Banyan Day School

340 Palermo Avenue

Coral Gables, FL 33134

17 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-K
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 02, 2023

My experience with Banyan has been amazing.. My children loved every minute that they spent in school. The teachers were loving and caring Banyan was always their home away from home. The only problem was that my kids never wanted to leave.
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2023

I wish this school went up to high school. It feels like home. Best director in the world and an amazing loving staff! Banyan gave my kids the best years ever
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2018

My 2nd child came to this school with some issues and upon the school noticing my child's issues, the teacher approached us with her concerns.Overtime, we had our child evaluated and he was found to have mild ASD.Not only was my child allowed to stay in this great school, but they worked with us every step of the way with his development, therapies and behavior. My child was not easy to deal with, but the patience, care, love and teachings he received at Banyan, we have never again experienced anywhere else. Our child is doing great today in a huge part thanks to this school and the wonderful teachers he had throughout his education there. Very family oriented environment with a friendly, caring and knowledgeable staff. We highly recommend this school established more than 30 years ago and still doing great work :)
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2016

I'm a father of a child now going to Banyan Day School, this is the first one he attend and I was concern at the beginning because his early age. The first and one of the most important aspects you will find in a great school has to be the person in charge, having a very good and experience director you can trust and bellieve your son or daughter will be in excellent hands all day long. The second and no less are the teachers. For me is very important been able to have a direct every day communication with the person that expend a Full day with my son. Talking about the program schedule they have and knowing my son is in a learning mode all day keep me very happy too because would not be only basic from school but English and Spanish language in a very good way coming from almost everyone in the school. This is also an excellent opportunity to say thanks to all the staff in this great place my son spend a lot of time.And as an addition let me tell you we live one hour away from the school and we make the trip very happy because we know for sure the greatness on this place.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2016

Before registering my daughter into Banyan Day School, I visited and researched numerous preschools in the area of Coral Gables. My daughter began Banyan at the age of 1 1/2. She is currently 5 years old. My spouse and I are greatly impressed with the quality of their level of education. As a teacher myself for Miami Dade County Public Schools, I am amazed by the curriculum that Banyan offers their students from an early age. This school has an extraordinary Bilingual Program that has expanded my daughters vocabulary and love for the spanish language. Because of this I am saddened about the idea that my daughter has to leave this school that we consider a second home. Everything from its safety, cleanliness, faculty and education is on point! I love how their Kindergarten setting is a small setting with a teacher's assistant. The teacher is able to dedicate one on one to each of the students needs, offering each student plenty of differentiated instruction time. I WISH THEY HAD A FULL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM! My daughter is always happy to attend school and NEVER wants to leave at dismissal time. As a parent I feel safe when I leave her and know that she is well taken care of. I will miss Banyan once my daughter starts First grade and will recommend this school to anyone with my eyes closed.
Submitted by other on January 15, 2016

Banyan is the best school in this city. We have had the pleasure of having both our boys attend Banyan Day school. Amongst all their cherished memories they also left there with a superior advantage on their early childhood education making the transition to 1st grade an easy one. We truly could not have asked for a better experience from the Teachers , administration, Children and parents. I highly recommend this school to anyone. Its open door policy leaves nothing to hide. Good luck to all and I only hope everyone who attends has such a wonderful experience as we did.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2016

My child currently attends Banyan and I am very pleased with the entire school setting and the philosophy. Cannot agree with those parents claiming "bitter staff" and "outdated" . This is one of the few schools left, in which the teachers still communicate personally and the children are always kept busy transitioning through activities and lessons throughout the day. Some parents need to really read a school's philosophy before enrolling their child in any school. One must look for the philosophy that suits one's ideals. As a teacher in the public school system I will say this school's academic program is above the rest. My nieces and nephews came to Banyan as well and the school was highly recommended by many.The philosophy and the schools manner of operating is clearly explained and stated in writing when one visits and tours the school. LOVE LOVE THIS GREAT SCHOOL!
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2015

Our two-year-old spent three weeks in this school and it was a disaster. There doesn't seem to be a true commitment to the bi-lingual curriculum they vigorously purport. The teachers at my daughters classroom, although somewhat bilingual, speak English to the children and all class materials were in English. It seems that the Spanish curriculum starts in later grades, which was a real disappointment since my daughter currently speaks mostly Spanish. Their pedagogical approach is teacher-led, which is fine if that's what you want for your child, but it does lead to very little collaboration and communication in the classroom. At drop-off/pick-up times, I saw children sitting quietly in their chairs playing alone with toys. It was a very sad scene, no smiles or exuberance, just silence. The teachers barely smile and seem unhappy to be there. They school also told me they don't require their teachers to have early childhood education training, which was strange. At pick-up I noticed the teachers were on the phone or just looking blankly at the children. Outdoor playtime is minimal and if it's raining the kids will very likely be placed in the TV room, yes this school has screen time. During the time my daughter was there she seemed miserable and, at first, I chalked it up to it being an adjustment period, but looking back this school is just not kid-friendly, it's more parent-friendly. You kid will very likely learn how to write their name and recognize shapes and colors, along with many other things that fall into the memorizing spectrum, but I highly doubt that this school will provide a strong foundation for long-lasting learning and curiosity.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2013

My son is still attending and we can't wait for the Summer session. The Summer program is about bringing new and fun experiences to the children while in school. My son still talks about the wild animals show and the creatures he got to see live. The School is great academically during the Fall session , but the Summer is about learning through more hands on activities. The children still have a routine and they do learning centers daily. They are kept challenged and learning in a less structured way. That is what Summer should be. The swim program for the threes and older is excellent.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2013

Banyan is still one of the best pre-schools around. We love this place and our children love it even more. Our three year old has learned so much and is able to do classwork that our friend's children in other schools have not even experienced. The administration is very hands on and always cheerful and helpful. Our youngest is on the waiting list and our oldest went into Kindergarten extremely well prepared. We love that Spanish is par of the daily program. Good teachers !
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2013

This a great little school that still believes in quality over quantity . The staff to child ratios is excellent and the care and supervision is A+. The staff is very nice and well prepared and the children are well taken care of. My experience for the past two years has been wonderful and my child is very happy and has learned a great deal. The children are kept busy and the daily routine is followed. I have been at other schools and I know a good school when I am in one. Banyan is a good school:)
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2013

I can only agree with those that claim that this is a great environment for children. The teachers are caring and everyone knows who you are. My children are currently attending and many of my friends have had their children attend in the past. The best education around. Your child will be very ahead academically and they never want to leave at the end of the day. The teachers are all different, with different personalities, but all responsible and caring .
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2013

I hope they begin to make changes at the school or i'm thinking of not enrolling my kids again. I have to disagree with an earlier review-most teachers are in fact, not certified teachers. The school is really outdated and while there are some teachers that are great and you can tell want to be there, there are also (mainly one) teachers that are bitter and look they are counting down to the end of the school day. Agree with the earlier reviwe about the summer program not offering any real instruction.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2012

My son just finished his first year at Banyan and now just started pre-kindergarten. Overall, I've had an amazing experience at the school with his teachers as well as aftercare. I noticed a big improvement on my son's social and learning skills just a few weeks into the school semester. With the results I've seen on him, I feel confident that he will be over prepared once he attends Kindergarten the following year. I highly recommend this school!!!
Submitted by teacher on March 02, 2012

My daughter has been attending Banyan for the past 2 years and I can only say good things about the school. The teachers she has had have been amazing! i like that they have different teachers for the school and aftercare.This gives them a fresh start for the afternoon activities. Also the summer program is really good incorporating swimming at a very reasonable price. All the teachers here are real teachers with degree, not just the crash course to take care of kids. The student/teacher ratio is also very good, my only wish would be if they have more activities such as a special friday every month, cooking day, a mothers day activity etc... also to mention they have a year end festival in june where the kids sign. Very cute. I totally recommend this school
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2011

My daughter recently attended the Banyan Day School and it was a horrible experience. The teacher's demeanor was that of a frustrated and bitter person which caused her to show an indifferent attitude towards the children causing us to doubt whether this was the kind of environment where our daughter was going to receive the care and love she needs at such a very young age in addition to the academic teachings they provide. This indifferent attitude towards our daughter and our concerns was also very much prevalent when they were conveyed to school officials which was met with little more than a shrug of the shoulders and a response that "this may not be the best environment for your child". The primary reason for this is the fact that they have a long wait list for the school helped in no doubt by the glowing reviews on this site, and the administrators can simply fill the spot at the drop of a hat. I would tell parents to use extreme caution when deciding where they should leave their children and Banyan Day School specifically.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2010

My daughter attends Banyan Day School (PK-2) and I couldn't be happier. The teacher and her assistants are excellent. They're very loving and caring towards all the students and my daughter is showing major improvement in her social/developmental skills. I HIGHLY recommend this school!