Ranked in the top 100 statewide across all North Carolina licensed childcare centers scored in our 2026 rankings.
#1 in Hillsborough
Ranked #1 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Hillsborough. This is the highest recognition we award in the city.
Best Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Hillsborough. This dimension evaluates facility maintenance, staff-to-child ratios, emergency preparedness, and parent-reported safety perceptions.
Best Curriculum
Earned the highest curriculum score in Hillsborough. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.
Best Arts & Enrichment
Earned the highest arts score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures music, visual arts, creative play, and enrichment programming that goes beyond core academics.
Best Infant Care
Earned the highest infant care score in Hillsborough. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.
Best Kindergarten Prep
Earned the highest kindergarten readiness score in Hillsborough. This dimension measures literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skill-building that prepares children for elementary school.
Best Teacher Quality
Earned the highest teacher quality score in Hillsborough. This dimension reflects educator credentials, tenure, consistency, and the depth of praise parents direct at specific staff members.
Most Compassionate
Earned the highest compassion score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures warmth, emotional attunement, and the degree to which parents feel their child is genuinely loved and seen.
Best Management
Earned the highest management score in Hillsborough. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, operational consistency, communication quality, and how problems are handled.
Best Culture
Earned the highest culture score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures a sense of community, inclusivity, staff morale, and the feeling families describe when they walk through the door.
Best Space & Comfort
Earned the highest space and comfort score in Hillsborough. This dimension reflects classroom size, outdoor play areas, and whether parents feel the center is appropriately staffed and uncrowded.
Best Extras
Earned the highest extras score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures standout features — specialty programs, extended hours, unique amenities, or community partnerships that set a center apart.
Sounds and Colors at Meadowlands is a NC 5-star licensed Spanish-immersion, Reggio Emilia-inspired childcare center at 224 Meadowlands Drive in Hillsborough, operating since 2011 and recognized as a Duke University Child Care Partnership site. The center's emergent inquiry-based curriculum, daily outdoor learning, bilingual environment, and deeply engaged teaching staff set it apart as the most distinctive early childhood program in the 27278 zip code. Its most recent unannounced DCDEE inspection in March 2024 showed zero violations, reflecting a consistent track record of safe, high-quality care.
Safety8.0
Curriculum9.0
Art / Music9.0
Infant care8.0
Kindergarten readiness8.0
Teacher quality9.0
Compassion9.0
Management8.0
Culture9.0
Class sizes7.0
Extracurriculars9.0
What parents say
“The teachers are incredibly caring; my children have never resisted going to school.”
“The play-based approach made learning feel natural, and Spanish immersion shaped openness and acceptance.”
“Drop-offs are joyful; teachers embrace children with genuine warmth and affection.”
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Uses a Contextual Curriculum approach with age-grouped classrooms from infants through Pre-K.
What sets it apart: Low child-to-teacher ratios across all age groups (1:4 for infants to 1:13 for Pre-K). Operating hours 7:15am-5:45pm with early drop-off available for additional fee. Floating educators assist classrooms during transitions. Four campuses in the Hillsborough and Cary, NC areas.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Top 100 in NC
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
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<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 100 in NC</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked in the top 100 statewide across all North Carolina licensed childcare centers scored in our 2026 rankings.</span>
</span>
</a>
#1 in Hillsborough
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-1-city.jpg" alt="#1 in Hillsborough - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">#1 in Hillsborough</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked #1 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Hillsborough. This is the highest recognition we award in the city.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-safety.jpg" alt="Best Safety - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Safety</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest safety score in Hillsborough. This dimension evaluates facility maintenance, staff-to-child ratios, emergency preparedness, and parent-reported safety perceptions.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Curriculum
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-curriculum.jpg" alt="Best Curriculum - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Curriculum</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest curriculum score in Hillsborough. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Arts & Enrichment
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-arts.jpg" alt="Best Arts & Enrichment - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Arts & Enrichment</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest arts score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures music, visual arts, creative play, and enrichment programming that goes beyond core academics.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Infant Care
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-infant.jpg" alt="Best Infant Care - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Infant Care</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest infant care score in Hillsborough. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Kindergarten Prep
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-kinder.jpg" alt="Best Kindergarten Prep - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Kindergarten Prep</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest kindergarten readiness score in Hillsborough. This dimension measures literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skill-building that prepares children for elementary school.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Teacher Quality
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-teacherq.jpg" alt="Best Teacher Quality - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Teacher Quality</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest teacher quality score in Hillsborough. This dimension reflects educator credentials, tenure, consistency, and the depth of praise parents direct at specific staff members.</span>
</span>
</a>
Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-compassion.jpg" alt="Most Compassionate - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Most Compassionate</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest compassion score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures warmth, emotional attunement, and the degree to which parents feel their child is genuinely loved and seen.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Management
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-mgmt.jpg" alt="Best Management - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Management</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest management score in Hillsborough. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, operational consistency, communication quality, and how problems are handled.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Culture
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-culture.jpg" alt="Best Culture - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Culture</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest culture score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures a sense of community, inclusivity, staff morale, and the feeling families describe when they walk through the door.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Space & Comfort
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-crowding.jpg" alt="Best Space & Comfort - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Space & Comfort</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest space and comfort score in Hillsborough. This dimension reflects classroom size, outdoor play areas, and whether parents feel the center is appropriately staffed and uncrowded.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Extras
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/north-carolina/raleigh/hillsborough/sounds-and-colors-at-meadowlands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-extra.jpg" alt="Best Extras - Sounds And Colors At Meadowlands - Hillsborough, NC" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Extras</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest extras score in Hillsborough. This dimension captures standout features — specialty programs, extended hours, unique amenities, or community partnerships that set a center apart.</span>
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</a>
This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
