Welcome to Hyde Park Play School
Hyde Park Playschool offers a nurturing early childhood learning environment where children grow through play-based exploration, creativity, and interactive activities.
Hyde Park Play School
Happy faces, busy hands and active minds!
Leading childcare center and preschool proudly serving the Hyde Park and Oakley neighborhoods in Cincinnati since 1949.
Tenured, credentialed teachers that are passionate about early childhood education including some that have been with us 10+ years
Top kindergarten readiness reputation built with quality early learning curriculum and rich extracurricular activities
Years of Excellence
0
+
Google Rating
0
*
Children Educated
0
+
Happy Families
0
+
Our Amazing Programs
From tiny tots to big kids, we have the perfect program to help your child learn, grow, and thrive!
Infant Care
Age: 6 weeks - 12 months
Gentle, loving care for your littlest ones with personalized attention and developmental activities.
Toddler Program
Age: 1 – 2 years
An active, play-based program that encourages language development, movement, and independence in a safe and supportive classroom.
Pre School
Age: 3-4 Years
A fun learning environment focused on early academics, creativity, and social skills to prepare children for the next stage of learning.
Pre-K
Age: 4-5 Years
A structured program that builds kindergarten readiness through literacy, math, and social development activities.
Experienced Teachers
Our skilled teachers bring years of early childhood experience, guiding every child with care, creativity, and personalized attention for confident learning and growth.
Nutritious Meals
We serve healthy, balanced meals prepared with care, supporting children’s physical growth, energy, and good eating habits in a safe, hygienic setting.
Safe Environment
We provide a secure, clean, and nurturing environment where children feel protected, comfortable, and encouraged to explore, learn, and grow with confidence.
Learning Through Play
Our play-based learning approach inspires creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving, helping children develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills naturally.
Our Learning Approach
We believe in nurturing the whole child through play-based learning that develops social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills.
Communication
Providing an environment where children grow their confidence and learn to express themselves in a variety of situations.
Social & Emotional
Encourage children to develop an attitude of kindness, cooperation, courtesy and helpfulness towards others while developing self-confidence and independence.
Physical Development
Helping children develop their coordination, control and movement through a variety of fine and gross motor activities.
Expressive Arts
Enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials.
Literacy
Encouraging children to link sounds and letters and begin to read and write. Children are exposed to a wide range of reading materials to ignite their interest.
Mathematics
Helping children with their counting skills, understanding numbers and simple addition and subtraction problems.
Phone
(513) 643-0021
6:30am to 6:00pm
(Monday to Friday)
Ages:
Ages 6 weeks to 5 years
3846 Drake Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45209
Take a Virtual Tour
Explore our amazing facilities from the comfort of your home! See where your little one will learn, play, and grow.
School in Action
Ready to Start Your Child's Learning Journey?
Schedule a tour today and see why families have trusted us for over 50 years!
What's Going on in our Google Reviews?
Recent Google Reviews
We believe in nurturing the whole child through play-based learning that develops social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills.
Reviews
We’ve had a great experience at Hyde Park Play School. Our daughter has had medical challenges and they have been extremely flexible and supportive, allowing her to remain in younger classrooms for longer since they are more developmentally appropriate, and saving her spot when we had to pull her out of care for a couple months. She also enjoys it - she’s happy to start playing whenever we drop her off, and lights up when she sees her teacher Ms Izzy. She also really loved her former teachers Ms Mary, Ms Michelle, and Ms Natasha. We really appreciated the years of experience held by the teachers in the youngest rooms when we first started sending her. Although the building of this daycare is older than many, the environment is warm and nurturing. We highly recommend HPPS!
We just wrapped up a big chapter—having all three of our kids at HPPS at the same time, each on a different floor. Our oldest just started kindergarten this fall, and it’s hard to believe how far we've come with this place. From the early infant days to drop-off struggles to walking confidently into elementary school, HPPS has truly helped shape our kids.
There have been the usual ups and downs over the years, but overall, this has been the best experience we could have hoped for. We feel incredibly lucky to be part of the HPPS community.
The admin team genuinely cares about families. They work hard to accommodate requests, communicate openly, and continue making improvements to the facility and the program. The teachers are unbelievably kind and would do anything for your children. Honestly, I can't imagine doing their job, but they stay upbeat and bring so much warmth to each day.
Ms. Michelle keeps everything running smoothly for the little ones, and we can't imagine a better early start. Our kindergartener was so prepared, thanks to the care and encouragement she received from Ms. Missy and Ms. Patti—she walked into that first day confident, excited, and ready. Ms. Seesa and Ms. Dian helped our strong-willed middle child fall in love with crafts and even enjoy drop-off (which we weren’t sure would ever happen!).
There have been the usual ups and downs over the years, but overall, this has been the best experience we could have hoped for. We feel incredibly lucky to be part of the HPPS community.
The admin team genuinely cares about families. They work hard to accommodate requests, communicate openly, and continue making improvements to the facility and the program. The teachers are unbelievably kind and would do anything for your children. Honestly, I can't imagine doing their job, but they stay upbeat and bring so much warmth to each day.
Ms. Michelle keeps everything running smoothly for the little ones, and we can't imagine a better early start. Our kindergartener was so prepared, thanks to the care and encouragement she received from Ms. Missy and Ms. Patti—she walked into that first day confident, excited, and ready. Ms. Seesa and Ms. Dian helped our strong-willed middle child fall in love with crafts and even enjoy drop-off (which we weren’t sure would ever happen!).
We love Hyde Park Play School. Our son is 4 yrs old and has been attending since he was 15 months old. Our daughter just started last week. It’s incredible to see how much my son has grown since being in the school. He has come out of his shell and made so many friends. Not to mention, the amount of learning is remarkable! The teachers and administrators are really wonderful. Special shoutout to Ms. Donica, Ms. Sage, and Ms. Missy!! They have really helped my son to blossom.
We’ve sent both our girls to HPPS and the staff are just wonderful. Mary, LaLean and Karah are so good to our baby girl. Dion is so kind to our toddler. Alycia and Bella are fabulous admins who truly care about the kids and families. Not being from Cincy and having limited support here, the HPPS is a place we know our girls are nurtured and loved like family. Just the best!
My kids went to HPPS from 2010 - 2013. They had an outstanding experience and the administration/leadership was top notch! Still to this day, when I drive past HPPS with my daughter, now 15, she will comment on how much she enjoyed that special place. Keep up the great work!
Edit: We reported to the State, they investigated and found a ton of violations and health concerns. Unfortunately daycares have such low expectations they consider it “low” risk even though it’s disgusting conditions. Check the pictures attached from the state.
DO NOT PUT YOUR BABIES HERE!!
We waited on the waiting list for the infant toddler program for about 16 months. We could not have been more excited to get a spot, we pulled our daughter out within 2 weeks because of the excessive screaming at the babies. Thank god we listened to our parental intuition, we had no idea why our daughter was fighting so hard every single day to go in. She was terrified. Another one of our Friends has their son there and listened to teachers scream at kids on the tour day.....
I think they are coasting on a great reputation from 2 of the teachers who just retired right before we came into the program.
We reached out to the Director first, Alycia with no response for days. We followed up over and over again and finally got a response after the 4th email. She acted very aware of the yelling issues and did not seem to care much to improve the situation... that was the last straw for us. Problems in business will always happen, but negligence from the leadership is continuing the treatment of those kids and made us painfully aware of how aware they are, and have no intention to improve or fix the situation.
DO NOT PUT YOUR BABIES HERE!!
We waited on the waiting list for the infant toddler program for about 16 months. We could not have been more excited to get a spot, we pulled our daughter out within 2 weeks because of the excessive screaming at the babies. Thank god we listened to our parental intuition, we had no idea why our daughter was fighting so hard every single day to go in. She was terrified. Another one of our Friends has their son there and listened to teachers scream at kids on the tour day.....
I think they are coasting on a great reputation from 2 of the teachers who just retired right before we came into the program.
We reached out to the Director first, Alycia with no response for days. We followed up over and over again and finally got a response after the 4th email. She acted very aware of the yelling issues and did not seem to care much to improve the situation... that was the last straw for us. Problems in business will always happen, but negligence from the leadership is continuing the treatment of those kids and made us painfully aware of how aware they are, and have no intention to improve or fix the situation.
We have really enjoyed HPPS! We have been here for 2+ years, and we have LOVED the teachers that our 2 kiddos have had from the infant room all the way to the preschool/pre-k class. They definitely have a great focus on the children, and the teachers & administration love these kids like their own! The teachers adjust to each child's needs and help make the experience fun for them each day. HPPS does a great job of preparing them for kindergarten as well as letting them play and be kids!
Great daycare/school owned by small group of individuals involved on a daily basis. They go above and beyond to create a community amongst the students and families. I’ve had children at the daycare 6+ years with more to come. The older kid classrooms are truly preschool/pre-k. My now kindergartener was well prepared.
We love HPPS and are so grateful for our time there. The teachers in the Parakeet room are amazing and my daughter loved going to school everyday - no tears, or meltdowns at any drop offs. Her class work was well thought out and she always enjoyed showing me everything she did. They always did outdoor playtime and even neighborhood walks when they could!
On top of the teachers, the administration made sure our transition into HPPS was seamless. Alycia communicated clearly and provided the necessary documents so that everything was set to go before our arrival.
On top of the teachers, the administration made sure our transition into HPPS was seamless. Alycia communicated clearly and provided the necessary documents so that everything was set to go before our arrival.
So disappointed in our experience at HPPS. After months on the wait list and so many recommendations from past families and current families of older children we finally got the call we had been accepted. We were so excited.
During our time here, we learned this facility serves the state minimum requirements for food and nutrition for their kids and it shows in every food choice given. Pizza rolls were served for lunch multiple days during our short time here.
In addition to lack of nutrition is extreme lack of attention and care. Our daughter has a food allergy that causes irritation. It was mentioned on her paperwork several times however she was served that food several times in a 2 week period.
When we would show up unannounced as we were trying to figure out what was going on here and why our daughter looked withdrawn and miserable in every photo they sent throughout the day - the kids stood around aimless without direction, activities, and little care to the ones who were crying.
The toddler program facility seems to have been forgotten - the toys are dirty, worn down and are minimal. The kids sit on dirty stained bed pillows on the floor without cases.
On our final day here, I was dropping my child off later than most and was getting her coat off when I heard a toddler teacher screaming at a child for hitting. Based on their developmental age this felt like verbal abuse and really upset my husband and I. When I picked her up, we knew we were going to pull her from this program so I asked the teacher what was going on from her perspective and she confirmed everything - lack of support, activities, direction, teachers screaming at children, lack of outdoor facilities, cleanliness issues, nutrition issues, the list goes on.
We have switched daycares and it has been the exact opposition of our experience at HPPS. I say this because this was our first experience with daycare and I kept telling myself some of this was “all daycares.” It truly makes us sad for the teachers and former administrators who have built a strong pillar of the community and hope there are changes made before a child gets seriously hurt here.
During our time here, we learned this facility serves the state minimum requirements for food and nutrition for their kids and it shows in every food choice given. Pizza rolls were served for lunch multiple days during our short time here.
In addition to lack of nutrition is extreme lack of attention and care. Our daughter has a food allergy that causes irritation. It was mentioned on her paperwork several times however she was served that food several times in a 2 week period.
When we would show up unannounced as we were trying to figure out what was going on here and why our daughter looked withdrawn and miserable in every photo they sent throughout the day - the kids stood around aimless without direction, activities, and little care to the ones who were crying.
The toddler program facility seems to have been forgotten - the toys are dirty, worn down and are minimal. The kids sit on dirty stained bed pillows on the floor without cases.
On our final day here, I was dropping my child off later than most and was getting her coat off when I heard a toddler teacher screaming at a child for hitting. Based on their developmental age this felt like verbal abuse and really upset my husband and I. When I picked her up, we knew we were going to pull her from this program so I asked the teacher what was going on from her perspective and she confirmed everything - lack of support, activities, direction, teachers screaming at children, lack of outdoor facilities, cleanliness issues, nutrition issues, the list goes on.
We have switched daycares and it has been the exact opposition of our experience at HPPS. I say this because this was our first experience with daycare and I kept telling myself some of this was “all daycares.” It truly makes us sad for the teachers and former administrators who have built a strong pillar of the community and hope there are changes made before a child gets seriously hurt here.
We have really enjoyed our time at HPPS! Our now 7 month old daughter started about 3 months ago and loves going each day! She is excited when we drop her off and I feel like she is in great hands there! The teachers have picked up on her preferences and adapt to her needs well! It was definitely worth the long waitlist time!
Both our kids went to HPPS and had an excellent experience. They were more than prepared for Kindergarten and made lots of lifelong friends.
We are so thankful for HPPS! Our family spent 8 years there and our 2 kids had the absolute best experience. From 3 months old to off to Kindergarten, they grew and loved every aspect of HPPS. Socially, educational and behaviorally they received the best experience and whenever a situation arose, the teachers and administrators at HPPS were open and honest with our communication. We highly recommend Hyde Park Play School!!
How to even begin? The staff, curriculum and overall experience at HPPS is one that could not be replicated. We could not have foreseen so much of what we experienced in our 4 years here and now that my little one is moving on to Kindergarten I think we'll have pangs for what was even as we look brightly into the future. The friendships we collectively developed are more than worth their weight many times over, and I strongly recommend if you're not signed up, you take this as a sign to do so. We were ecstatic the day we got the call, that we had a spot and the nearly daily ritual of pulling up into the semi-circle for drop off and its mirror image on the way home resulted in a myriad of interesting conversations around what happened at school that day. There were always compelling topics, songs, and learning that proved beyond any doubt, that they were indeed making lots of progress. This may have all culminated at the graduation this year where I definitely "had something in my eye" as they processed out to Pomp & Circumstance with their little mortar boards, names read aloud and collected their "certificates of completion". They sang to the crowd about all they had learned and I for one was overcome with emotion. This was followed up by turning their room into an "Airport" followed by "visits" to new countries each week. It has stoked the travel bug in my little one who now wants to visit the Eiffel Tower. All that to say that to a person, every staff member is caring and kind and will do their best to get your child ready for the next stage of life, of that I have no doubt. All I can offer you are our experiences, but I for one have no hesitation whatsoever about recommending HPPS to ANY family.
We sent 3 children here for years and loved how HPPS took care of our kids like they would their own. The mgmt is committed to providing a great experience and the families are a great community!
My son attended HPPS 4 years ago for his final year of preschool. I must say I was very impressed with the level of attention given to all of the children attending. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and puts forth effort to ensure each child receives the best education that is offered for their level.
The classrooms are a nice size for each teacher to child ratio. I love the fact that the teachers and staff have been with the school for a long time, so no high turnover. Also you don’t have to worry about lunch as it’s included in the tuition. They even have mini concerts of all the songs learned and graduations for each child that proceeds to Kindergarten.
The teachers are dedicated to each child’s success at it definitely shows. I couldn’t be more happier and proud of my son attending Hyde Park Play School. I’d highly recommend anyone to send their children here.
The classrooms are a nice size for each teacher to child ratio. I love the fact that the teachers and staff have been with the school for a long time, so no high turnover. Also you don’t have to worry about lunch as it’s included in the tuition. They even have mini concerts of all the songs learned and graduations for each child that proceeds to Kindergarten.
The teachers are dedicated to each child’s success at it definitely shows. I couldn’t be more happier and proud of my son attending Hyde Park Play School. I’d highly recommend anyone to send their children here.
All 3 of my kids have attended here from infant years through preschool and I couldn't have asked for a better experience! Loved the teachers/staff and the management. The preschool rooms really prepared my kids well for kindergarten. I was also impressed during the COVID times with their policies put in place to keep the kids and staff healthy.
This place is the best. It has so many long term employees and the administrators are great.
Great family run business. The kids are happy and well cared for. For a business of this kind turnover is pretty low which is great. They are very conscientious about creating a sense of continuity for the kids and have been very flexible working with me around some minor scheduling issues. Love that they provide all meals for the kids so that i am not having to worry about packing food int he morning.
I had two kids there for a long time. The service is exceptional. The staff is second to none. I would highly recommend them for your child!!!
Give Your Child the Perfect, Start
Enroll Today!
Nurturing curiosity, building confidence, and creating a lifelong love of learning from day one.
So happy to be outside! ☀️🖍️🌳✨
#EarlyChildhoodEducation #EarlyLearning #sunshine ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
This is who takes care of your kids 🥹💕 #childcareteachers #trend #EarlyLearning ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
A FAVORITE CINCINNATI HOLIDAY! ❤️ ⚾️✨
#CincinnatiReds #childcare #openingday #earlychildhood ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
We LOVE a holiday at HPPS! 🍀 🌈 🍯
#EarlyLearning #StPatricksDay2026 #childcare #EarlyChildhoodEducation ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Hats, Hats, and more Hats 🎩👒🎓🧢
#hatday #readacrossamerica #DrSeussWeek #EarlyChildhoodEducation #EarlyLearning #childcare ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
💚We love Mr. Jack! ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook