Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Lakewood. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.
Best Curriculum
Earned the highest curriculum score in Lakewood. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.
Best Infant Care
Earned the highest infant care score in Lakewood. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.
Best Management
Earned the highest management score in Lakewood. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, communication, operational consistency, and the overall tone families experience from leadership.
Best Culture
Earned the highest culture score in Lakewood. This dimension captures a sense of community, inclusivity, staff morale, and the feeling families describe when they walk through the door.
Full Ranking Detail
childcare
Clifton Early Learning in Lakewood is a SUTQ Gold-rated Head Start program serving infants from 6 weeks through age 5, operated by the Centers, an established multi-site early education organization in Northeast Ohio. As a federally funded comprehensive program, it offers dual language support for English language learners, combining structured early education with family engagement typical of Head Start centers. The center's strong quality rating and established operator provide a solid foundation, though the absence of public parent reviews limits independent verification of the day-to-day parent experience.
Safety5.0
Curriculum8.0
Art / Music5.0
Infant care5.0
Kindergarten readiness6.0
Teacher quality8.0
Compassion6.0
Management8.0
Culture6.0
Extracurriculars6.0
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Top 10 in Lakewood
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Clifton Early Learning -->
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 10 in Lakewood</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Lakewood. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Curriculum
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Clifton Early Learning -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/cleveland/lakewood/clifton-early-learning/" 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 - Clifton Early Learning - Lakewood, OH" 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 Lakewood. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Infant Care
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Clifton Early Learning -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/cleveland/lakewood/clifton-early-learning/" 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 - Clifton Early Learning - Lakewood, OH" 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 Lakewood. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Management
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Clifton Early Learning -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/cleveland/lakewood/clifton-early-learning/" 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 - Clifton Early Learning - Lakewood, OH" 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 Lakewood. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, communication, operational consistency, and the overall tone families experience from leadership.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Culture
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Clifton Early Learning -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/cleveland/lakewood/clifton-early-learning/" 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 - Clifton Early Learning - Lakewood, OH" 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 Lakewood. This dimension captures a sense of community, inclusivity, staff morale, and the feeling families describe when they walk through the door.</span>
</span>
</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.
