Columbia KinderCare

Reviews 3

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Anonymous User

The ordeal I experienced at this center happened in October of 2008, so its possible that a lot may have changed since then, however, I wouldnt recommend this location to anyone. I cant speak for the rest of them. My son was 20 months when he started here in August of 2008. It wasnt my first choice center, however, the other places I had looked at had waiting lists up to 3 months and I needed care sooner. On my initial tour, the center was clean, had a friendly staff and the kids were entertained with age appropriate toys. I also loved the fact that they were a little cheaper than the other places I had searched (La Petite, Goddard, Columbia Academy). In the end, I guess you get what you pay for. Due to the fact that my mom worked close by, she would pop in once a week or so just to check and see how my son was doing. We knew he could possibly have some separation issues since I had been a stay at home mom with him from the start. He seemed to be adjusting well, however each time my mom visited, she had a complaint or two. Never the same teacher, not attentive, kids didnt have an structure, and so on. At first shrugged them off, but then I started noticing things myself. My son had a special diet and each week, I filled up a bin with his food in the centers small cafeteria. By the end of most weeks, most of the food would still be in his bin. So was he not eating or were they giving him food he shouldnt have had? They informed me that not all the teachers knew he had a special diet, yadda yadda and I was surprised that they didnt have the same 2-3 teachers on a consistent basis. As it started to turn to fall, I would notice that they never put the jackets most parents had provided on kids and let them play outside under dressed. I once overheard to co-workers complaining about their own facility. All of these little things bugged me, but I kept with them until once incident sent me over the edge. My husband went to pick up our son and arrived to find him laying on the floor, extremely warm. He asked if anyone had taken his temperature and why he was so lethargic and the teacher in the room informed him that he was just sleepy. When my husband arrived home (only 5 minutes from the center), he was shocked to see that our son had a fever of 104.7. We called his pediatrician and took him straight to the hospital. I called the center completely outraged that no one had bothered to take his temperature or called us when he started to exhibit signs of sickness because when I dropped him off, he was fine. The director apologized, but noted that the person who was in charge of the kids at the time, was not used to working with his age group. 1) Why was she allowed to supervise children if she wasnt used to working with them. 2) No matter what age the child, if they arent feeling well, they will be quiet, lethargic and unlike themselves. No Excuses. After tests at the hospital, it turned out my son had developed pneumonia and he was out of school for a week. Of course I dont blame the center for his contraction of it, however I absolutely blame them for not noticing when my 22 month old was severely sick. I Went back to the center to pick up his belongings and never looked back. A couple days later, I called all of the schools I had been put on a waiting lists for and luckily, one of them had an opening the following week. Once my son was better, he started at Columbia Academy and has been there ever since October 2008. No issues, no complaints, and we absolutely love it. The one good thing about this place was a woman named Ms. Toni. Im not sure if shes still there but she was always very good with the kids and they all seemed to love her. Im not sure what her title was but I know she was not the director. She had daily interaction with all of the kids, purchased books for them out of her own pocket and seemed to be the only redeeming part of the center. I wish her the best if shes still there.

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Abigail Fairbanks

My eldest son has been going to this daycare since 2013. He started out in the Infant room with Ms. Shirley and Ms. Artileigh. I have never met more caring individuals or more loving towards my son. When my son was having a tough time with me leaving, they were always there to scoop him and up and give him a cuddle. My husband and I had no trouble leaving our second son with Ms. Shirley or Ms. Artileigh when it came time. We did have some trouble when my eldest son turned 2, he began to act out and his teachers at the time were having difficulty trying to calm him down and keep him focused. Many teachers dubbed him as the bad kid and I was called almost everyday to either come pick him up or to try and calm him down. I would dread seeing the daycares number come up on my phone, it was always "what did he do today?" My husband and I knew that this was not the right environment for our child and it didnt seem like any of his teachers wanted to work with us to try and help my son, they would send him to the directors office and he was no longer his problem. I would cry most days, just completely overwhelmed and stressed out about trying to help my son. We were on the verge of leaving the Daycare all together. Then Ms. Melissa came.... Ms. Melissa is the answers to our prayers! From day one she has worked with my son to figure out what works with him and what does not. She is patient with him and cares for my son. After a week of her being at the Daycare and in his classroom we stopped getting phone calls asking us to pick him up and we stopped getting incident reports about his bad behavior. He no longer hits his friends and has learned how to play with them. He started participating in craft time and began to actively engage with the class. He no longer has to be removed from the classroom and I never have to worry about leaving my child in the care of Ms. Melissa. When I pick up my son, Ms. Melissa is always so excited to show me what my son has done that day. I am amazed and so proud of my sweet boy in all that he has accomplished with Ms. Melisa and I am so grateful for her. I can not wait for my second child to be in Ms. Melissas classroom! Columbia Kindercare has just become such an amazing environment for children, and I would recommend the center to anyone!

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Robin Renee

My school age daughter has now been enrolled at Columbia Kindercare for just over a year, participating in both before and after school care, utilizing their van transportation to and from school. It has been a lifesaver for my family! She enjoys her time at the center and always comes home with a new craft or activity that shes excited about. She also LOVES her driver Mrs. Janine (I hope I spelled that right!) and talks about her ALL the time. Everyone we have encountered has been friendly and inviting. Management is very open in their communication and quick with response to any questions. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the center. It is hard to find reviews online for elementary school children as most are catered to those preschool and below where care is more intensive. While I cannot speak on their infant to preschool care because we have not utilized it, I am happy to recommend Kindercare to anyone looking for care for their school age child!

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