StarChild Academy Lake Mary in Lake Mary,

StarChild Academy in Lake Mary, Florida offers a comprehensive early education program with a mix of academic and enrichment activities including multiple language options and advanced curriculum. The facility provides full-day care with before and after school programs, serving children from infancy through kindergarten in a community-focused environment. While experiences vary between age groups, the school maintains a structured learning approach with regular activities, outdoor playtime, and meals provided throughout the day.

Day Care Information

Address

200 Longwood Lake Mary Rd, Lake Mary, FL 32746

Reviews

83 Reviews

Day Care Features

Does this day care accept infants?

Yes

Reviews mention infants and toddlers attending the daycare, indicating that it does accept infants.

Reviews:

Author: Bria’s Sunshine Rating: 1/5 Date: 12/7/2024, 12:53:13 PM Review: I was referred to Starchild by trusted sources who praised its reputation from 15 years ago, but my experience was disappointing. While the curriculum for older kids seems promising, the infant and toddler programs are overhyped and underdelivered. Despite advertising features like sign language or Spanish, only Japanese was offered for toddlers, which felt less practical for my one-year-old. I delayed enrolling my daughter to save money by transitioning her to the toddler room after her first birthday, but I was still charged the infant rate because of undisclosed milestones like walking and holding a sippy cup. For almost $1,500 a month, I expected more transparency and support. Cameras are outdated, staff play favorites with babies, and my daughter—who has ASD—was often overlooked because she’s quiet and immobile. I even found her left in a bouncer for hours. These issues led me to withdraw her and find a better daycare offering one-on-one care and inclusive pricing. Management and billing practices are equally poor. I had a $3,000 balance due to their billing error, unresolved credit for missed weeks, and unauthorized charges. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, my concerns were ignored, and my account was sent to collections without any proper notice—no voicemails, no letters to my house, and no emails. After the manager who initially promised to address my concerns left the company, I was referred to a different billing manager, who also failed to respond to my emails. The lack of communication and professionalism across the board is unacceptable. In hindsight, Withdrawing my child was ultimately the best decision. It led me to a daycare that better supports her needs without outdated cameras or unjustified fees. Starchild may do well with older children, but for infants and toddlers, it’s simply not worth the cost. There’s no extra attention given to babies or children with disabilities. For $1,500 a month, I expect teachers to maximize opportunities for one-on-one interactions, especially during downtime—not leave my baby in a bouncer for two hours while doing paperwork so they can leave early. Firing one manager didn’t resolve the systemic issues at this school because the entire staff fails to follow through.

Does this day care follow a specific curriculum?

Yes

Reviews mention a curriculum that includes language learning (Spanish and Japanese), and one review says that the curriculum for older children is promising, suggesting special learning curriculum options are available.

Reviews:

Author: Bria’s Sunshine Rating: 1/5 Date: 12/7/2024, 12:53:13 PM Review: I was referred to Starchild by trusted sources who praised its reputation from 15 years ago, but my experience was disappointing. While the curriculum for older kids seems promising, the infant and toddler programs are overhyped and underdelivered. Despite advertising features like sign language or Spanish, only Japanese was offered for toddlers, which felt less practical for my one-year-old. I delayed enrolling my daughter to save money by transitioning her to the toddler room after her first birthday, but I was still charged the infant rate because of undisclosed milestones like walking and holding a sippy cup. For almost $1,500 a month, I expected more transparency and support. Cameras are outdated, staff play favorites with babies, and my daughter—who has ASD—was often overlooked because she’s quiet and immobile. I even found her left in a bouncer for hours. These issues led me to withdraw her and find a better daycare offering one-on-one care and inclusive pricing. Management and billing practices are equally poor. I had a $3,000 balance due to their billing error, unresolved credit for missed weeks, and unauthorized charges. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, my concerns were ignored, and my account was sent to collections without any proper notice—no voicemails, no letters to my house, and no emails. After the manager who initially promised to address my concerns left the company, I was referred to a different billing manager, who also failed to respond to my emails. The lack of communication and professionalism across the board is unacceptable. In hindsight, Withdrawing my child was ultimately the best decision. It led me to a daycare that better supports her needs without outdated cameras or unjustified fees. Starchild may do well with older children, but for infants and toddlers, it’s simply not worth the cost. There’s no extra attention given to babies or children with disabilities. For $1,500 a month, I expect teachers to maximize opportunities for one-on-one interactions, especially during downtime—not leave my baby in a bouncer for two hours while doing paperwork so they can leave early. Firing one manager didn’t resolve the systemic issues at this school because the entire staff fails to follow through. ----- Author: Reminisce Over You Rating: 5/5 Date: 12/20/2023, 4:16:14 PM Review: Star Child Lake Mary is a delightful cozy school with a big education. The curriculum is advanced but the staff does an excellent job at suggesting and providing resources to ensure my child succeeds and learns at this fast paced. The environment feels more like a family then a business or an institution. Most teachers know all the students names in the school and most kids know all the teachers. It is a friendly community reminiscent of Sesame Street and my favorite child hood programs. When its time to go home my daughter is never ready because she’s having a great time on the playground with all her friends. She is always begging me for 20 more minutes. I would recommend Star Child specifically for babies and young children because it starts them off with the fast paced education when their brains are like sponges. For older kids Star Child is a good fit for ambitious children that don’t mind challenging work and Ivy League minded parents that want their children to have a competitive edge in life. This will come with a tiny time investment of homework and reading at hole with your child. Overall, Star Child is a wonderful place for a child to learn, play and grow. ----- Author: Ms. Paige Rating: 5/5 Date: 8/29/2023, 5:23:15 PM Review: I’ve been a teacher and parent here and can only think of positive things to say! The curriculum is one of the best and the teachers bring a great variety of teaching styles to the classroom. The staff is very helpful and always on point as well. Ms. Tiffany, Mrs. Wanda, Mrs. Vernice and Mr. Sean have done amazing things for my son over the years and Ms. Loran and Ms. Natalie work an awesome team for the school!!

Does this day care have monitoring cameras?

Yes

Reviews mention the presence of cameras, but also note that they are outdated and sometimes malfunctioning, providing inconsistent monitoring.

Reviews:

Author: Bria’s Sunshine Rating: 1/5 Date: 12/7/2024, 12:53:13 PM Review: I was referred to Starchild by trusted sources who praised its reputation from 15 years ago, but my experience was disappointing. While the curriculum for older kids seems promising, the infant and toddler programs are overhyped and underdelivered. Despite advertising features like sign language or Spanish, only Japanese was offered for toddlers, which felt less practical for my one-year-old. I delayed enrolling my daughter to save money by transitioning her to the toddler room after her first birthday, but I was still charged the infant rate because of undisclosed milestones like walking and holding a sippy cup. For almost $1,500 a month, I expected more transparency and support. Cameras are outdated, staff play favorites with babies, and my daughter—who has ASD—was often overlooked because she’s quiet and immobile. I even found her left in a bouncer for hours. These issues led me to withdraw her and find a better daycare offering one-on-one care and inclusive pricing. Management and billing practices are equally poor. I had a $3,000 balance due to their billing error, unresolved credit for missed weeks, and unauthorized charges. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, my concerns were ignored, and my account was sent to collections without any proper notice—no voicemails, no letters to my house, and no emails. After the manager who initially promised to address my concerns left the company, I was referred to a different billing manager, who also failed to respond to my emails. The lack of communication and professionalism across the board is unacceptable. In hindsight, Withdrawing my child was ultimately the best decision. It led me to a daycare that better supports her needs without outdated cameras or unjustified fees. Starchild may do well with older children, but for infants and toddlers, it’s simply not worth the cost. There’s no extra attention given to babies or children with disabilities. For $1,500 a month, I expect teachers to maximize opportunities for one-on-one interactions, especially during downtime—not leave my baby in a bouncer for two hours while doing paperwork so they can leave early. Firing one manager didn’t resolve the systemic issues at this school because the entire staff fails to follow through. ----- Author: Paola Goodrich Rating: 2/5 Date: 7/10/2024, 1:15:05 AM Review: We had a bad experience. My son was in this school for a year and we were were disappointed about the way management and staff handle situations.Some of the teachers and assistants don't even say good morning or welcome the kids to the classroom. The Camera system is awful and didn't allow me to see my son. When I asked the teacher/ staff/ management about the cameras, they didn't do anything about it. They didn't even follow up with me about the matter. When I submitted the 2 weeks resignation form, they didn't even ask me the reason why my son was leaving. There was no communication between management and staff ( teacher didn't even know my son was leaving the school the last day) very disappointed 😞 ----- Author: Nahyua Almodovar Rating: 1/5 Date: 8/31/2022, 1:40:09 AM Review: In the first 30 mins I saw how a teacher by the name of Sarah forcefully slammed my child into the floor and chair to sit. My child has high functioning autism and this school clearly doesn’t have the patience to handle this. Stay the heck away. I wonder what happens when parents are NOT watching the cameras. And please be aware, they do not take responsibility for what may happen because “some teachers have more patience than others”. The video footage is not recorded so if something happens it will basically get no where.

Does this day care work with autistic children?

Yes

The reviews include accounts of children with autism attending the daycare, but there is a severe incident described where a teacher forcefully handled a child with autism. There is no clear indication of specialized support provided for autistic children.

Reviews:

No reviews found with the keywords: autistic

Working Hours

  • Monday6:30AM-6:30PM
  • Tuesday6:30AM-6:30PM
  • Wednesday6:30AM-6:30PM
  • Thursday6:30AM-6:30PM
  • Friday6:30AM-6:30PM
  • SaturdayClosed
  • SundayClosed

Latest Reviews

Author: Jeremiah Miller
Rating: 1/5
Date: 3/4/2025, 8:43:07 PM

Drive blocked out after school vehicle in at pickup at Goldsboro Elementary and refused to move for out drive to get the kids to leave. Have called multiple times to complain and they say it will stop but it doesn’t. Have confirmed with the school they have asked him not to as well.

Author: Drchiem
Rating: 5/5
Date: 12/13/2024, 11:23:02 PM

We are so thrilled with the incredible progress our child has made at Starchild in Kindergarten A. The improvement in reading and writing has been remarkable, and we’re especially delighted that our child had the opportunity to learn proper Spanish. Ms. Veronica, the main teacher, has been absolutely wonderful and incredibly patient in guiding our child’s growth. We also want to express our gratitude to Ms. Jessica, who has done an amazing job teaching Spanish—we’ve been amazed to hear our child confidently speaking Spanish at home! This experience has been truly rewarding, and we’re so thankful for the dedication and care of the Starchild team.

Author: Bria’s Sunshine
Rating: 1/5
Date: 12/7/2024, 12:53:13 PM

I was referred to Starchild by trusted sources who praised its reputation from 15 years ago, but my experience was disappointing. While the curriculum for older kids seems promising, the infant and toddler programs are overhyped and underdelivered. Despite advertising features like sign language or Spanish, only Japanese was offered for toddlers, which felt less practical for my one-year-old. I delayed enrolling my daughter to save money by transitioning her to the toddler room after her first birthday, but I was still charged the infant rate because of undisclosed milestones like walking and holding a sippy cup. For almost $1,500 a month, I expected more transparency and support. Cameras are outdated, staff play favorites with babies, and my daughter—who has ASD—was often overlooked because she’s quiet and immobile. I even found her left in a bouncer for hours. These issues led me to withdraw her and find a better daycare offering one-on-one care and inclusive pricing. Management and billing practices are equally poor. I had a $3,000 balance due to their billing error, unresolved credit for missed weeks, and unauthorized charges. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, my concerns were ignored, and my account was sent to collections without any proper notice—no voicemails, no letters to my house, and no emails. After the manager who initially promised to address my concerns left the company, I was referred to a different billing manager, who also failed to respond to my emails. The lack of communication and professionalism across the board is unacceptable. In hindsight, Withdrawing my child was ultimately the best decision. It led me to a daycare that better supports her needs without outdated cameras or unjustified fees. Starchild may do well with older children, but for infants and toddlers, it’s simply not worth the cost. There’s no extra attention given to babies or children with disabilities. For $1,500 a month, I expect teachers to maximize opportunities for one-on-one interactions, especially during downtime—not leave my baby in a bouncer for two hours while doing paperwork so they can leave early. Firing one manager didn’t resolve the systemic issues at this school because the entire staff fails to follow through.

Author: Natasha Morales
Rating: 5/5
Date: 8/27/2024, 5:09:10 PM

Our child’s vocabulary and behavior has improved drastically in just a short period of time. She has learned how to better handle her emotions can express herself very clearly. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to enroll her here.

Author: Teya Robertson
Rating: 5/5
Date: 7/16/2024, 5:44:43 PM

My child has been going to starchild since she was 3 months old and is now 4 years old and she absolutely loves it here. She loves her teachers and she is growing so much here. Her growth blows my mind everyday. Her teacher is great and I can see the love and care that she has for my child. I wouldn’t want her to be anywhere else. Any concerns that I have taken to management has been addressed and taken care of. There is no better place to be. When she needs medication they make sure it’s done. As a parent nothing makes me more happy than to see my child happy and glad to come to school.

Location

Nearby Day Care Services in Lake Mary,