r/nolaparents • • Jan 13 '26

Child care šŸ‘Øā€šŸ‘©ā€šŸ‘¦ā€šŸ‘¦ 2026 Daycare / Early Learning Good / Bad List

30 Upvotes

Similar to the GOOD / BAD Landlord list, here is our yearly list for ELC's / Daycares. Please follow the rules and guidelines below.

2024 list link

Only post a review if your child has gone there. Let's not get into the "heard it from a friend" type of stuff. We want ONLY first-hand reviews. Alos, if you're a former employee of a place and want to trash your former place of employment, please don't put that in here. Please stick to the format of the post and if you have issues with a place that goes beyond this format, make an entire new post about it.

Please give a reason for your review. A one sentence review just saying a place sucks won't cut it. We want our local parents to be well-informed and trying to make a decision for your kid based off of 5 words isn't cool.

You don't have to be super specific as you and your kids privacy is paramount. Try to give details without giving away too much personal info.

Please try to include what you are paying monthly, if the place accepts any kind of subsidy and if it includes other cost things like free lunch, parking etc.

Post the location and preferably a link to the place.

What are some good things about the place. What are some bad things? It's very rare that a place is 100% shit or 100% amazing.

Are they accepting new kids? Is there a waitlist? If so, how long did you wait?

Teacher to student ratio. Include amount of kids in a class if possible.

Religious or non-religious.


r/nolaparents • • Jan 13 '26

Child care šŸ‘Øā€šŸ‘©ā€šŸ‘¦ā€šŸ‘¦ 2026 Summer Camp - Good / Bad list

20 Upvotes

It's getting to that time of the year where we need to start looking for summer camps for our little tricycle motors. There are a bunch of lists out there, but they don't seem exhaustive enough. I wanted to create this thread to help give us a one-stop-shop of places to send our kids to summer camp.

In your comment, please post the:

  • Name

  • Location - Especially if a place has multiple locations like KidCam

  • Website

  • Cost

  • Hours

  • Your personal feedback

I'd like to get as many places listed as possible with as much solid information as possible. Please also check the comments already made in this thread to see if a place was listed or not. If it was listed, just reply to that comment with more information.


r/nolaparents • • 12h ago

Questionā“ Local gifts for new aunt/uncle?

1 Upvotes

Hi! I hope this kind of question is okay here. Feel free to remove if not! Any local options for finding gifts for my sibling, a first time uncle, after the birth of our baby this week?


r/nolaparents • • 2d ago

Questionā“ Places to make friends with other younger moms?

4 Upvotes

I moved to the city a year and a half ago. Found out I was pregnant immediately and didn’t really get the chance to make friends since I couldn’t go out to bars and stuff.

I’m 24. It seems super impossible to make friends with other moms who also wanna go out, see live music, and have fun. I’ve heard of the mom walk collective, but also mixed reviews about it.

Does anybody have any recommendations on places/groups I could look into?


r/nolaparents • • 2d ago

help out a desperate college kid?

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2 Upvotes

r/nolaparents • • 3d ago

šŸ“ Family activities Any Halloween events tomorrow?

5 Upvotes

My husband told my son we would go to Malloween at lakeside tomorrow but after he went to bed, we went to buy tickets and realized they were sold out. I feel awful worrying about the small chance he’ll remember that conversation. Do y’all know of anything else going on?


r/nolaparents • • 6d ago

Education 🧮 New Orleans Area Schools? Autism friendly recommendations?

2 Upvotes

My family has been considering relocating from Memphis to New Orleans for a few years now. We visit New Orleans at least 5 times a year and it gets harder to leave each time.

How are NOLA schools? (remember I'm coming from Memphis so there is not much worse unfortunately)

Would Jefferson or St. Bernard parish schools be a better option?

Were open to relocating to Mid-City, Uptown/Carrollton, Bywater, Gentilly or West Bank.

A little backstory:

We live in North Memphis and the area is bad to say the least. I live across the street from a dope house and drug dealers..... but our rental home is nice, comfortable and cheap. I grew up off 38th & Post in Indianapolis and my husband is from Memphis so crime is not a huge concern, we're used to it.

Memphis city schools are not top rated by far but I was able to get my daughter in a great elementary through the choice transfer option on the better side of town.

She has Autism but is verbal. The school she attends is great, too 50 in the state of TN...... but not so great for her. She's been there 2 years in a SPED Pre-K-2 class and we've seen little academic growth so we try to fill in the gaps where we can. She's in 1st grade now and the learning gap is not as large as it would become if we stay in Memphis.


r/nolaparents • • 7d ago

Lycee Francais

26 Upvotes

Can someone explain to me, from the beginning, what is going on with Lycee? We almost sent our daughter there 2 years ago but changed our minds when we felt like there was too much change happening with the program - changes we didn’t even understand. It just seemed like a big mess. Now there are lawsuits, FB pages, and a van on Claiborne with an electronic billboard all having to do with whatever is happening at Lycee. Would love to have a better understanding of the whole situation…?


r/nolaparents • • 7d ago

What are the best kid and family deals in New Orleans right now?

36 Upvotes

Trying to build a running list of family deals around town.

Two I know of:

  • Pizza Domenica: half-off pizza, beer and wine at happy hour, Mon–Fri
  • Reginelli’s: free make-your-own pizza for kids on Mondays (literally learned of this last night when I got the bill...!)

Pizza is obviously a pattern for me so I'd like to see what deals you have figured out!


r/nolaparents • • 7d ago

Questionā“ Schools Philosophies on Tech

21 Upvotes

Hello there - I have toddler aged children and am in the touring process of PreK. I'm not at kindergarten yet, but trying to understand the different charter systems and schools. I'd like to know more about each schools philosophies with 1:1 technology at the kindergarten/elementary age. Are there charter schools limited 1:1 use with technology using evidenced-based technology practices? I've been reading schools beyond screens and am concerned about overuse of tablets/etc. at a young age. Any standout schools?

Thanks!


r/nolaparents • • 8d ago

Recommendations for memberships for 2 kids under 2.5

7 Upvotes

Hi there! We have one daughter who is almost 2.5 and another who is about to be 1! Our family asked about memberships to places we could take our girls in Nola as a birthday present for our younger daughter. We already have the all access Zoo membership and go all the time as we live 5 minutes from there!

I’m wondering if the Louisiana Children’s Museum is worth having a family membership for? Or is there anything closer to Uptown that would be better?

Thank you in advance for any recommendations!


r/nolaparents • • 8d ago

Low/no cost winter holiday activities for kids

13 Upvotes

Hello! Would love to start a thread where we can share local low/ no cost winter holiday activities for kids.

If anyone has low cost any holiday theatre events to share that would be amazing. Love supporting local theatre but I can’t afford $60-$90+ on a theatre outing for us at this time. Maybe some local high schools are putting on productions this holiday season?


r/nolaparents • • 11d ago

ISO Ghosts in the oaks tickets

3 Upvotes

Looking for 3 tix for Saturday or Sunday


r/nolaparents • • 12d ago

Stuart Hall

6 Upvotes

It’s time to start thinking about schools for us. Anybody have experience applying to Stuart Hall? I hear it is tough to get your kid in. What about Christian Brothers and Holy Cross?


r/nolaparents • • 14d ago

Babysitting help

4 Upvotes

Hey y'all!

My wife will be going out of town on a much deserved girls trip in November. The job I'm on now will be switching to 7/12's a bit before her departure. Family that is in town will also be out of town on a separate trip. I was hoping to find some suggestions or recommendations for a sitter on a Saturday and Sunday to not habe to miss out on work.

Thanks for any info and your time!


r/nolaparents • • 15d ago

3 year old birthday party

2 Upvotes

pros and cons of these places: luv 2 play, kids castle, nola playground, surge entertainment


r/nolaparents • • 19d ago

Where do NOLA parents find dyslexia therapists?

6 Upvotes

Hi! I’m a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist and CALT (Certified Academic Language Therapist). I provide structured, explicit reading intervention for students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties, and I also work with students who have dysgraphia and need support with spelling and written expression.

I recently moved back to the New Orleans area after being away for quite a few years, and I’d like to pick up a few private clients. In the past, I’ve always gotten clients through word of mouth, and I definitely underestimated how challenging it would be to start over in an area where I no longer have an established network.

Does anyone know where parents typically look for dyslexia therapists here, or of any schools, parent groups, tutoring centers, or other places that may allow therapists to advertise or provide services?

I’m not looking to build a huge tutoring business, just hoping to connect with a few families who are looking for specialized dyslexia or dysgraphia support.

Thanks for any suggestions!


r/nolaparents • • 21d ago

Potential Nannying Job

9 Upvotes

Hi! I’m 25 years old and just moved to the area from Starkville, MS. I currently live in Uptown. I am looking for a consistent nannying job, or tips/tricks on where to find legitimate options. I have my bachelor’s in elementary education from MSU, but certified for grades k-12. I taught 3rd grade for 2 years and currently teach 1st grade. I also have experience babysitting (infants too!) and am CPR certified. I love working with children but I’m looking to transition out of the classroom! If anyone has any insight or advice, please feel free to share!! Thanks so much.


r/nolaparents • • 21d ago

Question about lottery application

6 Upvotes

I looked through the subreddit and didn’t see a related post but if there is one, please let me know and I’ll delete this one!

Is there any advantage to applying to the NCAP Main Round as soon as it opens November 2? My child will be going to kindergarten next year and we have a two schools in particular in mind, but one of them doesn’t even offer any tours until after the app is open. Doing more research tonight and I’m seeing quite a few schools don’t have tours until after November 2, so I feel like then it doesn’t affect your placement, but then I didn’t know if maybe you could modify your application to change your ranking before it closes in January.

Anyway, experienced parents / public school educators on this subreddit, does applying earlier in the process increase/affect your chances of getting a school, or do you just need to apply by January 22?


r/nolaparents • • 22d ago

Newman/ St. George’s

6 Upvotes

Hi! Has anyone had kids at both Newman and St. George’s? I’d love to hear comparisons, based on your experiences. I’m interested in how students treat each other, whether families are inclusive, academics, and whatever else you think is relevant (that you wouldn’t hear on a tour or see on a website). Right now, I know more about St. George’s (and it’s all very positive!) Thank you!


r/nolaparents • • 22d ago

ISO activities for young kids in Uptown and recommendations for meeting other SAHMs

5 Upvotes

Hi there! My husband and I moved to Uptown at the end of August. We have two daughters (our oldest is 2.5 and youngest is about to be 1)!

We love New Orleans so far and especially Uptown, but I have had trouble finding activities for both my kids. I take them to the zoo very often as we have a membership and it’s easy to walk with them, but am in search of other activities.

I would also welcome any advice on how to meet other moms in the area with young kids! Since we have two and their naps don’t align, I am at home a lot until the afternoon so we haven’t been able to do the mom walks or morning events.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated!


r/nolaparents • • 22d ago

Parental information šŸ‘©šŸ‘ØšŸƒā€ā™‚ļøšŸƒā€ā™€ļø Action Needed RE: EARLYSTEPS

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3 Upvotes

r/nolaparents • • 24d ago

McGehee Question

9 Upvotes

I had a wonderful experience attending an all-girls school in another state, and I’m interested in McGehee for my daughter. (She is in kindergarten.)
It seems like the class sizes are much bigger in lower grades than they are once girls get to high school. I’d love to hear any context about this. It seems like a good number of girls leave. Any input on why, where they go, etc? (Or, if I’m wrong about this, I’m ready to learn.) Thank you!


r/nolaparents • • 24d ago

Audobon Zoo Birthday party??

5 Upvotes

Has anyone had a birthday party for their toddler at the Audubon Zoo recently? Apart from the cake room, what all happens during the 2 hours? How did it go? Just looking for some more info!


r/nolaparents • • 25d ago

Education 🧮 Children's Resource Center reopens as early literacy hub after year-long renovation

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veritenews.org
23 Upvotes

The new Children’s Resource Center is meant to offer a more hands-on experience, said Morgan Hanrahan, the center’s manager and the head of early literacy at the New Orleans Public Library.

Before the renovation, the center looked like a regular library branch that featured books geared toward children, Hanrahan said. Now, there are fewer stacks and more play areas. That’s to curate it to the needs of children aged five and under, and to reinforce the five facets of early literacy: reading, playing, talking, singing and writing, Hanrahan said.Ā She hopes the building will be ā€œvery loud,ā€ unlike a traditional library.Ā 

Last year, the 118-year-old building on Napoleon and Magazine closed for renovations, which cost a little more than $700,000, giving the library time to transform the space. It reopened on Tuesday, and a formal ribbon-cutting and opening ceremony is scheduled for Saturday morning.