We loved our time at Safari. We started taking my son when he was 7 months. We unfortunately had to leave because of a job/location change. For a family who's never had to leave our son with "strangers" , we had a few bumps and uncertainty as we settled into a routine and they learned about our son. But I'm sure it's that way anywhere. Sure enough, Safari became a second home for our son where he was cared for and loved by not only his teachers but all the staff. At Safari, they care. They get to know your child, they know them all by name. Kathy is phenomenal, she is so involved, and understands. You can always bring a concern to any of the ladies up front and they will listen and help. As a teacher, they worked with my schedule in a way no other center does. Wendy, Rebecca and Sedona are so wonderful in Joeys. Thank you ladies. If you need a daycare/learning center for your child, I would highly recommend Children's Safari. read more

I have been a teacher for 30+ years. I substitute taught at this scho twice. I received a five star rating both times. The second time a staff member spoke very rudely, inappropriately, and unprofessional. She did this in front of other staff, some of the children, and the parents . When I complained, I was told I was no longer allowed to take shifts at this school. read more

Safari review This review is split into 2 parts and may be a bit confusing but I feel only right to say both sides of my experience for future parents. My daughter has been coming here for 2.5 years and for the most part has had a great time. She's made some friends and the teachers have almost all been great. Her current teacher Ms Andrea is so great, easy to talk to and is great with the class.My daughter likes going to school and has fun which is the main thing. So thank you to her teachers. However when we put my 2yr old in it did not go as planned. I spoke to about 5 different teachers the weeks leading up to him starting about him needing help on the toilet as he was still new to going to the bathroom as he literally just turned 2 the month before. they all told me "yeah sure, we can help him" "no problem" "that's awesome that he's in underwear,makes my life easier". Needless to say, each day he peed on his pants while sitting on the toilet (never an accident, always when sat on the toilet) Over the 5 days I spoke to 7 different teachers at pickup (which is a problem in itself) about him needing help pushing it down to pee, all said "ohhh I didn't know, I'll help next time" day 5 came and we'd had enough, my son was crying his eyes out at pick up, in a pull up (clothes were in his backpack). I asked the teacher in there if she helped him and she said " I just watched him". We were told from the director that she'd message everyone about helping him, and they will do hand over hand so no one was physically touching him (which I get, that's what I did in my old day care for 5 years In the potty training room),then on the drive home, 5 minutes later, they phoned to say no one would be helping him as the bathroom had no cameras, the room would be out of ratio and they just couldn't help. If I'd have been told that before starting him I would have waited until he was more confident going alone. It's such a shame that it happened as my daughter had a great time and her teachers I've encounter there were good. Ms Sarah, Ms Jessica, Mr Chris, Mr Aaron and again Ms Andrea, were all great, they get 5 Stars. Since I found this school by looking at reviews, my advice would be if you have a kid who can go to the bathroom alone, then go, but I would not go if you have a child needing help in the bathroom/not potty trained yet. read more

I cannot say enough great things about this sweet school. My kids LOVE going there, which makes leaving them so much easier! Ms. Eldonna & Ms. Kathy greet my girls & son with a big "Good morning" every day & they make my kids feel so welcomed, which means so much to me. The teachers are fantastic, too! They work so hard creating great lesson plans & they make learning fun. I really feel they are helping to set them up for success when they enter Kindergarten. Thank you! read more

I've had my children here going in 3 years. Started when my oldest daughter was almost 2. Then enrolled my twins at 6 months old. My kids are now 4 and twins turn 2 next month. I was dropped from this daycare today because I saw video footage of the teacher Raquel (Monkeys room, 2 year old class room) grab my daughter violently to try and get food out of her mouth. She squeezed her cheeks 3 different times, JOLTING her body to try to get food out of her mouth. Because she left a muffin on a low counter ANY ONE OF THE KIDS in the classroom could've gotten to. She squeezed her cheeks so hard she left bruises. I attempted to get an incident report from the daycare, and received it 7 DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. I called the police to file child abuse charges where the police officers watched the footage and told me she was rough with her and could've been more gentle, but because she had a reason to do what she did, no charges would be filed. (She was worried about allergies even though everyone knows what allergies all of my children have- it's posted on A HUGE MESSAGE BOARD IN THE CLASSROOM RIGHT WHERE SHE LAYED HER HANDS ON MY CHILD AND STUCK HER FINGER IN HER MOUTH 3 separate times with NO GLOVES ON. I 100000% do NOT recommend this daycare. The director and owner took the teachers side rather than fire her and protect future and current kids in that woman's class room. Do not send your kids here or they have the chance of experiencing this horrible situation I went through. Again, I 100% do NOT recommend this daycare. Look elsewhere if you want your babies to be loved and not treated and touched inappropriately. read more

Children's safari has been wonderful. I had anxiety about putting my 3 month old in daycare when I went back to work, but children's safari has been a great experience so far. They follow whatever recommended schedule I prefer for her and give me updates throughout the day. My daughter is always excited to see Katie and Sedona and gives a huge smile when we drop her off/pick her up. It means the world to me that she is very well taken care of and that the staff are so personable and attentive. I also appreciate their flexibility. We are able to have our daughter at the daycare part-time. Many daycares only allow full-time. In additions, my daughter has not home home with any illness/etc and she has been there 5 months. This facility is very clean! read more

They let a kid in with Hand,foot,and mouth;and then I get a call saying my daughter had it.Then I get a text from the director saying that is my child's last day for no reason.The assistant director Stephan was telling the director false information.And the director pretty much said that she doesn't want to deal with me anymore,So she said my daughter couldn't go to the center anymore.So if u want drama pick this daycare. read more

Clean, safe environment. Great security system, although no option of viewing classroom remotely(for other children's privacy). Organized, friendly, compassionate staff and flexible with my husband's class schedule. Auto pay option is convenient or you can pay in person. The sign in computer system (scans fingerprint/asks for code) gives you alerts such as payments due. A newsletter, artwork, and a daily update sheet are sent home. They are also cloth diaper friendly, which rocks! Children are actually sent home when ill and I liked how they would keep lights off and provide soft toys while other children were still sleeping during nap time. We thought that providing our own food would be a pain, but it truly was not problematic. In fact, it was preferable for us so we could give him food of our choice, based on our son's diet and preferences. The center is quite affordable, too. My employer used The Employment Network, which have a 5% discount and waived enrollment fee. See if your employer has a discount. When a long-time teacher left(loved Miss Pat!), there was a bit of a communication lapse with the gals in the room and my 2-year-old only had his diaper changed once that day. They let me know the mistake and apologized and it never happened again. Honestly, this is the only negative (one-time) concern that we had. He was bitten by another child once but they let us know immediately. Other than that, we felt strongly that our son was safe, treated with love and that staff is professional and held accountable. I always witnessed staff interaction with the kiddos and my son loved going here. When we would drop him, the kids would do a group hug. So cute! If I need to go back to work, we would bring him back here in a heartbeat. read more

Children's Safari Learning Center - Sample monthly theme sheet they hang outside the door. - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

See all

I love this facility so much. My daughter started there when she was 1.5 years old, she is 2.5 now. They are so nice and supportive. Miss Stacy was so sweet to her when she first started. When she moved up to the monkey classroom, the teachers there were so good about supporting her potty training! My daughter always says, "go see miss tammy!". She loves her so much haha. Miss Sierra is also a really sweet and good advice giving teacher too. I highly recommend this facility to anyone who has no idea how to go about this whole daycare thing lol, they make it so easy! Great communication!! Miss Kathy responds to my emails very quickly and I just really appreciate that so much. read more

We have been at Safari Learning for about a year and a half and we just came back from 6 months off due to COVID. The kids are so excited to be back and they are loving it. They are loving seeing their old friends. Miss Kathy and crew have a really thorough COVID-19 cleaning protocol with temperature checks and daily deep cleaning. The kids wash hands in and out and throughout the day. My wife and I feel very safe and confident that the measures are keeping us all safe. The staff are wearing masks and the parents as well. We are glad to be back and feel safe and the kiddos are very engaged. THANK YOU Safari Learning for your dedication to providing the best for your kids! read more

Children's Safari has been the best fit for our family for child care. They take their time to teach children even when they are infants. My son has learned so much being at the center. I have never felt uncomfortable and I know he is well taken care of by each and every teacher. The Director Miss Kathy is amazing! She knows everyone's names which shows how much they care about the children and their families. I would recommend this learning center to anyone! They have also been great during COVID and taken so many precautions for health and safety while still remaining open for working parents. I can't thank Children's Safari enough! read more

I love this daycare and have for years! Kathy and her front office staff are great! Always so welcoming and sweet! The teachers are all very sweet as well and caring with the kids! When you walk in, the place looks and smells CLEAN! Kathy continues to maintain HIGH standards for her center in all areas and now with Covid, she has a very strict cleaning and safety protocol which is comforting. Thanks to them staying open with these strict policies, I was able to keep my job during the economic shut down. You can tell there are no short cuts when it comes to cleanliness, safety and education at this center! My now 12 year old son went to this center from age 2 and graduated preschool from there! My now 6 year old also graduated preschool from this center in August and my now 3 month old who currently attends will also graduate from there in 5 years! In all of the years I have been bringing my children to this center, I have NEVER had any issues (even when I am running a little late lol). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! read more

Everything was great for awhile until my daughter informs me that the teacher was putting the blanket over her head at nap time. I talked to the director and felt dismissed ,but she said she'd look into it etc. Well my daughter said it kept happening after I was told that it wasn't by the director. Few months later my daughter was MOLESTED by another child in her class DURING NAP TIME! The little boy made her touch his private parts and touched hers. I brought this to the directors (Kathy) attention and she did not handle the situation what so ever. Not once did she ask how mu daughter was . Just "I'll talk to the teacher , is she coming in today" I told her "no she won't be coming back and I will be contacting mesa police department and the state" . I do understand you cannot prosecute a little kid but what if he's being molested at home. Only positive thing I would have to say about this place would be that Miss.Cookie was AMAZING andmu daughter learned A LOT in her class . Kathy did not follow up with me about the situation. She acted as if my daughter never went there. Not to mention anyone has open access to the lobby which isn't safe. This place is a JOKE! read more

It was our one-year-old son's first time in daycare. He had been spoiled by being held whenever he wanted and rocked to sleep by his grandparents, while we worked, since he was 6 weeks old. (and spoiled by mama on the weekends!) Five days per week was getting too hard on his grandparents since he became mobile so we began looking for part-time childcare to help out a couple days per week. I was a ball of anxiety over it all. How could I trust someone with my little boy? He couldn't even talk to tell me how his day was yet. He had the worst stranger anxiety and what if he spent the whole day crying? These are all thoughts that went through my mind over and over... normal for an overprotective mom, right? We toured every facility in the area, beginning with this one.. and my mind was made up the second I walked in the door. Everyone was so nice, caring, and attentive to the children. The child/teacher ratio was the best I've seen.. and I work for the city so I like to think I've seen it all.. Fast forward to my son's first day.. I won't lie, it was rocky at the end. It was nap time that set him off. But never once was I unsure of Mrs. Stacy. I knew my son was safe and in good hands. Second day? It was smooth as butter. Mrs. Stacy, among the other teachers who crossed paths with my son that day, were AMAZING. I received numerous pictures of him throughout the day--having fun, being creative, and SMILING! One of these amazing teachers even got him down for nap time.. on his cot! By himself! This is something I've tried to do since I realized I was creating a habit of cosleeping while nursing him to sleep. I've tried everything to get him comfy with sleeping by himself --yet these amazing ladies got him to do it on day 2. I trust these ladies, and that means everything when leaving your baby with someone. I truly feel confident to go through my day at work knowing that my son is being well-cared for. Thank you to everyone here! read more

Excellent institution with a knowledgeable and caring staff. The center has both indoor and secure outdoor activities for the children.

My granddaughter attends here & she just loves it. There is daily activities that teach & challenge the kids, there's a lot of interaction with other children & staff, the parents are kept informed throughout the day and the staff are very personable & attentive. read more

This review is LONG overdue. Children's Safari was absolutely perfect for our kids. Kathy (owner) was so good to us along with the rest of the staff. We never had a problem there. Always available to talk with us about anything needed. Very accommodating regarding our needs for adding our little ones last sec for child care on certain non scheduled days. Very informative about the activities of the day. Always welcoming and polite and professional. So glad we made the decision to send our two boys to Children's Safari for the years we did. Had our oldest there for three years and our youngest was there from an infant to five years old. Thank you!! We love you Children's Safari! read more

We have been enrolled at this center for over 2 years with two children. This was where we landed after being in 2 other daycare centers that were dirty, wouldn't keep to the state ratios, or wouldn't show up or open on time. We love it here! Finally a place that has a schedule and actually follows it. Refreshing to see ratios being enforced at ALL times. I've watched rooms and toys being cleaned and wiped EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, and clean laundry being replenished EVERY SINGLE MORNING. Every question or concern that I have expressed was handled with care and followed up on EVERY SINGLE TIME. My expressed concerns have never felt minimized or not important, the communication between staff members and staff to parents can't be beat. I know I will forget some but Mrs. Wendy, Miss Rebecca, Mrs. Val, Miss Sarah Crumby, Mrs. Tammy, Miss Camryn, Miss Jessica, Miss Cat, Miss Erica, Mrs. Pam have given love and met my children's individual needs and requests without hesitation. I've never heard any gossip or back biting amongst this group of women. Things only need to be asked once and you will never have to repeat yourself again, they listen, they care. Lastly, Kathy, director and owner, runs a tight ship and a well oiled machine. I have never seen a more hands-on business owner, this lady is always working and I have seen her jump in for her staff when they couldn't. She is approachable, friendly and professional. Most of all my kids love it here! read more

We really like this daycare and always have felt that it was clean and safe. They work great with my schedule and I appreciate the days I don't get charged for. My only concerns are that when my child entered the 12-18 month room I often find my child with a FULL diaper and is always getting sick or getting some sort of rash. Mind you, we did not have this trouble previously. I feel that kiddos are still allowed in when they are very obviously sick, causing other kiddos to continually get sick. I wish that rule was enforced a little more. Also, it seems as the rooms are way to full for teachers to handle. Also, although they say that kids are given water as often as they want, my childs' sippy is always full at the end of they day. Makes me wonder if the water is ever offered or if my child is going all day with out a drink. read more

My son has been going here for just about 1 year now. He started when he was 6 weeks old. As he was our first child, we were definitely nervous about leaving him with strangers. We immediately were relieved with the amount of professionalism and personal care that our son received from each teacher. He absolutely loves them. We can't thank Kathy and Wendy enough for not only making it easy on us, but really taking care of and loving our son. I highly recommend this place to all working parents! read more

The school is painted in a dark, depressing green, with green, brown floors. No colors, no light...very scary to a child. The smell of dirty diapers was OVER WHELMING. I observed a teacher who knew I was watching her take care of 8 little kids on her own and she literally spent her time pulling toys out of their hands and walking around with a scowl on her face. It was dirty, smelly and depressing. I felt bad leaving the poor children behind when I left. read more

Safari children s center is the worst!!! They wouldn't feed my child lunch because they didn't like what I brought her (it took 2 min. to heat up, which is the maximum time their policy states they will heat food up for). Their staff, specifically the front office staff are incredibly rude and act like they HATE working there. Save yourself and your child and go to Kindercare OR ANYWHERE else!!! read more

My child has been going there since he 2. I have not have one complaint with the staff there. They have taken such good care of my child! Highly recommend this daycare. read more

I usually don't ever post reviews on this because I think it's usually just people whining and complaining but I just had to post about my experience at children's safari. One of my friends took her kids here and just raved about the place so I thought I would take my 15 month old daughter there. It started off really good but then it just went downhill from there. I would pick my child up every day and her face would just be covered in snot. I mean all over her face. I said something about it but it didn't change. My daughter was always starving every time I picked her up. I over backed food for her to make sure she got enough but it was clear that she wasn't eating like she should be. The last thing is that they said she was biting. My big issue is she doesn't bite at home and I'm not saying she wasn't biting but if you are aware that she is biting wouldn't u watch her more? I would dread picking up my child every day. Then they kicked her out!! She has been at another daycare for this past week and hasn't have any issue what so ever. No biting. She sleeps and she eats. I really like the owner Kathy but I think it comes down to not probably training the women that are in the class rooms to probably care for the kids. read more

I enrolled my son (3) 1 month ago. I just recently pulled him out. When he first started, he would cry when I left, which I expected. But it continued for the entire month and tears at drop off got worse. He wouldn't only cry but would literally cling to me. Because of the difficult drop offs, I would call and ask how he was doing and his teachers (who were very young and didn't seem happy to be there) would respond "fine" and that was all. I also thought it was weird that every time I dropped off or picked him up (which was at different times), it was "free play" and description for the days activities that were sent home always said "played", nothing else. He wouldn't come home and be tired and would stay up extremely late, as if he didn't burn off any energy at all. Artwork was never sent home.. also weird. Long story short, I don't believe this to be a learning center as I didn't see much or any learning.. only playing.. while teachers just sat around watching. Everything there was just drab. I felt like there was ZERO excitement from the staff about anything. My son is now enrolled somewhere else close by and on his first day at drop off, he shed NO tears and hasn't since he started. Kind of ironic. Just makes me wonder what was going on. I gave 2 stars because of the security system they offer and Kathy, the director, was nice. read more

Children's Safari is top notch. Their teacher-to-child ratios are lower than the state mandates, which is the number one reason I chose them to care for my son. Plus, Kathy (owner) and Pamela (director) really, really care about the children. They're nice, professional, attentive to detail, and pretty much all of the things you want in a daycare provider. The facility is new and impeccably clean. Everything is spot on. I just can't say enough good things about them.... read more

I would highly recommend sending your child to Children's Safari Learning Center. We have had several teachers and have been more than pleased with every single one. We will have to say that Ms. Pam is by far our favorite. Her patience is endless and I can tell that teaching children is definitely her passion. The office staff is very efficient and warmly greet us every day. It definitely wasn't the closest to our home but after research it has been completely worth the drive. One of the best decisions we made for our 3 year old since moving from California to Arizona. read more

I love these guys and this place. The staff are friendly and warm. The facility is secure and someone is always at the front desk to keep an eye out. The owner, Kathy, is there everyday for most of the day which demonstrates a commitment to the overall excellence and success of the center. It is clean and you pack food for your child, allowing you to control what is being eaten. But they also have some "potluck" events where all the kid share (all green foods for St. Patrick's Day, picnic day in July). In my son's class, the teacher to child ratio is 1:5, which is checked-up on regularly as children arrive in the morning. I would (and have) highly recommend this day care to any parent looking. I feel very comfortable and confident leaving my son here, knowing that all the staff are looking out for him. read more

I took my daughter to Children's Safari for a few months. She cried at(which is normal) and eventually it stopped, and she seemed happy and loved going there. She used to tell me that one little girl was her best friend and at one point or another at least 1 boy in the class was her boyfriend. She was 2, she is now 3. I give CSLC a 2 star rating, because I love Kathy the owner, she is wonderful, but after my daughter had been going there for a few months, she ended up busting her head open on the corner of the wall, and I was told she was leaning her chair back. I felt like something wasn't right after that. I asked for MULTIPLE explanations and I did not press charges on the daycare because my daughter didn't need to be rushed to the hospital, and she was taken care of pretty well by Ms. Kathy but I feel like there was something that was covered up or some truth that was not relayed to me. Whether Ms. Kathy knew or not, I am not sure, but it seemed weird after that, like they were hiding something. I also noticed my daughter would bring A LOT of food back home like she wasn't eating, and her nose was ALWAYS snotty when I picked her up. I also asked for them to take her potty with the other kids in her class that were training and sometimes they would take her but most times they did not. I gave them the rating I gave them because I didn't hate bringing my daughter there until AFTER she got hurt. I know that CSLC will know who I am when they read this, and I hope there are no hard feelings, but I just feel like it needs to be said. Not to mention, in the classroom next to my daughter's I would ALWAYS here a "teacher" yelling at child to stop crying and screaming. It was so loud I could hear it in the hallway, it made me nervous, especially because these kids were two. read more

We love Children's Safari. With the cost of childcare being so high it is important to us that our children are given a great opportunity to learn and grow. All the teachers really care for the kids and do a great job. They are patient (our oldest daughter has an exceptional amount of energy). She was more than prepared for her kindergarten class. She has done so great after the Pre-K that we did not hesitate to enroll our new baby. Highly recommend to anyone looking for childcare. A great touch is all of the cute crafts the make with hands and feet. We love sharing these with grandparents. read more

I highly recommend Children's Safari Learning center! I spent months searching and visiting many different facilities to find just the right center to take my daughter. Children's Safari was the best one I found by far! I work long hours, had many fears and anxiety but when I went into this location and talked with Kathy (the director) and some of the teachers. Let me just tell you, I had so much relief and comfort that I had finally found the right place! That day I paid the registration fee and started my little one the following week. I started my daughter here when she was 8 months old and now she is working on being 3 years old and she truly loves it here. My daughter looks forward to going to "school" to see her friends and the staff! Children's Safari has been a complete blessing for myself and my daughter! If you are looking for a peaceful loving environment, with a wonderful director and awesome teachers, clean and safe facility that your child/children will ENJOY learning and socializing then CHILDREN'S SAFARI LEARNING CENTER is the place for you and your family! read more

Just wanted to update on Children's Safari. I took my son out of daycare because I had left my job so I didn't need it anymore. Well when I went to re-enroll my son the daycare was full at the moment. So I had to take my son to another daycare that was affordable. I found one in Chandler, and it was the same price range. I had called other places, and they were WAY more expensive than Children's Safari. The one I found in Chandler was about the same price as Children's Safari. This daycare in Chandler provided lunch, and you didn't have to pay when your child was out sick. I thought it was going to be great. WRONG. My son was in there two days and I vowed to never take him back. The teachers would yell at the children (in front of me and other parents so who knows how they were after I left), were rude, and there was no security system in place. When I got there peoples' information were sitting on the desk in a folder with social security, contact, address information, etc. I was mortified. Anyone could just walk in and enter any of the classrooms. Thank GOD, I got a call that Children's Safari had an opening when I took him out of the Chandler place. I was BEYOND relieved. Kathy provides a CLEAN environment, I have NEVER seen any questionable behavior by any of the teachers, it smells great (the other places I toured had a horrible old smell to it), and you can't get through the front door to the classrooms without a fingerprint and password. I truly don't think you can find a better daycare. Please try this daycare out. You won't regret it. read more

I was definitely impressed with the "newness" of everything and the state of the art security, but that couldnt outweigh the fact that this school missed something in doing background checks on employees. My kids had been enrolled 2 days a week for a few months, and were still crying everytime I dropped them off. One time after they were picked up from a day here they got in the car and kept telling us that of the teachers smacked one of them. I of course, called the owner and confronted her about this, the next day 3 teachers had been fired. My kids obviously no longer attend this daycare. When I drop my kids off, I need to know that the people I am entrusting them with have the patience and hearts to deal with normal pre-school age behaviour. This school did not. Cleanliness and security and mute points if the people watching your kids are the ones causing damage. Check out other places and dont be fooled by the pretty building! read more