The Learning Experience

After looking at tens & tens of places, we finally decided to give this place a shot (a bit longer than we wanted to drive). Wow oh wow! The staff are all great. So flexible, understanding. The place is bright & super clean. My baby started at 7.5 months old (been a few weeks), & she’s so happy to be there (can you imagine– actually happy!). She loves the main teacher in her room, Ms Kristin; she literally smiles with such great joy every time we arrive there.
For comparisons sake, I must share what I’m comparing this place to. We visited a couple of daycare centers & a few family daycares over a period of a few months. The daycare centers were all kind of clean, so that’s standards (although this place has an extra shine — a clean smell in the air). The staff and preschool curriculum is where it gets tricky. When we visited other daycare centers, the directors were all wonderful. My baby however wouldn’t be in their care! So when entering baby rooms, I noticed a common theme in the rooms– the staff usually look tired, disinterested, & definitely didn’t want to talk to me! Not this place. During my tour here, the staff (in room & in hallways) all looked engaged & they spoke! They actually spoke, said hello. Then, while asking a question on the tour, the (I think assistant director) looked to the room teachers to answer me. This was a huge deal. It showed us that the leadership values & respects their employees– & their employees are empowered & knowledgeable. This has since been proven to be accurate :-). Other things in the other centers included too many cribs in one room, not enough flexibility in baby schedule, & frankly, poor behaving kids. (Thinking about when she’s older).
Ok, the family daycares– were a joke. I’ve seen amazing ones in lower Westchester & some great ones for preschoolers. But there are no good ones in the area. What do I classify as «good?» Clean! That’s it. Filthy, dingy, mold smelling, old, stuffy is what we found. Additionally, the family daycares wouldn’t typically have a child of the same age as my baby– which isn’t a great thing! I want the growing & learning to happen with others of similar age! Family daycares offer no flexibility in baby schedules. Their staff is terrible (if they hire anyone beyond the spouse) — because the benefits/​pay they can provide are not sustainable for any great childcare worker. I guess the cleanliness is where I’m stuck — I don’t care if everything was great, the family daycares we’ve seen were just overwhelmed with stuff & filth. And, they are not cheaper than a clean full center!
Back to the learning experience, they’re structured, clean, super friendly, baby knowledgable, they go out of their way to make you & baby comfortable. They will go above & beyond. I’m almost sad when my baby has to miss a day! I look forward to her going & enjoying her day with her baby friends! Before stepping into this place, I never thought Id feel like that about any place– couldn’t even imagine! Leaving her I someone else’s care is very tough, but I’m super happy that we’re lucky enough to have it be here!
Ok, my longest review ever– & for once, it’s not about food!