Our daughter has been at Genesis (on Third and Monmouth) at their childcare center since she was six-months-old. It's a Christian facility, but the students are diverse and the school is not super heavy-handed on the religion (although my daughter does like to burst into hymns here and there). She goes fulltime (9 to 6 -- it can be even longer), and we're paying under $750 a month.

They're probably the most reasonable facility in the area, and well-kept and clean. There are separate rooms for babies, two-year-olds, three-years-old and older. The school here goes up to kindergarten, there is another location in Bayonne for bigger kids.

They are pretty learning-focused, even for the little ones. At three, our daughter knows her letters, numbers, colors, shapes and can spell her name. She's also very social.

The school doesn't provide meals, so you can control what your kid is eating, and they feed them frequently throughout the day.