Montessori Kids Universe - Fuquay Varina — Local services in Fuquay-Varina

This is a LONG review. But this is the information I was looking for when searching for daycare, so I hope it's helpful for someone else.

We started at MKU when our little one (LO) was 2. We previously had an at-home nanny, so I had a ton of anxiety sending my LO to school, but I honestly think MKU was the best place we could have landed, particularly because our LO really thrives with structure.

I’ll be transparent with some of my fears going in - the teacher/child ratio is higher at Montessori, and MKU does not have monitoring cameras that some daycares have, where you can see a live feed during the day. My LO is also a wildly picky eater, so I was fully convinced starvation was a real threat. ;)

With those fears laid out, I’ll say that I have no hesitation about recommending MKU today. The camera thing - there is an app, and you get photo updates of the class and your child as well as a daily readout. For me personally, it’s probably in everyone’s best interest that I can’t see a live feed every day - it’s a good boundary so I don't hover. I’ll also say that our LO is VERY verbal, and we’ve never once been told something that has left us concerned. As an example, one night our LO told us that a teacher took a water bottle away. When we asked more questions, LO said “I was not listening. I was banging my water bottle on the table.” Totally in line with what I’d expect for appropriate correction.

Regarding my “picky eater” concern - I distinctly remember MKU staff (Ms. Reny!) telling us that positive peer pressure is a thing and our LO would likely start eating new foods just based on what other kids do and being in a different environment. It’s definitely taken time, and it’s not like we now eat everything, but my kid ate salad for the first time EVER at my dinner table the other night, so I’ll take it.

MKU also leans into teaching children independence, even from a young age. There’s a lot of practical life skills teaching, which our LO has really taken to. Probably the biggest/most recent callout I have for this is around potty training. Every day, our LO sees other children using the potty at school. Every day, the teachers would ask, “do you want to sit on the potty today?”. Children are also in charge of retrieving their own diapers for changes, pulling their pants up/down, etc. I think all of those things together really lay the groundwork for creating awareness around their bodies and when they need to pee / poo. Fast forward - we did the MKU-recommended 3 day method for training, and our LO got it on the first day. Only 1 accident at school to date, and very few accidents overall, even for naptime and overnight. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement, and I think MKU played a large part in our ease of training.

We also very intentionally refer to MKU as school. The children have age-appropriate “work” they do, which is structured learning time. Every child gets to choose their “work” for the day. There are also days for yoga, Spanish lessons, etc. There is a curriculum as well; we get schedules for a given series - the one we’re in now is about transportation.

The last thing I’ll mention is the staff. The school administrators, Ms. Joann and Ms. Reny have always made time for us when we’ve wanted to talk about anything. And I’m constantly amazed at how they know the specifics of EVERY child who walks through the doors in the morning. Every teacher we’ve interacted with has also been great. Our “main” classroom teachers know our LO and preferences, tendencies, etc., and they also know the things we’re working on and will give us updates on how the day went. There’s also a good bit of overlap with coverage, etc., so we have probably 6 or 7 other teachers we’ve gotten to know a bit as well.

So making a long review even longer, I don’t think I could be more pleased with MKU. We think it’s been a wonderful fit for us, and though it is a business and school at the end of the day, to us it also feels like a beautiful extension of people who truly care about us and...

A place that truly cares for my son. The teachers are absolutely amazing. They are professional, kind, and most importantly, they engage with the children. Our first day i was very nervous and so was my son. Marciella was welcoming and explained the plan for the day. It was not just a drop off and we see you later ordeal. She was warm and attentive to my son. My son was receiving guidance and encouragement by using his words, to sit and relax to calm oneself, to flip a negative into a positive. The teachers are so knowledgeable with chidren behaviors and cues. Once the doors open in the morning, and the teachers see us, they are ready. I personally know its difficult to put a "game face" on all the time, given that we are all human having to go to work and pay bills, exhaustion, etc. The teachers seem to really enjoy their job. They make small conversation with us to get to know us. To connect with our son. Very family oriented. Pictures are sent every day to update us on what their plan is for the day. A report with a small paragraph on what the plan is for the upcoming month. My son is always doing something different, learning something new, and learning day to day activities of daily living He is receiving guidance. My husband and I are truly blessed to have been able to provide our son a safe haven while we work long hours. Eileen and Marciella are doing God's work. They are upfront when it comes to any concerns or asking for guidance to help improve our son's well being, such as, what does he like to play with, what does he like to eat, etc. I love picking him up on my days off when i am not working a full 12, and receiving a brief report on how is day went. My son is learning so much, his palette for variety of foods has improved, he is getting his body moving and interacting with the other children. Grandma has visited and she loves picking him up, seeing how just in general, the environment. The atmosphere is peaceful. The kids are rarely crying or over stimulated. You can walk in to the class room any time of the day, and w/o our son knowing we are there, the teachers are always focused and in tune with the children. The morale is wonderful. It keeps us as parents engaged and involved with the school itself. To provide items for parties and...

We changed from a local daycare to this one. While the other daycare was okay, we wanted more learning opportunities and thought switching was worth a try. We are so glad we did. We have noticed that our little one is happy to be there. As a parent, there is a relief to see your child happy to be somewhere without mommy and daddy. It is hard enough to drop a child off and go to work, but it makes the drive easier when he gives you high fives and runs off to play with the others. Since he has been enrolled there, we have noticed other big changes. His social skills with other kids his age have extremely improved. Before starting at MKU, he was standoff or weary of kids his age. Now that is completely gone. I hope there were no issues with other kids his age and just a phase he went through at the prior facility. He has also become very independent for his age. Wanting to do stuff on his own without the help of mommy and daddy. We are currently in the potty training phase, and teachers are working magic. They are also providing coaching for us, telling us where he is in the journey and what to look for that home. The last major change that we noticed is his food pallet. He is willing to try new foods, whereas before that was a hard no to new foods.

With all that said, still the most important thing to me is his willingness to stay there once being dropped off. It has to be a good place if...