Let me just start off by saying that my initial review of this center would have been much different than it is today. So much has changed since I enrolled my little one at DHLC in the summer, and it has been for the absolute worse. When I initially enrolled my child there the teachers in the infant room were outstanding and the director was phenomenal. There was a certain measure of professionalism throughout the entire center. Prior to enrolling I visited all of the classrooms, and for the most part I was very impressed by the teachers and the work I saw going on in their classrooms. I was especially impressed with the infant room, which was where my little one started, because both teachers had been there quite some time (which I'm starting to realize is rare in childcare). There were activities for the little ones to get involved like art, outdoor play, and I also noticed the teachers constantly working with the little ones with tummy time, fine and gross motor skills. There was never an issue with my child being changed or fed late. The teachers followed the feeding schedule just as I had written it and made suggestions when necessary. Mrs. Savinia and Mrs. Veniece were awesome. Even when my child moved up to the other side of the room I had no worries because the teacher was just as professional and organized as the previous teachers. You could tell all of these ladies had a real passion for working with children. But slowly, one by one all of those teachers left the center and I can see why.
Since my little one has been there the center is now working on it's 3rd director since June, and she is hideous! Initially I thought the change would be good for the school. She seemed very pleasant and extremely professional, however I quickly learned that she would turn the school into a zoo! One major difference I noticed was the changes in my child's classroom. The room is so chaotic now because they moved all the children who were on one side of the infant room (that was more spacious), and crammed them all onto the other smaller side of the room. Her logic? She said she wants to fill both sides of the infant room up (because there's a half wall) with 16 children total. Can you imagine? 16 infants in one classroom! Even with a half wall that room is going to be so chaotic and it has already started. I've spoken with several of the other parents and some of their children have missed feedings, bottles have been misplaced, children have practically no room to crawl or play, its just a total disaster. Several of them have spoken with the new director Margie Kelly and basically they all have said the same thing, she says what she thinks they want to hear with no real action plan to fix the issue.
The teachers who most recently worked in that room with my little one were awesome! However they too have recently quit due to all of the new changes and the chaos in the room and their replacements are less than comparable. You can just tell the overall professionalism of that room has gone down, primarily because of the quality teachers leaving, but also the room itself along with the rest of the building just looks old and not well kept. The toys in the room look old and not well kept, they are also NOT age appropriate, and the carpets are filthy. If I was a new parent looking for a center to send my child this is not it! I know the amount of centers in the area are very limited, and this center is actually one of the more decent ones in the area compared to the others. However I can no longer allow my child to stay there, even if it means driving an extra 20-30 min out of the way. I am currently in the process of visiting different centers and hope to pull my child out VERY soon. Stay away from DHLC. It is not worth the money and the quality has definitely diminished. read more