Bright Star Academy Schools

I have had my daughter in their program less than 2 months and am already planning on removing her. Her teacher is fantastic however the support staff is extremely disorganized. Their communication skills are piss poor at best. They consistently walk away when I’m talking to them and take no action to correct concerns. I feel that they don’t have the safety and concern of the children as a top priority.
One example, many children’s (and teacher’s) hands began peeling due to the harsh soap they were using. My daughter hands were sore and bloody after only one week at school. She came home crying because they were so raw. When brought to their attention they refused to correct it. They wouldn’t even fill out an incident report.
I had to start bringing my own soap for my daughter. Many other children didn’t want to wash their hands anymore as it was painful. In one month there has been 3 cases of pink eye, 1 flu and 2 strep throats in my child’s classroom. I can’t help but wonder if these health concerns could have all been avoided by spending just a little more to get higher quality soap. I have never seen this happen with any other soap.
Another concern. When I registered my child they asked for her most recent shot records which were provided. Then about a month later we start receiving very unprofessional threatening emails from the nurse requesting the shot records. My husband professionally tells her to check with management that we have already provided them. She gets extremely defensive and responds that there is no need to involve management, as retaliation she removes my husbands key code access so that we didn’t have access to pick up or drop off our children. This goes on for two days as there is no one to be found in the front desk area. Finally when I am able to locate a member of management who tells me that our key code access was removed because of shot records. They were missing records from when she was 6 months old. She’s five. When we registered her they said that they needed her most recent shot records. Had they told us from the beginning that her complete records were needed we would have been happy to comply. A lack of communication, unprofessionalism and cattiness was absolutely unnecessary.
In only 2 months, I have several other concerns that I’m happy to discuss with anyone that asks.
I have spent over $ 250 on uniforms that cannot be refunded. There is a reason that this is the only preschool in the area without a waiting list! Beware!

My two daughters have attended Bright Star Academy for the last 6 months and it has been the best decision I have ever made in regards to their future. The teachers, administrative staff, cooks, and just everyone that works there feels like family. I moved my girls over from another school where I became concerned that they were not getting what was promised at the beginning when we enrolled, and noticed they were taking steps back in their education. Two weeks in at Bright Star Academy and my 3 year old was caught up on counting, letter recognition, and came home HAPPY at the end of the day. My oldest daughter would come home excited to tell me about the science experiments they did, books they read, games they played outside, and just anxious to tell me about her entire day at BSA! They serve organic food in a family eating style in the cafeteria, which we really like. The children are responsible for clearing their own plates and serving themselves and teachers are invited to join them for lunch. I know «organic» seems so trendy but when you’re coming from a school where they only give your children goldfish and what they call «meatloaf», this is a huge bonus. The tuition is average, which shocked me considering everything that you’re getting here! We expected it to be much more expensive! They have live animals for the kids to learn about in the art/​science room where they are responsible for taking care of the «friends» and feeding them, an indoor play area for rainy days (including a beautiful sand pit and things to jump and climb on), a gorgeous theater room for creative play, library/​computer lab, an on site nurse and during the summer a splash pad area for the kids to enjoy outside. I have honestly never seen a teacher with a sour look on their face, they always seem to be having fun and enjoying their job. Every time we enter the school, we are greeted with a smile and the girls are welcomed with open arms (literally, the teacher greets them with a hug!). If you are looking for a quality, professional, friendly school for your little one to attend, please go take a look at Bright Star Academy. I have no doubt you will feel the same way I do by the end of your tour.

We toured Bright Star Academy along with many other private preschools after deciding to place our son in a Pre-​K program. The staff at Bright Star is very welcoming and they offer a wonderful tour of the facility. The school has taken security very seriously, including a fingerprint scanner to enter the facility and a wall of TV screens that allow you to view each area of the school. The Pre-​K program is wonderful; we saw our son develop not only in the educational sense, but socially and individually as well. Now that our son is in Kindergarten we have the opportunity to take advantage of the after-​school enrichment program. The counselors interact with the kids and create a fun atmosphere of learning and fun. There is a visible bond of friendship and respect that is present between the counselors and kids. Our son thoroughly enjoys the time that he spends at Bright Star and is always asking to return.

We’ve been going here for a year & love it! It’s a bit more expensive than the others but totally worth it. The fact that I have to coax my 2 year old off the playground when it’s time to go home is a good thing. The teachers are amazing & the place is clean. Can’t ask for much more than that! Oh & my 2 year old already knows his alphabet, numbers, colors & shapes! That’s all thanks to Bright Star. I highly recommend it.

You are going to walk into this school and be dazzled but it’s bright colorful murals, wall of monitors, and open inviting playgrounds. I will have to admit that the campus deserves a 5 star rating… to bad it’s in the hands of bad management. The teachers there do the best they can but are totally unequipped to handle what they are given and told to deal with. Untrained kitchen workers who sent one boy to the hospital because she didn’t know food allergy procedures, one boy who walked right out the front door… past 3 administrators who were too busy talking to notice… because he saw his dad in the parking lot, moving kids from one class to another because the teachers don’t want to deal with them, threatening parents with expulsion because their kid had a tantrum, taking a 3 year old’s word over a teacher’s, teachers sitting on a computer all day with their backs to the students… I could go on all day.
The sad thing is that we started when this school opened and I boasted to everyone what a great place it was… In the beginning they actually cared about parents and kids, they pretended to try and make things better if you had a concern, the teachers cared about their jobs and actually wanted to work there. All that is gone now. The owner lives in another state and tries to control every second that happens there without really knowing anything about what’s going on. Their new principal is just like the owner, a micromanager who is more interested in tuition than happy kids.
There are some spectacular teachers that work at that school but every year they are there I see the light shinning a little less bright. They cater to the lowest common denominator when it comes to education and they have no protocol to deal with kids that are above the learning curve of the rest of the class. I cannot think of a single person they’ve actually returned a deposit to, no matter what the circumstances of their leaving was… so just count that money as a tip cuz you’ll never see it again. We attended this school for a little over 3 years and my son still has emotional damage from some of the treatment he received from his «teachers» there. Like I said, not all teachers are created equal and he had some really great ones, but he was lucky and we knew who to ask for. Take caution, you could have a wonderful experience there but please keep your eyes and ears open because distraction and denial are extremely common when you start to ask questions.

Our daughter, who is about to be 5, has been in the pre-​k program at Bright Star and we just absolutley love it there. She has an amazing teacher, who has been very loving, patient and kind. My daughter has grown very attached to her. It seems to me that all of the teachers there are just wonderful and EDUCATED so you couldnt go wrong no matter what classroom your in. We are blown away at everything she has learned there and how much this school has to offer. They are worth every penny! I have felt 100% good leaving her here everyday. We will miss this place when we are off to kindergarten in August. :(But I know that they have given her the best headstart we could have gotten anywhere :)

At a first glance, this place is amazing. The inside is wonderful to look at, the technology is great, the materials provided are exceptional. All of this is wonderful, but really makes the school is the teachers and the staff. This is what Bright Star lacks.
The individual teachers are nice and work hard, but they have no motivation. The company is a mess. They hire people without any «real» training. A day of going over some basics doesn’t really help. The teacher turn over is extremely high because they aren’t shown appreciation or courtesy. There are probably few teachers there that have been there more than 8 months to a year. So, if you are one to get attached or want some dependency from your child’s teacher, I wouldn’t recommend this place.
Also, from many workers that I have known that no longer work there, the CEO of Bright Star can be rude and manipulative. She makes them sign year long agreements which technically you can’t do to a worker in Texas. Then, if the person leaves within the year she will fine them $ 750+. Sometime she will make «deals» on how much you will owe her based on how much time is given, the circumstance, etc. I am not one for wanting a teacher to leave my child, but I do understand things happen. Fining them any fee to me is silly and that is not a person I would want managing a school that my child goes to.
There are things that this school has that are great, but they are just «things.» The «things» aren’t what makes a school. A director/​CEO that truly cares for the people that works for them reflects onto the teachers and the teachers find reason to stay and love what they do. I know if you go visit this place, you will see employees there but from the employees I know that have left this place it wasn’t a pleasant or easy transition to their next chapter in life due to the managing of this place. I just want my kids to be in a place where teachers are safe morally and supported to the fullest amount.

Bright Star is awesome.
My son came from a different local preschool. All students stayed in one classroom all day and only got to go outside for recess. They even ate lunch at the same table they were expected to work to work at.
Bright Star has a cafeteria, science room, indoor playground, nurse’s station, splash pad and multiple classrooms that are used throughout the day. The schedule is different every day. This atmosphere has encouraged my child to be young and curious and still challenged by the type of curriculum that will place him at the top of his class. And, they have a 100% organic menu. Plus, they take debit/​credit cards for tuition without you having to sign up for automatic payments!

I have 2 kids at Bright star and we have been there since the school opened.
I have been very happy with the school. The environment is fun and non threatening. The teachers are very relaxed and caring. Most importantly for me, the organic kitchen is amazing. I feel comforted that my children are eating healthy organic food when I am not there to prepare it for them.
Early childhood education is about creating confidence and Bright Star has definitely done that. I like the curriculum, it makes the kids inquisitive and increases their fund of knowledge beyond abc and 123.
I am sure my kids will remember their time at «Star School» as they call it as a positive one.

My daughter who is attached to my hip loves loves loves bright stars! This is her first school to ever attend, and it took her two days to adjust! I love all the art work they do, she enjoys the splash pad, and the sand box! Her teachers are awesome! I can call 10 times a day to check on her and they never get frustrated! Great school!

We absolutely love Bright Star! My son has been there almost a year, and it is fantastic. We moved him from his other day care just so that he could be closer to our house and start going to school with kids he will hopefully go to elementary school with. We didn’t realize how much his old school was lacking until he got to Bright Star.
The staff is excellent and has been since he started. The teachers are so caring, and they really pay attention to each and every child. I can’t say enough good things about my son’s teachers. I like the fact that the same teacher is there when I drop him off and pick him up each day. The teachers truly care about their students, and it shows.
They send out weekly lesson plans, and they are always working on something. My son comes home with different art and projects all the time, and it’s all so creative. You can tell that the staff put time and effort into planning projects that go with the weekly theme. It doesn’t seem as chaotic as other day cares I have seen.
The playgrounds are awesome, and I love the indoor muscle room for when the weather is bad or too hot. They have a computer lab/​library and theater room also. The kids have something different to do every day, which keeps them busy.
My family and I love Bright Star, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

My daughter has gone to Bright Star Academy for about 6 months and we’ve experienced some ups and downs there. We toured quite a few of the daycares in the area and, although it was on the high end for tuition, we felt that it was the best choice. To start with, the facility is absolutely gorgeous. The indoor playground, sprinkler park, outdoor playground, cafeteria, and bright classrooms were definitely strong selling points.
The 3 star rating is a result of the quality of staff (and aren’t teachers what the experience is REALLY all about?!?). Although we encountered a few strong teachers, we just encountered TOO MANY in our short 6 months. I felt as though there was a new teacher every time I walked in the classroom and they always looked fatigued and overworked. I would watch them on the video monitors in the main lobby and they were not giving the individual time and affection that young toddlers need at that age. Perhaps they just weren’t able to with 12 kids in the classroom, but when it’s your daughter on the video monitor that’s being ignored as she is asking to be picked up, you just don’t feel like making excuses for the teacher (and I’ve been a teacher, myself, for over 10 years!).
The feedback on my daughter’s day always left a lot to be desired, as well. We would receive nightly emails but they could rarely be counted on for accuracy. There were just too many occassions when there was a diaper change recorded at a time when my daughter wasn’t present (Really?! You changed her diaper at 4:00 when I picked her up at 3:30 today?!). It made the emails virtually useless. So, therefore, I started asking the teachers how my daughter’s day had been when I picked her up. I always got the same three responses; «Fine», «Okay», or «I wasn’t with her today»…didn’t exactly leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling after I’d left my daughter in your care for the past 8 hours.
My advice would be to find an established daycare facitlity with experienced teachers who have been on staff for many years… attrition is proof of a happy work environment! A beautiful building can only take a place so far. Ulitmately, it comes down to the relationships that your child creates with their caregivers… and that’s difficult to do when there’s a new teacher every month and they’re vying for attention with 11 other children.