Testimonials

My child has been attending Bright Minds for 2.5 years now (from the age of 2 years old). And I cannot say enough how I am happy about the whole experience. This is THE ONLY school in NYC where I was not worried whether my child was fed, appropriately dressed for outside time, had enough nap, and diapered in time. And at the same time, they provide an excellent studying environment with top-notch teachers and caregivers. Just to be clear: we were admitted to the best American schools in TriBeCa as Washington Market School, Montessori Beach Street, etc. But we decided to go with Bright Minds. And there was not a single time I felt sorry about our decision. Amazing school! (from Google reviews)

Kris G., Mother of 2.5. y.o.

Excellent school with excellent and involved teachers who put their all into helping kids master language and logical reasoning skills. They have classes, in which kids are asked to sit at a semicircular table to ensure all the kids are engaged, and can sit and focus on their tasks, which is a challenge for toddlers. The teachers make sure each kid gets the task at hand before moving on to the next one. There is play time in the afternoon allowing kids to socialize and learn through free play as well. Their outside play area is the Imagination playground nearby. Overall, we are very happy with the school and my child's development in it. That said, in response to another review here, this may not be for those parents who prefer an indulgent/permissive parenting style. My husband and I find the school to be a good balance between what one may call a "serious" learning environment for little kids and play time with classmates, which goes well with what we hope is a well-balanced, demanding, yet responsive parenting/teaching style. (from Google reviews)

Lena K., Mother of 4 y.o.

We were privileged to have the opportunity to attend Bright Minds. I appreciate the cultural and academic values my kids picked up from the school. The staff is great, the space is clean. They offer a fun variety of classes with passionate and enthusiastic teachers! One definitely will pick up Russian as the method of immersion surely works! It's a very enriching and stimulating community to be a part of. (from Google Reviews)

Philipa N., Mother of 4 y.o.

My daughter has been attending Bright Minds right after she turned 2 years old, 8.30 am to 6 pm, 5 days per week. Within the first year she has developed her verbal skills in 2 languages (we use Russian and Spanish at home) and the school developed her language learning skills a great deal. She has also learned all shapes, colors, basic numbers, concepts of depth, size, comparative skills, and much more. Now in her 3rd semester at the school, she is learning English, as well as Russian letters, began to read basic words (at 3.5 y.o.), and so on. The Bright Minds School offers 2 amazing things: focused discipline, unmatched by an American school, and a Russian type of education, where kids are taught to learn things, not just memorize them. The BM schooling experience offers excellent academic, and simply human experience at not above average private schooling cost, and my daughter is far better off, as a result of attending it. At home, we can relax and just spend leisure time with our daughter, as all schooling is properly fulfilled by her school. We plan on enrolling our currently 7-month-old son in Bright Minds, as soon as he becomes of age as well.

Dmitriy G., Father of 3.5 y.o

My sons - now 4.5 and 3 years old - have both attended Bright Minds since they were just over 2 years old. Over our time at Bright Minds, they have grown into curious and proud students, excited to show off their work and new logic and motor skills at home whenever the opportunity presents itself. My 4.5-year-old already knows both, the Russian and English alphabet and has rudimentary reading skills in Russian! I love the nurturing and structured environment that the preschool provides for my boys' cognitive development - something that I looked for and found very difficult to find when initially searching for schools.

Oksana K., Mother of 3 y.o. and 4.5 y.o.

"I have been very impressed with my daughter's progress at Bright Minds. Every time she comes from school, she brings new projects and new stories. She has developed a lot of different skills, including counting, recognizing shapes, colors, and sizes, learning letters of alphabet. I can clearly see what she does each class and can see her progress. We are definitely coming back next year!"

Mila J., Mother of 2.5 y.o.

"Bright Minds Center is a wonderfully flexible and warm place with a lot of personal attention to children and their parents... I am hoping that this is a long-term project which will continue to grow as my daughter grows with more interesting teachers and families joining."

Irina V., Mother of 2.5 y.o.

Dear Bright Minds team,
The slowdown between the holidays always gives an opportunity for reflection. Given that the education field rarely provides opportunities for reverse feedback, especially when it is a good one, I wanted to share with you my daughter Deva's experience so far in the 3-K program. She is eager to go to school on 99% of the days. When she grows up, she says she  wants to be Miss Elena and she says Miss Natalya is her real friend and wants to talk to her all the time. She 'role' plays the two of them all the time when she is at home, and she is always so eager to see them. She says they ' always smile and are kind'. She says Miss Elena only ' scolds her when she doesn't listen'! When the exercise sheets are given to her to take home, she actually repeats all of them at home voluntarily (without me asking for it)  and examines me by asking me the same questions the teachers ask her. She counts perfectly to 15! She knows what two digit numbers are composed of. When we mentioned that our niece is ten years old, she immediately jumps and says that is one and zero. She knows all the geometry figures and looks for them ( squares, circles etc). She signs new songs. She recognizes some words and at times almost looks like she can read. She knows at least half of the alphabet and can sing the entire alphabet when it is in a song. At night she tells me that she wants me to pet her forehead gently just like the teachers do during nap time. She had one episode early one when she was getting upset about not winning a sticker and was crying at night because of it. I love how Angela handled that  ( it is not about simply participation, one actually needs to try and win) - She never got that sticker, but another one, and Angela and the attending teacher explained to her that her sticker is for another task she does well. That explanation literally fixed the issue in a couple of days and Deva was back to her normal excited mode of always wanting to go to school. I am giving you as many specific examples as I can remember from her first 3K semester. She has flourished. As an only and full time working parent, I have not had the time to dedicate to learning with her, so I know 100% that all the learning milestones are thanks to you all! It's Miss Elena and Natalya, but also the rest of the teachers and staff that we interact with -Oksana, Dasha, Angela and a couple more whose names I am not even sure of. I want you all to know that you are doing great. I personally feel fortunate & lucky to have found you, because I spent so many countless visits 1.5 yrs ago visiting all centers near me to try to find one that fit my view, but it is different when you see your child also responding to that same environment you choose. It feels rewarding. And I truly hope it feels like this to you as well! Thank YOU for everything and see you Jan 2 - a brand new 2025! wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous new year!
Tania ( mom of Deva)
 
 

Tania D., Mother of 3 y.o.