I'm not someone who usually leaves reviews, but this occasion requires it, with the goal of helping…read moreother parents and the institution. At no point is my intention to discredit Little Leaves, but I can't stay silent about what happened, since after this very unpleasant situation, I unfortunately cannot recommend them.
From the moment we visited the institution, they never mentioned any minimum requirements for children to attend, such as needing to be able to feed themselves, among other things. On the contrary, they told us they would take care of giving him structure, helping him with potty training, and his education. To me, it was "music to my ears," but in reality I feel it was more of a sales tactic than reality, since there are other negative reviews mentioning the same thing.
My son only lasted three days at Little Leaves and, by the institution's decision, was expelled due to his behavior, without them taking any responsibility for their lack of professionalism, their lack of structure for welcoming new children, and their inability to handle children who were struggling to adjust to a new environment in less than a week. They simply stopped providing service without even allowing a reasonable amount of time before making such a drastic decision -- only 3 days.
My son is a child who has received a high level of care and love at home, and from the moment he entered this daycare he didn't feel accepted. The teachers expected him to follow the same routine as the other children, who had already been there for a while. He had just turned two years old a month earlier, and this whole process was completely new to him. Expecting him to adapt within three days is something not even an adult manages in weeks. They made no effort whatsoever to help integrate him -- they simply isolated him from the group. What kind of care is this? Are they actually qualified to care for children?
My biggest complaint is that Little Leaves is not prepared to properly welcome children. A new child needs support from the teacher, a proper welcome into a new environment, and an appropriate integration into a group he doesn't know -- exactly as they described it to us when they were offering us on the service, which turned out to be completely false. My son, who is a very sweet child, exhibited behavior he doesn't show at home: he was erratic, pulled hair, and bit -- things he doesn't normally do -- and suddenly, in this new environment, he did them repeatedly. This makes me think he wasn't being treated properly; no person changes so radically from one environment to another without a reason.
Contrary to what I expected, all I received were complaints. They had me fill out a report that they didn't explain properly, and at no point did they guide me through the process. One of the teachers had the recklessness to say they needed to "keep the rest of the children in the room safe" -- an extremely strong and alarming comment, considering they are dealing with children, not criminals. It's one of the most irresponsible statements I've ever heard from an education professional.
To the owner, I recommend reviewing your processes for welcoming new children, being transparent about expectations and the center's limitations, and better training your staff on how to communicate with parents. I feel deeply disappointed by the treatment we received and by the unpleasant experience I went through. Who can determine a child's behavior in just three days? How would you feel if one of your own children were treated this way?