Harmony Schools

"My experience with the Harmony school has been very positive. Previously, my son was attending a Bright Horizons, and I regret not starting my son earlier at the Harmony school. The staff was very accomodating during his transition from the prior daycare. The staff always kept him engaged, and ensured he was learning. In fact, I am running out of space to store all of the arts and crafts he had made while he was at the Harmony school! In addition, because of the education he received during pre-K, the first year of KinderGarten was a breeze! (He attended KG at another school.) In fact, I was so impressed with the Harmony school, then I enrolled my second son at the age of 6 months. The teachers have always been very hands-on, and are always able to answer my questions, and provide me with advice. The entire staff is very friendly, respectful, courteous, and professional. Going to work everyday is easy, as I know my son, who is now 2, is in great hands."

"We have been a happy Harmony family since January 2010, when our son started in the infant room. He graduated from kindergarten at Harmony in June. Our daughters are current Harmony students, in pre-K and toddlers. I recommend Harmony to everyone looking for childcare or a kindergarten program in the area. The days are structured and focus on learning in a fun way, but also include plenty of time for play. Our kids love Harmony, and have thrived there. I could not imagine sending them anywhere else. Infants: We loved that our kids received a lot of attention and cuddling. Diapers are changed every 90 minutes, and we received a written report at pick up every night, detailng diaper changes, naps, play, food, and temperament. Toys are cycled every hour, and then washed in a cleaning solution. Street shoes are not worn-everyone puts on slippers before entering. Babies each have their own crib and boppy, and the sheets and covers are washed every night. Diapers and wipes are supplied by Harmony. If you want diaper cream, etc. applied at changes, you have to provide a doctor’s note giving them permission. Staff to infant ratio is excellent at 3 to 1. Toddlers: The toddler teachers are incredible. They have boundless enthusiasm and patience, and the children love them for it. We have found that the age range of the toddler room is a time of explosive growth and developing independence. The children come from the infant room in diapers, and both my son and oldest daughter left toddlers being potty trained (and our youngest is now sitting on the potty and she is about to turn two!) They learn to feed themselves, instead of being spoon fed, they sit at a little table and chair to eat their meals, instead of in a high chair, they nap on a little mat, instead of a crib, and they get to explore outside on the playground. Their language development is awesome-we have noticed our daughter is using new words daily, and trying to sing little tunes and songs that she has learned. The teachers in toddlers prove there is no such thing as the terrible twos! Teachers: The teachers at Harmony are wonderful. They are enthusiastic and patient, and never appear stressed. I feel like I can always catch up with them at the beginning or the end of the day and ask any specific questions about my child, the day, etc. The teachers all seem to enjoy their work, and turn-over is low. The teachers and staff are friendly, and are good role models. All three of our children have had many of the same teachers as they move up through infants, toddlers, preschool, and pre-K. All children are different, and I so appreciate that the kids are treated as individuals, and their personalities and interests are respected and encouraged. Teachers and students are diverse, and we have met people from all over the world. I like that our kids experience different cultures in a really organic way. Kindergarten: The kindergarten program exceeded our expectations. The small class size and amazing teacher, Ms. Danielle, really helped develop our son’s confidence and made him into an enthusiastic learner. He went into first grade a very strong reader who asks us to give him math “challenges” for fun! Administration: It is very easy to communicate with Lisa and the staff at Harmony. My emails are always promptly returned. If one of the kids had a bad night’s sleep, I call over and Brittany or Cheri gives me a quick update on their day. We had an issue which required intervention with speech and I was impressed with how responsive and detail oriented Lisa and the preschool teacher were in getting it addressed, which involved outside people from our school district. The school is run very professionally. Lisa and Brittany work hard and take pride in their business. We love the updates on facebook throughout the day, with pictures of what the kids are doing. Monthly calendars and newsletters are sent home at the beginning of each month, which outline the daily activities, projects, field trips, etc. in each room."

"Our two children have been going to Harmony for 3 years and 18 months respectively. We are about to have a third child and we are thrilled to know that our newborn will get to go through the same caring, compassionate and competent environment as the first two children. From the day we first had a tour of the facility, right through to just a week ago when for some reason one of our children seemed to be going through a 'phase', Harmony school's leadership and staff have always been engaged in our children's welfare and willing to talk about any issue that may arise. I remember when we were still considering options for our first born. Harmony seemed to have the most flexible hours of operation (which was important for us) but what sealed the deal was the family feel to the whole building that Lisa and Brittany exude and which trickles down throughout the broader team. Both our children have been well looked after, their progress fairly evaluated and reported back to us and, above, all have been welcomed into the Harmony family. And we are proud to have Harmony as part of our family. Thanks to Lisa and the rest of the team who do such great work day in, day out!"

"I took out my 20-month-old daughter from Harmony school after 7 weeks (3 part time weeks and 4 full time weeks) because Lisa, the manager and teachers believed that they could not meet my expectations! She was absolutely right! Because I expected my little one not to get diaper rash most of the time due to her staff carelessness in changing her diapers! They could not meet my expectation because I noticed that my child had been dehydrated all one afternoon and I wanted them to make sure that her water had been refreshed and refilled! Because I preferred my child not to listen Indian traditional music when she took her nap! They could not meet my expectation because I asked them to rinse the rice before my child and other children play with it to reduce its Arsenic Acid level, which was very toxic for their health! And finally, on the last day I noticed that my daughter’s cup cap had been replaced with other kid around the time she got very sick and ended up to ER! I figured it out when I once more noticed that her cup is empty and wanted to refilled it and saw my daughter multivitamin stained straw in other kid cup! I felt that I was discriminated when I asked for a place to nurse my child and they hesitated to let me use the spot! I absolutely agree with her because her careless team could not meet my expectation to take care of my precious child! I was surprised when Liza told me that my daughter did not had any progress exactly 5 minute after Shalini told me my child had made a lot of progress and the only concern was eating! That was another reason I could not trust a system in which the director bolded non-facts to force me get my child out because they were not capable of collaborating with my child early intervention teacher for her eating. On my tour day, I clearly told Lisa that my daughter cannot feed herself and she needed to be fed and she assured me that they would feed her. We were not worried at the bigining but when she started full time schedule she did not eat although I was told that they are doing their best to feed her! The only thing I observed was that my daughter had developed very defensive reaction when they wanted to feed her, which I concluded their feeding approach had not been appropriate and gentle enough and they did not earn her trust. Once when I was giving her some biscuits, Lindsey approached her in a forceful manner by pulling out her hand and pushing a pouch toward her mouth and she start screaming and refused even to take food from me. When I told her that they should not push her to eat, she rather than taking my advice insisted that she was not forceful. That was the moment I saw a very unsecure behavior and started thinking how I can trust this type of personality to take care of my daughter. On the second week of my child fulltime stay, Lisa wanted us to have her early intervention teacher at school to help them find a better way to have her eat. After almost two weeks we finally could have had early intervention teacher to come to school. I was extremely astonished when Lisa and Shalini, head teacher, told me that they could follow the early intervention instructions and be collaborative after the first session with him. I checked with him and surprisingly found out that the only thing he wanted from them was to make sure that she got some experience with some texture like sand when she played outside. Liza mentioned that they couldn’t meet my expectations and again she was absolutely right because they are not the right caring team for my child! So, I never recommend Harmony school to those parents that are detail oriented and like to check on their child and question some of the procedures and processes. You find that the teachers and administration are defensive and inflexible and not trustworthy! I do not want to have my child in hands of people who takes care more about their prestigious! Name rather than my child!"

"My family has had an amazing experience at Harmony. Any issues or concerns that have arisen have been handled professionally and in a timely manner. Our children look forward to going to school and we are confident knowing that they are in a safe and nurturing environment. We have recommended Harmony to many of our friends, without reservation."