Schools near Lakewood, NJ

“My two children of different ages were at this daycare...the teaching and preparation was incredible. When they took their entrance exam for kindergarten, they were surprised by their highest level acquired. It has its details like any place but it is and will be a good place for a great start.”

“Miss Michelle is incredible! Super friendly and organized and my daughter has a great time trying each activity. Miss Michelle has noticed improvement with my daughter’s motor skills and even remembers her name when we walk in.”

“Both of my children are truly cared for emotionally and physically. All their teachers always have their best interests at heart. They way my kids run into the school, and don’t want to leave at pickup, you can tell they love it there.”

“My wife and I have been extremely pleased with the progress of our 4 year old daughter at the Montessori Enrichment Center in Howell, NJ. The staff are extremely passionate about the Montessori teaching method and they have given my daughter the time, attention and respect that she needs to flourish. She is developing excellent skills, both physically and interpersonally and I know she will be well equipped to succeed in the years ahead. Our decision to place her at this school last year was the best decision we could’ve made for our daughter.”

“I have ABSOLUTELY nothing bad to say about KinderCare in Toms River. All of the staff are beyond amazing! My daughter has been coming here for over 4 years and she LOVES IT. The teachers are like family and they treat my child like she's their own. I came to this center after a VERY BAD child care experience and KinderCare helped me find my faith in childcare professionals. My daughter will be going here until she's too old to be here, Lol”

“My son has been going to Applehill Academy in Howell for 2 years. He loves going to see his friends, his teachers and learn! I am so fond of the way Miss Heather leads her staff and spends time with the kids. Everyone there is always cheerful and excited to see us. I love the switch to Kids and Company as well. The app is awesome and I am always up to date on what my son is doing on a hourly basis. We are definitely an Applehill family!”

“For the past 5 years our daughter has attended TLE in Manasquan, and with happy tears we are now ready for the next stage. Thank you so much to everyone who has help mold our daughter, especially Miss Mary who has prepared her for kindergarten, she is so ready bc of you. your care for her, showing her the excitement about the world (we cannot pass a map or globe without discussing states, continents or oceans) we will be buying a globe this weekend so she can continue to talk about where she wants to travel. ??
We will miss you much!”

“Our daughter Madison went to this Goddard School for about 1.5 years (from 1yr to 2.5 yrs old.) We are so pleased with the way they cared for her. From the door we were treated like family; and somehow they literally remember everyone's names (which I was always impressed by) parents names included LoL!? There's nothing Generic about this Goddard location. You will be treated here, with your own personal experience from day one. From the Teachers and their Helpers, to the Administrative staff, down to the Curriculum they've created. Putting our daughter into the hands and care of Goddard at Brick proved to be most advantageous and far more than we bargained for. Our only reason for leaving was due to a change in residence. We are Sad to go, but are Happy We chose Goddard in Brick.A Huge shout-out to: Director and Owner, Ms. Meghan, Assistant Director Ms. Marie, and Teachers: Ms. Emily (Emmy, lol) and Ms. MaryAnne as well as the other assisting teachers (I apologize as I am actually terrible with remembering names LoL!,) of the Hippos class! Thanks for Everything! ?❤️-Mark and MariaMatteo”

“It’s my sons first year and we both absolutely love it!! The staff are amazing and are so helpful. I was very nervous at first to leave him there but they reassured me. He’s now always so happy to go to school. I can’t wait until my youngest son is able to come here!”

“Our kids have been going to Apple Hill Academy for the last 3 years and we love the school. My oldest graduated pre K and and is now thriving in kindergarten thanks to all the knowledge she gained at Apple Hill! I toured quite a few schools in the area before choosing and I was very impressed how quick they were to respond and answer all of my questions, Helene was polite, welcoming, and scheduled our tour right away. Our daughter loved it from the first day and has made many friends there. I like the fact that the kids do a combination of crafts, scholastic activities and outside play. They also learn word in spanish, sign language and learn about well being and calming techniques. They are exposed to different sports, cultures, learn about different holidays, foods/recipes and career choices. We will continue to take our kids here and highly recommend to family and friends!”

“I've been bringing my 11 month old here for about 2 months. We signed up for the membership, and we love it! My baby loves the classes and the teachers. The classes are really fun and she gains confidence and new skills every week. The staff is also so great! Theyre all so sweet and friendly and remember all the kids and families. Really glad to have such an awesome place close to home.”

“We love Jackson TLE!My son walks right into school every day , no tears , happy and ready to learn . Breakfast / lunch and snack is all provided , which makes it so much easier for us . We have a child in ps1 and school age and our 3 month old will be starting soon . The staff here is incredible .TLE curriculum is so wonderful ❤️”

“My husband and I are both alumni of Westminster, and now feel so privileged to send our two children to such a wonderful school. The staff are all so kind, caring, and professional teachers. Their loving and caring mannerisms are welcoming to each and every child. Their classrooms are inviting and child friendly, with so many age appropriate activities to meet all individual children's needs. We really can’t say enough nice things about Westminster , it is truly a wonderful school and the best school to start your children on their learning careers.”

“I highly recommend Ocean kids academy! My kids learned so much more than I had expected in a preschool program. The teachers are kind and informative, communicating throughout the school day. They plan wonderful parties and activities throughout the school year. I am so glad I was able to send my kids here and would recommend to anyone in the area!”

“The center director here, Miss Marge is simply amazing. You can tell she actually loves her job and the children. We love the codirector miss Robin as well! My son has been attending for about a year, and his teachers are amazing. Miss Kerry always orders the healthiest toddler friendly foods and the children eat well. Miss Liz is his primary teacher, and she is always very calm and engaging with the children. Mikey adores her. Miss Ashley is super patient and loves teaching the littles new things. We are over the moon with all the teachers. We got the pleasure of seeing Miss Danielle in the afternoons (she’s fantastic). Miss Loretta and Miss Dani are the teachers my son sees in the morning and we LOVE them too! This center truly makes learning fun and I actually feel very safe and secure leaving my child in their care for the long work day. I know I have mentioned a lot of teachers here, they have all contributed in building my child’s confidence and desire to learn. Thank you Jackson center.”

“We cannot say enough positive things about Genius Kids Academy, Ms. Marina, the staff, and the absolutely amazing experience they have provided for our daughter! Maddie started at Genius Kids this past September. Going to school for the first time, after being home with me for two years, she was extremely tentative and shy. However, within a few weeks, she was talking non-stop about her friends and teachers (Ms. Kate and Ms. Tina), singing all of her "circle time" songs at the top of her lungs, looking forward to Wednesday music classes with Ms. Tanya, and beaming from ear to ear whenever we mentioned her school. To say that she - and we - have LOVED Genius Kids is an understatement. My older son attended two different daycares when he was younger, and invariably we were dissatisfied with different aspects of them. This is not the case with Genius Kids. We have been thrilled every single day with the level of care, safety, attentiveness, communication, and nurturing provided. The staff works tirelessly to provide special experiences, activities, and memories for the children - shows throughout the year, festive events and parties, an abundance of cheerful and constantly-changing decorations, pool time and outdoor picnics, watching caterpillars turn into butterflies, daily songs and dancing. The children are always engaged and learning. It is remarkable how Maddie has learned numbers, counting, letters, shapes, and days of the week this year, the words to countless songs, how to be fully potty trained, and so many other unquantifiable skills - social/friendship skills, helpfulness, independence, maturity, confidence, and an expansive imagination that is constantly finding ways to engage in make-believe play (including her favorite activity at home, which of course is pretending that she is Ms. Kate and Ms. Tina leading the class). We are grateful that we have been able to witness Maddie's journey and incredible experiences at school thanks to the video monitoring, constant communication (updates/pictures), and high level of responsiveness from the staff. More than anything, what we have appreciated from Ms. Marina and the teachers is the level of genuine caring that they exhibit for the children. Genius Kids is not filled with disgruntled, transient teachers who are just working for a paycheck. On the contrary, every day we are confident that we are sending Maddie to a place where she is truly loved, where she feels special, where the staff's dedication is evident, and where she is in the best hands we could ask for. A place that brings her happiness and excitement, to which she is beyond eager to run out the door every morning. Genius Kids, because of you, Maddie has blossomed and flourished in so many ways. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for our girl. Love, The Palumbos”

“This is the best place I have ever sent my child. Miss Val is the director and she is so sweet and she knows every child that goes there by name and personality, she tries her hardest to work with your schedule, she is genuinely sympathetic for any troubles. I just can’t say enough good things about her I adore her. She is running such a great establishment and I wish these teachers were paid more because they are amazing educators. My sons Pre school teacher was miss Liz and she was so wonderful she’s so patient and laid back her teachers aids were so loving to my son they keep their students so happy, safe, and most importantly they actually TEACH their students. Then my son had miss Hamilton as his pre k teacher. She is such a wonderful educator. And most of all she KNEW my son on his first day of school, she knew everything about him. Everyone in that school knows every students names, behaviors, personalities, I am just so amazed by the people that work there. I recommend this school to any parent especially those hesitant to leave their child with a stranger like I was! Ps you get weekly updates, pictures, phone calls, all kinds of things, the director is almost always available. Love this place!”

“I’ve been at The Goddard School since my daughter was about 6 months, she is now 3. I’m always recommending everyone to come to The Goddard School. Everyone is so amazing and they make my kids feel comfortable. Keep up the great work !”

“Little giggles has been the greatest find. From the managers to classroom staff I can’t rave enough at how amazing they all are! I had came to them in a panick after abruptly taking my son out of a local daycare and they quickly accommodated me and made me feel at ease. Coming from a place where management was a mess to now being a little giggles where everything is smooth and perfect was the best thing for my son. I can’t even imagine going anywhere else. This entire place is a godsend. I highly recommend them to everyone.”

“We had a baby in 2023 and looked at Ocean Early at the suggestion of our neighbor. We couldn’t be more happy with the care she gets there. The teachers in her room are attentive, loving, and rockstars at their jobs. They made us feel welcomed and at ease especially when we were starting there as new parents. We love that they do various developmental activities - tummy time, reading, sensory exploring, outdoor time, bubbles, and so much more. Every day during drop off or pick up I’ve seen them be actively engaged with the babies. They’re flexible depending on your own preferences in terms of bottle preferences, nap timing, and more. The online/app system they use for communication is easy to use, and we appreciate the updates for naps, bottles, meals, daily needs, and the fun photos. So glad we found them!”

“My daughter attended this daycare and loved it and still says she misses being there.. they are very friendly and attentive to all the children. You can trust your child will be safe and taken care of at Busy Bees ?”

“Amazing place, the level of care given to our child was fantastic. Our childs teachers Miss Camryn & Miss Lauren went above and beyond to care for and teach our child.”

“Both of my children are thriving and learning so much. My son just turned 4 and has been here since he was 3 months old, and I can't believe how much he has learned. He never gives me a problem coming to school and always expresses how much he loves school and all of his teachers are his "favorite teacher ever". My daughter is 18 months old and is doing so amazing, she was 11 weeks premature and I can't believe that she is walking, using sign language, socializing and developing beyond where I thought she would be.”

“I have had several children in this school and I can't say enough good things about the staff. The director is amazing with the kids. The prices are UNBEATABLE.”