My 3-year old twins have completed one year at Judson and are currently enrolled in the Summer Fun program. We absolutely love Judson. The kids become excited every morning when it is time to get ready for school.Judson is a play-based preschool, which they make a point of telling you when you enroll your child. Play-based education is based upon a different philosophy than academic-based education. Plenty of scientific research supports play-based education for children this age. I appreciate the play-based philosophy, but do some research (a quick google search will provide lots of good information) if you are not sure.The staff at Judson are terrific. They truly care about the children and their progress. I receive quick updates every day when I pick up my kids. Areas of concern. Things that went well. At the conferences, their teacher provided detailed reports showing my childs progress in many different areas. I felt very informed of their progress at Judson. I also do appreciate the emails sent from the director about the school in general. I believe most parents are interested in the progress of facility improvements at their childs school.Long review, but we do love this school!

I love Judson Preschool. My daughter has spent two wonderful years there, under the guidance of thoughtful, engaged teachers, and Kristie, the director, who is a hands-on leader, with seemingly limitless energy and optimism. A play-based program is exactly what child development researchers recommend to foster a life-long love of learning. My daughter is very shy and I worried about how she would do in preschool, but she loved going to Judson, always excited when Tuesday rolled around and she got to go back. One thing you will notice is that kids at Judson are happy. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

When looking at preschools, our family must have toured at least seven or eight. We could not have been more pleased with our ultimate decision of going with Judson. In addition to a wonderful preschool experience for our daughter, we also met amazing families, built community, and long-lasting friendships. Judson made it a priority to create new, exciting, positive and invigorating opportunities for the children and families who attend. Science projects, rotating dramatic play, art projects that are beyond creative, and, ultimately, happiness are alive and well at Judson Preschool. Not only do the teachers and director work tirelessly to provide wonderful experiences week after week, but the preschool atmosphere as a whole creates many other connection points throughout the year for the whole family--through Discovery Night, family picnics, singalongs, and more. I was so amazed at our experience and only wish we had our daughter attend more than one year. If she werent headed for kindergarten in the fall, she would! I will continue to recommend Judson to families for many years to come.

My child spent three years at Judson and will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. I have recommended Judson many times to friends. My child is completely prepared for Kindergarten and more. As a 4-year old, the class spent a week at Judson playing with Non-Newtonian Fluids. And yes, the 4-year old did call them Non-Newtonian Fluids.I like the fact that the director keeps everyone updated. An earlier reviewer complained about emails about a gate. I am not going to complain about that since my child cut her head on that gate. I was thrilled that the gate issue was dealt with so promptly and thoroughly.

Our granddaughter just finished seven weeks at Judsons summer fun program.We were very pleased with the school..teachers..activities..welcoming environment.This school stresses social skills which is exactly what we wanted. Our granddaughter spends her days with Nana & Papa...so, group play, sharing, making friends were concepts we wanted her to experience.I also liked all the art options..all laid out when we arrived at school...so much easier than, at our homeVery happy with the whole experience...priced right, We would definitely recommend this preschool.

I have been more than pleased with our experience at Judson. My brother went to Judson twenty years ago and today my 5 year old attends as he did last year. The teachers are really in tune with the students and really take the time to focus on the individual needs. If you are looking for an academic based school this would not be your first choice. The kids do participate in several structured learning activities but they focus on letting the kids be kids and learn in the way that is fun and allows them to be hands on. The teachers are always finding fun new activities like making orange juice, decorating pumpkins, making monkey bread and going for nature walks. My sons class of 16 students has 4 teachers and they seem to know my childs individual needs. I tell people all the time how thankful I am for judson. Its a non-profit and has the fairest price I found in the area. Thanks Judson!

I would also like to share our experience at Judson, where our son went to preschool 2012-2013. Judson exceeded our expectations in every way!We were looking for a play-based program that would prepare him for the social transition from home to school and introduce him to school with a fun and positive first experience. We wanted him to come home excited from a day of new friends and experiences at school, not a backpack full of worksheets. His class at Judson had a curriculum with weekly topics and activities tailored to important skills for children of his age--conflict resolution, teamwork, communication and expression of emotions, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, pre-reading and pre-writing, science, math etc. But these were all incorporated into fun activities for the children. The lead teachers all have teaching degrees.I was glad that we were informed and updated on important safety issues. I was very impressed by the directors commitment to safety and communication with the parents.For the quality, Judson could be much more expensive than it is. By keeping costs low, they keep Judson accessible to more families.My son loved his experience at Judson, and I will continue to recommend it to other parents.

My daughter attended Judson Preschool for two years. My son is currently enrolled in his first year at Judson. The teachers are superb and the learning environment excellent. The play-based curriculum developed over many years is well thought out, thoroughly vetted and constantly improved, and implemented by outstanding early childhood education thinkers. The schools administators and teachers have created a safe and loving environment in which creative exploration can and does occur. The teachers always welcome feedback and the parent-teacher conferences demonstrate their interest in and dedication to meeting the unique needs of each child. The various events the school puts on for parent-child-teacher interaction are fun and well organized. Judson is a true treasure.

My son is in 2nd grade in CT... and without a doubt... no question about it... he was better prepared for Kindergarten and elementary school because of the foundation that Judson provided. He was stepping into preschool very nervous and scared. He would cry and cling to me, making it all the harder for me to leave him. But the teachers and director assured me that they would take care of him and ease him through the process of his first school experience. They did. And they did a beautiful job. We had moved to MN from LA, CA... where children receive HALF of the attention and the schools charge 3 times as much. Judson was not only hands on with all of my sons creative impulses... but they fostered and encouraged them in a way that he is well rounded and confident. They encourage learning through play - and Im sorry- but the person who said it was a glorified daycare is just wrong. These children are 3 and 4... and need to approach learning with a sense of fun and wonder. My son was so prepared for Kindergarten that his teacher in CT asked me where he went to preschool! He was confident in who he was and he was social. His reading skills were some of the best in not only his class but all of Kindergarten. And he attends a public elementary school that consistently ranks in the top 10 schools in CT. So their standards are high. In my sons first year of K - he was singled out to read his creative story in front of the school assembly. And while I know that his K teacher was wonderful - there is NO WAY that he would have been ready or at the level of reading and writing he was at, without the phenomenal preparation he received from the teachers at Judson. Judson was paramount in my son being MORE THAN READY to attend K. And one more thing about writing a check in appreciation for the staff.... get used to it! Its what every school does and every class. In my sont school in CT we are asked for the money up front at the top of the year. Its the simplest and best way to provide a unified gift at the end of the year. Who wants 15 candles!!?? But also its to show appreciation for the very hard and thankless work that these teachers do on behalf of our children on a daily basis. I cannot say enough about this school and the people that make Judson not only a safe and educational haven for children... but also an extension of home.

I was hoping for a pre-school experience that would prepare my child for kindergarten and instead what I got was a glorified daycare, filled with playtime, in various forms, (i.e. dress-up and playground activities). There was no structured type of learning anything academic; no letters, numbers or topics of interest. What I received constantly were numerous cumbersome and poorly written e-mails, about mundane and nonsensical issues. For example, there were several emails sent to me about a gate and lock that were being installed. Such maintenance issues should have been dealt with by the director without the need for an email all-points bulletin. I was displeased with “conference evaluations “of my child which provided no direction or input as to possible areas of concern or provided any recognition for skills gained. The most disturbing email of them all was the one that directed me (and the end of the pre-school year) as to how much money I am “suggested” to give as a monetary “thank you” to all the staff, who to write the check out to and in what way I could show my appreciation for the staff. I am appalled by the lack of professionalism in this school’s staff. This pre-school is a waste of time and more so a waste of money.