We live in Northwest Reno and decided to bring our daughter to Blue Kangaroo for daycare. We have nothing but good things to say about our experience! There are a lot of mixed reviews, so I wanted to contribute to the 5 star ones since that is a better reflection of the care they provide. Our daughter has now been in two of their classrooms and we had great experiences with both. They have a camera system for parents to log in and check out what is going on in the room throughout the day which provides some great peace of mind. They have a schedule they follow throughout the day of different activities and learning opportunities for the kids. We bring food for our daughter but they also have snack times where they provide some additional food. Our daughter has learned some great skills from her time here and we love how much socialization she gets from being around the other kids. The rooms are largely organized by different age ranges and they move up once they reach certain milestones, not necessarily right when they reach a particular age. The daycare itself feels secure, you have to enter two different codes when you arrive and then it unlocks the main entrance for you to come inside. The staff are all wonderful and take great care of our girl. The price is affordable compared to other daycares in the area. We are thankful to have found Blue Kangaroo and look forward to continuing to work with them! read more

The best daycare around! My kids have been going for over 8 years and the staff have become like family. I could not ask for a better place to care for my children. The staff love my kids and my kids love going each day! read more

Absolutely Avoid This Place - Terrible for Both Teachers and Children I observed Blue Kangaroo Learning Center both located at Summit Ridge and South Reno. I am going to write this review as professional as possible. Though neither of the schools are placed as higher educational school, I highly recommend avoiding this particular place (Summit Ridge) if you care about your child's education or if you're an educator who values a supportive and professional environment. Do not send your child to or work at Blue Kangaroo Learning Center because this place is an absolute disaster when it comes to providing quality early childhood education and a respectful work environment. For Parents: *The educational support for children is practically nonexistent. Instead of fostering a nurturing and stimulating learning environment, teachers are discouraged from using effective child development strategies. *Floaters who implement nurturing, positive guidance techniques are unfairly accused of playing favorites--even though these practices can help children form secure attachments and improve their behavior. *The predominant approach to discipline involves the use of time-outs rather than constructive, developmental guidance. *Children who display challenging behaviors are ignored rather than guided. This means that instead of helping kids learn how to regulate emotions and develop social skills, the staff simply looks the other way. *Although one teacher in Wallabies demonstrates effective positive guidance, positive behavioral management is not embraced by the majority of the staff. *The curriculum is outdated, and there is little to no effort put into meaningful lesson planning or engagement. *Your child is unlikely to receive the kind of care and learning experience they deserve. *A program director has been observed bringing a 1-year-old girl out for gummy bears--an amount that poses a significant choking hazard for young children. For Teachers: *If you're an educator who genuinely cares about early childhood education, this is not the place for you. *Teachers who try to use evidence-based, child-centered teaching methods are actively discouraged from doing so. *There is no open communication--if colleagues have an issue with you, they won't discuss it with you directly. Instead, they'll go behind your back and complain to management. *Leadership does not support its teachers, making it nearly impossible to grow or implement good teaching practices. *The work environment is toxic, and many passionate teachers leave because of the unprofessional and unsupportive culture. Adding to the problematic culture is the fact that this is a family-run business. The management team is largely composed of family members. While family involvement isn't inherently negative, it becomes an issue when non-family staff are consistently marginalized. Gossip and backdoor conversations among non-family teachers are common, and management shows little support for those who are treated unfairly (again, because this is a family business). The culture of unequal treatment that exists at this school raises concerns about both the welfare of the children and the overall professionalism of the institution. This center does a disservice to both children and staff. If you're a parent looking for a quality preschool or a teacher seeking a respectful and professional workplace, do yourself a favor and stay far away from Blue Kangaroo Learning Center FOREVER. read more

Review based on my initial call and tour of the location Initial call was with Margaret- she was kind professional and welcoming They are doing drop in tours but offered the "preferred time range". The lobby was so cute both my child and I loved it! We were greeted by Lizette and she was just so lovely! She went into every possible detail about the room and what would be my childs day. Looking into the class room both teachers looked genuinely content and welcoming. They were interacting with the children and the set up looked great for the age range. Everything they described in terms of the classroom schedule, offerings etc seemed perfect. We truly enjoyed our visit and appreciate the time Lizette took with us read more

My 3 kids go there and I love them, owners, teachers, subs are all caring and respectful. My kids are 5, 3 and 1. Kids have been there almost a year. They do bring home colds and my two youngest didn't love it at first but that's life. I find them flexible and affordable. I trust them with my kids, even though nothing is perfect! read more

"Hopper" Room Review - 12-18 month kiddos Long story short: Nice facility, appears clean, cameras are a plus although they do glitch. I don't think kids are unsafe but they're not engaged either. It's a holding tank. To preface: I gave the opportunity to the owner/director to receive this feedback and improve her business/experience for other folks and she wasn't interested. Her loss. So I hope this saves other parents some heartache. Mothers have gut feelings and I should have followed mine. It started with nobody introducing themselves and having to prompt the assistant director for basic tour information: " where's the playground? What does the napping schedule look like? Do I bring my own food" etc etc. I got an answer of "you can see the play area from the parking lot". The classroom gal, Amber, was much more helpful and thorough in providing me information so I decided to chance it and hand my kiddo over for a few hours and see how it went. Upon dropping my daughter off there was another "first day-er" losing his mind. Inconsolable! To be expected, babies are babies. But and the big BUT was that there was no compassion. The lead was holding the kid but he may as well have been held by a statue. And on a first day, come on. Have a heart. There was no grace, warmth, or sympathy and the kid was handled like an annoying inconvenience. I emphasized my kid was not sleep trained nor has she ever slept in a crib (regretfully). I was reassured they would rock her to sleep and then put her in the crib. Agonizing over the live feed they offer I recorded a whopping thirty seconds of rocking, nay wrestling and swinging, before she was dumped in the crib room WIDE AWAKE and the caretaker closed the door and resumed flipping her hair and chatting within fifteen seconds. Mind you, there are no cameras in the crib room to watch your kid scream for x minutes. TWENTY FIVE MINUTES LATER she was back out finally rocked and set in a bean bag to sleep. I mostly saw the caretakers standing around gabbing with one another, literally twirling their hair or out of camera view altogether. The last straw was seeing a teacher on her phone in the rocking chair while three toddlers were competing for her attention. By the time I picked her up I entered to find three caretakers (conveniently out of view of the cameras) huddled around a phone which was hurriedly put away. My kid was being held by one of the three zombies crying "mama" and her tears are were crusted on her cheeks. We aren't going back. read more

The teachers in the 18th month classroom dress extremely inappropriately. I have seen and overheard one of your recent hires Openly and loudly complaining about workplace environment and the toxicity of it. I feel as though it might be an unhealthy place for kids to grow physically and mentally. read more

This school condones violence and bullying. On my toddler's first day I was horrified to check the camera and find him being pushed hard from behind 3 times in a matter of a minute. A kid twice his size kept bee- lining towards my boy!! He knocked him down and my son's head whiplashed back as he fell forward. My son did not retaliate against the child who was twice his size. He was running away. I didn't see any teachers around. I called the school right away and by the time I got a hold of the teacher he had been shoved into a shelf and bumped his head. Now two days later the bruise is fading. I attempted to discuss the issue with the teachers and director when I picked him up and again the next day but they believe that "boys will be boys." No apologies. No action plan to prevent it in the future. Not ok. There is a huge difference between playing and violent behavior. Needless to say I pulled him from the school. After processing the day I did not like any part about it. The co- director was rude, insensitive and tacky, instead of kind as we entered early the first day to get him settled with strangers for the first time. Instead of a welcome we merely received a reminder not to come early. As far as the incident: I saw it. No one else saw a thing. If they had seen then I would have hoped they would have pulled that child off my son on the first blow from behind. The teacher said my son was "rough housing" back. But there was not any physical retaliation. He just kept running away. And I received incident report. Did other mom get one? Did they lecture the mom on "rough housing "/ pushing!!! Physical contact?! None of that is in incident report. While kids can play rough there should be stronger safeguards for them. Especially when they are 2! , half the size of the BULLY, and it's their first day in school. Too nonchalant. Both my son and I should feel safe. We didn't at all. There was zero discussion about discipline and how violence is wrong and corrected at their school. Not acceptable. While there is some element of working through issues that caused me hesitation enough to think about staying there is also free will, infinite possibilities and one them being able to surround yourself in a safe, enjoyable environment. I want him to have a place where he enjoys socializing and grows safely- thriving- not simply trying to survive. Not the school for us. read more

I love Margret the director. She is the sweetest person you will ever meet. Every daycare has a high turnover but she does her best to find people who are good with the children. This location is so much fun! There is a blue room with a giant play center and they rotate the classroom turns to use it. It's similar to the coconut bowl play area for the small children where you can climb and slide and have fun. The classrooms are good sizes and the teachers work with the kids on their needs. I love the atmosphere here. read more

All three of our children have been attending Blue Kangaroo since they were infants and we have never in 6 years regretted our choice of day care or had a complaint about the facility or staff. They care deeply about their mission and about every single child in attendance. The vast majority of caregivers have been on staff for as long as we've been there and we have always appreciated the low turnover rate in their staffing. It has made our kids feel safe, secure and comfortable knowing their favorite teachers will always be there. We were also very impressed with their continued investment in their facility - new carpeting, painting, upgraded playground equipment, and even classroom computer centers for the older kids. The only downside? It's not the cheapest place in town BUT I'm a firm believer in the old saying 'you get what you pay for' and that being cheap with the people who take care of your kids isn't an option. We're sad to be moving on to the public school system... Thanks Blue Kangaroo for giving them a great start!! read more

Amazing how Lisa G can write a bad review but try to take him back care. This place is amazing and we are so lucky to have found them. It is such a family oriented experience.....so fun to have watched our son grown-up here,from room to room. So amazing that all the teachers, even ones that weren't his, knew him. We recently moved to South Reno, I drive an extra hour every morning to take him to daycare and then back to South Reno for work, Blue Kangaroo is worth it. read more

What a wonderful group of people! We have an infant and toddler that attend the Summit Ridge location. They sincerely love and care for our kids. I recommend them to everyone I know. read more

Blue Kangaroo is an outstanding school. We have had two children enrolled for a year now, and I am very impressed by the genuine love for children and the concern for their welfare from the teachers and administrators. Both children are flourishing, and they enjoy going to school. The curriculum is age-appropriate and well-organized. Thank you, Blue Kangaroo, for creating such a wonderful environment for kids! read more

yes I have been going to Blue Kangaroo and the people there tell everybody your personal business. Margaret is the worst because when it comes to personal business she will tell the other parent. I would not recommend this daycare to anyone. The teachers are fine but the owner is horrible. They are rude and don't care that their prices are expensive for single parents. read more

Blue kangaroo is wonderful. The staff, the facility, my son has made quality friends going to this school & I would recommend it to anyone. We have tried changing schools 2 times and always end up back at the blue kangaroo because nothing compares. read more

My daughter has been at Blue Kangaroo since she was 9 weeks old. She loves school. The faculty are amazing. They go above and beyond to make your child's experience a positive one. She's learning. She's making great friends. Highly recommend this place!! read more

Unfortunately tomorrow is my daughters last day at Blue Kangaroo Learning Center. Both my daughter and son went to this daycare for more then 6 years total. They have done everything a daycare should do and are everything a daycare should be. The front staff do an exceptional job and although some teachers I wasn't overly fond of, most throughout the 6 years have made an impact in both my child's lives. Being able to drop my daughter off every morning and watch her run to class excited to see what's in store for the day is really a relief as a parent. Although, having to drag her out of class at 5:30 every night isn't as fun. If you ever need a place where you know your kids will be safe with a reliable staff then this is it. Check out their Facebook page and you can see just how much the kids love here. read more

Terrible daycare! I had my son enrolled for a short amount of time because the staff there is unhappy and untrustworthy. My son never wanted to go to this place and always came home crying. The girls there look unhappy and miserable and never smiled. One day my son came home with a bite on his arm and an accident report (which I understand happens) what really bothers me was that I was not notified. The accident report stated my son and another child were playing with a toy and the other boy bit my son in order to obtain the toy. I was upset at the fact I was not notified, so I personally went down to the daycare to hear from the ladies watching them. I got a completely different story. They say they didn't actually see what had happened and one girl even had the audacity to say my son did it to himself to get attention. My son has NEVER had a bite mark on his arm since being at this place. I promptly gave my two weeks after this incident. I would NEVER recommend anyone to this horrible place. My son is at a different daycare and is always happy and never cries when I take him or pick him up. And STILL no bite marks on his arms since this incident! read more

My daughter attends Blue Kangaroo. I have been very happy with her care there. We have had a few minor issues and, when addressed with the staff, were taken care of right away. I am giving it 4 stars simply because I do not daycare facilities, but have found myself unable to stay home. read more

$15 registration fee is a scam - not sure what they gain with this. You are on so called wait list but never get a call and if you enquire answer is "you are still on waitlist" - 2,3,4,6, months down the line - ridiculous admin read more

We have had our son in Blue Kangaroo since he was 8 weeks old and have been really happy. The staff and management has always been great and we have been pleased with the care he has received. We had planned on enrolling our daughter as well when we had another child. We made arrangements for her schedule five months before she was born. Then, we got a call months later, just weeks before she was ready to start to tell us they would no longer accommodate the schedule we had agreed to and that she would have to occupy a full time spot and also that rates had gone up, meaning her tuition would be approx. $300 more per month. We certainly understand a rise in rates and that policies change. However, to not honor arrangements made prior to that change is a poor business practice. We were told the change was made because there was now a waiting list for the school, which of course means other schools have waiting lists as well and we are without any other options. We are basically not left with a choice and may just have to pay the additional money until we find another solution. I am truly disappointed the school would not honor arrangements they agreed to with a family who has been going there for years simply because they now have a waiting list and don't have to honor what they said since others will take our place. I feel taken advantage of. Very disappointing. read more

Everything was perfect until he got switched to the 4 year old class called the kangaroos classroom. I knew it was going to be hard for him switching classrooms so I expected him to cry the first week. It was the third week in that classroom and he was still crying he would beg me not to leave him there. Everyday he would come home with food in his lunchbox(but when he was in the 3yrs old classroom he would always eat everything). I talked to the owner about my concerns and she said she would talk to the teacher. But I never saw any change she was very rude when I tried talking to her, she even said that my son only acted the way he did because I was there. They never cleaned his spoon that he would eat yogurt with. They would just put it in the lunchbox covered in yogurt and then the whole lunchbox inside would be covered in yogurt. I never had any of these issues when he was in his other classroom so I just got tired of waiting for them to change their attitudes. So after 5 weeks I decided to switch him preschools and now he loves going to school again. read more