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January 2024 by Kalman Gacs
Our daughter went to Open Center for two years through Spring ‘23, when she graduated out and went to kindergarten. It was simply terrific!Loved the play-based, joyful approach. Meanwhile, I was always impressed with how much she learned. To this day, I keep finding out that some of the things she knows are from her time there.Great teachers, leadership and families. Five stars plus.
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December 2023 by Nathan Scott
Open Center is a great pre-school and I’ve been so happy with my children’s experience there! My daughter was well prepared for kindergarten, and I’m seeing my son being in a similar spot for next year. The staff and teachers are great assets! Highly recommend!
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July 2023 by Kristina D.
Our daughter started in the Green Room in October 2020 and will "graduate" from the Blue Room in August 2023. We have loved our time at Open Center because of the amazing staff, play based curriculum, plentiful outdoor time, and close knit family community. The curriculum is also very inquiry-based and draws on the children's interests. Our daughter has thrived so much, both with social skills and academics. Could not recommend Open Center more!
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June 2023 by Michael Esmail
We've have our daughter in the Green Room at Open Center. Her experience has been absolutely amazing and we are so happy with the Open Center staff and community! Absolutely recommend the childcare center!
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June 2023 by Rachel Cooper Powe
I could not be happier with our experience with this center. The teachers are so caring and creative and both of our children have thrived. We are so lucky to have the Open Center!
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May 2023 by Christina Gunther Murphy
We have loved our experience at the Open Center. We have been at the Center for three years (three year with my son and one year with my daughter) and my very different kids have both thrived. I appreciate the child-led & play-based curriculum, the caring & communicative teachers and staff, and the wonderful community we've met through the Center. In full transparency, the physical building is not fancy and there is no onsite playground. However, the kids are outside all the time (even in rain and snow) and the community and nearby parks are their play spaces and playgrounds. We feel so grateful to have found the Open Center and to see each child blossom to love learning and feel a deep respect for their community, their classmates, and themselves.
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May 2023 by Patricia M
We are so grateful for the Open Center. We moved to West Somerville with no connections to the area. We found the Open Center through a Google Map search of the closest pre-schools to our home. While the facilities are not the "prettiest" (eg, modern and new), it is a safe and loving environment. Every time I drop off or pick up my child, I almost wish I could spend the day at the Open Center! Also, the operating hours are amazing. If hours are ever temporarily reduced, it is for a good reason.The staff are professional and friendly. I find it easy to talk to any of them, anytime. The Open Center, which is run by a Board made up of parents, and the Directors strive to hire the best quality staff and take care of them. I've been very impressed with the thoughtfulness with which the Open Center is run.We also appreciate the very reasonable tuition rate. Let's be real, the cost of daycare is no small matter. Because the Open Center is a non-profit, they only charge what they need to to cover operating costs. Two thumbs up from me.
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December 2019 by Laura Gee
We are so happy with the Open Center. We started our child there when she was 3 years old. She had a hard time transitioning since this was her first time in a full day school setting, but they came up with great ideas to make the transition easier and now she is thriving. They just got a new director in 2018 (Sarah), and so far she has been very good. The teachers are amazing. They really get to know the kids and can tell you when your child is having an off day, or when they've made a new developmental leap. The Open Center takes special care to teach the students to be compassionate and respectful of each other, and many viewpoints.
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December 2018 by Kathleen Evans
We moved to West Somerville over the winter and, after her very first visit to the Open Center, our daughter was excited to attend. We all feel really welcomed, and impressed with the energy and experience of being at the school and around the children, teachers, and parents. The teaching staff seem to work well as a team, supporting one another and really bringing complementary skills, styles, and experiences. The kids are exposed to music, art, great early literacy activities, and stimulating activities. They're also a common sight, out and about for walks or playground trips in the neighborhood. Our son is a bit older, and a handful of his friends are Open Center alums -- they (and their parents) all rave about their experiences at the Open Center, and we can see why!
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December 2018 by Jami Therrien Wells
My daughter is in the Blue Room at Open Center. We waited a year to send her here because we just missed the last spot in the younger room. We're so happy we waited - this school is a special place. She started off the year with a Kindness unit and now they are learning about the changing seasons and making observations of their environments. When I pick her up from school, she can't stop talking about the things she did that day and the people she interacted with. At her previous school, it was sometimes a fight in the morning to get her to go to school, but since she's started at Open Center, she's genuinely excited to go everyday.
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December 2018 by Laura Cunningham
Great place with truly caring, invested teachers.
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December 2015 by Christy Waller
Great preschool with full-time hours. We love the play-based learning philosophy and the teachers are experienced and dedicated - some have been at the center for more than 10 years. They send great weekly updates about the curriculum, and have covered units on space, construction, families, seasons and more. They also have weekly yoga instruction and music teachers come in and a program with Habitat through the Audubon society where kids get to explore different aspects of nature. Community and parent participation are a bonus.
