Children's Art Classes - Jacksonville, FL

Zero stars for the owner, not a great representative for her own business. 😔 Beware if your child works with the owner aka Barbara Gay! She has a tendency to bark at the children when she is instructing, and then plays innocent when confronted by the parents. This is what happened to my child today. She was filling in for our lovely, regular teacher (Ms. Anne) and because my son needed correcting she yelled at him to stop what he was doing and to stop painting. He is very open to constructive criticism and learning new skills so I was surprised to see him this upset and in tears after class. We have been at this school for 3 years and NEVER had this happen before. Delivery is everything. It's not what you say, it's HOW you say it... most especially when you're responsible for articulating instructions to children. They are very receptive to energy, so I believe my child and his response to her. I approached Barbara afterwards to find out what transpired and she completely discounted my child's response and asked him to return so she could continue working with him, blaming it on the skill they were learning today. It's fine to correct, but how did you do it?? I also spoke with Stephanie (her daughter) over the phone, and she was very open to hearing us out but also discounted my child's response. Again, it's not what you say, it's how... unfortunately, all of this taking place has definitely put a damper on wanting to continue with lessons here, so we have decided to cancel our tuition. Very unfortunate. All of the other teachers we have worked with have been fantastic. This was our experience, so we just wanted to share this cautionary tale for parents and those interested in lessons here.

This place is amazing! It was our last class today and over the year the staff is incredibly helpful and friendly, and they go above and beyond to work with kids and make them learn the beauty of art, colors, and secrets of working with clay. My friend referred me to this place last year and I already registered my child for another school year. Highly recommended 10/10!

My son had the best 8th birthday at Children’s Art Classes. Sue, the art teacher and party facilitator, was flexible with a large group (party of 40) of kids and adults celebrating my son. She helped all kiddos from 2-12 yo paint what they wanted or guide to a pre-planned painting. I felt like all the kids felts supported and really able to express themselves. The space was great and allowed for adults to be to the side or involved. The owner, Stephanie, was also great to work with for booking, questions, and was super kind to my son too. We will be back and may have started a trend in birthday parties with my son’s friends!

If I could give 0 stars I truly would. I can’t help but conclude that the staff at this center are prejudice. I entered the studio with our child, (whom we had already registered) today. We were just hoping to meet the teacher before class and have someone welcome our kid since she was new and would be attending this center weekly. Instead, we entered the front door, an older lady with brunette hair and glasses looked up, came to the front and shut the door right in our faces!!! She never said “hello, how can I help you” or anything. We stood there stunned as we watched her walk back into the room and start talking to some students. My family stood at that glass window for an additional 5 minutes, with another apparent male staff in the back room within view and NO ONE acknowledged us. This type of behavior is disgusting and truly shocking in 2023! I will be taking my child and hard earned funds elsewhere, but I can’t help but feel compelled to let any other prospective families know that this place should not be considered if you are seeking a welcoming environment for your child. What a shame!!

Like it's fun and all but not everyone wants to be publicly humiliated if they did smth wrong.. 🙉🌚🌝🤡💗