Stay away from this daycare
mchadzu84
member
I have 1 child that just turned 3 years old. I am writing this discussion in hopes that other families do not go through what we did. If you are in the White Marsh, Perry Hall, Nottingham, or Rosedale area; then this is for you.
Please do not enroll your child at Children of Tomorrow in Rosedale, MD. The prices are very attractive. They will tell you that they care about learning and what they plan to do. It's all nonsense and for show. My husband and I both work to provide a better life for our child. That is why he is in daycare. Obviously daycare is expensive. Especially as an infant, we could not afford to take him to the super pricey schools in the area. So, we chose this place.
This school hires mostly unprofessional teachers or teachers that are teaching your kids for under 3 months because they cannot even make the 90 day probationary period (which parents were finally informed of after we left; we were never even notified of new teachers; we had to ask the person watching our kid if they were the new teacher). The school tries to blame this on the industry and says there is high turnover. Yes, there is high turnover in some daycares, because the job is stressful; not because everyone is hiring incompetent people.
Communication between parents and teachers and even between staff members are virtually nonexistent. They say they take concerns seriously, but your concerns are never directed to the appropriate people and no course of action is taken. You have to play 20 questions to even attempt to figure out what your child did all day and half the time their response is I don't know when they are supposed to be watching them. They are too busy talking amongst themselves to pay attention to children the way that they should. They have cameras that the parents have access to. It is highly alarming the lack of attention that is paid to the children.
The school does little to discourage bullying amongst young (1 to 2 year olds) children. In most daycares the continued behaviors I have seen on these cameras would be grounds for dismissal. Also, if you are buddy, buddy with the teachers, then your sick child can stay at daycare and infect anyone else. However, when your child gets sick and you are trying to determine what is going around the center. they say no one is sick even though half the class is coughing up a lung.
Our child did not exhibit clear signs of something being wrong. He was bullied, but we thought maybe that would happen everywhere. We really didn't like it though and the fact that the teachers would hardly ever catch it. He didn't cry. He never had any marks on him. He didn't tell us he didn't want to go as he got older. He does have warm up periods before speaking to new people. He would just kind of stand there when we would drop him off like a statue. I thought he just needed to get into his morning routine. All we ever heard is he did great today. It was not till 1 teacher actually said that he doesn't talk in daycare and doesn't participate that I was like what is going on. He was 2.5!!! Had been there since 11 weeks old. I knew something was terribly wrong. My child will not be quiet. Talks to everyone, even strangers after 2 to 3 minutes of a warm up period.
We knew the cost of better places; however, we knew we had to make it work somehow. I talked with his pediatrician to make sure that it wasn't an anxiety thing. His pediatrician clearly stated this was not a fault of my child. It is the environment and get him out. After being blind sided, we were terrified to choose a new daycare. What if we make the same mistake again? I did all my research again. Pulled up inspection reports, reviews, etc. We toured 2 places.
I would listen to what the director would say on the tours, but I more so focused on what was going on around us. They are going to tell you all the same stuff. They care about kids and they have goals for learning and blah blah blah. At one place that was $50.00 more a week, I was seeing a few of the same things as the place we were trying to leave.
Finally, we wound up at Goddard. It is pricey. I find it hysterical the kids are taught yoga. However, it really has been what we expect for our child. The teachers are attentive to your child's needs. They welcome you to speak with them. The learning curriculum is excellent. They do not tolerate bad behavior. They see it and they deescalate immediately. My child went from not speaking for almost 2 years at the other place, to speaking to teachers and kids on the first day!!! I can see the massive change in demeanor with pick up and drop off. He goes into the classroom and initiates a hug goodbye because he wants to play with his friends. He makes his teacher "breakfast". He actually has confidence when he walks in there. He is obviously comfortable to speak and interact. It is just a complete 180. I do not expect anyone to take care of my child the way I do. However, I demand that someone come close. He deserves at least that. Goddard has done that for him. We have had to cut back on some things and cost was not an easy decision for us. However, his well being and successful development is our number one priority. There is nothing I would not do for my child. If you are the type of mom that likes to know what happened during your kid's day, that expects them to be fed healthy things, that expects them to learn in a nurturing environment, and is protective over your child; then this post is for you.
On a side note, I have not been there so I cannot speak from my own experience; but have heard similar issues at Celebree in Perry Hall. Even though the name has a good reputation, I do know their inspection reports are abysmal and quite a few parents were there before switching to Goddard with similar situations happening.