Zero stars should be an option:
I'm writing this review to warn other parents about how minor employees are treated at this location.
My 17-year-old daughter worked here for nearly 3 months under the previous ownership with no issues. When new ownership took over in mid-October 2025, she was terminated less than 3 weeks later with minimal notice or clear communication.
What concerns me most:
1. Inappropriate language - In written communication with me (her parent), the owner referred to my daughter's coaching session as "horrible." This is a business centered on children's development, yet this is how they describe a minor employee's performance?
2. Lack of training and accountability - The owner admitted in writing that she "received very little records" when taking over, yet expected a 17-year-old high school student to navigate new systems, communication tools, and expectations in under 3 weeks - while preparing to graduate next month.
What's particularly concerning is the pattern of shifting blame and contradictory statements. The owner told my daughter directly that "it wasn't her fault" because she "hadn't been properly trained" - yet still terminated her and cited performance issues. So which is it? If my daughter wasn't properly trained (the owner's own admission), how is poor performance her fault?
Despite taking ownership only weeks prior and acknowledging she had inadequate records and training systems in place, the owner repeatedly placed responsibility on my teenage daughter - citing missed Slack messages, scheduling confusion, and performance issues. Rather than acknowledging that a brand new owner with incomplete records might need time to properly train and communicate with existing staff (especially minors), she chose to terminate a 17-year-old and frame it as the employee's fault.
This appears to be an attempt to cover herself legally while still blaming a minor for her own lack of leadership and training systems.
Taking over a business comes with responsibility - including properly onboarding yourself before holding teenage employees to standards you yourself haven't established yet.
Furthermore, blaming my daughter for calling in sick an hour before her shift is unreasonable. Emergencies happen, and expecting a 17-year-old to predict or prevent them is unfair and unprofessional.
3. Contradictory standards - The owner cited my daughter's "limited availability" as a concern, stating she wouldn't have hired a high schooler in the first place. Yet the business serves children ages 0-11 - many of whom are in school during the same hours. High school employees would seem ideal for after-school programming.
4. Hypocrisy - While critiquing my daughter's professionalism, the owner's own son (an employee) openly badmouthed the previous owner/his former boss in front of new hires. Apparently those standards don't apply equally.
5. Impact on a minor - My daughter cried after reading the owner's email. She's 17 years old, working her first job, and was called "horrible" in writing by an adult business owner.
For a business that claims to support children's growth and development, the irony of how they treat young employees is not lost on me.
I would caution parents before enrolling their children in programs here. If this is how the owner treats and speaks about young people in her employ, one has to question how she views and treats the children in her care.
To the owner: I anticipate you may respond to this review with justifications or explanations. Please understand that referring to a minor employee's work as "horrible" in writing, admitting she wasn't properly trained yet still terminating her, and shifting blame onto a 17-year-old for your lack of systems as a new owner is indefensible - regardless of how you choose to frame it. The facts speak for themselves. Other parents can read this review, read your response, and decide for themselves who handled this situation appropriately.
Payment was eventually processed for one of her final paychecks after formal requests, which the owner blamed my daughter for getting paid late basically due to my daughter's "lack of responsibility" because of course "it's my daughter's fault" but the damage to my daughter's confidence and trust in workplace environments has already been done.
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