Scottsdale Early Learning Center

My Daughter enjoying going here after school and all the staff is very professional and nice. She gets her homework done and reads to the younger kids.

My son attended SELC for almost a year. And all I can say is that the quality of care is not what it should be. I had to constantly fight with administration to get my son moved to the proper classroom. They are constantly short staffed. They kept my son in the infant room until 14 mo, even though I was assured he would be moved once walking. He started walking at 10 mo. It wasn’t until prep time for state examinations that he was moved.
Additionally, my son came home with a burn on his ear (looked like a curling iron burn) and no one could offer me an explanation as to what happened. I get that kids are kids and accidents happen, but I expect details as to why. The teachers are nice and have good intentions, but they can only do so much as they are limited by the admin. At one point, one of the teachers caught hand foot and mouth and was forced to work exposing several children. On occasion, The daycare would send my son home for no reason at all, claiming he had a fever. We would pick him up and voila, he was just fine. SELC is ok, but these are your children. They deserve better than ok.

This is the first time I have ever written a review. I deemed it necessary because I don’t want a parent/​child to go through what we went through. I spent several days researching daycares in the area to put my 1 year old child in. Previously he had been with a nanny that he loved, so I knew it would be somewhat of a transition for him. I chose SELC because1) I liked the director upon meeting her and she said that 2) their philosophy to be nurture first, educate second, 3) they had cameras, 4) the room was clean and had a lot of area for the kids to explore.
I work from home and have dual monitors– so I had the second monitor set to watch my child throughout the day. While watching the video, I observed that my child spent most of his time in isolation. There was no curriculum or engagement and my child was spending 2 hours + on the playground standing there crying or in a swing while the teachers stood in a corner and talked to each other. At home, my child became very needy and clinging– not wanting to leave my side. This was very different than my independent explorer that wouldn’t sit still before he started daycare. After picking my child up early because he was left in a swing for an hour (to which he fell asleep in with no one pushing him) — I asked for a curriculum. It took me 3 days to receive it. I took it home to review it– and the toddler curriculum was written on a 6^th grade level. His vocabulary words were words like «biodegradable» and «compost». Very upset and after many tears shed watching my child isolated, I went in to speak with the director. She was very kind, she explained that the curriculum wasn’t followed because it was out of scope (and the teachers didn’t have time to make up another curriculum), that my child was standoffish but she would talk with the teachers about engaging him more. She also offered to be more flexible with the schedule– so I decided to switch him to ½ days while he was transitioning. For 2 days things seemed to improve and then things went back to the way they were where my child spent the majority of the day standing or sitting alone. I witnessed one day my child went up to a teacher and reached out his arms– she didn’t even bother to look down at him so he sat in front of her for 15 minutes and cried. she eventually just walked away, never acknowledging him. The next day I took him in at 10am for a ½ day. The first hour he stood alone on the playground. Then he ate for 15 minutes– after that he was put on his cot where he remained from 11:15am-315pm! 4 Hours! He slept for 1 and ½ hours and sat there by himself the rest of the time. I called other daycares that day– asking if this was «normal», the other daycares (that didn’t have room for my child) told me absolutely not and to take him out immediately. I went up to the school LIVID and talked with the director. She basically told me that it was my child and that he would have this problem anywhere. I was willing to take my chances. I am writing this a week after we pulled him and put him in another daycare in the area. It is the same price but a WORLD of difference. My child is engaged, participating in learning activities throughout the day, and has already become comfortable with his teachers/​other kids in school. He is happier and back to his exploring/​fun/​active nature. I shed many tears and got very little work done the weeks that my child was at SELC. Although the staff was always friendly to me– me and my child’s experience there was absolutely awful.

Our daughter went here for over a year. Our experience was a good one. We LOVE the two year old teach, Ms. Amira. Our daughter adored her and from the first day she was in the class, it seemed like she was learning new things everyday. All meals were included which made dinner time so much better in our family, when we got home, she was already fed and we could worry about other things. The only negative is that the afternoon help doesn’t seem to be consistent. Every few weeks, it seemed like there was a new afternoon teacher in the class. When we would get to know the afternoon teacher and feel comfortable, she would move to a new room or leave the center. I would give it five stars if not for that.

The programs and staff at S.E.E.K are the best thing that has happened to my family.
The yearly Camp run-​a-​muck is a great time to meet other families, attend activities with the kids, and just unplug and enjoy the fresh air.

Not the place to go if you want your preschooler to be fluent in Mandarin before entering Kindergarten, but they’ll keep your child safe and happy with a proper dose of socialization and just enough instruction.
We’ve been taking two children in two age groups to Scottsdale Early Learning Center for over a year. Like most preschools, your experience is only going to be as good as your teachers. Fortunately, SELC has some really nice teachers.
The management? Seems fine, but the turnover issues mentioned in other reviews do seem to be ongoing. Clearly this is not a good thing, as any business benefits from continuity, but having motivated teachers like SELC is more important in any case.
They provided some awesome school photographs, the best I’ve ever seen. They took individual shots, but also provided great photos of our kids posing together. We had no choice but to buy the entire packet. Actually, the grandparents had no choice but to buy the entire packet.
Not a trendy school. Rather traditional. Basic. Could use a little facelift. But with some rather nice folks working there.

Like any first time parent we were apprehensive about leaving our 6-​week old with a random daycare. We went and toured just about every daycare in a 20-​mile radius. Some were friendly but didn’t look well funded, some looked and smelled like hospitals and others were so focused on accreditation that they forgot they are a daycare and not an Ivy League school. In my mind a daycare is a place where my child needs to feel comfortable and loved so that she can learn and grow. When we came across the Scottsdale ELC I had lost all hope and was investigating a full-​time nanny.
When we walked in we met with Hanadi in the infant room and instantly fell in love with her. Her type A fastidious personality was the first thing we noticed and exactly what babies need including schedules to the minute and lots of attention. Within the first week we knew Hanadi has so much motherly love that she does this out of pure passion for childhood development. On the totem pole it went Mommy, Hanadi, Daddy.
When your child starts to walk they start transitioning into the next room, a couple hours a day so it’s not stressful for the child. The next room is Lama who our child now calls Mama. Lama teaches all sorts of things like sitting in chairs, eating with utensils and all the stuff toddlers should know. When we get there in the morning and she spots Lama she full out sprints to her (laughing), climbs into her arms and gives her the biggest hug and kiss. That right there should tell you everything you need to know about this daycare. My child is happy, safe and getting love every hour of the day and I can’t ask for anything more. They also have cameras in every room that you can view online any time of the day to check in.
I agree with some of the other reviews, some of the previous directors weren’t the best, but the current director and assistant director are doing a great job and even though we moved pretty far away, we still make the drive there everyday because we love it that much. If you need a reference just go there at 7am in the morning and watch all the smiling kids run in happily to their teachers for a day filled with learning new things.

I still take my child here. We love the teachers. The main teacher in the under 1 year old room is amazing. She came highly recommended and we felt very comfortable leaving our 3 month old with her.
Now our child is in the 1 year old room, and we really like this teacher as well. The structure in the classroom and what she is able to teach these babies what to do is beyond what I expected.
Our only drawback to the place is the turnover in management. Its a little aggravating having to deal with new directors every few months, but since this doesn’t directly affect our child we have not considered moving them to another facility.
Huge plus is they have internet cameras (on a secured website of course) to check in on your kid, and the place is pretty affordable. Also our kid is there part-​time and for the most part SELC is very accommodating with our busy schedules and last minute changes to the plan.

If I could rate this school on two different sections I would.
Teachers 3 stars
Management minus10 — Horrible
I have NEVER in my life ever been at a preschool where they change Directors every three months. My children were there for about two years.
In that two years this school kept children in the classrooms that would cuss, punch, hit, hurt other children and do other discusting things. All from ONE child! The only reason he wasnt removed fromt he school was becuase his mother was friends with the director at the time. We removed our children the first chance we could because of this child as well as my childs arm was dislocated and her clothes came home with paint, holes, and filled with dirt all over her face. It was horrible.
The two year old teacher is amazing! thats what got us in the school. Other then that this school is a horrible place for your children and I would highly recommend finding another location or place for your children.
They advertise that they have school activities. they considered a class of three olds doing a puzzle three times over and over again as apart of their learning.
They never do what they say they are doing and they clearly dont have the management under control. this school is falling apart fast and stay AWAY if you care for your children!!!