Purpose Driven Learning Academy

Reviews (6)

• Review from the Fall 2024 Early Education Survey

  December 2024

  Review: We have had a very positive experience sending our baby to PDL. The three teachers and owner Nia are incredibly kind and loving with the kids, easy to get in touch with, and seem to really enjoy what they do. We started there when she was 3.5months old and refusing to take a bottle and they worked that out by day 2. It was very anxiety provoking for me to start and I am very glad we chose PDL. They also have some of the best hours I have seen (7am-6pm).; Amenities: Has outdoor space, Has after-school options, Has early morning hours, Provides meals; What would you change? It is more expensive than some of the other in-home providers in the area

• Daycare Recommendations - Ditmas Park

  April 2023

  Our daughter has thrived at Purpose Driven Learning, which is a home based program just off cortelyou. She started at 10 months old, and she is now 2 and a half. It's definitely more of a "trust the process" kind of place, so they don't have a formal communication system, but they will send you photos if you ask and the lead teacher always texts back quickly if you have a question. I am so impressed with how well the caregivers there know her and the love between them is apparent. I'm not sure about May, but they will likely have some openings in the summer or September, when a few kids will transition to 3k.

• Review submitted via the PSP Daycare/Preschool 2016 Survey

  July 2016

  Age: < 1 year Review: Positives: The teachers who are with the kids are very loving and have been at the facility for several years. I appreciated the bond that they formed with my daughter. The outdoor space is nice--giving kids the chance to play outdoors in an enclosed environment. Negatives: The owner of the facility does not communicate well with parents. The most egregious example is when faced with the fact that one of her assistants could not work at the facility, she alerted parents of several children that they could no longer attend (as of the next day!), leaving multiple families in a bind without any support. Additionally, there are not enough staff members for the number of kids they are caring for. I know that parents have brought this concern to the attention of the owner and she's dismissed it. At times, the staff seemed overwhelmed and stressed. Take the time to understand who is working at the program & how many kids are enrolled, how they have handled DOH inspections in the past, and try to visit when they're open and are working with kids.

• Review submitted via the PSP Daycare/Preschool 2016 Survey

  July 2016

  Age: < 1 year Review: My baby attended PDL from the age of 9 months to a year. During her time there, we were pretty pleased with the care. The teachers were very committed to the children, and our baby liked them a lot. The space is inviting and there is a nice backyard. However, there always seemed to be too few caregivers for the number of children, and it was nearly impossible to get information about what our baby had done that day, how she had slept, how much she had eaten etc. The owner Nia was almost always absent. The reason we left is we were forced to leave; there was a surprise inspection that was partially failed. Several families, including us, were told on a Monday that their babies could not attend as of Tuesday, with very little empathy for the affected families. We had been on the waitlist for a year before receiving a spot and were thrown into a very stressful period as a result of how the place is operated.

• Review submitted via the 2014-2015 daycare/preschool survey

  August 2015

  Length of time: 5 days/week Child’s Age: < 1 year1-2 years Type of facility: Private, small daycare/playschool experience run out of a person's home with a very small number of childrenThere is little/no parental involvement with the administration or running of the facility. REVIEW: We love Purpose Driven Learning. Our daughter has been there since she was 5 months old. The teachers are involved, caring, and committed, and the program is run smoothly by the Director, Nia. We also like the facility -- it is a home-based daycare and has a backyard that the kids spend alot of time playing in. Much easier than walking everyone to the park. I don't think there is too much of a "philosophy" behind PDL -- it is just a loving daycare. They are nominally Christian but it doesn't show up much in the program. Would you recommend? Highly recommend Would you send your child again? Absolutely

• Review from the 2014 Daycare/Preschool Survey

  November 2014

  Length of Time: 5 days/week, Full Time Child's Age: 1-2 years Review: My child has been at PDL for over a year (since 6 months of age). At the time we enrolled, it was a new facility, so we've seen them through their growth and a lot of changes (including staffing up) in the past year. We are overall very happy with the quality of care our child receives; the head teacher is very experienced with children and runs a great preschool curriculum for the older children (ages 2.5-4). The babies are primarily under the care of two other very loving teachers, who are less experienced but kind and competent. Lunch is provided for older kids, and they are very breastfeeding-friendly (willing to navigate around BF schedules, feeding pumped milk, etc.) We still send our own breakfast lunch for our child and the staff accommodate that easily. The owner, is very responsive to feedback and is easy to reach in person, by email or by phone. She takes parent concerns seriously (such as removing a TV that was initially in the facility because parents didn't want it there). While she tries very hard to be organized, she's sometimes a little scattered, but never so much that we don't feel confident in the safety and well-being of our child. At times it feels like the teachers are exhausted and overworked, and the ratio of kids to teachers (12 kids / 3 teachers) isn't quite ideal. The owner and her mom (who live upstairs) fill in when necessary but it does feel like it would be helpful if another provider was available onsite to give the three primary providers a little breathing room and more days off. The facility isn't huge, but there is a divided space for the older/younger children, a full kitchen and an enclosed yard in the back where the kids go outside when it's nice out. Our child is thriving under the care of PDL, and we feel grateful to have such a good option available to us in the Ditmas Park neighborhood. Recommend (Hi/Rec/DoNot): Highly recommend Would you send your child again? Absolutely