All Starz Children's Academy

My child has been attending All Starz for several months, transferring from another area day care. The facility is top-rate and we like that there is lots of space for the kids to play in the classrooms, the gym and outdoors. The cost is high, but still less than what we paid at our first facility and reasonably on par with others in the area/star-rating. We toured 10 day cares in the area and by far liked this one the best. There will always be issues, but we are happy to have our child at All Starz. It is a ""business"" in the truest sense of the word, and they work hard to make it a successful one. They listen to parent concerns and do their best to address them together with the parents. I am reasonably pleased with the facility's cleanliness, though I have not seen the infant rooms up close and hope they keep those the most pristine, as little crawlers seem to attract the most grime when it's present. They have their own full-time cleaning lady who is very nice and works hard to keep things clean. more

My daughter has been at this daycare for about a year now and she loves it. I have not experienced any of the negativity from the management that the other reviewers have mentioned in any way. My daughter used to attend Kids R Kids in Morrisville and although that place is nice, I feel that All Starz has a bit more to offer for your $$. The facility and the equipment are extraordinary. The indoor gym is great for the kids in the cold or rainy days. (They have indoor gyms in both buildings and the fitness activities are included in the cost and not extra like at other centers.) My daughter is in the Pre-K program now and she loves Ms. Michelle. My daughter is able to write words, read books and do simple math and she is not in kindergarten yet! This place is really special. I am glad we found it. more

No disrespect to you as a parent, but I think this is a CRAZY way to run a business. My child DID attend All Starz full time and then later we went down to part-time and i was never made to find my own match up. A real business has a number of part-time slots and treats part-time parents the same as any full-time parent. If the management valued you as a customer, and had any customer service skills (which everyone there does not!) then they would let you go part-time without any of this nonsense. You do realize that they have enrolled NEW part-time children (yes M,W,F) in the 3 yr old program since you wrote this? Yes they have a wait list, but only for some age groups. A neighbor of mine recently took a tour from a ""way too young blond with no knowledge of children, the program, or anything developmentally appropriate"". And she was told she could have an immediate spot. Im not sure why that is, but im guessing they like to pick and choose who they enroll in their school. I was treated horribly by the owners on many, many, many occasions, and it might be because i expected to receive all of the things i was promised before i gave them my money. But that does not entitle them to treat me, or anyone for that matter, in a disrespectful manner. And as far as teacher turnover, they have way more turnover then an average preschool and you have to ask yourself why. I agree with the other person who wrote that ""you have to question how well the staff are being treated if they are willing to leave in this economy"". There are several classrooms that can not keep two regular teachers and im sure its not the children that are making them leave. If they treat their staff the way they treated me, and some of the people who have left comments here, then im sure we know why teachers, and families,are leaving. Even teachers who do currently work there will tell you, they are not happy with how they are treated, or the working conditions, but they stay only for their kids and parents. BOTTOM LINE: You have options PLEASE explore all of them, there are many other great schools out there. PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THE LIES THESE PEOPLE ARE SELLING!! The families that stay there do so because they have wonderful, hard working, under payed teachers, not because ""someone opens the door for them""! FYI, Men do not like another man opening the door for them, its just weird........ more

We LOVE All-starz! Pros: Facility, teachers, curriculum, gymnasium, special programs! more

We went in January, 2010 to look for our two year old daughter. Fell for the looks. even though we made an appointment with the manager, she was busy talking to another couple. But her assistant was generous enough to show us a room and this place is in a convenient location for us. we paid the application fee and came home. It is now May 2010, we never once contacted us about any progress. Our calls were briefly answered about our status being waiting list 2 still. they denied to refund our deposit. I think that It is justifiable to expect an update once in a month or two months or even three months on where we stand and how long it might take. Pros: Gr8 looking people with gr8 marketing skills Cons: Five months of waiting with no phone call. more

I agree with the other reviews that mentioned the staff turnover. You have to question how well the staff are being treated if people are willing to quit their job in this economy. The owners will put their own spin on things, making it sound like everything is ""OK"". But I have had enough good and bad experience in child care to know that the amount of turnover from this center is more than just 'making room for more qualified staff'. Parents who are satisfied with this school are the ones that go along with whatever the owner wants. Put up any kind of resistance to what the owner's opinion is, and you will receive the cold shoulder from the owner. The saddest part is that there are good teachers here, but how can they do their jobs well, if they are constantly being micromanaged and undermined? Take it from some who has gotten the cold shoulder, a family run business does not guarantee a warm environment for kids or teachers. Pros: Clean facilities, great teachers Cons: Owners more

They said they'd work with us to get our child enrolled as soon as possible. They said they could make room. They said thank you when we paid our registration fee. Well, that is what the manager said. Then the owner had a different story. Her story was our child wasn't put on the right waiting list *and* there would be no slot for months *and* there would be no refunds! In hind sight, we should have gotten everything in writing because it turned out nothing they told us was correct - EXCEPT that their deposit was nonrefundable. Pros: AMAZING facility Cons: Didn't deliver on verbal agreement & kept the money more

We've been at other five star facilities in the area, and All-Starz is heads above the others. Both of our children have been at All-Starz for the past year and a half with one starting in the infant room and the other in the 3 year old room. We've been very pleased with our experience in both cases. The owners are very engaged with the parents welcoming and asking for feedback. They pay attention to the little things that in my view go along way . They're always at the door every morning welcoming the parents, helping out. Joe even tries to cover umbrella duty on rainy days. The teachers have been superb with great projects that tie into themes for the week which all create a great environment for learning. The facility indoors provides a vibrant, clean environment for the children with an indoor gym that helps on those cold and rainy days. The playground is fantastic. This summer they actually were able to plant a garden. I also like the fact that there is a nice separation with the older kids in kid zone. Five star facilities are certainly not cheap, but the center is on par with others and I can honestly say that I have not questioned the cost as we've done in the past at other centers. Pros: Fantastic teachers, engaged management, wonderful facilities more

My family and kids that attend have loved All Starz from the moment they opened, and the feelings only get better day to day. The owners know exactly what they are doing with building the best in class care for infants on up. The staff is the friendliest and most knowledgeable I have seen (and I have seen them all). Pros: Excellent, Well-Knowledged, Caring Teachers and Owners more

We had heard good things about this school from some neighbors who send their kids there. Apparently they've taken many kids (and teachers) who used to be at Kids R kids near Cary Park. We talked to others who had considered enrolling (but didn't) as well as some others who enrolled and later dropped out. General consensus is that it's an ""okay"" place to take your kid, but forget about it if you ever have to deal with the owner. I don't want to slam the woman, but we heard several strong comments (even from the people who have kids going there) who told us she could be ""difficult"". We got this sense when we took a tour from her. Very dismissive, kinda short with us, couldn't really explain the curriculum. No thanks. While the facility is beautiful, we just couldn't send our kid to a place where the owner/leadership is so suspect. Probably explains the teacher turnover we heard about. Pros: New school, bright classrooms, in-building gymnasium Cons: Difficult Owner, questionable ""curriculum"", expensive more