Don't let the big center, multiple locations, and low(er) tuition rates fool you, Jacob Academy is not what it used to be and I would highly recommend looking elsewhere for childcare. I used to recommend them to new parents, neighbors, everyone. Now I do the opposite. Reviews you find that are more than 2-3 years old don't represent the current state of things, particularly at the Glennon Heights (formerly Jewel) location.
Do you want a place where teachers are trained to work with kids? You won't find that here. A good majority of the teachers either aren't familiar with child development, don't enjoy working with kids, and/or act as if they don't like their jobs. From saying inappropriate things to kids or not meeting their needs, the interactions between the teachers and kids leave A LOT to be desired.
Are you ready for a revolving door of teachers? That's what you can expect here. Not only do teachers change constantly, the leadership team doesn't communicate any of it with parents. Walk in one afternoon and see a teacher, who doesn't introduce themselves (and doesn't wear their name tag) and can't tell you how your child's day went, walk in the next afternoon and see someone else. Is turnover generally high in childcare... yup, but Jacob Academy has next-level turnover; in our last 4 months there, our child had at least 5 different "regular" teachers plus at least 4 more "rotating" teachers of which we were aware. When kids are constantly getting to know new staff, they likely aren't learning as much as they could be learning.
Is communication with your childcare provider important to you? You'll be disappointed with what you experience at Jacob. Between the high turnover, poor training, and perhaps not understanding or appreciating the importance of good communication, you'll be hard pressed to know what your child did all day. Want to discuss ways teachers can better support your kid? Don't count on the teachers to pass along information with each other or even leadership checking in with families and teachers to make sure everyone is on the same page. That leaves the communication all to parents, but with the constant turnover, it's difficult to talk to every teacher with whom your child interacts. Transitions, from an organization level, to changing classrooms, even where your child is in the building/playground during pickup, are not fully communicated and often not well planned.
Feel the need to advocate for your child? Ask questions? Provide feedback? Don't do it too much. Leadership will treat you as the problem and go so far as avoid speaking with you. Leadership is not interested in changing anything. Even as families leave because they are unhappy (of which we know many), leadership does nothing. They don't even ask families WHY they are leaving. When you have no interest or turn a blind eye to processes and practices that should improve, that is problematic.
There are a few teachers who are truly wonderful with the children and care about the relationships they build with families. They are the exception rather than the rule. In my opinion, they are too good to work here and I hope they find a setting where they are appreciated.
There ARE childcare settings in the area that understand how imperative it is to communicate well with families, who invest in their staff by providing training, and who have tenured staff not just there for a paycheck. Jacob Academy is NOT that place. read more
