The Learning Cottage

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Oh my goodness, I can't say enough about how wonderful this school is! We searched for years, literally, for a preschool for our first child and really didn't find a place we felt completely comfortable with. I had almost completely given up when I found The Learning Cottage. I still hesitated and didn't enroll my son immediately but once we went in the first day I knew we'd made the right choice!

The teachers are just so incredibly caring and nurturing, they just feel like part of the family! The school is beautiful and always neat and the kids have an excellent array of toys and games to learn with. In addition to this warm, inviting environment, the school has a wonderful curriculum that just seems to amaze me more and more each year! We just had our annual art exibition featuring art by the students. This year, the theme was famous artists and my youngest came home talking about how excited she was about making her Jackson Pollock painting or how Monet had a garden with water lilies and Michelangelo painted on the ceiling.

All in all, this is just an excellent school, it's given my children a wonderful start to their education. After being here for 5 years (with 3 children), I highly recommend The Learning Cottage to anyone who asks.

After much research and agonizing, we chose TLC for our 3 year old and couldn't have been happier. My main criteria: a nurturing and caring environment where our child would learn how to interact with classmates and teachers in a positive way, and where the curriculum would be stimulating and engaging. TLC has been that for us. The director plus two teachers make it the best adult-to-child ratio I know of, which is pretty key for preschool aged children, and they're really great. We couldn't have asked for a more nurturing and genuinely caring teachers. It's one single class of mixed ages, for four hours each day, with your choice of two days or four days per week. There is a great balance of structure and flexibility for the children to decide how to engage themselves. We've been really happy and our little one loves school.

I spent a long time researching the many preschools in the Howard County area. I know that this can be an exhuasting process and the Director and teachers and TLC understand this too. They understand what parents are looking for in a school as well as a caregiver. Let's face it, we want our kids to learn but we also want them to feel safe. I have never even thought twice about sending both of my boys to TLC. Last year I had my oldest for 2 days and this year he is back 4 days/week and my second is there 2 days. The teachers are all hands on and actually enjoy the kids, it's not just a job. They have fantastic field trips and school activities that the parents/families are always invited to and the kids get such a kick out of performing for their parents. They have a curriculum that they follow so they do learn their letters, numbers etc so they are prepared for kindergarden, but they are also flexible and can change the lesson plan based on something that may happen that day (for example we found a turtle last year and brought it in. They totally planned their day around learning about turtles, printed out a turtle poem for the kids and even did turtle art projects, all on the spot!!). My boys are constantly talking about school and their teachers and friends even when they aren't in school. There is also a great parent group. Many of the parents have playdates with other siblings and get together socially outside of school. I would highly recommend TLC to anyone who asked!!

My daughter has blossomed since starting at TLC! She loves school! I was so happy to hear her ask "When am I going back to school?", over the summer! The teachers are amazing and so nurturing! They love their jobs and the kids! I feel very confidant that my oldest will be more than ready for kindergarten next year, and can't wait for my youngest to start at TLC next year!