The Cole Academy - Kaimuki

Daycare for children. The best part of Cole is they take small kids under 2 years old. The care takers are personable and do their best to help the small kids around and have lesson plans to help them progress in this very early part of the journey. Some of the great people there Ms. Liz, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Elli, Solomon and Ms. Diane. They are flexible and understand that kids are all different and the parents also have different schedules. Highly recommend this daycare to anyone needing daycare for a small one in the area.

It really saddens me to write this review but it's been really bugging me. A couple of months ago my husband and I were checking out day care spots for my daughter. I took off that day and we toured about three places. One of them was the Cole Academy. I first got information about the Cole Academy from the Baby Expo that was held at Blaisdell. I put my name on a slip that gave my information to show my interest at the Expo. And then from there, within a couple of days, I was getting calls from all the Cole Academies. It was a little annoying. Maybe they should have an option on the form of which one you're interested in. When the Kaimuki one called I made an appointment to do a tour.The tour was great. We were greeted promptly and we got to tour their playground area, toddler class, and 2 year old class. It was nice to see the kids interacting with their teacher and other kids. I really like the way that the school was presented. At the end she sat us down and talk to us about cost, lunch options, and availability they had. We were pretty excited because they had days that were perfect for us. But we couldn't fill out an application there, she said we had to do it online. Which is fine, I just went home and completed the application. Now comes the sad part. I waited and waited. I thought hmm maybe someone else who came on a tour before us took those spots. I waited one week and no call. Then my husband says, why don't you try calling them. So I do and they still have that spot available. So I'm thinking how come they don't even call back?! So I tell them that we're interested in having my daughter attend their program but would like to start in August. During the tour she says that prices go up in August. So I asked her how much are the prices gonna go up. She couldn't tell me. She asked me if it depended on whether or not I would enroll. I said yes because it depends how substantial the increase is. So she said she would find out, call me back, and let me know. So I wait a few more weeks and I hear nothing. A month goes by and they call to ask if we're still interested. I said yes but I was waiting for the call back as to how much tuition was gonna be. So she finally tells me and then tells me that they only have one of the days that we want now. They gave away one of the days that we were inquiring about!They need to get a little more organized. It just seemed like they really weren't interested in recruiting more kids into their program. It's kind of sad because I really think my daughter would have done well here. And to this day, I still get emails and phone calls from other Cole Academies around the state about openings and tours. I just wish this location could've been more attentive.

I can't say enough good things about the Cole Academy in Kaimuki. Our almost 3 year old has been attending for almost a year and a half now and his growth and knowledge base is incredible. He has gone from a shy and quiet child to a confident, easy going and "comfortable in all situation" kid. His academic knowledge has sky rocketed but more importantly his growth as a little human has just been phenomenal. The Cole Academy is not a "day care" - it's a well rounded, balanced, and nurturing school where your child will grow by leaps and bounds. Their teachers are teachers, not baby sitters and they all quickly become like family. I'm not a big Yelp person but I wanted to share what an awesome gem this school is. Don't let the cost scare you off. You really do "get what you pay for" and what is more important than your child's education?

Be aware that Cole has a 24 hour sick child policy. Meaning that if a 3 month old, for example, is deemed to have thrown up rather than regurgitated food by their staff, of whom is not medically trained, your 3 month old child will be required to go home and will not be allowed to return until 24 hours later, even if one of the parents is in fact a trained and licensed medical professional (i.e., a doctor or nurse) and deems the child free of contagious illness and is otherwise healthy - meaning the child was misdiagnosed by the non-medically trained staff, most of whom are VERY young at this kaimuki location - including the supervisor/boss! In other words, if your child is sent home at 2p, your child cannot return to that day care, which is what it is, until 2p the following day, even if you - the parent - think your child is healthy prior to 2p the following day. But wait! It's super ok to bring your child back at 2:01p the following day!!!! See how ridiculous this policy is?!

Totally the worst experience I could feel in this island.Office staffs are very rude and lazy, always miss the phone call and never give call back.Teachers looks very exhausted even in the morning.I was very lucky to notice these things before the end of deposit return date.

I've had both my kids here since they were 5 months old and the reason why we stayed so long is because of the teachers and staff. They've become like good friends, almost family, who really care about my children and notice all the small things they accomplish throughout the day. They've even helped me become a better parent, giving me tailored advice on feeding, sleeping and potty-training my kids. My kids have flourished under their teachers' care. Their student to teacher ratio is small so they can really keep a watchful eye on the kids, and whenever I go there to pick up my kids, the staff is constantly communicating with each other, adjusting the teachers based on the census, which tells me they really care about appropriate and safe staffing for my kids. In addition, they recently hosted their first ever movie night under the stars, and although I was hesitant to bring my kids 1) outdoors to a 2) movie at night 3) past their bedtime, I'm glad I did. They had a blast seeing their teachers and administrative staff members in a more relaxed, fun setting. They had a lot of games, prizes, snacks, drinks and they even pulled out some of the toys the kids loved to play with on the playground so the very little ones wouldn't get too bored. The kids loved it and had no problem staying for most of the movie. What a great event for the families and kids. Thank you again to all the wonderful staff there! Keep up the amazing job you guys do each day. We really appreciate everything you do!

Teachers are always changing and they always look not happy. The school combined classes w/o any notice when my child's last year so he didn't learn anything in the precious time of the year. I noticed how school was I regret it and not changing the school. When your child goes up to Kinder, you will know your kids didn't lean much more than kids who attend cheaper and smaller school. Parents, pls take action and don't regret later.

I am taking the time to write this review to warn all other parents to please search for alternate childcare facilities and avoid The Cole Academy at all cost. I started sending my oldest son to this location at 10 months old in the baby room. This was in 2019, and the school was being managed by Gaylen. The facilities were okay, definitely doesn't feel like an "academy" but the staff was very nice and I felt good about it overall. If you are reading this, you know our daycare options are limited for children under 2 in this area. Once my child turned 2, I sent him to another program. When my younger son was 1, I decided to send him to The Cole Academy as well. He went right into the wobbler room with Tiana whom we knew previously and loved. I found out a majority of the staff that had worked here had quit in the interim time between my children. Soon after he started, Tiana had decided to leave as well. There were basically none of the original teachers remaining, which should have been my biggest red flag. He transitioned into the toddler room for a few weeks and then I was given 2 days notice from Diane (the director) that the classroom was closing due to staff shortage because so many people had quit. How long was the closure expected to be? Unclear, hopefully a month she said. Until she could hire more people which was TBD. This was in March. I am writing this in July to say the toddler class is still shut down. As a family with 2 working parents with two children under 4, I cannot begin to explain the extreme strain this has put on our family. I was able to enroll this child in another school but he wouldn't be able to start until he turned 2. The Cole Academy has not worked with me at all to accommodate my child in these past 4 months. Diane is nice, but she has proven to be an extremely unsuccessful director of this "academy". This all goes without mentioning the safety hazards I have witnessed first hand in the classroom due to their ongoing staffing shortages. While I do not know the exact HI laws, I can say I have witnessed the toddler classroom of 10 being watched by only 1 adult. The dingy facility, the unreliability, and most importantly the safety issues are all reason to pass on this school. Do yourself a favor and find your child an alternate daycare program or get a nanny.

My daughter is currently in school at another location. I was considering to transfer her to Kaimuki location. I got a call for a space , but I told B I have some questions and then we will decide. She told me to have someone call , but never happens. I keep calling to follow up , but B said she told to someone to call or email me. This school , if you don't take immediately , they don't treat you nice. Today, I call again , but space was taken. B doesn't feel even sorry to me. Because they have lots of customer, their attitude is arrogant. They don't do tour , that's why I requested her to talk with someone about my questions before make decision. This school is very expensive, but I feel it's just ok. There are lots of good preschool than this with lower cost.

Horrible experience! The Cole Academy took my deposit of $2K and has not returned it!!!!!! I was told the terms changed because of Covid and when I said I will not be going to the school they still have not given me my deposit back and it has been 5 months!!!!! I am a single widowed mom of 3 young boys and need my $2k back, I can not get any information or update.