I would not recommend this UPK program based on our experience. I truly feel that their UPK…read moreprivileges should be removed, given that it is a state run program. After requesting an evaluation through the Clarence Central School District due to concerns about how our child was being treated, we noticed a significant shift in how staff interacted with him. He began receiving multiple incident reports for very minor, age-typical behaviors (tapping a pencil on his arm, lightly poking his arm, rubbing an object on his leg). Instead of being redirected, he was repeatedly removed from the classroom and sent to the office. In one week alone, he was made to sit alone at lunch 4 out of 5 days for things like: * Crushing a few fruit loops instead of using it for an activity * Calling a classmate "bucko" * Making noises/tapping his foot * Pretend play with Legos He was also disciplined for pretending to "arrest" a friend during play. Additionally, nearly every day at pickup, staff would go over negative behaviors in front of our child often for very minor issues, rather than discussing them privately. This was extremely discouraging and, over time, clearly impacted how he viewed himself at school. Staff described him as "sweet," "kind," and "non-violent," which made what happened next especially concerning. We received a call claiming he had "punched 8 kids in a row" and needed to be picked up immediately. When we later reviewed the video (we have the footage), it appeared he was lightly tapping other children, almost as if counting, not acting aggressively. We absolutely understand that keeping hands to himself is something to learn, but the situation was escalated far beyond what seemed appropriate. While, my husband was at the school reviewing the footage Mary Beth can be heard in the video he recorded that she nor the teacher reviewed the footage after the incident they just assumed his guilt. They repeatedly told him he hit other kids until he admitted it and started to believe he did (which he didn't). Rather than an apology from Mary Beth after reviewing the video, she chose to tell us he was no longer welcome at Little Red School House. Other concerning moments: * I personally witnessed a teacher say "ugh, not you again" to him and take a utensil out of his hand in a rough manner * He came home saying a teacher used inappropriate language * An incident initially described as "spitting in a teacher's face" was later clarified by the teacher as accidental blowing a "raspberry" Most concerning was the emotional impact. Our child began saying:"I'm a bad kid at school,""The teachers don't like me,""They yell at me all the time,"and described Mary Beth as "scary." Additionally, professionals we consulted with described the program's approach as feeling more like a "boot camp" environment for young children, which we found very concerning for a UPK setting. At 4 years old, children need guidance, patience, and redirection not repeated removal, isolation, and labeling. Every child is different, but based on our experience, this environment felt overly harsh and not developmentally appropriate. Families should be aware and ask detailed questions about how behavior is handled before enrolling.

The school is incredible and my child is way ahead of other kids her age. The owners and workers…read moreare all fantastic people. The teachers are great and my daughter loves them. Field trips are fun. Progress reports are very insightful and provide great feedback and learning opportunities. Great way for our child to also make friends her age who she often runs into at the pool, playground, or kids events.

My three year old son was very hesitant and shy, and would cry almost every day at drop off. From…read morethe very start, his teachers were there to comfort him and help him through his day. A couple weeks in, I watched as my son walked away from me in tears and went right into the arms of his teacher. While I was sad to see him upset, my heart exploded when I saw how much he loved and trusted his teacher to make him feel better. I have seen nothing but kindness, love and patience from the teachers and staff at Carousel. Their communication, willingness to treat each individual family with attention and care, and their welcoming classrooms make it an amazing place to care for your babies. I cannot be happier with my experience, and I am so sad that we will have to say goodbye soon!

Always remember that the review of anything depends upon your expectations and how much it meets…read more!!!! This school was recommended by my friend .She has her both the kids enrolled there. One older child for after school or during the breaks. Here is what i found . I know i know , you want to scroll down to see which line meets your expectations :) 1) Full day care , awesome, clean, great location, friendly staff, playground ! 2) Need 2 1/2 hr program? yes ! 9 30 - 12 for $25.00 3) Great teachers... Again, its based upon your child's needs and my son never cried here as he cried a lot in previous center so you never know! 4) Flexible flexible : just give them an advance notice and if they have space they will adjust you or switch you from regular time & day. I usually need this when i have to volunteer at my older child's school. 5) Dance/Gym/ Karate: Yes 6) Price: same as other day cares, reasonable. Though there are cheaper ones than this too. 7) Transportation: No link to transportation for after school from other elementary schools. Your own! 8) UPK: Not available as they have their own 2 1/2 hr program. 9) Teaching or learning activities: They keep the kids happy and engaged in various activities. They enforce teaching and learning through various methods but most important difference that i found here from previous place is that they pay special attention to details of each child's behavior. If my son doesn't listen, they make him listen. Previous center they didn't make him sit or listen even if he wandered or walked away from circle time or karate. 10) Technology: No Hi-Fi sci-fi stuff. Simple password entry. Its more like you can think that "the world was much better when apple and blackberries were just fruits". meaning that there was more human touch and emotional bonding. Overall for me it works great... Good luck! :)

Both my kids have been going there for years. Mrs. Jean and Mr. Dale run a great program. Staff is…read morereally nice. Daughter went here for pre-k and was well prepared for kindergarten. Highly recommend.

Please do not send your children here or work there . They are mean and rude to the employees that…read morethey have and sometimes the kids that are in the daycare.

I talked to the daycare director (Erica Hall) on 5th March to enquire about the availability and…read morethey confirmed to have full time slot available for my 22-month-old son. They scheduled a facility tour on 7th March (Thursday) 4.00PM and I went for the same. During the tour the staff (Not Erica) gave me the application packet for the admission. I completed the application and submitted the application in-person to Erica Hall (Director) on 8th March (Friday) 4.00pm. I asked her whether my son can start his first day from 18th March. She said she will review the application and get back to me. The following week, 12th March I sent the medical statement obtained from my son's pediatrician via email and asked about the start date. I called daily to follow up in that week. But the response was definitely different after I submitted the application in -person. I even asked her to provide me a tentative start date on 13th March, to apply for childcare assistance program (CCAP), and she said she will complete the form and send it to me next day (14th march) with expected start date for my son. I called few times on Thursday, and I got no proper response. I called again on Friday (15th March) to enquire about the form. That time her (Erica) response was totally different. Suddenly she told me there is no full-time availability for my son (Toddler). When I asked about her previous conversations about the availability, she changed the reason as 'Admission and security deposit fee was not paid". I reminded her that I was expecting for the confirmation from her to pay the fees. She simply said, "You didn't pay the fee and the slot was filled". I just asked why I was not informed about paying the fee, despite the fact that I called the office multiple times this week. When I asked, she mentioned that she left multiple voicemail messages which was a big lie. I did not get even one call or voicemail from her. I even asked if they have part time availability at least, as my wife' s job is at stake. But even she said they don't have any openings till 2025. Their response was changed drastically and giving multiple reasons for rejection. I expressed that, I felt like being discriminated. Later for my email she accused me of being disrespectful conversation. All I asked was why was I not informed about the fees; despite I called at least 5-6 times in that week. Later that day, I asked my friend to call them to ask for an availability for same 22-month-old boy, she (Erica) attended the call and told there is part time availability for Three days/week. She even asked our friend to come for facility tour Next Monday (18th March). This was shocking to hear. Further, she immediately responded to the request email rescheduling the tour to next day. But she did not respond to our Tuesday email till today. I really felt bad for my son. And I am very happy that our son was not learning things from them.

This place has gone downhill so quickly over the past year. Continuous teacher turnover with no…read morecommunication about allergies, conditions or potty training. New directors door is always closed. Has been overcharging families with over one week turnaround to get money back. We've been going there over five years and today I tried to complain to someone that it smelled like smoke through the entire facility and couldn't recognize a single teacher

From the owner: While learning is a large part of what we do, we also focus on your individual child and his or her…read morewell-being. At The Learning Garden, your child is more than just a student to us. They become part of our family. Our Mission is to enrich the quality of family life by providing peace of mind to parents and enhancing the life experiences of the children in our care. We strive to create a warm and welcoming environment so that children look forward to arriving each day.

The quality of service at this childcare center is not how it should be! The staff is very mean and…read morenasty towards each other and the children! They do not value the job and they don't show like they really love what they are doing, they are so angry!

From the owner: Child Care Center Infant and Toddler Care…read more Nursery School Preschool Kindergarten Readiness Program Afterschool Program Free Child Care and Pre-K For Qualified Parents Summer Program

Building itself is fine, small. The classrooms are a mess and don't have any organized toys or…read moresupplies to be used. The supply closet is a mess, along with the kitchen. They don't have a fridge in the kitchen. Next comes staff, the staff seems almost seemed like they were just "babysitting". Sitting on there phones, propping babies up with bottles, allowed infants under a year to sleep with blanket in crib. Another thing, the infant teacher was aggressive putting kids to sleep and handling them. Then said "sometimes you gotta be tough". Then came the end of the day, it was 4 and still very warm outside. The center closed at 6. The kids wanted to come back inside and they didn't allow them to come back in because the rooms were closed. Overall, this is defiantly not a place to send you children.

My daughter started a new job recently and due to her lack of planning skills she was not able to…read moreutilize her first choice in day care. Care A Lot Child Care Center agreed to take my youngest grandchild. I've seen this place for years and never much gave it a second thought other than it would not have been my first choice for child care. I must clarify in that the location does not thrill me and there is not a great deal of literature/advertising for this facility. Lily experienced her first day. Lily is somewhat difficult. Lily is not keen on eating or napping. Lily, after a rough ten minutes or so, LOVED this place!!! She has made friends - for real!!! - and she loves her teachers/care coordinators! She has tried new foods and likes them!!! SHE NOW NAPS!!! By choice!! She is also somewhat upset when she does not get to go to "daycare". I cannot say enough about how well this facility worked out. Clean, well organized and well staffed. Lily comes home happy every day! With a new 'do. Braiding, upsweep, she loves it. Minor point, she will not let anyone do her hair other than her "teachers" at Care A Lot. Again, minor issue however major kudos to the care people! Kindergarten is finishing for my eldest grandchild and she will also be off to Care A Lot for the summer.

Love them! Officially been with them for almost 6 months and I'm so glad of the choice we made!…read moreThey just updated the system and now have an app that allows me to check in to see what my baby is doing all day. New mom here and they've given me so much advice and information, I'm so thankful! All teachers are excellent!

my son has been attending this daycare for over a year now and I wouldn't have it any other way…read more He started at two years old and came home with knowledge of ABC's numbers. Colors he basically goes to preschool because they teach a lot there. I've never had a complaint or a problem with the staff or other parents. It's an all-around great facility.

My son has been going here since an infant and loves it here. Now he comes her after school and…read morealways has a smile when picking him up. Highly recommend.