Preschool of America

Both my kids have gone through POA. This is hands down the best day care in Forest Hills. The staff is amazing and really take care of the kids as if they are their own. Also there is a strong emphasis on education, right from when they are in the 1 year old class. This feels more like a proper school than just a daycare where kids run around aimlessly all day. Would highly recommend if you are able to get a coveted spot for your child.

My daughter went to this preschool for two years, she started when she was 3.5 and the educational level has been great. The teachers were great, caring and very professional, the school manager is very attentive and professional as well. My daughter learned how to read fluently at the school, do simple math and things like the solar system and much more. Now that she is at kindergarten, she is so far ahead of the other kids that I am concerned she won’t progress in kindergarten beyond her current level. I greatly recommend this preschool because they provide a great education and friendly environment.

My son started at PoA at nine months and is now 13 months. He loves going to school and his teachers (Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica in the infant room) are always happy to see him and take good care of him. They document each day what he ate and what time, what he drank, when his naps were and his diaper checks. very helpful and it helps put him on a schedule that we can follow over the weekend too.
I think he’ll move up to the next class soon but from what i see from the other kids/​parents, he’ll do just fine in the next class!

Let me start by saying that like most moms, I am a bit neurotic when it comes to their kid’s environment. Things that I look for in a school are as follows…
1. Cleanliness
2. Respectful and patient teachers
3. Ample enrichment toys
4. Caring and safe environment
5. A routine that is geared towards enriching the kids
6. Diversity in population for more extensive interaction
I can go on for pages but these are the main objectives.
Surprisingly, there are only a handful of preschools in Forest Hills (odd since there are so many babies and toddlers) and only Preschool of America has met my criteria. Let’s face it, I wasn’t asking for much.
The schools I looked at in Manhattan were all good candidates and that would have been our alternate route if I didn’t get into Preschool of America.
I cannot speak for the other teachers in that school but my daughter’s teacher has been amazing. She was «glued» to my child’s side during her transition into the school (very rough times) and we are now at a point were my daughter is excited to go to school every morning.
I love that they have a gym, a library, Mandarin language class and special music classes incorporated into their daily routine.
My daughter (21 months old) has been going there for over four weeks and she has learned to remotely count (I’m sure she doesn’t understand the concept yet), recite the alphabets, articulate words and sentences and independently «read» (stare at stories and chat). They even taught her to say «please» and «thank you» at the appropriate times.
I cannot say enough about this school. My entire family was hesitant when I decided to send her to Prechool at her age (she is very precocious) but after seeing the change after the fact, they are enthusiastic at her progress.
The school is usually pretty busy in the morning and it is best to call ahead of time since the kids schedule dictates the visitation times. Ex. You cannot come in during nap time to avoid waking up all the littles. However, you can always reach them. I have never had any issues with communicating with them via email or phone. They are always available.

My husband and I decided to give this a chance before we registered at at another location; got there around 8:45AM, stood around for 10 mins by the door of the office, and totally got ignored. The administrator just kept on talking & talkling to another person, and didn’t pay attention to any of the people who were waiting for her. We just checked out the class rooms by the main entrance, we didn’t go down the hall. I didn’t want to get yell at like the previous reviewer said. I got warmed about this place being unfriendly by a few friends, but I still want to go check personally to make sure. Maybe the classes or teachers are fine, but they didn’t even give me a chance to explore that. There’s a sign at the door saying tour only on Wed & Thurs at certain time. We’re working parents, those hrs just don’t work. I visited the Fresh Meadows location, much better & friendlier staffs who would greet w/​you and show you around the classes no matter what time you show up. Of course, except the hrs that the kids sleep.

My 2-​year old daugther has been in Preschool of America for a little over a year and we have nothing but good experiences. We are planning to move out of state and have been looking at other daycre and have not been able to find anything remotely as good as PoA in FH. Aside from the fact that her class had an abrupt change in teacher, she has learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of it. Ann and all the teachers are very good at making learning fun for all the kids. My daughter has already surpass her academic milestones and is being exposed to art, music, activities, foreign languages, and different cultures as part of her regular curriculum. She loves the library and music lessons with Mr. Ryan. She loves her teacher and teacher’s assistant. Both have taught her to sing, count, speak, and alphabet and number recognition. She also loves the food here (cooked on site every day). The down side to this location is the lack of a good outdoor play area but they made up for it by equiping their gymnasium with age appropriate toys. The cost here (as I am finding out when I checked other daycare facilities) are very reasonable and definitely well worth. All the teachers know most of the kids in the school even the ones that are not in their class. If you had a bad first impression, visit a few places then come back to see this school. You will see why there is a huge wait list to get accepted.

Pluses: Awesome teachers, small class sizes, fun events, everyday they give us a sheet saying how many (and what kind) of diapers were changed, what he ate, what he drank, and anything else we need to know. Ann, the director is simply amazing, very responsive, just good people. Rose and Mary, who handle my son’s class are great, loving teachers.
Minuses: Cost (But i’d be complaining about that no matter what, lol), was a long waiting list to get in
Bottom line, I feel comfortable leaving my son (13 month old) there. Plus, He loves it!

When I called this place they sounded very nice and professional and calm. But today I decide to take a long walk with my baby and even though passing by was not in the day’s plan, I’m glad I took a detour to check this out because now I know I am NOT missing out.
First minute already turned me off.
So I’m shopping for a daycare since I’ll be starting work soon. I’ve done my comparisons of 2 schools in the city and then this one in forest hills.
As soon as I walked in the door, I hear an adult yelling at the child/​ren in the room to the left of the entrance, «I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT!» Okay, so fine, kids are kids. They get into things. Maybe she really meant, «Please don’t do that anymore.» BUT that’s not what came out of her mouth. Mommies who are reading this and I hope you agree with me on this. If I’m paying a professional daycare to take care of my kid, no matter how wrong or how into something they’re not suppose to be, you’re the professional. You adjust that behavior! You can’t YELL and expect to be a role model at the same time.
AND THERE’S MORE…
Right in front of the entrance is the «reception/​administrative» area I guess that’s what you call it. The person who rung me in was not visible as I walked in. She was on the phone and sitting down. The counter area was high and I’m short. Anyway, that’s besides the point. So, I vaguely saw a person on the phone but she wasn’t acknowledging me. I decided to walk to the side of the office door to get her attention. AND THEN HELL BROKE LOOSE! She shouted at me «WAIT!» with an accompanying halt gesture and annoyed look on her face. HOLY MOLY! I WANTED TO JUMP HER! I was sooo mad at this point. I walked VERY SLOWLY and fixed an evil stare on her from her door, to backing up my stroller to the 1^st door, then to the 2^nd door, and until I finally left. I DID NOT BLINK. As I was approaching to open the first door with my back, I can see she had an annoyed then turned confused look on her face. OH I SO WANTED TO TALK TO HER SUPERVISOR, but that just won’t do! I intend to write on as many review boards so all parents in the area know what kind of place this is. If you’re not ready to deal with a visitor then don’t open the door or if you do open the door, quickly tell the visitor to wait at the appropriate spot dedicated for visitors.
The tuition for a toddler is apprx $ 1000. COME ON, that’s alot of money for me to spend for you not to be professional!
PS. All this, I didn’t even get to speak to anyone. First impression is never wrong.