Sprout At Saffron

My daughter loves Sprout! It’s an inviting space where she feels comfortable and cared for, and it’s great to know that she’s having fun while I get some time to myself to do yoga. The staff is very friendly and they truly care about creating an enjoyable experience for the kids and the parents. We look forward to going to Sprout every week!

My daughter (now almost 2) has been going to Sprout for more than a year. It has truly been wonderful for her and for me. Since some things have changed since it first started, I thought I should post a review that would be helpful to people interested in alternative child care.
We go just once a week for a 2 hr period. Since I am at home with her 99% of the time, my daughter was a bit wary of strangers. Our first few times at sprout she cried unless I stayed in the room or unless one of the caretakers held her the entire time. I thought it might not be a good fit for her but I noticed that on the days we went to Sprout she was happier so we stuck it out. Now she couldn’t be sweeter or friendlier to other kids and I credit a lot of that to sprout. There is one caregiver (the amazing Miss Tracy) to 4 or 5 kids. Tracy leads them in songs and reads to them and they do activities like play doh or arts and crafts but there is also plenty of opportunity for the kids to play alone or with whatever they choose.
While the kids are being supervised there are a few different options for the adults. There is a yoga studio on the same (upper) level where you can schedule sessions w an instructor. There are also lava barre and other fitness classes that run downstairs. Additional fee for these (not paid through sprout). There is a café (with some amazing baked goods) if you want to sit and relax or do some work at small tables. There is a lounge room that is like a waiting room for a spa, some comfortable benches/​couches in a communal space. And then there are two suites. Each has a desk/​chair and a chaise that can be reclined to completely flat. This is usually where I go to nap. The entire area has wifi and you can print things.
We pay $ 85 a month so about $ 10 an hour which is so reasonable. Twice a week would work out to less.
Sprout has really saved my sanity and my little one loves it. It is the perfect transition for us before she goes off to preschool a few times a week. I keep meaning to take an exercise class but those chaises are so comfy!

The beginning of our relationship was great! I loved bringing my son their and getting some work done, the girls that worked there were friendly and great with my son, I loved the space and that it was woman owned and family friendly. I started having a small table at their open houses, even talked two of my girlfriends into joining!
Then the main issue/​incident happened and it lies in their management, lack of consistency and what appears little to low interest in maintaining their client. I was paying monthly and going every week, the girls would run my card when they remembered and had to ask for my card number a few times, explaining once, they wrote it on a paper that was misplaced, everything was easy.
One day early December I saw a notice that I was charged for the month, I had forgot to remind them due to holidays and such, I didnt need their services for December, in disbelief, I was told there was nothing they could do and they needed to stay consistent, and I was to be charged for the entire month, they said the owner would be in touch. I went from talking with the staff multiple times a week, on the phone, emailing to never them never making contact again.
I received one call with a message from the owner, where she stated due to scheduling, no refund was possible. After that I was never able to get in touch with her and unable to get in touch with her, her voice mail was full for over two weeks, after which I gave up trying to contact her and she never bothered to contact me again!
We all know when a company cares about their business and interest to makes things right with their clients, Sprouts at Safforn is not one of them — be warned!

You haven’t seen me at Unilocal in a few years because I’ve been eyeball deep in diapers and babies and pregnancies since 2009. Here I am out of my hole to tell you about an inspiring new business geared perfectly for stay-​at-​home and work-​at-​home parents.
As a mom of 2 kiddos under 2 (2 years old & 4 months old), I’m always looking for a place where the 2 year old can play while I hang out with the 4 month old. Sprout at Saffron in Clarendon fills that niche need with a lot of flexible options for SAHMs and WAHMs.
The dance/​yoga studio recently opened up its largest dance studio room during the day as a play room, and added 5 complementary hang out spots for moms (and dads) — a café with pastries, french press coffee, and tea; a nap room for moms (!!!); a massage room with services three days a week; 2 private work spaces replete with computer and printer; and a conference room. The play room is always staffed with two people, and the entire place has free Wi-​Fi.
It works like this — buy 2 hour blocks of play time for your child ($ ³⁵⁄₁ kid, $ ⁴⁵⁄₂ kids), and during those two hours the mom can take a yoga or barre class (additional cost per class), take a nap (free), use the work space or conference room (free), and eat/​drink in the café (additional cost per menu item, I think). The classes include family classes, such as baby yoga or movers (toddler-​oriented, I believe). Here is a list of classes. There is currently an intro promotion — 3 classes for $ 33. Also, all yoga/​barre classes are 20% off with the purchase of a play time package (5 or 10 class package).
Here are the ways Sprout at Saffron leaves other indoor play spaces in the dust:
* good coffee!
* stylish (no loud primary colors)
* friendly place to nurse
* clean, clean, clean — the play area is sunny, airy, and CLEAN; the floors are clean (it’s a barefoot indoor space), the toys are clean
* play room has an art corner
* work spaces are quiet and set up for real working — if I were still living my former life, I could totally bill hours here as an attorney while my 2 year old played downstairs
I can easily envision using this unique place in lieu of a mother’s helper — doing paperwork/​performing research, or taking a yoga or barre class, while my 2 year old is fully engaged in the play room for the price of what I would normally pay a babysitter.
Right now, you can try out the play space for free by coming in for a tour. I am the last person to take tours for freebies, I’d much rather pay for something rather than sit through a presentation, and fully intended to pay for a 2-​hour block if my 2 year old seemed into it, but it was fun to see all the mom-​friendly features and grab a cup of coffee while my 2 year old tested out the play room. I highly recommend it.