Daniel Island Academy

Posted: January 8, 2025

Amazing school with teachers who really care about the students. They have a wonderful curriculum and extra opportunities for the kids.

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: January 8, 2025

Posted: July 21, 2021

We had a fantastic experience at DIA 4-k with Ms. Crystal and Ms. Barnett. Her teachers exceeded my expectations in every way possible, even with the Covid situation. My daughter was happy and engaged, going to and from school. I highly recommend.

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 21, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

I have been so impressed with Daniel Island Academy over the past 5 years! The teachers, office staff, chef, director have all shown kindness and caring for our children/family. I have never been disappointed with the cleanliness of rooms or the building in general. There's a wonderful courtyard with beautiful flowers etc and most of the year a vegetable garden to admire. Occasionally the children get to help with the garden (mostly watering).

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: July 9, 2021

Posted: October 26, 2020

I posted a critical review on Facebook and it got deleted. My experience as a teacher was not pleasant at Daniel Island Academy.

The admins need to be aware of who they place into classrooms and who they hire. Praise is often given to those who do not deserve it. Some of the teachers are extremely unprofessional and can be heard talking about students negatively while they are in the classroom.

An improvement would be making sure assistants are a good fit in the classrooms they are being placed in (and the age group) rather than just putting anyone in a classroom.

There is a lot expected from the Lead Teacher. If you are stuck in a situation where you do not have a helpful assistant you will be extremely stressed. Making the switch with a new teacher being put into your classroom will not be easy.

The turnover rate is shocking. From my experience there are many changes to classrooms and some teachers do not stay for the entire school year.

In my experience, admins have masked the problems I have faced with a quick fix, rather than finding a complete solution.

If you are considering working at DIA read all of the reviews online. If you are a parent, I hope your child(rens) teachers are not burned out and still have the same spark they did when they first started at DIA.
1/5

Posted: October 26, 2020

There is not mandatory homework for the upper wing.

Posted: October 26, 2020

Some teachers are completely burned out. A lot of the teachers do not get the recognition they deserve. Praise is often given to “favorites”.

Posted: October 26, 2020

Posted: October 26, 2020

I posted a critical review on Facebook and it got deleted. My experience as a teacher was not pleasant at Daniel Island Academy.

The admins need to be aware of who they place into classrooms and who they hire. Praise is often given to those who do not deserve it. Some of the teachers are extremely unprofessional and can be heard talking about students negatively while they are in the classroom.

An improvement would be making sure assistants are a good fit in the classrooms they are being placed in (and the age group) rather than just putting anyone in a classroom.

There is a lot expected from the Lead Teacher. If you are stuck in a situation where you do not have a helpful assistant you will be extremely stressed. Making the switch with a new teacher being put into your classroom will not be easy.

The turnover rate is shocking. From my experience there are many changes to classrooms and some teachers do not stay for the entire school year.

In my experience, admins have masked the problems I have faced with a quick fix, rather than finding a complete solution.

If you are considering working at DIA read all of the reviews online. If you are a parent, I hope your child(rens) teachers are not burned out and still have the same spark they did when they first started at DIA.

All in all, management is the main concern.

Posted: October 26, 2020

Posted: October 26, 2020

Children who are bullying receive little to reprimanding.

Posted: May 14, 2020

We've sent 3 of our kids to Daniel Island Academy over the last 7 years. The facilities are top notch and the teachers are great, despite it being somewhat overpriced. The problem, however, is that because of very poor leadership (Kerry, the Director) there is constant teacher turnover. Just this year, our boys lost both of their teachers in the middle of the year. We know of several other teachers who have left over the last few years as well. The school can't keep teachers because nobody wants to work for a disrespectful, authoritarian director and once they get to work with her and realize how she acts, they jump ship. She is never to blame and always eager to blame either parents or teachers. In my limited interactions with her over the years, I've been shocked at the level of rude, disrespectful, condescension that she's shown me personally. Shocked, but not surprised because this is the same behavior that I hear happens with other parents and teachers. I've heard this from a variety of people. If your kids can manage to keep their teachers here, you're good. Problem is, beyond the 2 teachers our kids lost this year, I've seen teacher turnover like crazy due to lousy leadership year after year. It's a shame, because there are and have been fantastic teachers here. If you feel that stability is essential to early childhood development, then you want no part of this school.

Posted: May 14, 2020

Posted: May 14, 2020

Posted: May 14, 2020

Posted: May 14, 2020

Posted: May 14, 2020

Posted: May 14, 2020

Posted: February 20, 2018

The Director is super professional and bends over backwards to ensure you are pleased with your experience - speaks volumes in the customer service world we live in today!!

Posted: February 17, 2018

Posted: February 17, 2018

Posted: February 17, 2018

Posted: February 17, 2018

Posted: February 17, 2018

Posted: February 17, 2018

Posted: August 5, 2013

My children were at Daniel Island Academy two weeks before I gave my notice. In a nutshell, I am an easy parent to please .if my children are happy and safe then I am a happy parent. My gripe was that my 5 year old (who naturally stopped taking a nap between 3 and 4 years old) had to lie down on a cot for 2 hrs and 15 min every day!!! This is in the full-time program. Yes, she could get up and get a book but that s it. As an adult, I would need an AMAZING book for 2 hrs and 15 min!. Yes, they offered activities at lunch to bring the nap down to a more reasonable length of time- 1 hr 30 min, but these activities were NOT free. In fact they add an additional $300-400/month- on top of their almost $1000/mo tuition. To add insult to injury, DI Academy advertises 1 hr and 30 min naps in their handbook. Despite the FALSE ADVERTISING, they had no problem taking my deposit, application fee, and two weeks for the end of the term (so read the contract carefully). In total we lost over $1200 for withdrawing my two children. But in the end we found a much better daycare down the road. The new daycare is a family-oriented place that has the best interest of the children in mind.

Posted: July 6, 2012

We recently moved to DI from the Philadelphia area where we enjpyed a fabulous Montessori education for our 5 year old son. We have found DIA to be a great place for our son to grow and develop---both socially and academically. The communication between the teachers and parents is wonderful. The enrichment programs and Spanish are outstanding, and the food prepared each day is healthy and introduces the children to new tastes and flavors. Our son is happy and thriving, and ready to tackle Kindergarten....we can't ask for much more!

Posted: January 27, 2012

Don't believe these reviews. Two kids, two years later--totally disappointed and left. This school is more interested in money than your child. Teacher? Burned out. Front desk staff? Conceited and rude. Principle? Unresponsive. Owner? Invisible. Want flexibility or teacher choice? Look elsewhere. Want to be treated with respect as a parent and customer? Good luck. Teaching "standards" vary widely, and curriculum is not enforced if teacher is lazy. Young children inadequately supervised during extracurricular activities. No effort to control ridicule from other children. Basically, this place is somebody's money tree wrapped in a preschool. Don't be fooled by the fancy building, amenities, and the "curriculum." Ditto the teacher's review below.