Winter Park Day Nursery, Winter Park | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Our experience at WPDN:

My wife and I really struggled with the decision of whether or not to write this review. We know how a negative review can affect a business, and our intention is not ill mannered. It is solely to alert you as a parent, about our first hand experience, so you can hopefully make a better informed decision. Our son attended VPK at WPDN for a little over a month in the fall of 2018. Other than the staff, we can’t say that it was a good experience for us. The “classroom” is nothing of the like. There is a big open room with maybe 20, three year olds on one side and at least 20 VPK students on the other. It was chaotic to say the least. I can’t imagine a child being able to do any learning, when there’s so much commotion going on. Of course, we saw a glimpse of this when we toured the school, but we put a lot of weight on the really great reviews WPDN had on Facebook, so we pushed those worries aside. Which is why we felt compelled to write about our experience, especially since other parents have been echoing our same thoughts. Our son went from being excited to go to school, to begging me not to leave him there. We already knew something was off, because his folder was always empty when we picked him up from school and he said they weren’t doing any of the usual activities done in Pre-K. We started asking questions about the inner workings of the “school”. That’s when we found out that there was no curriculum being followed. That immediately raised a red flag. Why, a month after the school year has begun, are there no instructional activities occurring? He’s in VPK, not a daycare. That’s when my wife found out that management decided to go a in a different direction this year, where the kids don’t do any educational activities or lessons for the first 45 days of school. We were flabbergasted. There isn’t one good reason to delay learning in children who are being prepped for Kindergarten. My first thought was, no wonder the kids are acting out. They’re not being productive. My wife immediately began searching for another school and pulled him out that day. We got lucky and got the last open spot at a great preschool. It’s like night and day. He’s practicing his writing skills, learning a new letter every week, making art projects (using scissors and glue, which he’s super excited about), doing show and tells, and best of all, feeling proud of his accomplishments at the end of every day. All done in a REAL classroom, and in a much less noisy and stressful environment. Pulling him out of WPDN was the best decision we could have made. As I already stated, the staff was very nice. He loved his VPK teachers at that school and we are not taking issue with them at all. I’m sure the set up is just as stressful for them. The teachers are doing the best they can with the tools they have been given. Bottom line is… this is a nursery, but it is certainly not a proper preschool learning environment. Hope this helps.

I usually don’t write reviews but just had to share what a great school WPDN is. My son attended 2013 he was in the pre K class and before, the one just under that. The teachers and staff are great. You can tell they love their jobs and the kids and really want to be there. My son loved going too, which is always a good sign. They have a chef in the kitchen, she makes homemade food (hello miss Shirley!) no microwave. Vegetables and fruit with every meal. They eat family style at the table with the teacher and each take a serving from the dish. Teaches them table manners. Miss Paige, Miss Wendy, Mis Isclin, Miss Kenya, Miss Shelby…they were all so nice to deal with. They have a great learning curriculum and resources for parents to take home if need be.

Don’t let the interior of the building scare you off….its just not a new shiny day care they have been around for I think 30 or so years. The place is clean and has awesome toys for the kiddos. Give this place a chance you won’t be disappointed…the playground is amazing they actually have a small racetrack, and a garden!

The also offer subsidized rates for low income families. I was first skeptical of the quality of the daycare when I saw this on there website but I was wrong. The school just tries to give these kids a chance by making quality education/childcare more affordable. They are doing the community a service. They have a food bank and will help you out with clothes, toys, ect anything they can do, they do it. Miss Alli and Miss Heather are two of the kindest people I’ve come to know.

We moved to Lake Mary so we no longer attend but man, miss this place dearly.

Send your kids here!!!

My child has been attending this school for several months now and I can’t recommend it enough. It was a bit of a tough transition for her but the team could not have been more supportive. Every adult in the building knows her by name and she’s happy to see all of them so I know she is loved and well-cared for during the day. I can see how much she is learning from month to month and they do so many fun things for the kids that are either included in the price or not expensive. Lastly, they cover all of the meals and they are nutritious and made on site.We love WPDN and I recommend it to everyone.