Elsass Academy North Central

I have enrolled my four-​year-​old daughter and she absolutely loves it. The swimming lessons and going to Crenshaws for gymnastics is such a great bonus. I love that they are flexible on their payment arrangements allowing parents to pay as they are getting their own paychecks. I have had nothing but positive communications from both the director as well as her teacher. I get weekly emails from her teacher which are very informative. I can’t even tell you how fantastic her swimming skills have gotten. Every day when I pick her up she has a new story about what a wonderful day she had at school. I also like that they have afterschool care for several of the elementary schools in the area and plan on using them for my afterschool care at Gullet elementary.

It’s been over a year, so time for an update. Staff attrition/​turnover was SERIOUS in some rooms… I can’t even count how many different teachers my now 3 ½ yr old has had and she’s only been in two rooms since she started in the summer of 2012. Lindy, who won my heart immediately and is my potty-​training savior, is now transitioning out of the classroom and most of my favorite teachers have left in the last year. My daughter has flourished in spite of this, but I give credit to the lead teacher she has had for the last six months who is highly creative and pushed academics and routines as much as possible in spite of some unruly students. She moved to a new classroom for 3 – 4 year olds last week and LOVES it — her teachers are very attentive, creative and affectionate with the kids.
Seems like more attempts are being made to improve communication with families when staff changes occur but definitely make sure to talk to the teachers and director when you go for a tour and see how long the lead teacher AND support teachers have been around.

I have an 18 month old daughter and a 3 ½ year old daughter. We’ve been at the school for over six months. It’s is a marked improvement over other day cares we’ve found, and the teachers seem to be very engaging with the students.
They are free swim lessons in the summer time. During the year, there are free gymnastic classes offered at Crenshaws. This daycare feels very much like a school, I’m confident my daughters will be well prepared for kindergarten.
Regarding the staff — the younger classrooms are taught by experienced teachers who have made this a career. They are patient, understanding, and help teach my toddler responsibilities we’ve been able to replicate at home. The older classrooms are taught by emerging teachers which do a good job of communicating to me what they are doing in class, what issues my big girl is having. Any concerns I’ve had have always been addressed.
The cost of tuition is also very reasonable compared to other locations which don’t have near as much extracurricular activities.
I haven’t seen any of the issues the previous poster spotted, and I tend to spy and watch my kids before I let them know that I’m there.
Overall, my wife and I are happy here.
I’d recommend this place to anyone.

No!
There is no communication from the teachers and even when I specifically ask questions about his day they give me one word answers and provide no insights into pretty common areas parents should be informed about … potty training, what /​how much he’s eating, how /​what he did during the day, how he’s doing with swimming, accident reports.
MAJOR CONCERNS —
* They keep a candle burning in lobby. It is an old building and a huge fire hazard
* My child had a pretty deep scratch on his nose from another kid which was dripping with dried blood when I picked him up — it was not cleaned, not reported
* The front door (the one that should be a key code access required entrance) is sometimes propped wide open for anyone to enter.
* Another kid ate part of his lunch (raises concerns b/​c of 1. allergies and 2. the teachers are not paying attention)
* There doesn’t seem to be any organization … His stuff is found scattered in other kids’ cubbies — and vice versa. I brought a stack of diapers and wipes that are nowhere to be found
* The kids are put in the front lobby at the end of the day (in an area where there is not restricted access and in a door that leads directly to the parking lot) and when I raised a concern the response I received was «the door to the parking lot is heavy». That doesn’t reassure me that my child is being watched appropriately. This also was not brought to my attention during the walk through and I am paying for him to stay behind a coded door where not everyone has direct access to him
* The classroom door stays wide open and kids are running all around the classroom with the teacher generally not paying much attention to what they are doing or where they are.
* I have witnessed teachers speaking inappropriately to the kids (tone, words)
* My child hurt his foot on the slide. Again, no incident report and I was not informed
* The teacher changed my child’s diaper and put his pants back on him that had poop smeared all on the inside (this is not only gross, but it’s also a big health risk)
When I researched this school I found a few positive ratings so I went against my initial gut reaction of it not being a good place for him and enrolled him anyway. I have since pulled him out but I just wanted to share my experience.

I am extremely picky when it comes to someone taking care of my daughter and Elsass has without fail, exceeded my «demands». My daughter has been there more than 6 months and has yet to be sick, she loves her teachers, learning and the activities like carnivals, parties and field trips they do. I absolutely love this daycare!

We have a 14 month old and an (almost) 4 year old. We’ve been at four other schools in Austin. We have never been as impressed or as grateful as we have been with the warm, nurturing people at Elsass Academy. After many bad experiences we were overcome with the atmosphere, the location, the tuition, the teachers and all the staff. We have no plans to look elsewhere.
There are BIG pluses at Elsass: over the summer the preschoolers have FREE swimming, including swim lessons and free swim throughout the week. During non-​summer months they go to Crenchaw’s and have gymnastics lessons once a week. They have field trips, carnivals, plenty of parties and an awesome facility!
Our older child talks constantly about his friends and teachers with enthusiasm and our younger child gets lots of affection and attention all day.
We’re beyond impressed with Elsass Academy and plan to be part of this family for years to come!

As great as it gets. Happy children, smiling teachers, homelike environment in a school setting. Love it!