Our experience with Downtown Children's Center has been truly transformative. After struggling to…read morefind the right support elsewhere, we came to DCC knowing our child needed help but not yet understanding why or where to turn. DCC's caring, knowledgeable teachers became trusted partners from the beginning. It's rare to find teachers with bachelor's degrees in Early Childhood Education and more than 20 years of experience, and the quality of DCC's programming clearly reflects that expertise. They provided thoughtful observations, supported us through evaluations, collaborated with professionals, and helped us better understand ADHD, Level 1 autism, and a speech delay. They looked beyond challenging behaviors, recognized our child's strengths, and helped us find the resources and interventions needed to thrive. Everyone at DCC, from the director and office staff to the teachers and aides, has helped create a compassionate community where children are known, supported, and valued. DCC also helped us navigate post-preschool options and prepare for the future. We arrived overwhelmed and uncertain but left informed, equipped, and hopeful. Tuition is an investment, but for our family, it has been absolutely worth it. DCC gave us understanding, direction, and hope--and a stronger foundation for our child's future.

We love the staff at DCC. They're kind, wonderful care takers that care immensely about helping…read moreyour children grow into amazing human beings. The facility is clean and full of all kinds of activities for the children, and they have a large gated play yard. We've loved watching our children flourish here, and downtown St. Louis is better off by having this business inside this neighborhood.

The staff are wonderful people! They are very kind and caring towards their students.read more

First week and they are on it. They truly love and understand children. My 3 year old is brilliant…read morebut he has challenges socializing and it's created problems at KinderCare. Within the first week they got my little boy shining his true colors and brought back his confidence. Love them so much! Ms Emma you are a rockstar and Ms Heather thank you for all you do!

Christina had an opening for us when our other daycare shut down the classroom. Incredibly…read moreaccommodating and enjoyed everyone. Our child loved attending, enjoys her ABC's, knows her 123's and made some great friends. Thank you for everything!

As of February 2017, our daughter has been going to the Creve Coeur Kindercare for nearly two…read moreyears, ever since she was 6 weeks old. Even after moving out to Ballwin, we've kept her at this same Kindercare location because of the bonds she's made with the other toddlers and her teachers. WHY WE CHOSE THIS LOCATION: When we were looking for daycare for our daughter, we did a lot of online research. Some of that research was looking up ratings for each place, like you're obviously doing now. Throughout the reading-up-on-reviews process, we kept in mind that negative reviews are often more common, as people with great things to say about places tend not to be very vocal on Yelp or Google. We also looked at data that's less subjective or disputable. What incidents were reported at the locations you're considering? Are they licensed? Are they accredited? (There's a good description of accreditation and why it matters here: http://www.kindercare.com/about-us/who-we-are/accreditation.) I encourage you to do as much research as you feel comfortable with. This is obviously an important decision. So, we saw that, at the time, the Creve Coeur Kindercare was licensed, accredited and even working toward a second accreditation (I think it has gotten it, too, since then). We saw it wasn't too far away from home, so that was nice. We visited a couple of other locations nearby and, to be honest, they seemed dirtier, or more chaotic, or less safe. That's partially where that accreditation comes in. The weekly rate did seem like a lot until we did more research and we saw that it was competitive with other daycares' rates. Yes, it is still a decent amount of money, but the safety and education of your child is worth it. And again, it's nowhere near the cost of Montessori school, for example. Plus, rates go down on your child's second and third birthdays. SAFETY & FOOD: [This section was deleted to save space. Please speak with the location for these details.] CURRICULUM: Each day, teachers will send home a report on your child's activities, what they learned and how they acted. It's really helpful to follow along for those parents who are interested. Our daughter has responded seemingly very well to their teaching style. Her communication skills are very advanced for a child her age, and she has really taken to learning as much as possible. Of course, it's hard to say if this is just our daughter or if this is Kindercare's doing, but I just had to brag on my little girl some, I guess! Again, when you visit, ask what the kids are learning at the time. They have lesson plans they follow, so the answer should be an easy one to get. Also, in case you're worried, they don't have TVs in the rooms, so they won't just be watching Barney all day. STAFF: Everyone has been wonderful to me. I like to stick around when I drop my daughter off and when I pick her up and talk to her teachers. I'll ask how she did, what her mood was, if she did anything (positive or negative) noteworthy. All the teachers have seemed invested in our daughter's care, education and growth. Some have decades of experience with professional childcare, even at Kindercare. Others are going to college to study it. The woman who previously managed the location was wonderful, but recently left to pursue an altogether different career. Her replacement is very kind, knowledgeable and vibrant and, while I'm no expert, she seems to be doing a fantastic job in the month or two since she started. BONUS: Once a month, on most months, the center will host a "Parents' Night Out" where, for an extra $15, they will feed and watch your child until 9. This is a wonderful way to have a built-in date night on the cheap, especially for people like us who don't have family close by to babysit on a regular basis. They also provide crackers for the ride home, which really come in handy with kids once they need snacks to keep them civil during car rides. There are plenty of smaller details, but this should cover the bulk of it. To be fair, this is the only daycare we have ever brought our daughter to, so we don't have any other experiences to compare Creve Coeur Kindercare with. But I'm just happy that my daughter is safe and learning everything she can in an environment that is well-suited to her. I hope this covers any questions you may have about the location. Good luck with your little one!

I worked here for 5 months and there's a reason why it was so short. There are so many problems…read morehere that they like to hide. The staff is toxic and cliche-y, and spends their time overtly rejecting the teachers that aren't like them. The management plays favorite employees based on seniority and makes it very obvious, as well as treats good employees like shit until they quit. They act like they have high standards for their teachers but will hire anyone just as a body to keep the school running in ratio. The lesson plans are very minimal and unimpressive compared to other schools, and many teachers are very unattentive. So your kids sit playing with the same boring toys while their teachers stand around and gossip instead of engaging your children.

We are new to the organization (our daughter started this week), but so far I'd have to say I'm…read morevery impressed with this organization overall. We want our child to grow up in a diverse setting so that she doesn't grow up to become a bumpkin who's afraid of everyone who looks different than she does! This is a special place in STLs where a diverse community comes together with the Common goal of helping children and families. The person who helped us get enrolled, Tameka, is super nice and helpful, as are the other staff we've met. I think UCCC is doing great things for the community. Our daughter is having a hard time adjusting, but every time I pick her up, someone is comforting her. I recommend you take a tour! Updated review: So, we ended up pulling our child after about four weeks. She was having a hard time adjusting and never really warmed to the place. She also got something like four injuries in her first two weeks, and had more than one knot on the head in the short time she was there. More than once, it happened outside on their concrete playground, and the teacher was unable to tell me what happened. I took my concerns about her adjustment to the director, who kind of blew me off and directed me back to her teachers. They also didn't do anything academically structured in terms of learning letters, shapes, colors, etc. We switched and LOVE our new place. With that said, some bonuses - the teachers in our room were good people who try hard at a difficult job. Some of the staff there are great. I also think the coming together of cultures here is special and hard to find anywhere else. So I would say this place could be great for some kids, just not for us in particular. Still worth checking out if you're looking for daycare.

Casa Dia has been such a blessing for our family! We were a little nervous dropping our 12 week old…read moreoff but our nerves were soothed day one and they have taken such good care of her. She smiles at drop off every morning and we get great updates during the day. They have become part of our "village" and we are so lucky to have found them so close to home!

We couldn't be happier with this daycare. From day one, the staff has been incredibly caring,…read morepatient, and attentive, which made the transition so much easier for both us and our son. It's clear they truly care about the children and take pride in what they do. Our child looks forward to going each day, comes home happy, and has learned so much socially and developmentally. Communication with parents is excellent, and we always feel informed and confident that our child is in a safe, nurturing environment. We're very grateful to have found such a wonderful place and highly recommend this daycare to any parent looking for a loving and reliable environment for their child.

It feels good to Volunteer your time to help feed people in need…read more Volunteering at the St Louis Area Foodbank in the Repackaging area for a few hours!!! This place is a well oiled machine!!! Clean space, huge warehouse and friendly staff!! They also played awesome music to keep us going!!! We packaged alot of Potatoes and Fig Bars in 2 hours!!! Get work group and go Volunteer!!!

What a fabulous organization. I volunteered today with a group from my office and this was the…read moresecond time I have donated my time here. The lead volunteer had everything organized for us so everything ran really smoothly. Today I packaged 22 to 24 apples in bags as a team we packaged over 6000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need. If you're looking for a great volunteer opportunity that will impact your community, I highly recommend donating your time to this organization.

This is a day-care Of a lot of stuff The food is good I like…read moreit because it's a good thing to play with. We eat and more! Great start! Thank you Ms Ashley

Top notch! You won't find a nicer early childhood center to…read morework. I am impressed with the Applebaum curriculum as well as degreed teachers! The families make this the icing on the cake. We are fortunate enough to work for a family owned and operated preschool where hard work, dedication and love define the culture at Chesterfield Kids Academy.

Love it! An excellent Montessori institution in Creve Coeur, MO. There are numerous options in…read morethe St. Louis but if you are looking for a safe, clean and caring environment definitely pay HOPE Montessori in Creve Coeur a visit. The facilities are excellent and Susie Shelton-Dodge is the Headmistress and is wonderful and very approachable. They do have before and after school care which is included in tuition. They participate in numerous field trips. The menu in the cafeteria also has very healthy items. The summer camp is also wonderful with numerous fun activities but my favorite part of summer camp is the swimming lessons. They do have a very nice swimming pool on campus (fenced) and teach swimming every day during the summer. Lessons are dependent on ability and age. There is even parent observation day at the end of the summer. No this place isn't cheap but well worth the money. Overall my favorite aspects: 1) Before and after school care 2) Summer camp swimming lessons 3) Small class sizes 4) Safe, diverse and comfortable environment

Our experience started ok. Our son did pretty well but eventually started sharing how some kids…read morepicked on him. These kids tended to be from affluent families and made fun of his clothes or shoes. There became more concerning issues when one child was being threatening towards the children in the class. When we expressed concern the teacher became defensive of the other child and it became very uncomfortable after we had built what I thought was a good report. I found out later that the teacher was close with the other family and even went on a ski trip with them. The director also showed little concern for these more serious issues. I also had to address the fact that my daughters class never washed with soap and water but used hand sanitizer instead. Both of my kids would express that the wrong kids were often disciplined and others got away with whatever they wanted. Every day I asked them how school was and they had nothing good to report sadly. It was hugely disappointing for the amount of money spent there.