Parents' Corner

My first steps into ABC Academy were calm, yet curious. Being a single mother of two, a then eight-year old and one-year old both girls, was tough. My eight year old attended daycare at the age of one however, she was in a home setting versus classroom. So when I took my one year old Keilee to ABC I thought to myself what if this is too much for her and she never catches on. I felt that she would be lost and left out of learning how to grow because, here there are many more children and I did not think she would get the attention she needed. However, I was quite surprised when I walked out those doors on the first day. Keilee did not shed a tear or throw a fit. That made me feel good, because she was not afraid. I went to work without any worry.

As time went on I became familiar with the best staff a daycare could have. I remember my first conversation with Mr. Dave the owner. He expressed great concern to me and my daughter. He let me know that we are all one big family. If one person is hurting, we all are and if one person is happy, we all are. Dave made me feel comfortable enough to come to him if things got tight for me or if I would be late a day with my payments to not stress out. He told me that he wants every parent to be able to go to work or school without worrying about their child's well being, and you know from that day on I wasn't.

Mr. Dave is like the President, if he can express that much concern for me and my child there wasn't much more I could ask for. Not many Owners become one on one on a personal level as that. Then there is Ms. Louis and Ms. Cathy, both friendly and sweet people. There is not a day that I don't hear "Good morning", or "Have a Nice Day." Even one of the teachers says "Have a nice day mom!" I think that's great and it is apart of the children's learning to tell their mom the same. What a unique way of teaching. Keilee is now in the yellow room and will be moving on to the orange room soon. She has learned such a great deal than I had imagined in the beginning. Her words are clear, she says "I am sorry" when she has done something wrong, and is a step away from being potty trained. Yippee! Her teachers show love and compassion to her and discipline when necessary. The disciplinary actions are fantastic, because they show the child what they have done wrong and teach them to never do it again. Keilee knows where the bad seat is and doesn't get there very often. However, she can come home and tell me that certain things are bad and a no no. This tells me she understood that what she did was in fact wrong. We all communicate with each other so no one is left out. I have noticed a positive reaction from my daughter since she began ABC Academy and I would not change things for the world.

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

I am writing this letter to inform you about my choice to send my children to ABC Academy. I am a teacher and both of my children started ABC when they turned 1 and I went back to work after summer vacation. I have to admit that location was a factor in choosing ABC since I work in Hobart but I soon found out that it wasn't the only reason! Both of my children were well cared for by an understanding, friendly and caring staff. Although you may see different faces in rooms, there usually are 1 or 2 teachers that stay all year and years to come. It starts with the friendly greeting in the morning and the hugs at the end of the day by the staff and other students.

From day one, the focus was on socialization and academics. They keep you well informed, daily, about your child from what they ate-potty time- activities they did during the day - and their demeanor for the day. They also plan fun and educational activities throughout the months and keep you well informed with school and class calendars. Both of my children also attended Tumble Bears, one day a week in the middle room, which helped with motor skills.

My son was more than ready to enter Kindergarten after attending ABC for 4 years and I am looking forward to seeing my daughter grow as well through the years she attends. Since I am a teacher, I do see some of the children who have attended ABC come into my class and I can say that they are well prepared for school.

I have also recommended ABC to teachers who have children because I feel it is a great place to grow and learn!

Making the choice to enroll your child in Preschool is a major decision. My husband and I struggled with the idea of taking our son out of the care of both of his wonderful grandmothers and placing him into the hands of complete strangers at the tender age of one. Being a school teacher, I know the importance of developing a child's academic and social skills before they enter the world of public education. So, after our son turned one, and I enjoyed a summer off with him, we enrolled him in school in August 2008.

My husband and I checked out numerous schools, meeting with the owners and staff, trying to find a school that met our criteria. ABC Academy was the last school we looked at, and after meeting with Mr. Dave, we came to the conclusion that ABC was perfect for our son. The teachers go above and beyond to work with children, giving them the emotional, social, and academic support they need. When our son was only 2 1/2, his teachers and Mr. Dave noticed that his academic abilities were above those of his classmates. He could identify the basic shapes, including some oddballs (hexagon and pentagon); indentify the letters of the alphabet as well as their sounds, and much more. He started acting out in class, due to boredom, and after a week he was placed with the three year olds. He has continued to excel academically, and to develop the social skills he will need as he progresses through school. The teachers and staff at ABC work together with parents to make sure they are meeting students' needs.

ABC Academy has turned out to be a perfect fit for our son. I am absolutely certain that our next child will also be enrolled at ABC when the time comes. I hope you find that ABC is the perfect fit for your child as well!

My name is Stephanie. I have been part of the ABC family for over 8 years now. When my son, Cameron was first born, I had no idea where to even begin when it came to child care. None of my friends had children yet, so I couldn't ask them for recommendations. Where better to start looking than in the phone book. I called, day care after day care asking the basic questions about their services. I narrowed my list down to a few places that I actually wanted to go and see in person. One of these just happened to be ABC Academy. The instant I walked in the door I just knew that this was the place that I wanted my son to be for his child care. I loved the fact that they have the security door at the entrance, the security cameras throughout the building, the friendly staff, etc. I could go on and on about everything that pleased me when I visited ABC Academy. In an instant, I was hooked. I put down my deposit to hold a slot for my son; took the application home and began filling out all the information needed for Cameron to start.

Up until this point my son had never been away from family. This was to be his first experience away from his family. The teachers and staff made his transition so easy. Not just for him but also for me as a parent who was letting go of her child for a stranger to watch over him. It was scary. Walking out the door and hearing your child scream "mommy, mommy, mommy", is not easy. I'm really not sure who it had a worse time that first day, me or my son. I called halfway through the day just to make sure that Cameron had stopped crying. Would you believe that he was fine? Day two was about the same, but each day got easier and easier. The days turned into weeks, and I knew that I had made the right choice. Cameron was doing fabulous, not only when I dropped him off in the mornings but also academically. Within the first 6 months of him being at the school, he had learned all of his shapes and colors. I was truly amazed by everything that the teachers were teaching the kids. I was learning that ABC Academy wasn't just someone to watch my child so that I could go to work, but they were educating my child for his future.

Soon enough those weeks turned into months and then years. I was continually amazed at the knowledge that my son had obtained. By the time he had reached the Red Room, I knew it wouldn't be much longer that my son would be attending ABC Academy. I didn't have a worry in the world about sending him off to kindergarten though, because Miss Mary Jo had taught him so much while he was in her class room. Cameron went into kindergarten already knowing how to write the alphabet. It broke my heart the day that I had to put notice in that Cameron would not be attending ABC Academy anymore. My then one year old was now getting ready to start kindergarten. At the time, we lived out in Chesterton, so when he started at the public schools, ABC Academy wasn't an option anymore for childcare. But when summer rolled around, that was the first phone call that I made. Cameron was so excited to be back there for the summer camp and see all of his old friends and teachers. Needless to say, when I found out that I was expecting my daughter, there was no question as to who would be watching her when I needed to put her in daycare as well. Here I was, seven years later, starting the process all over again. Just like before, I had those first day jitters about my little Olivia crying as I walked out the door. Those same teachers who comforted me when Cameron was little were the same teachers that were still here for me as I left Olivia in their hands. Deep down I knew that there was no need to worry. I look forward to the upcoming years as Olivia continues on with her education at ABC Academy.

I am genuinely grateful for everyone who has taken care of my children over the last eight years. ABC Academy truly was a blessing for me. I walked through the doors not expecting much and they have become my family and so much more. For any new parent considering where to send their child, I hope that you have been able to see how heartfelt my recommendation has been. It is with great pleasure that I sincerely give my recommendation to ABC Academy as the child care for my children and any future ABC Academy parents.

It seems like yesterday when my husband and I noticed a large building being built on 61st Avenue. Soon, we discovered that it was going to be a child care center. We were thrilled as our daughter Julia was being cared for by a wonderful woman inside her home. However, we knew as Julia grew...she needed more development to expand her mind. A child care center was a wonderful option. ABC Academy opened and we went to the Open House. We were sold from day one and signed Julia up.

On Julia's first day of school, I had a lot of anxiety. She was used to her daycare provider, ABC Academy was more institutional...were we doing the right thing? I will never forget the first day I took Julia to her class. Her hair in Shirley Temple ringlets, and I even dressed her up! She was so shy. She sat down at a table and just looked at the class. A teacher walked up and immediately made Julia feel comfortable and at home. That was almost ten years ago! Julia will be turning 12 years old and is a 6th Grade Student at Hobart Middle School. Since this time, my second daughter Lies[, now eight years old, also attended ABC Academy and, currently, my two boys Thomas and Alex are enrolled at the school.

ABC Academy is more that a child care center. It is a youth development academy! What's the difference? My children have learned so much in their short time at ABC Academy. They learned how to read a calendar, what the days of the week are, how to spell their names and write the alphabet in both upper and lower case, and how to tell time. They learned manners, sharing and togetherness. My daughter Julia is an avid reader, and I credit a lot of this to the strong foundation she received at ABC Academy. My second daughter Liesl also received a strong foundation and has tested well at school and has been placed in High Ability Classes since she first began attending her elementary school. She was even moved to third grade math in the second grade because of her strong start at ABC Academy. I see the same progress in my two boys who attend the school five days per week. ABC Academy offers many learning experiences for a child. Field trips, dance, tumbling and computer classes are extras – allowing parents to experiment with what might interest their child. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not talk about the staff at ABC Academy. Ms. Cathy and Ms. Louise are wonderful! They run the front office smoothly and try very hard to know each parent and child in the school; Mr. Derrick the cook also tries to meet all the children and works hard at preparing food that most kids like –but food that also is nutritious. Most of the teachers at ABC Academy have been long-standing employees which says a lot about the school.

I know it is a scary thing to entrust your children to somebody outside one's immediate family or support structure. Believe me; I had to do it four times! However, I soon learned that ABC Academy became part of our family's support structure and we would not have survived without the school. It is without question that both my husband and I endorse ABC Academy, its programs, and most importantly, its staff!

I am a mother of three and finding the "perfect childcare" was beginning to feel like the impossible. My son was 11 months and I was starting a new job, and child care was on my list of things to do. I visited a few centers for a month until I came across ABC Academy, and that's when my prayers were answered. As a parent it is important to provide safety for our children at all times no matter what, and leaving them behind while we work is something that most parents now days must do.

You want to feel certain when you drop your children off that they are being cared for, and looked after as if you were there the whole day. It is also important to stimulate kid's minds with activities and learning materials and not just placed in front of a television for 8 hours. ABC gave me all of this and more; they provided me with a warm caring staff that not only educates my child but also demonstrates how to engage in social activities with children his age. It is here at ABC that I feel ok leaving my child to work an 8 hour day and I know he is being cared for by the best. It is a fact that children everywhere are sometimes mistreated and not properly cared for, and that is something that I do not have to worry about here at ABC.

My son is now finishing kindergarten at ABC Academy and is more than ready to take 1st grade head on; I owe much of this to the dedicated teachers and staff at ABC. The way the children react to all of them is amazing. The children admire and respect the teachers and want to do their best while in their presence. I would strongly recommend ABC to anyone, especially to a parent whose main concern is the well-being of their child. ABC may be a better choice for some, but it is the Best choice for me!!!