Both of my girls (1 & 3)are in an in home daycare where they get lots of attention and love. My husband and I work FT. I'm thinking about getting my 3 year old into preschool and possibly moving my 1 year old also, only because of more flexible hours and more learning activities for my 3 year old. If you know of a really good preschool or daycare/preschool combination in Apple Valley, Burnsville, or Eagan, please let me know. I've called a few, but looking for personal experiences.
Thank you
It was a while ago, but my son went to Tutor Time in White Bear Lake. Love, love, love Tutor Time. He learned so much there. I found the care providers very warm and loving. They seemed to really enjoy caring for my child and watching him grow. Once my daughter is 2 or 3 I plan on enrolling her at Tutor Time as well. I know there is a Tutor Time in AV behind Kwick Trip on 77 & 145.
I LOVE my in-home daycare in Apple Valley. They take the kids that are old enough to preschool in the mornings. I think they go to a Luthern Church Preschool in Apple Valley. Not quite sure which one because my daughter isn't old enough yet. It's a mother and a daughter that do the daycare out of the mom's home. The mother has been doing daycare for over 20 years and the daughter joined her 5-10 years ago. They are quite flexible with schedules. The only disadvantage is that they open at 7am and close at 5pm. If those hours work for you I can give you more info!
I VERY HIGHLY recommend Preschool Project Kids in Burnsville. Both of my daughters have spent 4-5 years there. It is part of the Burnsville School District and is located in the Diamondhead Education Center on Burnsville Parkway & Pleasant Ave. near 35W. Some of the great things about PPK:
- They offer full-time and part time schedules, which means any combination of 1/2 days or full-days, M-F.
- They are very good about keeping to ratio, unlike a lot of centers that push the ration boundaries.
- Many of the staff have been with them for 5-10+ years. They are loving, appropriate, competent, and dedicated.
- They offer age-appropriate curriculum for toddlers and preschoolers.
- I also missed my daughters, but I never worried about the care they were getting because the staff in each room was so good.
Let me know if you want some contact info or specific names of teachers in the classrooms. Good luck with your decision.
T.
Berean Education Center at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville.
We just finished a year there and my girls loved it! So did I!
Wonderful teachers and staff, well rounded too.
Stay Away from any New Horizon! I use to be a photographer who went from daycare to daycare for "school" pictures and I've been in alot of daycare centers, my daughter also attended New Horizon I have horror stories.
I have been happy with both the Easter Lutheran Church preschool in Eagan and the preschool programs run by the City of Eagan Parks and Rec department. However, they are programs that run for 2 1/2 hours per day 2 or 3 days a week. They are not day care programs. Many people combine them with other day care situations if they can work out the transportation issues. Good luck.
We love KinderCare in AV. My son is 19 months and gets lots of love. It's a small center which allows for more personal attention. We did the KinderCare in Shakopee and prefer this one. Checked out Goddard School - looks really nice, but we were able to transfer without paying an extra fee (and it was less expensive) so we stuck with KC.
Our then three year old daughter started preschool at Saint John Nuemann Preschool last Fall. (Cnr of Deerwood and Pilot Knob in Eagan.) She has been so happy there, and I am really impressed with the staff. The teacher/student ratio is 1:8. There is a 3/4 year old class, a 4/5 year old class and a fives only class. They go for 2.5 hours, in either the morning or the afternoon, and enroll for either Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or Tuesday and Thursday. I don't know how daycare would fit into that for you. Good luck with your search. B..
