West Essex YMCA Peanut Shell Early Childhood Center

My wife and I spent months researching and visiting multiple child care facilities in the area before settling on Peanut Shell. Since we are both educators, our standards were extremely high and Peanut Shell exceeded all of our expectations. We were impressed with the professionalism of the staff, who are all extremely caring and nurturing to all of the children.nIn addition, the classrooms are clean, organized, and wonderfully decorated with children's art projects and information for parents.nnOur daughter is now entering her third year and we couldn't be happier watching her blossom into the wonderful person that she is today. She has had notable improvements with her interactions with other children as she continues to learn valuable skills like patience, teamwork, and respect. The center offers a variety of musical and physical extensions that have given her confidence as she discovers the growing world around her.

We love Peanut Shell. The staff is very loving and committed to providing the best care. They have a low teacher to student ratio, which was important to us. The staff is very approachable and they all welcome feedback. Each room provides a good balance of age appropriate play and learning centered on monthly themes. Once they get older, the kids go on field trips and take swim lessons. We feel really lucky to be a part of this daycare.

Peanut Shell has been incredible for my two year old daughter. Being a teacher myself, it is easy to spot quality care, enthusiasm and passion for children. All of my daughter’s caretakers have exceeded my expectations. They treat her like she is their own. It is the perfect balance of learning and social development and they expose the children to so many various sensory experiences. I highly recommend Peanut Shell to anyone who is looking for a quality daycare.

If there is 6 stars I would give it to Peanut Shell! We transferred our daughter from another local place since she was 9 month old. For the past 2 years, my daughter is really happy and excited to see her friends/teacher everyday. This place is clean and bright with friendly staff. My daughter rarely gets sick so you know they make effort to ensure the environment is well maintained. The program director, Stephanie, is AMAZING! Highly recommend this place!

The teachers here genuinely care for the students. They work hard to ensure the needs are met for each student. I could not be happier with the care my girls get at Peanut Shell. The staff is extremely stable which is hard to find in daycare settings. The teachers have curriculums for all students even the very little ones. The director is extremely responsive and involved. The preschool classes are great and the children are more than prepared for kindergarten. I am very happy that we chose Peanut Shell!!!