My family is deeply disappointed with this daycare, its owners and staff. My son joined in…read moreSeptember 2025 and clearly it was a bad choice because we have had no peace since he joined. My son was at a previous childcare facility and we had to move him to this one for logistics reasons. However, he seemed to have a hard time settling into this daycare and the "owner" made it her personal responsibility to call me every single day to tell me how badly my child was behaving. we agreed to meet once about three weeks after he joned the center and we discussed ideas on how to help my son settle into the transition, i did everything i had to do and the school never reported back on what they had to do. We had a meeting scheduled for the following wednesday to discuss progress/concerns but instead the owner thought it was best to send me an email on saturday instead to tell me how she has decided to immediately terminate my son's enrollment, two months into the program. I'm sure everyone has a different experience but here is mine and i wont recommend this center to another family looking for childcare in the area.

My son goes to the school and he loves it! The administrate staff is amazing and his teachers are…read morefantastic. I'd highly recommend this school to anyone looking for quality education in the Bowie area!

Love the community and enrichment my 4 year old receives from this school. Really enjoy being…read moreinvolved and participating in the program as a mom. I feel confident she'll be ready for kindergarten thanks to this program!

Love love this school! My 3 year old comes here 2 x a week to learn and play and in over the course…read moreof a year he has blossomed and changed so much. He has been able to harness his energy and enjoy activities and play with his friend. Looking forward to the next school year when he is in the 4s class!

My two kids went to Crofton Children's Center. It's truly fabulous. They create a loving…read moreenvironment. It subscribes to the "play as learning" pedagogy, which after researching it, agree with. Lots of literature supports it. Unlike other pre-schools which are like boot camps, this is about building confidence and developing their brains - not rote instruction that doesn't promote long term brain development. I can't say enough good about this place.

My son has just started his second year here. The play as learning pedagogy is just great. All the…read moreteachers we have had have been first rate and very caring, kind people. There is a lot of emphasis on free play outside on the playground. We had a decent experience at Kindercare in Gambrills when we first came to town, but when we were able to switch to Crofton Children's Center, my son really started to flourish. I've seen this with several kids who came in a little shy.... they get such lovely TLC here that they just blossom. I couldn't recommend CCC more highly. I looked at all the available daycare/preschool options when we first moved to the area and am glad we went through the wait list process and held out for the placement here. It really feels like the very best possible preschool for us.

My daughter really enjoys going to Haynes Academy. She gets up every day asking am I going to…read moreschool today. I am pleased to know that she enjoys going. She has been going to the daycare as a drop in when she was an infant and started attending daily when she was 1. She is now 3 and knows everyone's name, kids, and teachers. All the children know her name. When I go pick her up, the children say your mommy is here. The daycare is like a little family. The daycare is not just a daycare. The academy helps me continue with teaching my daughter the basics. My daughter knows how to spell her name because the 2 year old class. When we go over letters at home she will say different classmates name that begin with the letters. She sings along with the class and continues when she gets in the car to do home. I'm glad I can trust the daycare team with my toddler.

Most of the workers are really nice and your child will probably be happy here…read more Room for improvement: They have a huge problem with lack of communication. On several occasions they have closed with no/short notice on non-holidays leaving parents scrambling for care & paying twice - once to Haynes and again for emergency care. The only notice they might provide is a small notice on the wall among a lot of other postings. You will have to pay for daycare or lose money when they close on non holidays, which is becoming more frequent. They do have a monthly newsletter (that usually comes out about 10 to 14 days into the month) but other than that, they do not have a real time means of providing timely information to parents. They do not have a website, social media presence or email list for parent information. They will not provide any kind of regular feedback regarding how your child is doing or how your child is progressing, even though parents have requested it. Your child may learn a little when he moves to an older class but he stagnates during the school year because younger children are moved into his class & the class goes back to the material for the younger children instead of taking steps to ensure the older children in the class continue to progress. They seem to be overcrowded. The before and after care and the drop ins seem to take their numbers to more than they can handle. Stop by in the mornings and you will see children of all ages - 2 through school age - mixing together in a chaotic environment with minimal supervision or in the evenings they may be watching TV on a screen the size of a 20 inch computer screen. Some classes share a room separated by a few blocks. It is a lot of children in a small space. The friendliness and kindness of the staff & the way they teach the other children to be friendly towards each other & greet each other warmly mean that your child will enjoy this place but as a parent, the failure to regularly communicate might leave you frustrated, as a general matter & with concerns that your child is not being taught to his potential because of the lack of communication and feedback & the failure/inability to manage the progress of each child as younger children enter the classes.

We highly recommend this nursery school. All 3 of our kids went here and we can't say enough about…read morehow fantastic the teacher/staff are. We truly felt like part of their extended family. The kids get plenty of time to play and develop basic social skills without screens and were more than prepared for kindergarten. We also like the flexibility their summer program offers too. Definitely pay them a visit.

Our eldest came to this school from a Montessori school that he truly did not like because of his…read moreclassroom size, how regimented it was, etc. After his first day at the school he fell in love with it. He likes being dropped off and picked up right at his classroom door, reassured that I know where his classroom is. Every class day, he gets to be creative with arts and crafts, sing and dance to music, get some play time outside, learn some Spanish, learn his numbers, letters, days of the week, holidays, etc. have snack time with his friends, and lifelong lessons all in a tight-knit, smaller classroom size school. He was able to celebrate holidays they way they should be. Giving out Valentine's cards, coloring hard boiled eggs for Easter...Not like at the Montessori school which didn't allow it all for children of his age. Tucked away in a family oriented neighborhood with the city's police right down the street, I have peace of mind and happiness sending our son to this school. The most important thing about this school is that it makes our son happy, which matters most.

We've had the best experience at Crofton Nursery School! The teachers are warm and engaging, and my…read moredaughter absolutely loves going to school. I love that it is a co-op preschool which means I get to volunteer in the classroom and be a part of her first school experience. It's been great to get to know the other parents and I really enjoy being part of the CNS community. If you are looking for a part time preschool, I highly recommend Crofton Nursery School!

Crofton Nursery School was my choice to send my son to for their 3 year old preschool class. I…read morecouldn't have made a better choice. Not just because of small class size, personal feel, or community vibe that I wanted for preschool. But it ended up being so much more! You get to meet alot of other parents and families and get to interact with teachers and the other kids. Being a working parent is great, you get to see what your kid is doing in school and how much they like it, but it's also a security to know there is always another parents eyes in the classroom. The 3 class is a great transition into school. Even if one kid needs hugs during class, that's your job. It's great to know the toddlers get the one on one that they need until they settle. Also is a good structure to enforce potty training, lots of potty breaks for those who need to be prompted. Already put a deposit down for next fall! Couldn't have hoped for more in a personal feel for a preschool.

In response to the owner's reply: it seems this company always has an excuse for the way COA…read moreChildcare is run. The director was fully aware of what was happening--that's the most troubling part. Even with cameras in place, it's clear the higher-ups aren't reviewing them, or else they would have seen multiple incidents: a teacher left alone with seven infants, and even a school-age child placed in the infant classroom. These are not minor mistakes--these are serious violations. It's no surprise that parents are withdrawing their children for reasons just like this. I personally know several parents who are urgently looking for new childcare to get their children out of this center. How this place continues to operate while violating so many rules is beyond me. Parents, please be aware--this company shows a disturbing lack of accountability. Their response is nothing more than excuses piled on top of excuses, as if we don't have the ability to screen-record or screenshot proof directly from the cameras.

The reviews for this center are extremely misleading and appear to come largely from friends or…read moreassociates of the staff. My child no longer attends this daycare, and I'm writing not only from my own experience but also on behalf of parents I personally know who are actively searching for new childcare because they are trying to remove their infants from this facility. I genuinely do not understand how this center is still operating. Staff turnover is constant, and it's not hard to see why. Employees are treated poorly, and I have never encountered a daycare that does not allow staff to leave the building at all during their lunch breaks. Expecting employees to remain inside all day without fresh air or a real break is unreasonable and contributes directly to burnout and high turnover. Another major concern is supervision. There have been instances where a school bus driver was watching infants, despite not being a certified classroom teacher. That alone should raise serious red flags for any parent. Illness is also a recurring issue. Children are frequently sick, and it's clear why toys are not properly cleaned. They are simply put away and reused the next day. When concerns are raised, parents are met with nothing but excuses and deflection rather than accountability. This center puts on a polished front when it's time to enroll new families, but once you're in, the reality is very different. The fact that they continue enrolling children despite being severely understaffed speaks volumes. It is evident that profit is being prioritized over safety, staffing, and basic care standards. Let's not mention the treatment of the kids. Being left to cry in their cribs and you can't really blame all of the teachers there are maybe two good ones! But when they are overwhelmed and have way too many infants it's only but so much they can do. The staff to child ratio is never right which is a complete violation! I have also had former employees confide in me about the treatment they experienced while working here, which only further confirmed my concerns. At the end of the day, all I can say is this: don't let the reviews or the director fool you. What you're promised is not what you get. Unfortunately, many parents don't realize this until they've already enrolled. I'm already expecting a response filled with excuses and a complete lack of accountability, because that is the pattern here. This is exactly how concerns are handled nothing ever gets fixed. Parents are met with excuse after excuse, denial, and deflection instead of real solutions or meaningful change! This also appears to be a broader pattern across multiple Children of America locations, not just this one. When the focus becomes how many children can be enrolled rather than staffing appropriately, maintaining safety standards, and having a genuine interest in the well-being of the children, these issues are bound to happen. Unfortunately, that seems to be exactly what's going on here! Everything feels like a front for parents. The director is known for minimizing concerns, downplaying serious issues, and attempting to "smooth things over" to save face rather than actually addressing the root of the problems. Safety concerns are brushed aside, staffing shortages are normalized, and accountability is avoided all in the name of maintaining enrollment numbers.