NEWBURY SCHOOL

We have had a wonderful experience with Newbury School. From our first visit to the school we were impressed with the facility, the teachers and the atmosphere. We toured five other schools in the area and Newbury was by far the best. It is expensive but
comparable with other local childcare centers.
The teachers have gone above and beyond to help my two year old adjust to the school setting and the caregivers in the infant room are wonderful. The front office staff and administrators have been approachable and engaged as well. Our two year old has learned so much in the past year and I think the school does a great job with their learning time curriculum and threading educational elements through the playtime activity times as well. The schedule allows for plenty of outdoor playtime and child led activity during the day as well.
The school is going through a transition with new ownership by Bright Horizons but the transition has been gradual and everything thus far has been clearly outlined to parents. I would recommend the school to anyone looking for a caring environment for their infant or a preschool with excellent teachers.

We are now putting our third child through the Newbury School. All three of our children have had wonderful experiences at the school. The school is extraordinarily well run, the teachers are wonderful (and they tend to stay for long durations, which is unusual for daycare/preschools), and the facility itself is immaculate. Our children all loved the school, and considered the staff almost like a second family. We’ve never had a moment of reservation with leaving our children in Newbury’s care – they’ve handled every situation (from the rare earthquake we had in 2011 to a neighborhood gas leak) professionally and with great sensitivity and competence. And we can’t say enough about all of the teachers our children have had – all of our kids blossomed, socially and educationally, under their care. There was only one teacher one of our sons had that we (and some of the other parents) didn’t care
for; this teacher was reviewed by management very quickly and was ultimately removed from her position. We would recommend the Newbury School to any family in need of exceptional child care. In our search for a childcare provider, we found cheaper daycare/preschools, but when it came to our children, their care, obviously, was one area we didn’t want to penny pinch. The little higher price we pay at the Newbury School is well worth it.

We had a horrible experience at this school and would not recommend this school to anyone. The front office staff and owner are unprofessional and appear to lack basic child caring knowledge. The workers are paid poorly so it is unclear how the school uses the tuition money. Our daughter was bitten by the same child three times without any intervention from the school. We had to contact the state to get involved. It was horrible experience.

The wait list here is long - we waited over 6 months. I'm sure it's harder for younger children and for those trying to enroll more than one child. The wait was worth it for us. Changing daycares is quite an adjustment for children, but even on the first day of school, my son was welcomed by his teacher and didn't want to leave at the end of the day.

The playground is awesome. They are separated by age. The older kids have a large open space covered in astroturf and a playground with the rubberized mulch. There is also a covered area for hot days.

The classrooms are nicely decorated. There are lots of photos of the children displayed and changed on a regular basis. I like being able to look at what my son has been up to during the day. There is also lots of artwork on display and of course ever changing seasonal/holiday decor. Most of the classrooms have lots of windows. There are a couple of rooms in the middle of the building that do not get natural light, but overall the building is clean, well lit, and pleasant.

The teachers are the best! In my son's classroom they have been consistent since he's been there. Low teacher turnover is a BIG indicator of the quality of the school. They are sweet and attentive and always engaged with the children... sitting on the floor reading, playing games, leading songs. I've never seen a teacher there (in any class) appear to be slacking. Each day we receive a thorough report of what they learned during the day. It includes songs that were sung, books they read, any special activities (fire drill, spanish or music lesson) and things they are currently learning... numbers, letters. I love reading these on the way home and talking about it with my son. (for example: recently they discussed healthy vs. non-healthy foods, seasons changing, etc.) I've never heard of parents receiving such details of their child's day. My past daycares would tell us what they ate, when they slept and maybe the letter of the week or if it was someone's birthday party that day... what we get from Newbury is on another level.

The administrative staff is organized and very nice. They send many emails and make it very clear as to what is and isn't allowed or expected.

The preschool children (3+) wear uniforms. These are Newbury School t-shirts, polos or sweatshirts with navy or khaki bottoms. Lunches are not provided but they do provide morning and afternoon snacks.

The tuition is not cheap, but once you get over the initial sticker shock of childcare in general, it isn't that much more than the other local places. There are extras such as the shirts, pizza day (optional), field trips, but you'll find this at most places.