Lakeside Academy

So I went to drop my friends kid off and the woman at the front was very rude. Almost like she was bored that day with her job and in a rush to get the child out of the way… She talked down to the child too and I definitely didn’t like that. She had red hair and definitely needed to brush up on her people skills. Not a loving vibe from that place. I only saw the front and she was dismissive. I’ve heard some of the teachers are nice but I guess there’s more that are not too friendly.

I never write reviews… But I must give Lakeside Academy 5 stars!!!
My son has been attending Lakeside Academy for almost two month now and I must say that I love everything about the school and the staff that makes it even better. The owners are very nice, director, and basically all the teachers, not only my son’s but all of them have always smile on their face. I couldn’t be more thankful to be able to have my son full time there… Thank you !!

I Would not even recommend your dog to go to this school. My child went there for 2 years and it started out great, until all the good teachers left because management, after that it was about any cheep teacher that they could get. Suddenly the atmosphere of the school changed it wasn’t loving and caring and was all all about how to make the next dollar and getting teachers that were cheap. Lisa the own made it seem so Christian like and a very certified school turns out it’s not! When I pulled my child out of the «school» I asked for a print out for all the payments I had made attached to it was a note from Lisa the owner that said «Thanks for your business» I was disappointed in the fact that she doesn’t see it anything other than a «business» not a place that so many people have trusted to put there child in SCHOOL! Do not take a chance with this one!

This is BY FAR not the Christian atmosphere the owner Lisa would like for you to think it is. I have a Master’s Degree in education and teaching experience under my belt. I will be the first to admit that working with children can be a CHALLENGE! I respect each and every person that does it. I will also be the first to admit that my children aren’t perfect, they are children! That being said my sons attended Lakeside for 10 months. It started out ok, but slowly went downhill. When I had a meeting with Lisa, the owner, and the «teachers» it was IMMEDIATELY clear why my son was having a hard time. Here are just a FEW highlights:
1). I was emailed one day to pick my son up because the school could not engage him or get him to «behave.» Upon picking my son up Anne Marie said we needed to have a meeting– which I absolutely wanted to have ASAP. The meeting took 2 weeks to schedule and it had to fit Lisa’s schedule which meant she picked the time and date and WE had to work around it. Only Lisa’s schedule matters apparently! We had to miss half a day of work to accommodate Lisa. In the meantime I was told if they had further problems I would be expected to pick my son up. How they think that is ok when I am PAYING for my son to attend and wanted to meet with Lisa immediately is beyond me. Naturally they don’t refund you any money for days missed. Lisa is ALL ABOUT MONEY!
2) When the meeting began Lisa said they had been having «ongoing» issues with my son which was NEWS to me! Yes in the new class he was having issues, but in his previous class he had very few. Seems that had been forgotten and my son had been labeled a «problem.» How Christian of her!
3) She then proceeded to say if they didn’t see an improvement my child would no longer be «allowed» in their facility. PARDON ME? How Christian like to kick a 4 year old out of your establishment that I PAY you for my child to attend! I have had many challenging students in my class and guess what you have to WORK to find a solution!!! Lisa made it clear they had 1 go to method to try and if that didn’t work then he was gone. To say I was DISGUSTED is an understatement.
4) Lisa mentioned that circle time is a real issue and that my son couldn’t sit for 15 minutes. Guess what? Most children can’t sit for that length of time and it is developmentally not appropriate for their age. She didn’t want to hear it!
5) Lisa made many assumptions about our home, my son, his attire, among many other things that were completely out of the subject matter at hand and were also dead wrong. Judging is VERY Christian like.
6) After the meeting we put Lisa’s «behavior plan» in place but I KNEW at this point my sons deserved a better environment and that she had already decided to kick my son out. She was just setting it up.
I wanted to pull my sons immediately but knew it would be best to transition them after the holidays as the start of a new year would be a more understandable transition for them. Lisa KNEW I wasn’t falling for her lies and finger pointing. Instead of owning up to the flaws in her facility, she wanted to blame my son.
Once I mentioned to Anne Marie– who is also a liar– that I was looking for a new school for the boys that actually knew how to teach children things escalated quickly as I am sure she reported this back to Lisa and Lisa took offense to the fact that someone who KNOWS education and children was onto her. The same day I mentioned this to Anne Marie I got an email that evening stating my sons were no longer allowed at the school and that we would be given a week to get out. Mind you this was right before Thanksgiving, and their Christmas performance that the entire family was set to attend and that the boys knew all about. Again how Christian of you to kick 4 year olds out of your school because you are underqualified! I feel sorry for any parent or child that enters this ill equipped establishment. Lisa– the Christian– is all about making money the easiest way possible. If your child is not a robot she doesn’t know what to do! Furthermore, she can’t even tell you to your face that your child is being kicked out of preschool. She has Anne Marie send an email. Nothing about this school is professional or Christian!
Although I wanted to transition my boys at a time that would be best for them. Lisa went ahead and made the call. Leaving me to explain to the boys why they don’t get to do their Christmas performance or see their friends. The funny thing is my son that was a challenge actually said he LOVED school all the time. My son that is not the challenge HATED going to Lakeside. I am so happy to be done with this AWFUL establishment and I would really encourage anyone considering this school to think LONG AND HARD! What goes on inside these walls in not what is advertised!

This establishment is horrible. It took us only two weeks to pull our 3 year old from this preschool. It smells like feces and my child never enjoyed his time there. As a matter of fact, he begged us not to take him there anymore. Because there are so many children crammed into a class room, the kids are merely another number to the instructors. In two months, I never met his teacher because an «aid» was always in the room with the kids instead. This is not the Loving Christian environment the owner would like you to think it is.

This school has it all!
I could go on & on about all the great things that my family has gained from Lakeside, but I’ll just list a few important items:
–Caring teachers that LOVE their job & the students. It is really comforting to know that while I’m at work, my child is being loved and cared for.
–Caring front staff/​directors. Every day I see a bright, smiling face, and I know that they truly care about my family.
–Security. They make sure that your child is supposed to go home with designated people ONLY. My dad was carded when the front office person did not recognize him, and it was comforting to know that my precious treasure wasn’t released to some creep.
–Snacks & lunches are included. What a load off! A healthy lunch and two snacks per day are included with the tuition!
–Christian education. As a Christian family, it’s important to me that what we teach at home is being reinforced at school. Morals, values, character, and Jesus! I am so impressed with their curriculum.
Very impressed with this school, and the location is absolutely beautiful. What are you waiting for?

My daughter has been going to Lakeside since she was 18 months old. She’s now 3 ½. We love Lakeside! My daughter was very quiet and reserved around children. We originally took her to Lakeside to help expose her to social situations. She started with 3 days a week. After the first week she was a new child! She loved her teacher, the students and everything she was learning.
The staff makes learning fun for the kids. They have songs to teach phonics, not just the alphabet. She now knows shapes, colors, letters and so much more! She’s learning about fruits and vegetables and even dinosaurs! She comes home excited! They manage to get my picky eater to eat her snacks and lunch.
We now go 4 times a week and can’t wait to enroll our younger daughter. The staff is very involved with my child. When she got sick they knew it before she showed any signs simply because they noticed that she «wasn’t acting like herself.» They know my daughter like I know her. I feel very comfortable that she’s not just taken care of, but she’s cared for.
We love Lakeside!

My kids (2.5 yrs and 5 yrs) have been at Lakeside Academy for the past 9 months and both really enjoy it. The Jr. Kindergarten class is especially great. There are three teachers for the kids and they are all top-​notch. My 2.5 year old had a little trouble at first with separation anxiety, but I’m not sure that’s the school’s fault.
I noticed a lot of turnover with the teachers for they younger kids, but it seems to have settled down now. I think since the school is relatively new, it grew super fast and they needed to ramp up staffing quickly. It feels like the dust has settled a bit and they’re hitting their stride now. If I had rated the school in November, I would have only given it 3 stars for the teacher turnover issue. But things have really improved and I don’t have any complaints now. The one consistent thing has always been the director, Anne Marie. She is on the ball and so easy to work with.
The school itself is in a great location right on the lake. It is bright, super clean, colorful, cheerful and safe. The playgrounds are great too… some of the nicest I’ve seen at any preschool in the area. The tuition is very competitive PLUS they provide all snacks and lunch! That’s a huge time saver in the mornings.
The biggest reason I like Lakeside Academy is because my kids LOVE it there. They are always happy to get there in the morning. They always have big smiles on their faces when I pick them up. They love their teachers. They love all the new things they are learning. It’s a great little school.

My daughter has been going to Lakeside Academy since they opened. I love the clean environment, curriculum, hot lunches, the staff & owners (Dave & Lisa Oliver)! I feel comfortable leaving my daughter there while I’m at work. I highly recommend!

We have been with lakeside academy since October 2013. I love this preschool. My son loves this school. We love how bright and clean everything is. Ann marie has been great pleasure to deal with, i love that she gets to the point and makes things easy. My son has liked all his teachers. We have miss Amy right now and we love her, she’s great with the kids. All the other teachers are always nice to us, and know who my son is, you can tell they care. Thank you lakeside academy, we love you.

I used Lakeside for 6 months for a toddler who was temporarily in my care during that time. The child had experienced significant trauma and had some ongoing emotional issues. Her teacher was wonderful at accommodating her needs and being a major source of support and validation for her. The child was delayed but developed greatly during her time at Lakeside. Anne Marie was wonderful as well and was super supportive and loving. Lakeside helped the child tremendously in her journey towards a new and more stable life.

Update to the parent conference meeting scheduled:
This meeting did not take place as the director, Anne Marie called me the night before to cancel and reschedule. Apparently the main teacher in my daughters classroom was going to be out sick that day.
Needless to say, it’s with a lot of research, thought and deliberation that we have decided to put in our two week notice this week and withdraw our daughter from Lakeside.
Although I agree that Lisa and Anne Marie are great people, I believe that my child is better off in a smaller classroom setting, where teachers have stability and the turnover is minimal.
I only hope that Lakeside finds stability with its staff and in turn are able to provide the parents and children the stability and level of education that is expected and deserved.

My daughter has been enrolled in the school for a few months now so I feel I have time to make a fair assessment. So far, I really like everything that I see. The place is clean, the teachers are nice and the director is very involved. I love the fact they provide hot lunches and flexibility with tuition and schedules. The first week she was there she learned all about the solar system and the facts about all the planets… And she’s only four! I’m really excited that she can actually celebrate holidays of the school… The reason I left her last school is because they would not. That, and a Christian education is great. My family is not overly religious… But we do like to know about God and to be confidant w our faith. Thumbs up for Lakeside!

My son has been going to Lakeside for over a year now and I couldn’t be happier. The teachers are wonderful and they always have fun activities to keep the kids interested and having fun while also learning. My son has learned so much and always wants to go to school. His other school he always cried and never wanted to go. I will send my next child there as well. Also Ann Maire and Lisa are very helpful and caring.

Long story short, they are completely overwhelmed and you can feel it as soon as you enter the door, I was a witness to many concerning issues
1– Every time I’d pick up my son his card was marked «had a great day» even though he was having major issues adjusting. (they have cards to let you know how they’re doing each day… it lets you know if they ate their lunch, snack, if they are working on a few things. etc.)
2– Some (and I won’t name names) are VERY rude!
3– Again, they are EXTREMELY overwhelmed
4– I went to pick my son up, stood there for 45 seconds (which is a very long time in kiddo time) so I could say bye to his teacher and let her know we were leaving…
And I couldn’t get anyones attention!
Finally, a random person picking her kid up said «I’ll say bye to you»
That’s when I made my final decision and pulled him out.
He was being picked on by others, he told me he had cried himself to sleep there because he was sad… and the entire time nothing was brought to my attention… The card was always marked «had a great day»!
The list goes on and on but I’m trying to keep it short!
When I gave my two weeks, the owner wasn’t interested in finding out what the issues were, I only got a call from Anne Marie, who seemed interested at first, then it was like I was boring her and she had many other things to do than listen to my story (that she aked me to tell her!), she also told me that Lisa (the owner) would be calling to follow up, and like I said she never did.
When the staff isn’t happy your children aren’t going to be happy! Please listen to your gut and follow whatever your inner voice says! I wish I would of!
I’m sure Lakeside MV has potential, but they need to iron out the kinks… And hopefully it’s not at your kids expense!
I am not one to write reviews, especially bad ones, but a friend of mine thought it’d be a good idea just to forewarn other parents…
Just make sure you talk to your child if they continue to seem unhappy… And always always listen to your gut, not to what everyone else has to say!