Kiddie Academy is truly a trustworthy and phenomenal place to receive childcare. The Staff is…read moreamazing and works hard to provide care and support for every child there. Lauren is an amazing owner and ensures every employee has an abundance of support and resources to carry out their responsibilities. Kiddie Academy of Albany is one of the best work environments I have been a part of and it would be a great experience for anyone who loves working with children.

We had to scramble when the daycare we had been on a waitlist for a year for told us it would still…read morebe longer and we toured several places and Kiddie Academy was a no-brainer - SO much nicer than any other places we looked at. We were lucky that they happened to have an immediate space for our infant and the only reason we withdrew her was when her slot on the waitlist at our employer's day care finally opened up. The staff is the perfect combination of professional and affectionate with the children and the facility is clean and modern with lots of developmentally appropriate toys. The teachers really work hard to do more than just watch the children - they are conducting daily developmental play even with the small infants. The app was such a blessing for us anxious new parents - getting photos and updates throughout the day eased us tremendously. It's a little pricey, but I can honestly say it was worth every penny.

Kindercare was the #1 choice we wanted for our daycare needs once I knew I was pregnant with my…read moredaughter. My husband and I relocated to Schenectady/Niskayuna as he was relocated and stationed in Ballston Spa. Mary is the director there and after countless calls and waitlist issues we were able to start in February of 2016. This is the most expensive daycare option in all of upstate NY. We felt assured our 3 1/2 month old would be safe and well taken care of. We had a great couple weeks we have a rest daughter who is not fussy or colicky and everyone immediately loved her. We felt at home and knew we had made a good decision. The only reason I was able to return back to work was because of Kindercare as we have no family or other support to care after our daughter. Then end of April and into May, I noticed a lot of corners being cut, from staff to cleanliness, to the policies. The ratios first off are one of the most important factors to successfully running a daycare, it started to decline and apparently after speaking with Lynn the assistant director who really goes above and beyond to make parents happy but unfortunately Kindercare is an overpriced, corporation. The staff is underpaid, the place has gotten filthy, the booties have to be worn/re-used to walk into the infant room, just unsanitary. I don't see a lot of hand-washing and I feel that some of the newer staff can be properly trained for Diaper changed, eating, I always have to make notes that they should place a bib on the child when they feed her. Early mornings the ratios have been so out of proportion. I have seen Michelle with nine babies at one point calling for assistance/Code Orange and. It getting a response. Brian Ratliff was not helping when my husband called to discuss his concerns for our child as well as the other children and he just said there was nothing he could do and was very nonchalant. I do wish there was a way to reach out to expecting moms and parents on the waitlist to give them a heads up about what really goes on. I have filed my complaints with Mary whose in charge at the Office of Children and Family Services. I know a lot of parents don't voice concerns so I took initiative to do so. I work for the Department of Health and I have basic, standard expectations of where my child is placed while I'm at work but I was always worrying before drop off during work and even when picking up. I sure had high expectations of Kindercare as any parent should and hence the rating of 1 star is all I would give them. They are accredited and license but not sure if that will last long, there's been a decline for sure in the way they handle and carry out day-to-day business. Find another daycare if you are reading this: in Albany the ones I been to and heard great things is at Albany Medical Center and Mercy Care for Kids at St Peter's hospital. They are a lot more professional and even cost less.

From the owner: Infant Programs (6 Weeks - 1 Year), Toddler Programs (1 - 2 Years), Discovery Preschool Programs (2…read more- 3 Years), Preschool Programs (3 - 4 Years), Prekindergarten Programs (4 - 5 Years), Before and After School Programs (5-12 Years), Summer Programs (preschool, prekindergarten, and school-age)

I recently joined and had a great experience with Miss Palmel at the front desk. She made…read moreeverything great. 5 stars for her, and I am looking forward to my time here as a member.

Pros: Clean. Friendly staff. Great well kept equipment…read more Robust class workout schedule. Plenty of parking. Cons: The opening time was 5 am and worked really well for me but it has been pushed to 5:30 am which makes it a bit harder to squeeze in a really good workout and get to work.

I would never send my child here. No one wears masks correctly (lady who gave me the tour had it on…read moreupside down and inside out) and apparently I don't need to worry about covid because "both teachers in the class already had it." The lady who gave me the tour kept taking her mask off to talk and then proceeded to lick her fingers to turn the pages of the application and touch her mouth constantly. She was also incredibly gruff, harsh and rude, constantly interrupting and talking over me. When she asked my kids' names, she was practically yelling at them. I threw the application in the first trash can I saw and never looked back. Do yourself and your children a favor and go elsewhere. There are too many good daycares in the area to leave your kid to this poorly run facility. They're truly only in it for the money, and the school is a row of connected mobile homes that smell like mold and cigarettes.

I cannot recommend this daycare. I toured their rooms, filled out paperwork, paid a deposit and…read morewas promised a spot for my foster baby. There was a two week wait for the spot so I pieced together care in the meantime. TODAY they called to tell me they had changed their minds about taking him because, as a foster baby, he may not be around for long. He was supposed to start TOMORROW. I now have a new job and an 8 month old baby with no childcare. They said they'll send my deposit back but that doesn't help me with my baby. What I want to know is WHY WHY WHY couldn't they have called me during the two weeks that they happily held on to my deposit.

I went in for a tour a few months ago and was highly unimpressed. For the price of tuition I…read moreexpected much more from this school. The outdoor play area was just a small fenced in patch of dirt. The director didn't seem very friendly and spent most of the time talking about herself and putting down any other Montessori school in the area. I never met one teacher or saw any other room then the toddler area. After I left I received and email with notes on the visit from the director with points about me and how despite being told which door to come in I still had to call and ask. Too many bad vibes for me....

1/13/2022 First to Review…read moreBeing raised in the Montessori school program myself I was excited to have my child begin for with the school. They promote learning, independence, and community---but I quickly learned that although the teachers are wonderful, the administration ultimately made our family's experience a nightmare. The "headmaster" of the school is an outright narcissist, and literally was incapable of having conversations around her policies--even when the safety of the children was involved. We learned the school had multiple outstanding safety violations (including nails sticking out of the fence, rocks on the playground instead of grass, and no running hot water!). Whenever we would have questions or concerns (like why is my child outside wet on a cold day when they have a change of clothes?), or (its 80 degrees out--why are the children dressed in their coats?), or about a policy that says 20 degrees is an acceptable temperature to keep the kids outside in (without letting them back in if they say they are cold), she was completely unwilling to discuss anything. She would always resort to "maybe this isn't the place for you" and basically threaten to kick our child out. If things didn't come home with her repeatedly and we inquired, she would say "maybe your child (2 years old) should keep better track of their things! Eventually the school was investigated by CPS after the kids almost got frostbite standing outside on a day with a windchill of 12 degrees. DON'T TAKE YOUR KIDS HERE , no matter how much you need childcare or what good thing's you've heard. The administration will tell you wonderful things to take your money ($1500 a month plus $10 per minute late at pick up, cost of "pizza days" and school supplies + much much more), raise tuition over and over with no explanation, and then do nothing to ensure the health and safety of your kids. The teachers are contracted and can't leave without paying literally thousands of dollars to the school, and parents are bound by contacts (even thought turnover is still very high) that say if anything happens to your kids, you hold Our World "harmless". And if you don't sign it, you can't attend--period. Most parents are afraid to even speak up about the neglect, for fear of losing childcare. In the end we had no choice but to leave--it just wasn't safe. There are better programs out there. Keep looking. And be warned about the tuition and the financial scheming. You pay for a full year of care, but once you account for the days the school takes off ( "teacher conferences", teacher planning days, holiday time off (that is always turned into a 4 day weekend), Fall break, December break, winter break, spring break, and all the "fun days" sprinkled in (yes you pay additional cost to have your kids still attend when the school is technically closed for breaks (about $55 dollars per day), your kids are only in care for about 8 months out of the year. $1500 monthly is the tuition full time but it appears to rise yearly. There are hidden fees too like $50 for school supplies, fields trips, "pizza" days, mud suits, rain suits, snow pants, and parents are "encouraged" to buy the classroom toys and equipment from a catalogue as well. They are shamed in emails if they do not. You can expect to pay well over another mortgage to attend this school. We payed close to $18-20k per year if not more before we left (and that price continues to rise).

We put our son through this daycare when it was MapleLeaf on carmen rd in guilderland, and then…read morebecame Widdle Ones under Rajshree. I know during the pandemic staffing was hard, and yes there were struggles for staffing or illness. What everyone who rated isn't admitting, is all daycares were going through that struggle. Since then, as Widdle Ones, Rajshree and her husband made a lot of improvements and reached out to the parents for q and a's for input on what changes they hoped to see. They improved the curriculum and made changes to staff for the better of the facility, and we definitely noticed those improvements. They made more efforts to connect with families, doing more involved events and were working on possibly getting organized outings. I really believe they have the family's best interests and continue to try to grow, and they really did great work to prepare and inspire our son for kindergarten. We would recommend and intend to use them again if we decide to have more children. Give widdle ones on carmen road a chance!​

When my kids started this daycare 3 years ago I used to love it! The past year it went down hill…read moreespecially when my daughter entered the 3s class. They are unable to handle normal 3 year old behaviors, bitting, hitting, temper tantrums, and climbing on things. There is no door on the classroom, and it's open to the lobby area. They expect kids to not go past a piece of tape on the floor. If your child continues to climb, hit or leave the classroom They will threaten to disenroll you. My daughter reported to another teacher that Ms. Crystal hit her and had a black and blue on her side. It was reported to ocfs and child protective. The next day the Center called and said my children were not allowed back due to reporting them. Rajsharee the director will sweep things under the rug and hide things to not get caught. She is nice to your face and then talks poorly behind your back to others. She should not be a director of a daycare when she has no care for children and their feelings. The owners will not call you back when you request a meeting or to collect your children's belongings.

It was suppose to open at 5:30 am. I got there at 5:32 and stayed till 5:45 am and it wasn't open…read more I missed my work out. I had to go to work at 6:53. I ended up leaving and went back home to shower. I wasted my time getting up early to go to the gym before work.

I love the YMCA. I've been going to her since I was a little girl I love going to the one on…read moreScotland Avenue in Albany medical center but the only thing is about this place is if it was more equipment and I wish I had a pool other than that this is a nice place is very comfortable relaxing the staff here or nice and amazing and I really enjoy coming here to work out.

Fabulous experience with the ECE department which went out of their way to get us in to vacation…read morecare. My child had a wonderful time and would gladly go back again. Everyone we met was fantastic, and gave the strong impression of a well-run program, administered & staffed by professionals who are great at working with young children. Highly recommended.

The steam room is rarely cleaned, unfortunately. It appears that someone may clean it twice or at…read morethe least once a month.