Children’s Nest Day School

I love this school! I feel very safe leaving my daughter there. She started out in the baby class and now attends vpk there. For the most part, I have liked the teachers and directors (there have been two directors since we started there two years ago). The reason I’m giving four stars instead of five is because there has been quite a turnover in staff since the first director left, but I know they are trying to get a handle on the issue. Some outstanding teachers to mention are Ms Michelle, Ms Rossana, and Ms Lorraine; I don’t know some of the newer teachers well enough to say. I would recommend this school to anyone! They keep the kids busy with lots of fun– filled and educational activities; and do so in a loving way.

Like I said do not send your child to this daycare, there are no cameras and if you have a child who is a little bit different (hyperactive, autism spectrum, ADD, etc) he or she will be in DANGER!!!
See an excerpt below of a teacher who was charged with abuse at the school and the full article.
LUTZ — A day care worker has been arrested on a charge of child abuse, accused of throwing water in the face of a 3-​year-​old autistic boy, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Tiffany Littlepage, 34, of Holiday threw water in the boy’s face on Dec. 28 because he was playing with her water bottle at Children’s Nest Day School on State Road 54. The boy, who is nonverbal, began to cry and had to be soothed by another teacher, the arrest report said.
Full Article here

My boys have been going to Children’s Nest for over a year now and have have great experiences. Ms. Brittany is sweet as can be, Ms. Rossana is very kind and helpful (she even texted me daily when I asked her about my son’s eating habits), Ms. Michelle is still doing a great job with my second son now, and Ms. Claire is kind, always willing to respond with any questions I have. The director, Ms. Tiffany has been helpful too with any questions/​concerns. My boys still enjoy going daily.

It had been said to me many times by friends that I am too educationally focused with my children. I am sending them to school to learn. I love that they get playtime as well but I want my children to have a good foundation when it comes to their education.
That being said, I had my 2 daughters (4 and 2 years old) enrolled for 3 years at one of Tampa «most elite» preschools. I loved it and had no intension of leaving. After our move a few years ago, I was driving 25 minutes each way to this school in Tampa. Anything for a good education. I don’t know why but I wanted to see what other schools were doing learning wise– So I put an ad on Facebook asking for suggestions in the LOL/​Lutz area. Children’s Nest kept coming up over and over. I had never heard of it.
I called to tour it and immediately fell in love with Ms. Tiffany– the Director. I explained to Ms. Tiffany that my four-​year old daughter suffers from night terrors on a nightly basis. She needed structure. My husband and I were used to them and to other people, getting interrupted several times a night for the night terrors was just the norm. We were introduced to Ms. Deborah– an amazing VPK teacher who runs a tight ship. My kind of lady! My daughter has been in school for 8 weeks now and has learned over 30 site words and is starting to link them together and reading! I had the chance to sit in on their morning routine recently and was simply amazed at the awesome routine she has had the children settle in to.
The school does amazing things with the kids– things that «the best preschool» in Tampa NEVER did. They are in the process of putting together a pumpkin patch out back for each kid to choose a pumpkin. Hay, scarecrows, pumpkins– the whole nine– These teachers are doing this on their weekends– they aren’t getting paid to do the extra stuff. That in and of itself shows how much they love their jobs! There is virtually NO turnover staff-​wise and each teacher has been there for years and years.
My 2 year old was with Ms. Michelle. A woman who is on a mission to potty train all kids if they are ready. Immediately, she was my new best friend! Both my husband and myself work in Westshore fulltime and potty training wasn’t on the top of our list of to do’s for the weekend. Within the first 2 weeks, our 2 year old (and by 2 year old I mean 2 years 1 mos) was 100% potty trained! Ms. Michelle has more patience than any other person I have ever met. Her classroom is immaculate. My daughter has learned so much in only a short amount of time with Ms. Michelle. She loves to go to school and her new friends. It breaks my heart to read a review on here bashing her as we had the complete opposite opinion of Michelle. I almost didn’t tour this school based on the one review– but I am so glad we didn’t listen to it! Every single day, she hands me my daughters report and then fills me in with any additional information or any highlights from her day. I find her to be extremely personable and very caring for my child.
We were so comfortable at our old school. Making this change was such a big leap of faith but we did it and can not be any happier. My oldest immediately stopped having night terrors! Was it a coincidence– maybe — but not likely. There are days that I leave Children’s Nest and wonder if they love my children more than I do… is it possible? :) In the beginning I would call and ask Ms. Tiffany several times a day how my girls were doing. She was always more than happy to check in on them and call me back with the scoop. She never made me feel like I was being a nuisance or bothering her. She always takes the time every single day to see how I am doing, how things are at home and if she can be of assistance with anything for me. She is WONDERFUL!
I would say this– do your own research– but if you choose Children’s Nest– choose it without any hesitation.

Your child is in good hands, here! My second child attends the VPK program here and absolutely loves it. I am an elementary school teacher at a nearby school, and 5 of my fellow teachers send their children here. I visited on a recommendation and fell in love. This is the 5^th place I’ve ever sent my kids and my favorite of the ones that were centers (versus home daycares). The director, Tiffany, is personable and friendly and takes an interest in the children and their families. My daughter’s teachers Ms. Dawn and Ms. Carmen are very caring and on top of things, and communication is great. We always know what she is learning in class. They also do conferences so you know how your child compares and what his/​her goals are for the year.
As a teacher, I’m impressed with the curriculum, and never hesitate to worry about my child. She is happy, eager to attend, and comes home happily exhausted after a day of learning and playing. I’ll be sad for her to leave and go to big-​girl school!