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January 2024 by Jayne Oleksiak
I truly can’t say enough great things about marigold academy (formerly education station) in Bloomfield. It is such a special, well-rounded daycare with amazing, caring staff, exceptional + big outdoor playground space/toys, and tons of learning and toys inside. I was absolutely blown away with how much my child learned there and felt it was the perfect mix of play + lots of educational learning. My child absolutely thrived at marigold academy and we were SO sad to leave due to moving out of town. The child to teacher ratios are also amazing and small- much better than most other daycares. The staff does so many fun things to keep kids smiling and having fun such as weekly music class, holiday decorations and music, yoga, outdoor play, water play in the summer, etc. I love this place and recommend it so highly!!
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September 2023 by Rob Powell
My two boys went to Education Station/Marigold Academy for the past few years, and I am hugely grateful for the care, guidance and support they both received during their time there. One began at Marigold when we moved to NJ (he was about two years old), and the other joined when he was a wee baby. It proved the right place for the boys, and right for the family too. Below is my take:Hours and locationStarting with logistics. The teachers at Marigold Academy put in long hours! The place opens at 7am and closes at 6.30pm, and there’s a few teachers who are there throughout, day-in, day-out. Myself and my wife both work, so those long hours were a God-send. I also commute to NYC, so the location is a big win—it’s about a 3 minute walk to Bloomfield station, and in turn direct trains to NY Penn and Hoboken. As it happens, it’s also pretty good value—Marigold I believe has slightly longer hours than the other day cares in the area, but is a smidgen cheaper.Teachers and careMarigold has a high ratio of teachers to kids, including in the babyroom (located at the back). There’s a bit of turnover of teachers (perhaps not to be unexpected), but the school retains a strong spine of top-quality teachers and managers (Ms Dolly, Ms Stephanie, Ms Christine, and Ms Lynne for the baby room). The owner, Mr Jay, understandably does not have the unique pied-paper qualities of his predecessor (Mr Michael), but has invested in Marigold’s look and facilities, and, I’d argue, there has been a significant uptick in educational quality since his arrival (as evidenced by the fact that my youngest had a good grasp of letters and numbers when he left, whereas my eldest had neither).Final thoughtsMy children were very happy at Marigold. Indeed, my youngest used to run through the door every morning like he lived there (which, given that he was at Marigold from when he was three months old, arguably he did). The kids get to participate in a huge range of creative activities, marking every holiday and festival (I still have my father’s day “About my dad” fact sheet on the wall above my desk). There’s also water play and other additional outdoor activities in the summer. Of course, there are other daycares across Bloomfield and Montclair, but this one worked perfectly for us.
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September 2023 by Neeraja Sundaramoorthy
Had our daughter go here since she was around one year old. Great management, teachers and solid curriculum. Very happy we had our daughter go here! Would greatly recommend.
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September 2023 by Andy Bryant
6 stars out of 5! Our two youngest children grew up at Marigold & thrived there under the loving & expert attention of the staff.
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August 2023 by Jason Epstein
Our son was treated very well here. The staff was great, and the facilities as well. We will miss them.
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August 2023 by J A
My 2 kids (2 and 3 yo) have been there for 2 years. They love this place and so do we. They have a lot of fun activities, and it’s always incredible to see them with a smile at the end of the day. They also have a nice outdoor space.
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March 2023 by Joseline Chummar
My daughter went to Education Station for preschool and she loved it there. They had great teachers and staff. I do now realize after moving how advanced they were in terms of teaching and encouraging students to read, write and learn math at that young age. They exposed them in a fun manner and sent “homework” home as well. We enjoyed our time there.
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February 2023 by gaile manubag
My experienced at Education Station was fun and a lot of learnings. Being a teacher was fun and not only we gave learnings to the kids but also I learned a lot from them too. We gave our best to give the TLC (Tender, Love, Care) in other words “we worked with our heart” that’s my experienced in Education Station Daycare. I would like to say thank you to Mr. M at first, since his the one who accepted as one of the teacher and to Mr. J, who believed in me all the way and gave his helping hand without any hesitations. To Ms. C and Ms L for the motherly advice you’ve given me all the time. Lastly to Ms D, who mold me as who I am and taught me on how to face the real world. All the teachers of Education Station were all amazing and thank you for all the great experienced. Thank you to all my kids and I will not forget that I become the one important piece of your story. I highly and truly recommend Education Station Daycare. =Ms. Gail=
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February 2023 by Cher M.
Went for a tour for the infant room and was not very pleased. All cribs are cramped and it smells like very funky. The person giving your and head teacher were sociable. The assistants were in floor during nap time and not very welcoming. Which is ok... but I didn't like how right it was with cribs everywhere. Nice area, and play area but maybe that stage was not for us.
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December 2022 by Charles Stella
When we moved to New Jersey from Brooklyn in 2015, we used a day care facility a few blocks from our home but they went out of business. We were frantically looking for a new service, but everyone rejected us. That is until we made a plea to the owners of Education Station and they made room for our little girl. Fast forward seven years later and we can't thank them enough. Both of our children attended ES and went into kindergarten fully confident in themselves. Not only did they have an academic head start, but they also learned to properly socialize with other children. Can't neglect the fact that if you work in New York, ES is one block away from the train station. Doesn't get any more convenient than that!
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December 2022 by Victoria Livingstone
My daughter was at Education Station (in the toddler 5 class, ages 2-3) for a year. We sadly moved out of Essex County; otherwise, we definitely would have kept her there. The teachers are all so warm, sweet, and energetic. I always felt that they truly cared about my daughter, and made her (and all the other kids) feel loved. They do tons of activities with them (including gardening, water play in the summer, etc) and have an impressive amount of outdoor space to play. Their communication was always easy and smooth, including through the pandemic, and the owner/director is flexible and kind. I can't say enough good things about Education Station! My husband and I are both teachers and we highly recommend Education Station. We feel lucky we found it.
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December 2022 by Ruth O'Herron
My daughter is so happy at ES. She has fun playing and learning, gets tons of outdoor time, does art projects, helps grow things in the garden, and gets all the TLC she needs (which was my biggest concern first sending her during a high-separation-anxiety stage two years ago). Everyone on staff has been wonderful since day 1—cheerful, patient, caring, and consistent, even in these trying pandemic times! I know it costs a bit more than some others in the area, but for staff that treats my daughter as family, and the huge outdoor space, it is worth the difference. I highly recommend this school.
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December 2022 by Nathan Easom
Our son was in this school for 4 years from the "baby room" right through pre-K, during the turbulence of COVID. Our experience of the school has been fantastic and he has formed wonderful relationships with friends and teachers. It really feels like a family. I'm confident ES was the best choose available to us and our son is well prepared to go on with his learning journey.
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August 2022 by Ruth O.
My daughter is so happy at ES. She has fun playing and learning, gets tons of outdoor time, does art projects, helps grow things in the garden, and gets all the TLC she needs (which was my biggest concern first sending her during a high-separation-anxiety stage two years ago). Everyone on staff has been wonderful since day 1--cheerful, patient, caring, and consistent, even in these trying pandemic times! I know it costs a bit more than some others in the area, but for staff that treats my daughter as family, and the huge outdoor space, it is worth the difference. I highly recommend this school.
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August 2022 by Victoria L.
My daughter was in the toddler 5 class at Education Station for a year. Sadly, we moved out of Essex County otherwise we definitely would have kept her there. All of the teachers are so warm and wonderful-- I always felt that the teachers truly cared about her, and made her (and all the kids) feel loved. They do tons of fun activities with them (including water play in the summer, gardening, etc.) and have lots of outdoor space to play. The director/owner was also really flexible with us and the school's communication is really great. I highly recommend Education Station!
