Anyone have any expriences with Kindercare, Montessori, or LaPetite Academy?

LMHCnewlywed

We have been lucky the my in-laws have watched my son but me mil may be going to back to work soon. We are on the search again for a daycare. We liked the one he was in before but sine my work hours changed it would be very difficult to get there before they close now. So I have called some of these and will go look soon.

Let me know if you have used any of these or heard of others who have.

Thanks! And wich me luck as the first couple daycares I looked at made me feel sick but of course were more affordable!

SoulChild

Hi! My DS goes to LaPetite here in Orlando, FL.

He has been attending since he was 7 months old. He has recently transitioned to the Toddler room.

I like LaPetite, but for the same reasons that I like it I also dislike it.
Its very structured, organized and they adhere to state laws by the T. No exceptions. No flexibility what so ever.

So structure and organization are good but at the same time can be bad.
For instance, when my son transitioned to the toddler room they do not allow bottles, no baby food, only table foods, etc.
My son has a problem chewing and is scheduled for surgery to clip the tie under his tongue. I had a hard time negotiating flexibility with his feedings (since sometimes he would need to be fed baby food).

But like I said, organization and structure are good in most cases and the curriculum is excellent. His teachers are very nurturing and he really likes it there. What more can a working mom ask for.

Good Luck!

JLSBWG

My DS was at Knowledge Beginnings, which is owned by Knowledge Learning Co. that owns Kindercare as well.  We looked at Kindercare centers too and there were the exact same as KB.  Anyway, we had a good experience at KB, but we just changed daycares because the cost was rediculously high.  You pay so much overhead in a franchise.  If it wasn't for the price, we would have stayed.  We also would not be able to have a second child there either.  The center that DS is at now is much smaller, costs less, but we didn't sacrifice the quality.

flyer23

Kindercare offers a substantial discount (20%) to employees at my company, so I've looked at them in multiple locations and I know a lot of my co-workers use them as well. Quality varies WIDELY from location to location, so you really have to visit each location you're considering it and examine it closely. I wouldn't say that the "Kindercare" name means anything -- there are great Kindercares and there are awful ones.

La Petite Academy also offers a 20% discount to employees at my company, so a lot of people use/used them, and I've heard nothing but bad things about them, in three different locations across two states (one of which I visited myself). Maybe there are some great ones out there, but just based on what I've heard, they'd be at the bottom of my list of places to check out.

Montessori is a very different thing. It's not a chain; it's an educational philosophy. So unlike Kindercare and La Petite, there's not a corporate office overseeing local franchises or anything like that. Anyone can call themselves a "Montessori" school, and in fact, it's become such a buzzwod that many places call themselves "Montessori" even though they don't really adhere to "true" Montessori principles.

So for starters, if you're not familiar with the Montessori educational philosophy, you might want to do some reading up on it to understand whether it's something that you're interested in/agree with. I found this to be a really good introduction: https://www.montessori.org/sitefiles/Montessori_101_nonprintable.pdf. Also, you absolutely have to visit any Montessori school you're considering, as they can differ widely.

We're strongly considering putting our daughter in a Montessori school starting this summer, so I'd be happy to talk with you more about Montessori, what we like about the philosophy in general and the school that we've picked specifically, etc.

azuremama

Ditto pp that Kindercare and La Petite quality varies widely from location to location.  A few of the Kindercares near us came highly recommended to me, although I did find they tended to be a little more expensive than other centers.  I didn't like the La Petite Academy I visited, but other locations might be better.

katy75

DD is in a KinderCare center and we really like it and so does she.  The cost is a little more than other daycare's around here.  However, our Kindercare provides formula, milk, juice and all meals and snacks.  The other daycares around here - I had to supply all of that, so bottomline cost for us is cheaper at Kindercare.

Luzesmeralda

We are in a locally-owned daycare with a Montessori philosophy.  We like it a lot (and think it is even better for toddlers and up as they can do more and more things).  I ditto what the PP said about Montessori, and add that you should look at the training the staff has.  To be a real Montessori experience, it is important that staff either has Montessori certificates, or the director does and offers A LOT of professional development to their staff.  Otherwise, it may be just a buzz word.

BrideInSunnyFL

I briefly sent my DD (years ago, she's a teenager now) to LaPetite.  It was horrible.  Very disorganized, teachers not very friendly or warm, which really surprised me.  Needless to say DD hated it.  After 2 weeks we pulled her out.

I agree w/pp regarding the quality from center to center.

shouldbeworkin

Our kids also go to a local Montessori.  Ditto the PP, they're all different b/c it's not a chain.  Some belong to Montessori associations, but I think the most important thing is that the teachers are Montessori trained.  I really like the approach to education for preschool there, but I think you can find that approach in many schools now, especially if your DC is there at 3-4 y/o.  We don't even send our kids there b/c of Montessori, just b/c it's a nice school and the teachers there are great with our kids.

mgfit1

We have been very pleased with Kindercare here.  My DS started going there  in Oct 2007 when he was 15 mo's old.  He loves it.  I really like the directors and teachers.  They are very caring and professional about everything.