Sun Moon & Stars Learning Center

My son is 4.5 years old and has been in speech therapy since he was 2yrs old. He has been tested for autism because of his speech being behind for his age, but was never diagnosed because he is very social and otherwise «normal». He is able to communicate effectively but is behind for his age, and besides the speech issue he is a regular kid who loves to play with peers. I spoke with the staff and his teacher before enrolling my son about his speech issue and I was informed that they would work with him, and that miss Hali had a background –assumed with dealing with differently abled children .(long story short, if your child has ANY TYPE OF DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEM DO NOT SEND THEM TO SUN MOON AND STARS BECAUSE THE TEACHERS ARE NOT TRAINED TO CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH ANY DIFFERENT ABILITIES, better yet don’t send your child here at all whether or not they have a disability).
My husband and I enrolled him in sun moon and stars learning center in December 2015 and he was in the 4 yr old class with miss Hali and miss Ebony. Everything was great, he was enrolled full time, and he was happy when I dropped him off and picked him up for several months. We got him enrolled in a speech therapy program with one of the local school districts in a pre-​k class for children with disabilities which would finish at 1:45 pm each day. I informed mrs. Shalini, the SMS director/​owner that he would be in the preschool program until the end of the school year May 27 and would start the first week in April. The director was already aware of the program, as a rep from the district had communicated with SMS and even visited our sons classroom to evaluate him, and Shalini was seemingly happy to work with the adjusted schedule for our son, and then we planned to resume his full time schedule through the summer until he started kindergarten.
There was about a week between me informing SMS about our sons new schedule with pre-​k and when he would start that program. Between that time, I got several calls about my sons so called behavior, which I had never gotten any calls ever about my son as he is a happy and easy going child. And he came home with bruises on his head twice in that week, and miss Hali continued to describe a «new behavior «where she’s holding him by one arm to correct a behavior and «her arm would begin to hurt, so she would just drop him and let him fall to the ground». Every day I picked my son up from SMS that week he would be so upset and crying and screaming. I have photos of his bruised head. The day he came home with a bruise I spoke to the staff and they assured me it was some misunderstanding, so I brought him again the next day and he again was screaming and crying when I picked him up and it seemed that miss Hali and the new teacher miss Claire had some sort of vendetta against our child. We never brought him back again, and started taking him to Kid Spa on slaughter. He has not had any problems at all at kid spa or at the pre school program with the school district.
I can’t say for sure what they were doing to my son to make him so upset that final week, and why he was being dropped to the ground. but I feel that if your child is in miss Hali’s classroom be prepared to deal with a very rude woman who, when I attempted to speak with her about my sons bruises told me that she was «off the clock» and didn’t have time to talk to me as she was walking out of the building. My son isn’t always able to describe what he is feeling so he sometimes acts out, however, so do most 4 year olds, and I don’t know what kind of person would hurt any child especially one with a disability… good luck if you send your child to SMS.
Update: I also believe that miss Hali and miss Claire were purposely hurting my child so that I would pull him out of the daycare. This all started the day after I emailed Shalini asking her to let me know our adjusted rate since my son would only be attending about 3 hours per day for about 1.5 months. Shalini never responded to that email, instead they started accusing our son of having a «new behavior «and sending him home with bruises and saying he was throwing himself on the floor. Hali and Claire had no shame and were openly showing anger and disdain toward my 4 year old son when I picked him up. Shalini, Hali, and Claire are the most unprofessional people I have ever met. They are lucky to have miss Oby, she is the only one with some sense.

Simply a great experience for us as first time parents.
After hearing some pretty bad things from other parents about another daycare we had decided on we were scrambling for a place to put our son. We were clued in to Sun Moon & Stars by friends of our family and after almost 3 months our experience has been awesome.
The cost is higher than other schools in South Austin but I think the difference in cost is made up by the closer attention your child will get. Our son has simply blossomed since he came here and is not only sleeping and eating better for us at night but also much calmer around large groups of people and public settings. Due to him being colic early on we expected some problems with him when he first started and his issues sleeping seem to have evened out. He only naps 20 – 30 minutes at a time still but now he doesn’t have sudden outbursts of crying and it is comforting to know the teachers will be there and how understanding and experienced they were with colic infants.
Throughout the whole transition Miss Shalini sent us updates and photos for how he is doing and aside from an accidental scratch from another child there has been nothing but great things here. The teachers are fantastic and everyone says hello and goodbye when you are there to pickup and dropoff.
I look forward to dropping my son off every day because I know he has a good time there and will come home to us happy and safe.

When leaving your little one in the hands of others, it’s natural to get worried or sad that you’re not the one caring for them all day. This place takes all of those emotions away. My child absolutely LOVES going to daycare/​school/​whatever you want to call it. These teachers are incredibly gifted with love and desire; only once or twice have I teared up leaving my kiddo but it only lasts a second because I feel so confident about the care and fun my child is having. Miss Shalini really reaches for the stars as she organizes special learning & music days, and even yoga on the weekend (select days). The best part? An organized parents-​day-​out once a month. She really has this learning center fine tuned and you can tell the caregivers love their jobs and are valued. Miss Shalini is always making improvements to making the place tip top! The parents are all wonderful from my experience and you really feel a sense of community here.
P. s. I am a first time mom and our child is in the infant room. Get on the wait list early (we got on at four months pregnant) and check in as you get close to your due date to see where you are on the list. During the summer time, there is a bit of organizing for the new school year, which is common, and may have a delay in how quickly they’ll know as kiddos will be moving up to enter kindergarten, etc.

I’m a first time parent and wasn’t sure about the daycare route. I’m so happy that I chose SMS since our move to Austin. My daughter has been with SMS since she was 5 months and she is now 10 ½ months old. She loves the school and the teachers. She’s very happy and excited to see her teachers and friends. They teach her so much and they truly show the love they have for my child. Every teacher knows her name as well as the other children. I’ve watched her blossom and grow to be a happy baby. She learns Spanish, sign language and other fun stuff. I highly recommend the school if you are centrally located.

As a first time parent I was hestitant to put our little guy just anywhere. We researched and found this place from a referral. The same week we signed up, we found out our friends with two boys joined also. There is some turnover but nothing that throws my child off. I’ve been very pleased with the care he gets and the consistency of policies. I would recommend this learning center.

If I could give no stars, I would. Speaking as a former employee of SMS I just need to say DON’T TAKE YOUR CHILD THERE. Mrs. Shalini is extremely unprofessional, all she cares about is MONEY, not your child or your concerns, she just wants your check.
The safety of the children was also an issue when I worked there. There were rats chewing on sippy cups, pacifiers, and food… basically whatever was left out overnight. There was a dead animal under the infant room for a couple of days that stunk the back of the infant room up. The converted home is in terrible condition (gaping holes in the wood floors that caused children to trip)
And if Shalini did not like your child she would make things up and try to get you to remove your child.
I am not just a disgruntled employee, I want to put the word out to the parents that there are so many good daycares in Austin. Please don’t fall for Shalini’s misleading information. Your child deserves so much more than what they barely give at SMS. I cannot believe she was allowed to open a daycare, let alone EXPAND the place.
Do your research, ask other parents, shop around. DO NOT settle for Sun Moon and Stars.

We have had our son attend SMS since he was 10 months old and he is now just about to turn 4. We feel very fortunate to have our son at such a nurturing and caring center. He has loved all of his teachers and all the variety of activities they do during the day. His favorites are music with Mr. Neil, art time, yoga and water play! SMS has also been very accommodating when we needed to change his hours at the center do to our different work schedules. We would highly recommend SMS to anyone looking for a high quality daycare/​preschool for their child!

Our son has been attending SMS since August 2012 and he absolutely loves it there. He has blossomed into such a kind, social and happy little boy because of the nurture and care he receives at SMS. We could not have asked for a better infant teacher than Ms. Lettie. She is always eager to tell me about his day and I often arrive home with cute little art pieces with his hand and foot prints. As a first time mom, I very much appreciate all the pointers and tips she provides me as my son grows. We love SMS!

My two daughters have been going to SMS for almost two years now and I have seen them flourish. This isn’t just a day care it is a LEARNING center. My kids are learning so much and LOVE going. The staff is awesome and it’s run very professionally with attention given to all the children. I highly reccommend SMA for anyone who wants the children to blossum. They have great activities encouraging art, music, science and social skills. I’m very happy we chose this place and have never had an issue.

My infant daughter has been attending Sun Moon & Stars since earlier this year, and she loves it! She’s excited to get there in the morning, and worn out & happy when I pick her up in the afternoon. Most of our experience here has been with the teachers in the infant room, but from what I’ve seen, the director Shalini is dedicated to hiring professional caregivers who have a real passion for this work. My daughter practically leaps into their arms every day, and it’s hard to give a stronger recommendation than that!
My older daughter had the «pleasure» of attending several different daycares, both here in Austin and elsewhere. While we were lucky enough to see an equal level of care at one or two of those schools, we never experienced better. These teachers, and this director, love these kids, and it really shows. I think it’s unfortunate that several reviewers here had a negative experience, but that has not been the case with our family. Communication is frequent, policies are clearly articulated, and, most importantly, the school is full of happy kids!

REVIEW FROM 5÷9÷2011 THAT WAS INEXPLICABLY FILTERED:
My three year old son’s love of this place speaks for itself! The director of SMS (Sun Moon & Stars), Mrs. Shalini, definitely reassured us that this was the right place for our son. She was very profession but also had an obvious love for children and learning. From there, our experience with the rest of the staff was just as good. Ms. Jaquelin is more than just a teacher but has become our son’s friend. He’s even asked if she can come on vacation with us. All of the other teachers that he spends time with, Ms. Allison and Ms. Anita, are just as loving and attentive to him. When he first started, they all helped him get to know all the other children and really helped him adapt. He’s been there since January 2011 and is greeted every morning with big hugs from all his friends.
The location is a little hard to get in and out of when there’s traffic but notice I still gave it five stars because it’s not that big of a deal when you consider everything else. It’s also not your typical building. They’ve converted 2 old houses into classrooms but they’ve done a great job. Everything is really homey while still giving each age group their own space.
As far as technicalities go, the pricing is great compared to surrounding schools and quality of care. My son attends 3 full days a week and we pay $ 500 a month. Lunch is not provided but all snacks and drinks are provided. I’m sure that’s one thing that helps keep the cost down. Being a family concerned about eating healthy, I like having more control over what he eats. However, most of the snacks they serve there are organic so I feel good about that. They also have a weekly yoga class with an instructor, Ms. Elizabeth and weekly music class with Mr. Neal who bring in instruments and teaches new songs. He comes home everyday with new stories of great stuff he’s learned. Of course his learning includes all the important stuff too such as letters, sounds, numbers and even Spanish.
Before SMS, our son was at Stepping Stone Preschool on Brodie (which is a whole other review altogether) but he absolutely hated it! Never before had he cried when being left somewhere but he threw a fit everyday we dropped him off there. After only a couple of weeks and some safety concerns there, we quickly withdrew him. After experiencing a place where my son was so unhappy, I’m that much more thankful for a place like SMS where I have no doubts about his happiness, or more importantly, his safety.

We have been sending our son to SMS since he was an infant. He is nearly 2 years old now and we have had a pleasant experience.
No place is perfect, and we have had our moments. But all in all we have been pleased with the care at SMS.
Working and caring for babies and toddlers is a high-​stress job and I applaud the teachers we have had. My son is happy when I drop him off and happy when I arrive to pick him up… that says a lot to me. He has learned sign language and other useful skills at «school» and I think he thrives here.
Here you get a few little extras like music time with Mr. Neal and yoga every week. They have a couple of pet chickens, wonderful outdoor play areas and a cozy, homey feel to the classrooms.
I give SMS a solid four stars, but hesitate to give it a perfect rating due to high turnover and other issues. Director, Ms. Shalini is happy to give updates, work on problem areas, and respond to issues. Also, Toddler teacher, Ms Cheryl is organized, and really knows what she is doing with the kids. For this, I’m updating and giving SMS 4-​stars!

We had originally ruled this place out, but it’s hard to get into an infant room in Central Austin, so we ended up putting our 6 month old daughter there. The director swears up and down that cloth diapers are illegal, despite being presented with evidence to the contrary. She has a long list of other things that are «prohibited» including letting my daughter nap in a swing and helping us transition her to a crib. Instead, my daughter DID NOT nap at all. Then she told me my daughter was a problem and was having trouble transitioning because she cried a lot. After less than two weeks, we pulled her out.
I could write quite a bit more, but instead I will do what another reviewer did and say to message me if you want more details.
Update: The director is threatening to sue me for this review.

I could write an entire book on our experience here. I will just instead say, for the love of God, don’t do it! Feel free to email me with questions.

I am reviewing this school as a prospective customer that has received really poor customer service. I am so disappointed, because I had been really impressed with what I had read on their website as well as the numerous positive reviews. I am pregnant with our first child and am looking for a day care starting in August of 2012. Knowing that some places have a waiting list, my husband and I began looking for schools in November of 2011. So in November, my husband left 2 messages on SMS’s voicemail and never received a call back. I finally got somebody to answer in December, and the teacher I spoke with was quite lovely. She was able to fill me in on the day to day routine of the infant program, but said that their director was out for the entire month of December and did not allow tours while she was gone.
So, in January I stopped by to see the facility but there is a sign on their door that says tours are by appointment only. I called while I was in their parking lot, and have yet to hear back from anybody.

I can’t review how the school actually is to attend, but I can give my opinion on the experience we had during the process of applying to have our son go there.
I was blown away by the school when I first went alone to visit. I loved the idea of yoga and musical instrument sessions, gardening and how large the two houses were. I went back with my husband and son a month later. My husband was not that impressed. He felt the director, Ms. Shalini was a bit «cold» and noticed that she didn’t even really talk to our son, however I was convinced that this was the right school and we went ahead and registered him. The agreement was that if my son were potty trained, he’d go into the 3 year old group and if he wasn’t, he’d start in the 2 year old group till he was potty trained.
When it came time for my son to come for a ½ day visit, he was potty trained and we expected him to go into the 3 year old group. Ms. Shalini said there wasn’t a spot for him in the 3 year old group, that he would have to start in the 2 year old group, and that I should have given her more notice that my son was potty trained (I emailed her nearly 2 weeks ahead of his ½ day visit). My husband and I are SURE she told us he could start in the 3 year old group if he was potty trained. Ms. Shalini eventually found a spot for him, but still asserted that she never said he could start in the 3 year old group.
One week before he was to start full-​time I got a message from Ms. Shalini verifying that he would start on the 29^th. Actually, he was to start on the 26^th so I called back to make sure that was clear and she had just misspoken on our answering machine. When I called the school I ended up getting my son’s teacher-​to-​be on the phone. When I verified his start date, she said «Oh, I’ll be on vacation then». I was flabbergasted. No one had mentioned to me that my son’s teacher was going to be gone the first few days. This was going to be a huge transition for him because he had been at his current day care for nearly 3 years. We had been talking to him about his «new school» and «new teacher» and he had met her twice already. I had even taken pictures of her and his classroom to show him and get him «ready». Then I come to find out one week before his start date that she won’t be there for his first few days.
This being another major issue with the school before my son even started there (we had one more which had to do with our prorated tuition check) made us come to the conclusion that we didn’t want him to go there. Ms. Shalini later sent me an email stating that she felt there was no miscommunication on her part and that SMS couldn’t meet my «demands». Having my needs for my child being categorized as «demands» makes me sure that this was not the correct place for him. I do not feel Ms. Shalini has any bad intentions. I just feel that she may not be the best communicator, director or businesswoman.

I was, and still am, quite disappointed that we were not able to take our son to SMS. I was really looking forward to him having a new experience in a different school with some interesting activities. However, I also feel being able to communicate and trust the director of the school are very important issues when choosing a school.

We love SMS! Our two-​year-​old started going there almost three months ago, and of course at first I was really hesitant, because she’s been home with me until now. The first week of drop-​offs was tough, but Miss Michelle and Miss Shalini were so great about helping my little one transition. I would stay outside the classroom, peek through the window and wait until I saw my little bug stop crying, which only took a minute or two, then she was laughing and dancing.
Now that she’s in the swing of things, she LOVES it there. She literally can’t run up to the front door fast enough. She’s there every morning until I pick her up just before nap time, and I think she really wants to nap there! I’m so glad she is exposed daily to things like yoga, Spanish, sign language, music, art, gardening, and of course, playing around outside. All of her classmates are so sweet and smart, and they’re from a range of cultural backgrounds, which I love. They give me a little report every day of what she did that morning, so I love being able to reinforce the Spanish words she learned that day, or the sign language words, or the books.
I thought it would be a big pain to make her lunch every morning, but as with so many mommy tasks I’ve gotten used to it, and I love being able to control what she eats, and give her new things to try. Sometimes when I arrive early I can watch the kids eat, and they’re all so tidy and quiet and cute, sitting around a table together. I don’t know how the teachers get them all to cooperate! The teachers and classmates all always give my girl a hug goodbye. They are so sweet.
As you can see, I highly recommend it!

Could not be more pleased with SMS — Ms Anita, Ms. Cindy and Ms Karen are great. They will call and give updates, when requested. I cannot speak about the drop in daycare aspect but Ms. Shalini runs a great facility that fosters indivuality as well as learning. We will be sending our son here for years to come.

My 4 year old son has been attending SMS (Sun Moon and Stars) since they opened about 6 months ago. We’ve enjoyed sending him there and feel that he’s getting more than he would at a traditional day care. They do Yoga, introduce new types of music and teach signing.
It’s not your ordinary preschool setting. The building has been converted from a house and it is a little small. Parking can also be tricky, especially if you work the normal 8 – 5. But those issues are small compared to the quality of care we receive.
In summary:
* Quality Care
* Small Class sizes
* Great Teachers
* Unique and comfortable atmosphere