Allie P.

Our children first began attending Oak Grove Learning Tree in May of 2019. Our daughter, Rosalind, was just a day over one and our son, Winston, was barely three. Up until this point, both children had been home with us, or with a nanny while we were both at work three days per week. We were very apprehensive to place them in a childcare facility, but after making our way through eight different nannies in only a few months we decided to give it a try. (Rosie was a screamer with any and all strangers; she never adjusted to a single care provider in our home and they quickly burned out.) Rosie was the youngest child in the facility, the baby of the baby, AKA the Guppies, room. Winston was the oldest of the kiddos in the magical potty training miracle called the Starfish Room. Both children went through a little adjustment period, as expected, but without making a single teacher blink. While they often fussed at dropoff, both settled in quickly after parental departure and did great with their new reliable environment and consistent caregivers. (I know this because they tolerated my frequent nervous telephone check-ins daily until I became more comfortable. Perhaps I was the one with stranger anxiety, not the kids! Ha!)

Since the adjustment period, the children have done nothing but thrive there. Winston quickly graduated the Starfish Room after becoming confident in his toileting (Thank you Teacher Kerry!) and subsequently moved to the Minnow Room, where he has continued to grow his social, artistic, and motor skills. He recently graduated to the Goldfish Room, but not before learning how to write his name, draw creative self portraits, and name most, if not all, of his colors and shapes, as well as many, many letters. (Thank you, Teacher Kathryn!) He has a number of "best" friends he talks about constantly and asks to attend school nearly every single day. He's extremely happy there. (Thank you, Teacher Kelly!)

Rosie is now approaching her transition to the Starfish Room and we couldn't be more delighted. Rosie knows her colors and many shapes as well. She sings many songs at home she has learned, at least partially, at school and she talks often about "her" babies (AKA the younger students in the Guppy Room). She has had a couple of teachers throughout her stay there (almost 18 months now) and all have been terrific, but Hayley has certainly been among her favorites (Thank you Hayley!).

While all of this would have been fantastic during normal, boring, basic times, this is particularly special because we are not living in those times. When the pandemic first started, my husband and I were absolutely overwhelmed trying to brainstorm how we would continue to maintain our employment (both essential workers in engineering and healthcare) and provide safe care to our children. Fortunately, these concerns were quickly dissipated. As we watched many, many local childcare facilities close down, several permanently, Oak Grove Learning Tree has remained open throughout these volatile times. As new state regulations have emerged, again and again, they have risen to meet them, shifting roles, reconfiguring classrooms, and continually maintaining an amazing, safe place for our children to further learn and grow. In a world full of evolving changes, they've given our children consistency, and ourselves peace of mind. We cannot recommend this amazing facility with enough enthusiasm and sincerity.

P.S. A huge, grateful thank you to Director Scott, and Administrators Andrea and Laurie, along with anyone else we may not have mentioned by name. We appreciate you! THANK YOU!

Megan F.