Kids Academy Learning Center

My son attended Kids Academy for extended VPK. I love the teachers, the school and the programs they have. All the kids truly enjoy going to school. I did, however, encounter an issue when my husband lost his job and I fell behind on my payment to the school. At one point I owed them one weeks tuition and the owner told me on Monday evening that my son was not allowed to go on the field trip the following day unless I paid them the balance right then and there. VPK is free. The field trip was during free vpk as my husband called and stated as my son was devastated. They called me 10 minutes before the bus was leaving for the field trip and said they changed their mind and my son could go.
I would up sending my son to free VPK only as my husband lost his job. The owner Ms. Nila has been rude and condescending. She only cares about money, not children. I tried to enter into a payment arrangement that I could afford and she calls me at work and sends me emails demanding I pay hundreds NOW or she will file a small claim against me and continues to berade me telling me she is not a bank and her school is for paying parents, yet I’ve paid them thousands of dollars. She is ignorant and rude.

We have been very happy and lucky to send our child to Kids Academy. It is a pleasant place, very spacious and clean. The teachers are very involved and interested in the success of the child. The activities are fun and engaging, and our child is actually disappointed on the days the school is closed. What more could a parent ask for!

All four of our children have attended this school. It is fantastic. I looked at about 30 schools before I found this one, when my now 8 year old was 2. Second oldest daughter is now in kindergarten is doing first grade work. I credit the success of my older girls in elementary school to the preparation they had at Kids’ Academy. My son who is 3 and my youngest daughter who is 10 months still attend the school. I would not have them go anywhere else. I highly recommend this school for the hands on learning, and emphasis on manners.

Kids Academy has truly been a blessing to me and my family! My daughter started attending Kids Academy last year in the toddlers classroom, and her teachers were absolutely stellar! She is moving on to the Butterflies classroom this year, and I can t wait to see what she will learn this year! I am shocked and appalled at some of the reviews on here, and felt compelled to leave one of my own. I am a teacher in the public schools, and so I can readily speak to the caliber of care and education offered by this state-​of-​the-​art facility. My daughter attended another daycare prior to coming here, and I have to say: the level of cleanliness here is second to none! In her old daycare, she would get sick just about every month, and the level of cleanliness was questionable. At Kids Academy, there is no question of the level of cleanliness. A child puts a toy in their mouth? It is promptly sprayed with sanitizer and given time to dry before making its way back to the toy box. A child gets a diaper change? The changing table is sprayed between every child s changing time, the teacher always wears gloves, and the childs hands are promptly washed with soap and water when they are done. I have observed all of this firsthand. My child was hardly sick this past year, maybe once or twice… nothing like when she was at the other daycare, so cleanliness definitely makes a difference.
There was mention in another review of teacher-​child ratios. I feel the need to state that Florida state daycare standards place the ratio for 18 month olds at 6:1, and 27 month olds at 11:1. I have always observed the teachers being very self-​aware of the teacher-​child ratio, and paging for another teacher to help in the classroom whenever appropriate, to maintain the ratio. Parents may not like the state-​issued ratios, but I can guarantee you every daycare will be running at those same standards in the entire state of Florida. Moreover, I have always noticed prompt reporting of any incidents as they arise, and have never had the experience of seeing any marks on my child without my being notified of what happened and having to sign off on it that I was notified.
As a Floridian, what especially sold me on this daycare was the indoor playground/​art studio, and the two gardens they have for the children to grow stuff! I have not seen these two amenities in any other daycare in the area, which really separates Kids Academy from the rest. Florida rains are serious! One minute it is sunny, the next minute it is raining like a monsoon – so the value of having an indoor playground with those fluctuating changes in the weather is particularly invaluable – versus having a tent set up for kids to stand under if it suddenly rains, as many daycares often have. And when the harvests come in, parents get to enjoy a small portion of the spoils for free! Nothing like fresh parsley to spice up a new recipe!
In closing, I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all of the phenomenal teachers and staff at Kids Academy. It takes a special group of people to truly work with babies and children with care and compassion while creating a conducive learning environment everyday. They are the best at what they do, and quite simply: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! I would recommend this school to anyone willing to pay for exceptional child care for their baby/​child. Always professional, always exceptional: that is Kids Academy. But don’t take my word on it, go and see what I saw!