What Parents Are Saying
"My wife and I are, quite literally, in tears about writing this letter. We’re so unbelievably grateful for the time our daughter has spent at POTA. The confidence we have in POTA to deliver love, learning and community to our daughter will shape a lifetime of decisions about the quality of education we intend to provide for our children.
The moments of transitions in parenting seem to have a certain amount of gravity as they typically set the tone for the next segment of the day. These are times POTA shines. We, like many parents, were unsure how we would feel entrusting someone else to take care of our child. Our daughter is always thrilled to be dropped off at school - leaving her parental world and walking into a slightly bigger world where she can develop her sense of individuality. Her joy getting to school every morning confirmed that we made a good choice.
We can only hope as we move, that her next school has as amazing, caring people. It’s breaks our hearts knowing that she won’t continue to see the Morahs and her friends at school whose names she repeats all evening and weekend."
- Tyler, East Cambridge Parent
This school has vision. It was clear from the first visit to POTA that the school is carefully designed to encourage discovery and play in children. The Morahs and Esther are the heart of the school. They are guiding and studying the children at the same time. When they observe a social or emotional need in one child or in the group, they meet it thoughtfully and creatively, always with the perspective of the children in mind. It is such a gift to have found this group of teachers! We feel lucky every day our daughter is there. Also, the proximity to the North Point Park for outdoor play and nature walks is amazing.
- Cecilia, East Cambridge Parent
POTA is awesome! Every week there’s a theme to make the kids’ learning structured and fun. The classes are small enough that the teachers and kids get to develop real relationships. The spaces, at least at the locations I’ve been to, are inviting and pleasant, with lots of natural light. They keep you informed about your kids’ day, sending you photos and notes on your device, but it’s not nonstop surveillance –the staff and parents trust each other. My kid has grown and matured so much since she started going there, has made friends, and seems happy about the experience.
They organize events for POTA families and some just for parents, which helps make it a community. The way they handled the arrival of covid-19 and the period of crisis immediately after it was amazing too. There was so much care in every aspect, especially the remote-learning offerings, discussions with parents, public service opportunities, and how they adapted the way they do things in person. Highly recommend!
- Camran, West Cambridge Parent
"Not only is each kid here showered with love, helped with sleep, encouraged to be independent in eating and adventurous in play, but they are prompted to engage with the world around them in a way I know I never was at daycare. Thank you for being open minded educators, who approach our babies as seekers and learners. They look at every child as though there is infinite possibility, and help each of our kids shine their light."
- Elisha, Central Square Parent
We want to thank POTA for helping to give our son such an amazing, creative, nurturing early education. We can’t express how much we (especially our son) love this school. It’s really fun to watch how much our child is growing and learning because of the amazing curriculum. The Morahs are so caring and patient - I wish I could stay all day when I drop off our son! We feel so fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful community. Thank you!
- Katie, Harvard Square Parent
"I have marveled every day at all of the creative activity and the child-led approach to learning."
- Erin, East Cambridge Preschool Parent
"We feel so blessed to have been welcomed into the POTA community this fall term. We are so happy that our son started his school journey at such a warm and loving place. I knew the school would by a great fit when our daughter could not stop talking about her visiting the school. We loved the parenting presentation on conscious discipline and have enjoyed seeing our kids respond to our new parenting techniques this fall. Overall, our family unit is stronger since joining POTA. Thank you for creating a safe and nurturing environment for our kids and for thinking about the family when designing school programs."
- Marilyn, West Cambridge Parent
Our family loves POTA. Our children are so fortunate to attend a school surrounded by experienced, engaged, motivated, prepared, creative, and loving educators.
Our daughter has made true friends. She has learned how to be affirmatively kind and decent. She has become an expressive girl with so much to contribute. She has developed a love for art that her art-less parents would not have adequately helped her develop. She makes us so proud, and how she came to be who she is in large part due to the great educators who have loved her at POTA.
Sara and I have learned a lot about parenting from POTA. I read and try to implement the parenting lessons that Esther thoughtfully sends each week. We attend and learn from the online lessons around discipline.
We have also felt like part of a meaningful community. We love Tot Shabbat! We undervalue community and community values in 2023 America. POTA and Harvard Chabad are emblematic of the community values that we should share - honesty, integrity, sharing, empathy - there is more than just oneself.
We cannot thank you enough for the love you have given to our children. POTA has been the best decision we have made as parents. Best.
-Patrick, West Cambridge Parent
We had a really fantastic experience at the Harvard Square location with our daughter who started at 12 months. There is an incredible level of warmth from every single staff member. A huge amount of thoughtfulness goes into every detail, and the team really have a vision about what kind of learning experiences matter to children at each age. We got updates every day on both what the group had been doing, and on basics like eating, diapers etc. When there was once a minor medical issue, the team picked it up before we did and handled it really well. While POTA is a Jewish preschool, as a non-Jewish family we felt 100% welcome and included, and enjoyed the strong sense of values and community. There is a clear routine to the day, as well as lots of fun and creative activities. It's nice that they are close to a playground so the children can get some proper outdoors time. We had been quite nervous about starting our daughter at daycare as she had been at home until then, but the team were really supportive during the transition and very quickly our daughter was actively excited to leave the house to go every morning - that really impressed me. We visited several other places when we were looking for daycare, and I'm so glad we kept looking and found POTA.
- Catriona, Harvard Square Parent
"The connection our daughter has with her Morahs is undeniable. Their smiling faces are always the first thing we see. We think the world of the staff, and all they to do make POTA feel like an extended family. Thank you always making our littles feel welcome and loved."
- Alex, Inman Square Parent
"How did we get so lucky? This preschool is by-the-books perfect and if our 13 month could talk, he'd say "DAH" which means "I'm so happy here!" The most comforting part of this experience so far is the STELLAR communication from the staff."
- Lara, Inman Square Parent
"A fantastic place for your little one. Our child has thrived here. The teachers (Morahs) are fantastic, as are the classmates. They get outside multiple times a day, get great play and learning time, and get a nice exposure to Jewish culture and history along the way. We couldn't be happier with POTA"
- Michael, West Cambridge Parent
"The sense of community at POTA is unparalleled. Their thoughtful steady approach was so helpful during these unsteady times. We are so sad to be leaving POTA but are forever grateful for the impact it had on our son and our family."
- Noah, East Cambridge Parent
"It wasn’t that long ago when we filled out the POTA application for our daughter. We were so full of fear thinking of her adjusting to an unfamiliar setting. With our plans to move this summer, we just wish we could take one thing with us - POTA!!! In our sweetest dreams we could never imagine this perfect place for our daughter and for us. From her amazing Morahs, to every single details and thought out into every moment at POTA and the POTA community- this is a HOME away from home and more. Thank you! We cherish every moment"
- Yarin, West Cambridge Parent
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"POTA... this place is truly magical! We are so lucky to be part of this amazing community. Our daughter has grown so much in your loving care."
- Zach, East Cambridge Parent
My son has been attending Cambridge Preschool of the Arts (POTA) for the last 2 years and my family is so grateful for the love, support, and attention he has been receiving from the Morahs (teachers) and friends (and their families) he made at POTA.
POTA has a great art-based and Reggio-inspired core curriculum and the weekly programs help my son to have an idea what to expect each day of the week. At the same time, Morahs help my son to be able to participate in these activities at his own pace. If he doesn't want to join the class for a certain activity, he would be given a specified amount of time and separate space to focus on other things. Also, I like that those art activities are used as a means to learn essential skills, and children get to enjoy the process while not being pressured to produce a final product to bring home. In addition, POTA has a great environment to provide outdoor play opportunities for children who love outdoor activities like my son. It's conveniently located right across from the North Point Park and Charles river and my son enjoys outdoor playtime almost every day and weekly class to learn about nature. I also love how easy it is to communicate with the school. I get updates from school with photos/videos of my son enjoying school and also details on meals/potty, etc. through a phone app. I can easily send/receive messages to/from Morahs throughout the day. I remember how pleasantly surprised I was after receiving my son's very detailed progress report prepared by his Morahs and in fact, I learned new things about my child from the report such as how he behaves differently when in school or in a group setting and it helped me understand my son and his personality better! POTA has helped my son grow so much in every aspect and I'm so happy and grateful to have found this school for my son.
- Koyi, East Cambridge Parent
We would like to emphasize how much we appreciate POTA and the amazing job the Morahs are doing.
Our son got into POTA in a very fragile condition after a difficult experience somewhere else. He made amazing progress with the teacher' 'help, and now it seems he really found his place. POTA is like a second home for him. We deeply appreciate it and want you to know how grateful we are. His transition to the US would not have been the same without you.
- Yael, Harvard Square Parent