to inform parents of our experience with Kids 'R' Kids West Allen. When we initially toured, Kids 'R' Kids of West Allen sounded great and although the rate was higher than most it was supposed to include daily Spanish, Computers, Music, and extracurricular activities. We were also promised they would keep a lower ratio. Within months, they increased their rates but took away programs without any communication to the parents and added so many children into the classroom it was complete chaos with no structure. We noticed a huge decrease in learning and not following the daily schedule. They were always running out of breakfast so our child would have nothing to eat when it was supposed to be included. High turnover in staff and unhappy teachers. None of our concerns were addressed, in fact, they told us they wouldn't cap enrollment and couldn't give us a clear understanding of the programs our child would receive.
Parents, I urge you to do the research, read reviews, and most importantly look at the violations on the State of Texas childcare website versus how long they have been open. We paid for a safe, educating environment for our child and Kids 'R' Kids of West Allen did not provide that. Please do not make the same mistake. We didn't realize how much our child was missing out, until she started a new school and her learning increased exponentially.

Please make sure to check the Texas state website compared to how long they have been open. I know some people are recommending Creme de la Creme and I have never seen so many violations.

When I worked in N. Richardson, we used Carpe Diem Private Preschool in Richardson. Hands down, the best preschool I've found anywhere in the area. We paid dearly for it at $1100/mo for only my son. However, I started working from home when my now, 3 year old, daughter was born and didn't need to drive that far.

I scoured the area for a comperable place and landed at Merryhill Private Preschool at Custer/Spring Creek. My daughter attends their school day program (8-3) and we pay $745/mo. She is in their 3-4 yr olds program, and last year we paid $750 for the 2-3 yr olds for the same time committment. (About $170/wk)

Aside from educational enrichment and all the other good things people like about preschools, from a business perspective, Merryhill has been really cool. They allow you to take a free week of vacation. My kids stay with their father (divorce) during July and so, I am not obligated to pay to hold her spot even if she's not there, like other preschools. I just really like the staff and they are very down to earth and good with my high-maintenance daughter.

HTH!!!

C.

My daughter takes her almost 4 year old to Creme de la Creme. It is a little pricey, but the learning environment is fabulous. You can even sign them up to take a little soccer class or dance class during the day. If your budget allows for the cost, I know you will love it. Her daughter knows the names of animals and things that the average adult doesn't know. They really stimulate their imagination and desire to learn. (She was playing "school teacher" last week and said, "Raise a quiet hand and tell me the name of your favorite animal." They teach the kids respect for others, values, courtesy and how to behave. I have been impressed with what she knows at her age.

http://www.kidsrkidsallen.com/.

Kids R Kids at the intersection of Alma & Exchange is great! They've only been open about 6 months so everything is brand new and the staff is amazing. It is run by two women and they do a great job at incentivizing their teachers, in turn, getting qualified staff without as much as a turnover as daycares often experience.

They also offer web cam service w/DVR so you can check on your kids thruout the day and even rewind up to 12 hours!

If you call or stop by, please tell them that Samantha's mom sent you!

My daughter is only 14 months so the tuition is about $225/week but I know that it is less for older children. They also offer a discount for teachers (I think-I know they offer it for police officers) and if you pay in advance they also give a discount.
Good luck

Hi C.-
I take my daugther to Cambridge Academy. (Midway Location)- She loves it there. The teachers are great, there is security pad at the door. So not just anyone can walk in. I know of 2 locations -
Coit Location - 8104 Coit Rd, corner of Coit and Hedgcoxe behind the post office and
Midway Location - 2200 Midway Rd - across the street from Prestonwood Basptist Church.
She is a toddler and I pay 176.25 a week. So I know the preschooler will be less than that. Here is the link to the website,
http://www.cambridgekids.com
I hope this helps!
H.

my son attends Primrose West Allen. He's been there since he was 12 wks old. We love it. The teachers are wonderful. I checked out a lot of schools in the Allen area prior to choosing Primrose. At all the other schools I checked out, red flags were appearing in my head. But when I went to Primrose I knew that was the school for my son. It was one of the more expensive schools in the area but it was worth it to us. He's 14 months old now and he loves to go to school. I see him growing and learning new things every day. I don't have any regrets for choosing Primrose West Allen. I don't know if Primrose is in your price range of $180 or not. It's all gaged on the class/age of your child. I pay more then that but my son is still a toddler and in diapers so I know I am paying more because that.

Creme de la Creme was one of the first schools that I looked out. There prices were horribly expensive and I kept seeing red flags the more the director kept talking to me. I knew it wasn't a place I wanted to send my infant. I think for older children it's fine but I still had my concerns.

My girlfriend put her son in a brand new Kids R Kids on Alam & Exchange Parkway. So far she's been very pleased with the school. There prices are lower then Primrose or Creme de la Creme.

Good luck with your search.

We had a good experience with American Montessori Campus, right behind Willow Bend mall. They offer optional additional classes--computer, soccer, dance, karate, etc. We did them all and the computer was the best, but they were all very good. In the summer they bring in a science class too and have water park Friday's that the kids love. The owner loves children and does a great job. My son flourished there.

We had a terrible experience at Creme' de la Creme' and I would not recommend them. Our son seemed to be a number and source of income and the employees we were in contact with seemed to be there for the paycheck. My normally happy son cried every day when I dropped him off and picked him up. After a couple of weeks, I was done. It seems like a wonderland, but appearances can be deceiving! I had a friend who's daughter loved it there, so I'm sure others have had different experiences. Ours was not good and I've heard some things I didn't like about it since our experience and would never send my child there.