Overall happy with the care my child receives. We have been with this school since it's opening and have watched it grow from a childcare center with 2 kids to being a center with lots and lots of kids. Staff has always been very friendly, however they do seem to be overwhelmed with a lot of kids which does bring some safety concerns. I feel the complaints I have would come with any childcare center of this size and they are doing the best that they can. The building is very clean and whenever there are questionable smells, they take care of it very quickly. It's nice to have access to the camera in the room my child is in so I can keep an eye on her and the photo and message updates throughout her day there. We have had some issues with communication regarding payments, but I believe it was due to staff changes at the time, and they fixed the issue and cleared up the situation as soon as I brought it to their attention. It's also really helpful to have the option for drop-in and before/after school care where Gilden Woods' bus takes my kiddo to and from school. Costs are comparable to other daycares of it's size in the area. Overall happy with Gilden Woods and though it's not perfect, they seem to strive to improve everyday and listen to parent's concerns. read more

I'm leaving this review because of serious concerns about child safety at this school. English is not my first language, so please excuse any awkward phrasing. Classroom change without parental consent About three weeks after my child started, I noticed on the live camera that my child had been moved to a different classroom. I was never notified or asked for consent. I only found out after contacting the school myself. The explanation I was given was that the original class was over capacity. For a young child with speech delays, being moved to an unfamiliar room without discussion was very concerning to us from a safety and supervision standpoint. Hygiene decision made without consent My child is fully potty trained and wears underwear. Despite this, my child was placed in a diaper underneath the underwear for the entire day without our consent. This is not something my child normally uses and it led to clear physical discomfort, including redness and irritation. When I contacted the director, I was told that a different teacher may have assumed a diaper was needed for nap time. Given my child's routine and history, this explanation did not make sense to us. Lack of intervention and no access to past footage I personally witnessed my child being pushed multiple times while a teacher was present, but there was no immediate intervention. When I later asked if video footage could be reviewed to understand what had happened, the director told me, "We only have live camera access and cannot pull up previous footage." This made it very difficult to follow up on safety concerns as a parent. After these issues continued, we decided to withdraw our child. We requested incident reports several times and only received documentation later. Some of the information did not match what we had previously been told, which further affected our trust. Child safety should never be treated as secondary. Based on our experience, families--especially those with children who are not yet able to communicate well--should think carefully before choosing this school. read more

I spent about two weeks helping with daily drop-off and pick-up for a child in my care, which gave me the opportunity to observe the school environment during those times. The facility appeared generally clean and organized. During drop-off and pick-up, I occasionally noticed children crying without immediate attention and also observed a child with a visible injury. These moments stood out to me given how busy and important these transition times can be. I believe the staff members were doing their best under the circumstances. At the same time, from an observer's perspective, it felt that clearer follow-up and communication with parents could be helpful when similar situations arise. I also felt there were areas of concern related to overall supervision and child safety during these peak times. I'm sharing this to encourage parents to take a few moments during drop-off and pick-up to observe the environment and interactions. Even brief observations can be helpful when making decisions. read more

Overall I think the daycare is great. All of the staff are kind and have a calm demeanor about them. Every room is clean and organized and the meals and snacks they provide are healthy and a great variety. The app shows how long they nap and how much they ate which is nice to see. The cameras are definitely helpful for parents like me that struggle with parent guilt and want to make sure their little one is doing ok. My only observation is that when I drop off- I wish there was a bit more of a welcoming for the kids coming in. Staff always acknowledge us and are nice, however something as simple as showing enthusiasm and greeting with something like- "Good morning ______ it's so nice to see you today, which table/activity would you like to start with ?" -Can help tremendously for transitioning and goodbyes. I try to allow for enough time that I can get my kiddos in a happy place before I leave them for work but there have been days when I've had to leave them crying at the door and it stinks. When I watch my kids on the camera and also when I've been in the room and seen other kids emotional about their parents leaving, I've noticed that the staff don't really engage in those moments. My son sat by the door crying for about 15 minutes without being approached, consoled or encouraged to play or redirected. I've noticed this with other kiddos while I was still in the classroom saying goodbyes to my own kids as well. Overall though my kids seem to enjoy it and it's nice seeing videos of their activities and daily happenings. The center has support services for speech and OT which is amazing to have in the same space without having to make outside appointments. They offer transportation to a couple of the surrounding elementary schools which again- is incredibly helpful for parents to have. It's relatively new and the staff and organization really seem to be on top of the major points that you look for in quality care. read more