Learning Co and Academy

"My daughter attended The Learning Company and Academy from 2022 till summer of 2023 and she loved it! She loved all her teachers especially Mrs. Joan and she loved their music program. Everyday she used to come home and sing and teach me her songs. We felt it was a good balance of play, extra curriculars and academics. We used to love the shows where the children used to perform duringq Christmas, Halloween, July 4th etc. The teachers were loving and caring and she loved to go to the school. She made some really good friends there. Thanks to Ms. Joan and her team."

"My kid has been a student at this school for ~ 2 years now, so this review is not merely based on "a session". Before this, we tried 2 other schools. While the other schools were good and teachers were nice, my kid did not appear as excited as we see with TLC. This will be a short review for now but I plan on adding a few more details so anybody reading all the comments gets a balanced perspective. Every parents love their kid and wants the best for them but that feeling shouldn't affect how a teacher's sincerity towards their student. I will also add some pictures along with the issues we had and how we resolved it."

"We sent our kid to The Learning Company and Academy from when she was 2-3/4 to 3-1/2 years old. We eventually got to be so uncomfortable with the school that we moved her to a new preschool, even though the new school will mean a longer commute and slightly higher tuition. Below are the reasons we decided to leave. 1. Difficulty communicating with the teachers. For example, one day at drop-off, I said "I forgot to bring KidName's water bottle today. Do you have a cup that she can use? Or do I need to go home and get a water bottle?" I repeated this two more times in different ways, along with pantomiming, and eventually had to open the lunch box and point to where there was no water bottle before the teacher understood. 2. No easy way to communicate with administration. The school does not have an email address. There's no way to text them. They certainly have no app. The only way to reach them is by phone call. (The lack of communication in the above two points has made it nearly impossible to raise concerns about any of the following points.) 3. The school is very punitive and disciplinarian. One of the only times I had any direct contact with administration, they were calling me to ask if our kid had any privileges at home that they could take away at school to force her to nap. Our kid has also been using various terms like "bad girl," "time out," and "troublemaker" that she certainly never learned at home. We have to continually repeat to her that people aren't bad or good, they can do bad things or good things. 4. Forced nap time. our kid sleeps for 12-13 hours a night, so she's not tired during the day, and usually does not nap. On weekends, we have "quiet time" for two hours in the afternoon, where she's in her room alone to wind down, but does not usually nap. During my own time in preschool, I also didn't nap; I'd go sit in a room with the older kids and color things with crayons. When I suggested that our kid could do the same, the school refused. 5. Extreme focus on academics. They have worksheets that the kids are required to do. While I never personally saw my kid not wanting to do a worksheet, I did see the teacher forcing other kids to sit and do their worksheets while dropping my kid off. This hardly seems like a way to inspire a love of learning. The school also sends home report cards (which seems awfully rigorous for a preschool). 6. Not paying attention to kids. In the report cards, they mark what the kids can do, separated into academic things, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills. Our kid has had great gross motor skills for a while. Before starting at the school, she could accurately play catch with a ball from perhaps 40ft (10m) away. Yet, her report card said that she was unable to throw a ball at all. There were several other gross motor skills that fell in this same category. The teacher either didn't pay any attention to her or else didn't provide an environment where she was comfortable enough to show her abilities. 7. Messages in songs. The school has concerts every couple of months, where the kids sing songs they've learned. At age 3, you really have to repeat something a ton of times before the kid can repeat it back, which means that the words of these songs are being deeply ingrained in the kids as core messages. Yet these songs reinforce traditional stereotypes. There was a Mother's Day concert, and the full month leading up to it, our kid had a strong preference for mom over dad and kept singing things like "mothers are for hugging, mothers are for kissing." 8. The school claims to be just renting space from a church but not actually religious, but it definitely still implicitly pushes kids into mainstream Christian culture. When I raised concerns about them hosting a Christmas concert, I was gaslit and told that it couldn't possibly actually be an issue because I was the only parent who had ever raised it. 9. Vaguely racist education materials. Our kid brought home a coloring page for "E is for Eskimo" (a derogatory term historically used to refer to Inuit peopl"

"I began going to this school myself approx 26 years ago in 1996 I believe. My stepdad’s job brought us to SJ. I think of this place often and decided to look it up to see if it was still around. I still have so many fond memories of the teachers I had and the friends I made (and I’m still connected with a classmate today after all this time). Joan is an incredible director. We moved to NY in 1998 and a couple of years later, we were able to make a trip back to SJ and stopped at TLC&A to visit my old teachers. It was special to be remembered by my teachers and Joan. The fact that I still remember my positive experiences after decades, speaks volumes of the environment they create. Thank you to Joan, Mrs. Lubbs, and others!"

"I can't say enough good things about this school. Joan, the director, is a phenomenal educator and overall lovely person. They offer a nice balance of play based education while still focusing on academics. The classrooms are clean and the teachers are strict about adhering to Covid guidelines. Joan and her staff have a lifetime of experience in education, and they bring their expertise into the classroom everyday. Miss Lilian is the preschool teacher and is just a blessing. I don't know what we would have done without her caring demeanor and patience with both of our children. My favorite part about the school is the music and drama Joan brings into the curriculum. There are multiple performances throughout the year and the children love it! All children have an opportunity to play a part, without the stress of "trying out". Songs, costumes and choreography all done by Joan. She's amazing! I also like that the building is set away from the street, so strangers can't just watch the kids play. That's a pet peeve of mine. It's nestled away behind a church, off of Blossom Hill so it's easy to get to, but still away from traffic and strangers' access (not affiliated with the church). I also love the sense of family here. All of the parents chat and stay connected, which is great. Anytime I hear someone looking for a preschool-kinder school for their child, I recommend The Learning Company and Academy."