Young School – Honeygo Village Center, Perry Hall | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

My son attended the Young School at Honeygo Plaza for about a year of pre-k. He had a good experience and left much better prepared for the classroom structure of kindergarten.

This school takes a more curriculum/teaching-oriented approach rather than simple “day care”. They follow a pedagogical philosophy similar to Montessori, emphasizing freedom and harnessing each child’s own specific interests and motivations.

The biggest strength of YS is the outstanding teaching staff, all of whom care deeply about the well-being and growth of the children. The different teachers within the “cottage” of four adjoining classrooms developed individual connections with my son and the other children, knowing well their various interests and quirks. The pre-k cottage director, Ms. Jess, oversees the classrooms with expertise and a deep sense of empathy. She effectively fields informal chats with parents about questions and concerns that pop up on the fly. Between the wonderful teachers and cottage director, I always felt that my child was in very safe and nurturing hands.

The classroom atmosphere is warm and inviting. There is lots of natural light and many learning stations with carefully thought-out objects left for the children to “discover”. Kids get zero screen time at the Young School. Instead of punishing children, behavior is managed through redirection and talking. Healthy snacks are offered, and the staff teaches and practices good hygiene.

The main area that could be improved upon is communication from the director. On several occasions, I received mass emails chastising (unnamed) other parents for taking screenshots of the live video feed, requesting child-specific changes to naptime logistics, incorrectly using cubby space, and calling in to the classroom during non-naptime hours. (“Any parent disrupting the day too frequently will lose camera access and a parent meeting will be requested.”) I would prefer these types of issues be resolved by one-on-one conversations with the relevant parents, rather than public shaming. The unprofessional tone of these emails was underscored by a lack of basic proofreading.

My child’s classroom had high teacher turnover, with three different teachers in a six-month period. Shockingly, when one left and was replaced by a brand new employee, parents were not given any notice whatsoever. I showed up one morning to drop off my son in his classroom and encountered a total stranger who claimed to be in charge. Luckily, another teacher was in the cottage area and vouched for the new teacher’s legitimacy. Lack of preemptive communication on this type of matter is unacceptable. Another instance of poor communication occurred when initially attempting to enroll my child. The paperwork was confusing and I had trouble getting questions answered, as other reviews have noted.

Overall, I recommend the Young School as a safe, nurturing, and educational environment for children; parents may have to deal with some unnecessary hassles.

We love the Young School! Our girls- ages 4 & 3 have attended the Young School in Perry Hall for one academic year as well having attended the school’s summer camp. We chose the school based on its values & philosophy & continue to see that the teachers & staff make their best effort to honor it. I feel that the teachers know what my children’s individual needs are & make every effort to help promote developmentally appropriate growth in a respectful way. Their evaluations prove to me that they take a unique interest in my children & work to understand their strengths & areas the areas which need nurturing & growth.

Our girls have had tremendous social growth since over the past year which originally was our goal with having them start school. But we also see growth in areas such as language & mathematics. Our girls love art & Mrs. Shannon does an excellent job creating engaging lesson plans that encourage independence & creativity.

We value the effort that is made to plan events that include the community as well as our children’s family. For example- recently the school hosted “Grandparents Day” which welcomed families to explore the school & create a craft with their grandchild. Events such as these show me that the school is interested in not only the child- but their family as well. If you are searching for a safe, loving, nurturing environment where the teachers care about each child as an individual but are also fostering their place in our community, this is the school for your family!

Our girls have started their second year here & are already enjoying the start of the school year.