"Milestones is more than a school, it’s a home away from home. My kids truly view Ms. Deb and Miss Melissa as family, and look forward to going to school every, single day. As a parent, I’m so grateful that my children are in an environment where they are so nurtured and loved. And from an academic standpoint, they have learned so much...and they love learning. I would (and do) recommend Milestones to anyone."
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"My daughter has attended Milestones for the last two years - as a 2 year old and 3 year old. Ms Deb and Ms Melissa have provided a home away from home for my spirited child. She has flourished in an environment where she feels safe and respected and where her various interests are nurtured. The teachers have patiently helped her with everything from potty training to home/preschool transition. They are flexible and able to adapt to each child’s needs. I also love that dress-up time is gender neutral and that the kids can put on costumes to represent themselves as any person, animal, character that their heart desires. Milestones has been the perfect fit for our family."
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"I am reminded every morning when my son excitedly runs to the door, how lucky I am to have found Milestones. Deb and Melissa are inspired teachers with years of experience, and a neverending supply of compassion.
I appreciate their emphasis on kindness to classmates. They create a loving environment where friendships are easily made between the children. They have truly created an early love of learning and school. Those kinds of early associations with school are invaluable.
Milestones knows the importance of open-ended play, and are also able to incorporate skills to prepare children for kindergarten. My son scored a 99 on the G&T test and made it to the second round at Hunter. The teachers were able to help support his education leading up to the tests, and help with the application process.
They are able to spot problems immediately, and help. My son needed cpse services, and his teachers were able to walk me through the process of getting him the help he needed.
I also really appreciated their approach to gentle separation. My son had never been under the care of anyone except immediate family before going to Milestones. The fact that the environment feels so comfortable, home-like, and happy made the process easier also.
I love that the milestones classroom has a mix of ages. The small ones have role models working alongside them; And it allows the big kids to be teachers and leaders, creating such confidence and kindness. I also, of course, love the student to teacher ratio.
Milestones is everything I had hoped for in a first school."
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"We sent our three kids to Milestones UWS and feel very lucky to have this community in our lives. Before starting school, our children have only been cared for by immediate family members, but Ms. Deb and Miss Melissa’s gentle separation approach was a success with all three of them.
In Milestones UWS children of different ages learn and play together, which creates a practical environment to make friends with older and younger ones, practice sharing, and learn how to resolve disagreements. Our kids are excited about their day full of hands-on activities, role play, outdoors, and learning in a fun, playful manner. The school philosophy emphasizing consideration, respect, and helpfulness is immediately felt in children’s attitudes at home too. They learn to verbally articulate their needs, tidy up their toys, and try different foods before they decide if it’s yum or yuck.
Being Milestones UWS parents for several years now, we are impressed with teachers’ creativity and individual approach to each student in getting the best out of them - centered on student’s personality, abilities, and interests, through play, guided activities, and inspiration. Ms. Deb and Miss Melissa support students in handling challenges big and small, which positively affects their self-confidence and social skills. Already in the first weeks of attendance our two-year-old came home having learned several songs. Our three-year-old’s vocabulary was significantly enriched, whereas our four-year-old, who started at Milestones UWS speaking little English, became fluent soon and was reading by the end of the year. Most importantly, Milestones UWS lay the foundation for our kids’ thrill of learning and love for attending school.
The teachers are warm and welcoming to parents, too. They are dedicated and responsible educators who readily work with parents to address any needs and expand children’s potential. We consider Ms. Deb and Miss Melissa part of our family and our older children, who have since moved up in grades, excitedly visit their first teachers."
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"Our daughter (age 3) has thrived this year at Milestones. Miss Deb and Miss Melissa provide a warm, nurturing environment that cultivates a love for school at an early age. We could not be happier with how much our daughter has learned and grown this year."
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"My daughter Zoe was a student at Milestones for both the 3s class and Pre-K. When she first started, she was minimally verbal and developmentally behind due to a prolonged childhood illness. She also had a host of severe food allergies (requiring an Epipen) as well as asthma.
She graduated this past Spring (kindergarten-ready for PS199) a completely transformed child - happy, thriving, starting to read and write, and with lots of friends. She absolutely loved Milestones and asked every morning if it was a "school day". The attentiveness and nurturing of Miss Deb and Miss Melissa reassured me that Zoe was in a caring, stimulating, and safe environment. The intimate circle of students and families was perfect for her!"
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"The teachers are so sweet and very focused on Daniel. In the beginning, He didn't speak English but he wasn't uncomfortable with school life. I love that they know very well about Daniel. Also I really like the program. Everyday he learns new things and has a lot of fun with it. He really likes school. He wants go to school everyday. That's why I really recommend Milestones."
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"Milestones is my son's first school. My husband and I couldn't have chosen a better one. The instructors are so sweet and attentive with children and at the end of each month, I have precious feed back about what he had learned, his actives and classes working. I'm so grateful to the instructors, to children and even to little dog Latke for receive my son so very well!"
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"Debbie and Melissa are wonderful teachers, but they are amazing toward us as parents as well. After I went through open houses at ... many others, I was just floored by how different Milestones atmosphere is, they are warm, down to earth, child-oriented staff, who at no point whatsoever made me feel pressured or pushed or tried to present the school in some super intimidatingly perfect way, but they were simply wonderfully warm, honest, dedicated staff who adore what they do. This you can really see and feel to be true. And Debbie's resume most definitely confirms it too, she is so experienced.
Aside from the refreshing warmth of the staff (compared to some of the tours I've had prior), I fell in love with the space. It's truly special. The school is on the 2nd floor of a gorgeous townhouse and it looks like one walked into a Nancy Tillman bedtime book. It is warm, welcoming, homelike, clean, my son walked in there when we did the tour and this normally shy child just owned the space immediately. And it was because it's decorated or set up to look like like a cozy little Grandma's house but it has the functionality of a great school.
I love it that Debbie keeps the space open to children of different ages learning together, it is a brilliant concept in my opinion and I have witnessed such great exchanges that can go on with this way of learning cause my son goes to basketball classes for toddlers where they are mixed between 2 and 5 and they teach each other so much, it's a great idea.
The school has, unlike many others, no problem with children who are not potty trained, and are so helpful when the training is happening. Also, their daily program is awesome and I was very glad that they use the Elephant playground daily when it's warmer out, cause with a 2 yr old boy I needed a program that has a good amount of outdoors. Many schools I visited are not that focused on it. I found here that perfect balance of physical activity vs sitting down and learning new things or practicing social skills and chores.
After my son started going to school, he was coming home with a huge new vocabulary every day, he put his toys away before getting new ones without me even telling him, he started to tell me very clearly when he was hungry and exactly what he wants to eat (this was always a hassle figuring out before). He is just thriving like never before. And he is really happy. He gets challenges put before him and he then learns to use his mind and body to master all these new skills and two very kind and confident teachers are supporting him through it. It's just a joy that I found them and what puts me the most at ease is knowing that my son is with people who genuinely love what they do, you can just see it right away. Debbie's enormous experience and knowledge is helping me and my husband to improve our parenting and she always makes time to answer me and advise me.
I am just so thrilled with this school and grateful that I found a healthy environment for my child, I can't praise them enough."