Emerson Academy

My daughter has been enrolled here for a little over a year now, and has been in two different classrooms. We've tried a couple of different schools before, but she is extremely sensitive and is afraid of other children hurting her. While she would get through the day at other schools she never wanted to go back, and when I'd pick her up she'd often be sitting in the corner quietly, with legs and arms tucked close to her body - a defensive position. She hasn't received an official diagnosis, but we strongly suspect that she has Sensory Processing Disorder.



Emerson Academy takes children of all abilities, which means that they offer specialized training to their teachers. This training has meant all of the difference in the world to us. In previous schools the teachers would loudly and enthusiastically greet my daughter each morning, no matter how many times they saw her shrink back and cover her ears. The teachers at Emerson actually pay attention and respond appropriately. They can recognize the signs of a child being overwhelmed or scared, so they just smile warmly and welcome her with a quiet voice. This probably isn't a big deal for most parents, but for us it is HUGE and a sign that they'll really understand how to work with her.



I am thrilled to say that my daughter loves going to school here now. She has absolutely blossomed under their care! She talks enthusiastically about how much she loves her teachers (and even gives them kisses and holds their hands), but even better - they have pushed her just enough to encourage her to really socialize with her peers. They have done an outstanding job of encouraging her to try new things without pushing her too far outside of her comfort zone.



I was terrified that all of the progress we'd made would be lost when she moved into a new classroom. My daughter LOVED her old teachers, especially Miss Laken. I'm thrilled to say that the way they handled the transition really made it seamless. They have the different classrooms overlap while playing outside (and they do a LOT of outside play) so that the kids have a chance to get to know kids and teachers in other classes. The week of transition the children would gradually increase the amount of time they spent in the other class over the course of the week. This type of gradual transition is just what my daughter needed. It also means that she still gets the opportunity to see her old, beloved teachers each day.



I've referred several friends here now, and they have been just as satisfied as we are. I cannot express how grateful I am to have found Emerson Academy and these outstanding teachers.



Edit: I read the other reviews and just have to say that I have never seen any teachers using an eCigarette and cannot imagine that the owners (who are on site more often than not) would allow such a thing to happen.



The facilities are also very clean, and the animals are all contained in fields separate from the playground. But with that said, I do have to wonder why you would choose to bring your child to a school with farm animals on site if you don't want them to ever be exposed to animals.

Emerson Academy is a daycare with animals on site. To many this seems wonderful: however the children are routinely exposed to cat, dog and chicken feces on the playground. There have been incidents of children being bitten by the horses and goats. There are pigs and fowl on property, both of which are against licensing standards (I recently found out). The turnover is tremendous among the staff and there are no longer teachers employed there with degrees in Special ED. Moral among the staff is very low in my opinion. The owners are not always present on site as stated in previous reviews. I have needed them frequently in the past and they have been nowhere to be found. Staff at the front desk did not know how to reach them and were not equipped to make decisions in their absence. The policies of the owners are inconsistent. What began as a child development center is now a non-profit for what purpose I do not understand. In addition to my tuition, parents are often approached for donations or fund raisers. Kids are leaving for Primrose, Stepping Stone and Goddard. The writing seems to be on the wall that this business is in trouble when parents talk while picking up children. I would not recommended this facility any longer.