Lightbridge Academy - Hoboken, New Jersey

gal D.

My wife and I have had the best experience with Lightbridge. Our son loves it so much that he doesn’t want to leave when we go to pick him up. He continues to learn so much from being there and all of the fun daily activities that they do every single day. The teachers are incredible and we truly love interacting with them. Our son regularly runs over to them and gives them a big hug when leaving for the day. Choosing Lightbridge was one of the best decisions we have made and we are grateful we found it as early as we did.

Jaymee F.

My son has been enrolled at Lightbridge since he was 10 months old and is now transitioning up to his third class! I couldn’t have more positive words to say about Lightbridge. The directors, teachers and staff are so loving to my son and he runs to them when we walk in the door. The facilities are clean and safe. The kids get the opportunity to go outside multiple times a day and get to play in the water in the summer! It’s awesome! The app allows you to communicate throughout the day with the teachers and they send you pictures and videos to see what they’re up to all day. It truly is a very special place!

Pooja C.

My son has been enrolled at the uptown Hoboken location for a little over a year now and I only have great things to say about this place! All of his teachers have been wonderful, warm and have created such a positive environment. The management team, Gloria and Ghabby are extremely involved with the day to day and are doing a great job with running the school. As a first time parent, leaving your child anywhere is such a tough transition, but when you find a place like this, it makes it so much easier. I really like that they offer an optional camera access so you can check in to see how your child is doing. They also have a private outdoor play area for the children and incorporate fun activities for the kids to do outdoors. I truly feel lucky to have found this place and our son enjoys being with his friends and teachers there. Highly recommend!
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Jose G.

We used This daycare for over a year for my son and we are extremely pleased with our experience. The Directors are always willing to help. Their teachers patience and skill with kids is truly amazing and I was always impressed with the clean, neat, calm (and happy, laid back) environment they were somehow able to maintain. My son learned her abc's, numbers and how to to write his name by age three, all of which I attribute to their hard work. I also honestly attribute our son’s perfect manners to Lightbridge. I very much thank l for their great care and the peace of mind they gave me, knowing that my son was in a safe place and having a great time. If you can't tell, I highly recommend this daycare!

Carrie B.

My son started at Lightbridge when he was 6 months old and has been thriving there for the last year. The directors and teachers light up when we walk in the door and we can feel all the love they have for him. We have camera access so we get to see him learning, playing, reading, running around and playing outside. We have never once witnessed any inappropriate or upsetting behavior on any of the cameras. The app works well for communicating directly with the teachers/directors at any time and they are timely in their response and constantly post updates/photos/videos/etc. The whole place is clean and safe and has an enclosed outdoor area for all the kids.
It’s great to see how much he is learning there: words, sign language, fine motor skills, etc. He has made friends there (as have we) and it’s a great support/socialization network to have in these early years. I can’t suggest Lightbridge enough!

Anthony B.

Our son has been at Lightbridge since he was 6 months old, and we couldn't be more impressed with the loving care provided by both staff and management. Every morning, he runs to the management office to greet the director and assistant director before heading to his classroom to see his teachers.

At this Lightbridge, he has flourished, learning words, sign language, and crucial socialization skills - all things my working wife and I couldn't offer him to the same extent at home. The impact on his development has been remarkable.

We love this Lightbridge so much that we've twice delayed moving to the suburbs because we don't want to leave this school. We can't thank the management and teachers enough for their dedication and the positive impact they have on our son every day.

This school has become an integral part of our family's life, and we're incredibly grateful for the nurturing environment they provide

Sejal P.

I am spending the time to write this review in hopes that another family will not go through the same experience that we did.

I genuinely was excited about the possibility of my child enrolling here because of the things others have mentioned - clean appearing facilities, outdoor location attached to facility, and cameras. After months of waiting and back and forth (often with multiple unanswered voicemails etc) over 6 months, we finally enrolled in Purple Cats. I paid the fee as they suggested once the space was open for my son, but never heard back about any orientation/starting materials until I reached out. Still, I gave the office the benefit of the doubt and arrived ready with the materials requested, only to find out that neither Ghabby or Gloria (who basically use each other as a convenient scapegoat) were expecting us. Not a single person in the facility knew that we were planned to start that day, despite the payment having been received and the required documentation sent.

Despite all of this, we gave them the benefit of the doubt since July is a busy month for daycares, and enrolled my son. We survived day one, but on day two, which I expected to be harder for him, I watched the camera to see how the teachers engaged / eased my son into the adjustment. What I saw was honestly appalling as a mom, not only regarding their treatment of my son, but of the other children. While I definitely understand that children cry and may have a hard time with adjustments, they allowed my son to cry for at least 18 minutes without an adult even approaching him. During this time, they messaged me stating that "live update: diaper dry" but this was clearly false as I was watching my son cry on a rug by himself.

When questioned, they stated that this was because they felt they needed to "allow him to gain his trust." At 14 months old, crying for that long does not gain the trust of the child or the parent.

Despite ALL of this, I reached out to both Ghabby via phone and Gloria via email who bought did the proper lip service and informed me that they would get back to me by end of day with an update on the incident that occurred. I even emailed them more than 48 hours ago to ask for us to pick up our belongings as I've decided this is not the right fit for my family.

Despite all of this -including recorded incident tapes documenting a teacher being unnecessarily aggressive with the students- the administration can not seem to respond in a timely manner. In summary, while they may have the "bells and whistles" you first look for on a tour & may do the lip service necessary to make parents feel comfortable, they are disorganized, unprofessional, and unnecessarily aggressive with young children. I strongly urge you stay away.

Kayla K.

We love Lightbridge Academy Hoboken-Willow (Uptown)! As a first-time mama, it's very difficult to let others take care of your baby, but the teachers and front office staff at Lightbridge have made the transition extremely easy. The moment you walk into the building, you are greeted with warmth. Everyone is very communicative, putting you at ease with any stress or worries you may have. The teachers in the infant classroom are truly incredible. They have the toughest job but make it all look so easy. My son is so excited when we drop him off and pick him up; they truly treat him as their own and we couldn't imagine going anywhere else.