Working Moms
xp: kindercare
xp: does anybody use kinder care for childcare? any feedback, good or bad, about them? i'm just starting to research different daycare's and found that there is one around the corner from me.
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Re: xp: kindercare
Like pp said, it's a franchise, and individual centers can vary widely. We looked at three near our house -- one was absolutely awful, one was good and we actually put a deposit down there (but ended up moving before she started), one was absolutely awesome and had a two-year wait list!
My company gets a substantial discount at Kindercare, so a lot of my co-workers use them, and that's the feedback I've always gotten from them as well... some Kindercares are great, some are awful. You just have to check out the ones near you to see which category they fall into.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
I agree that it depends what location you look at. I used to work at a Kindercare in college and I hated it! The teachers were awful to the kids and it just wasn't a nice place to be. When I was pregnant with DS and looking at daycares I refused to look at a Kindercare based on my experience. After we weren't thrilled with all of the other facilities we looked at we made an appointment at a different Kindercare. We love them! The infant teachers were great and the toddler room teachers are good too. It is kind of expensive but you get the peace of mind of knowing that they are always there and can't cancel on you.
I would suggest looking at different facilities in your area and getting to know the directors... how they run the place will definitely influence how their employees handle things. Good luck!
Totally depends on your specific location. I'd post on your local board and/or just go in for a visit. Also, your state may have info on them that would be helpful. In TX, the state has a website that lists specifics on violations, capacities, etc. for day care centers and in home providers.
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We used Kindercare when our twins were 18 months up until their 4th b-day (2 different locations). We were very happy with them but you can definitely have diff. experiences based upon the director and the teacher for each age group. Pluses were as follows:
provided a "dinner night" once a week
small "class" sizes, so good adult ratio
open early, most holidays, and on "snow" days
some have a breakfast snack for parents
breakfast, snacks, and lunches were provided
Hooked on Phonics program avail. at small fee for pre-school agers
structured activities and a curriculum for all ages (beats the TV time that a lot of in-home kids get)
**Call them up and take a tour and see what your gut tells you!
I am in North Jersey too and looked at the one in Old Tappan . . .not to thrilled with it. The lady that ran the infant room was a bit Blah . . .not too sure how to describe her. The rest of the staff were great but I just didn't get the "warm & fuzzy" from them . . .especially since my LO is only going to be 12 weeks old when she goes :sniff:
I looked at a bunch of places so let me know if you need more recomendations for Bergen County.
D
We toured a Kindercare here in Louisville and to say I was not impressed would be an understatement. This particular location didn't exactly seem dirty but it certainly didn't seem as clean or organized as other daycares we've visited. Also the teachers we about 100 yrs old. Half the staff were "rotational" which seems to indicate to me that the have some turnover in that crew and the mood of everyone there children and adults alike just seemed kind of tired or dazed. One woman was even yelling at a kid for peeing on herself right in front of us - I don't think that's a good sign.
There are a number of things as mentioned above that could vary depending on the leadership at a particular location but even so I'm not impressed with their mass supplied curriculum, snacks or prices. In general, I think smaller companies can do better because they are much closer to what is going on and probably less obsessed with cutting costs at every single corner.