Let me just say that the toddler mentioned in Dorothy K.'s review (beneath mine) was my 15 month-old son, who escaped from the playground one day because no one was watching him. The report is on-file with the state. This is the second child they "lost" in a six month period. I recommend that everyone pull-up Knowledge Beginnings compliance reports before enrolling your child here because it's amazing that they're still allowed to operate. I'm guessing that the lack of affordable childcare is the primary reason. My son was enrolled at KB for approximately 13 months, from the age of 3 months - 15 months. 1. Staff turnover is amazing. It seems, on average, new staff last approximately a month. 2. Staff are mostly untrained, some should not be working with children. That's easy enough to figure-out. 3. Center leadership is some of the most unprofessional I've ever witnessed in any context. They do not give you regular updates on your child but will accost you at drop-off in front of teachers, other parents, etc. to tell you where your child is not meeting milestones to "move-up" to the next class. You're then told that they have "four years of experience" so they know a few things. Well, I have a PhD in American Studies, it doesn't make me an expert on the American Revolution. "Four years of experience" is likely a long-weekend at KinderCare School and a few college courses. They do not follow the KinderCare handbook at all. Sick Policy is whatever the whims of the director on-duty are. Example: My child had some loose stool, so he was sent home at 9am. I brought him in the next day and was confronted by the Assistant Director who asked me, "Wasn't he sick yesterday? It's 24 hours." In fact, it's not 24 hours for diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues. If it's contained to their diaper, then he's able to attend. The main issue here is that the week prior, they lost my child on the playground so it was easier to just make excuses to keep him home rather than deal with another child. 4. You will never receive accurate updates about your child. MA State Law says that you have to receive regular (quarterly) reports about your child's development. If you directly ask one of the Center Directors (the alleged professionals), they will never have an answer for you. Ever. Our LO was finally "moved-up" to a toddler room which was a third of a classroom with a teacher who had no business doing any teaching without constant supervision. She couldn't answer the simplest question for any number of reasons. 5. Teacher: Student ratios are a mess. High turnover means that there are never enough teachers to cover the number of students. As a result, kids are moved into age inappropriate settings. My 15 MO was regularly moved to the Infant Room (actual babies) and forced to sleep on the carpet (like an office-style carpet, with the low pile) barricaded by toys so the babies couldn't bother him because he couldn't sleep in one of the designated cribs nor did he have his toddler cot. 6. The late fee is extraordinarily high for a daycare late pick-up fee and the enforcement is a joke. If you arrive at 5:01 PM, $15.00 is added to your tuition bill. For every five minutes, it's $15.00. If you arrive at 5.11, it's $45.00. They round-up because they're so pressed for cash they have to find ways to steal it from you that you can't challenge. For context, our new daycare charges $3.00 and it increases incrementally. 7. They did not report the first lost child in October 2022 to the State nor did they report my child's escape in March 2023 to the State. I had to do that independently. That's the kind of operation you're dealing with that if something catastrophic happens that screams neglect, they will not report it. They will instead call you at 4.55 PM from their cell phone on their way home to tell you about how they almost got your child killed or seriously injured and how sorry they are. I was never asked to sign an incident report, which is a legal requirement, because if that's a liability for them. None of these people should be around children. We had already made plans to remove our child from Knowledge Beginnings in February 2023 with a transition in August, before he escaped from the playground due to staff negligence. Once we moved him, his whole demeanor changed: he was no longer stressed, no longer having daily instances of loose stools, no mysterious bruises that could not be simply from learning to walk or playing with friends, etc. Parents who appear wealthy or who are assumed to be wealthy are catered to at a different level than other parents who do not fit the profile. Finally, anecdotally, during our daycare search, we heard from almost every single daycare we spoke to how problematic Knowledge Beginnings is and how a large number of children have been removed from their care in the last year due to issues around neglect. read more

I personally had a great experience as well as my son who is very prepared to move on to Kindergarten. My son made great friendships, loves and still misses his teachers from the center. I loved the app and updates received daily. I recommend this center. read more

My son has learned a lot at Knowledge Beginnings, and they are always very efficient about everything they do. I love the note I get at the end of each day, telling me how much he ate, and what he learned in school today. There are two details that I do not like: 1.) Last year, my son was in a class with a first year teacher who needed more help running the classroom than he received. He has since been moved to a different position within the program, and a different teacher is running that classroom. 2.) There is a bully in my son's classroom, and this has not been addressed in the two years that I have been aware. My son is big enough that she doesn't bother him, but she is bigger than all of the little girls in the class. Every teacher has a first year, and I respect that the bullying problem in schools is difficult to deal with, but both of these problems went longer than I would have preferred without being addressed, which is why I do not give a five star review. read more

My Grand daughter was going to this day care, she was only there for a few weeks when the center lost a child during a local walk around the community, a few weeks later as myself, my daughter, her son (age 8) and her daughter (age 4) were walking out of the main door to the center a toddler was walking through a gate that was not closed to a play area, the 2 teachers that were in the play area that were suppose to be watching this child had their backs to the child talking to each other as my 8 year old grandson stopped the child from escaping then and only then did these 2 teachers turned around to see the gate open and this toddler whining, with the Assabet river not far from this gate, after this incident they decided to add more fencing. In the class room the teachers were not supervising the children appropriately to the point my grand daughter and another child were able to color each others faces with Marker like they were putting make up on, Also my grand daughter has Asthma and requires an inhaler on a daily basis, she was coming home coughing her head off, when i asked her what the teachers do for her when she has an Asthma attack in Daycare her response was they give me water and make me sit down, when i asked them why she wasnt getting her inhaler their response was because her inhaler is in the front office, i lost it to say the least, she is no longer in this daycare and if you are smart you will remove your child ASAP before they become their next victim/casualty. read more

My kid used to go to knowledge beginnings in Maynard MA (clock tower place). One day I went to pick up my daughter and her teacher (Ms. Meredith) was visibly high. I talked to another teachers and I've heard horrible things. They said Meredith had been reported not only for smoking, but also for offering weed oil on a vape to a co-worker, sating by then she does it all the time, even inside the building because it won't smell. Which basically means she's responsible for our kids while being high during work time. I've also leaned, another teacher (Ms. Jackie), had been reported for her co-teacher for abusing children (she yells at them and called a little boy pu**y). Two teacher have left because they didn't want to let their kids on her care. But we as parents don't have that option if they send it under the carpet, do we? In both cases they didn't do anything after the report, didn't fire them, nothing, they care more about having enough stuff and money coming in than about the wellbeing of your child. If you love your kid, stay away from that place. Some teachers are very good, but will you assume the risk of getting an abuser or a drug user to care for your child? read more

As a new mother, without the family resources some may have for childcare, I like many others, had to look at childcare for my new baby with "strangers". Eventually I decided on Maynard's Knowledge Beginnings, primarily because I approved of the proximity to my work, but I also preferred the high-visibility a "center-style" daycare offers with regards to the teachers there. I believe it keeps people honest. Now, more than a year later, I can say I would recommend this center without hesitation. My child has developed genuine affection for her teachers, and receives it in turn. She loves the activities - which I have come to realize, are far more diverse than I might have been able to provide on my own at home-only. The social interaction has definitely been a positive influence on an active baby-turned-toddler. The center directors have been very accommodating to adjustments made to my work schedule, etc., and are in the classrooms and on the playgrounds on a daily basis with the kids. I like that the kids have an actual curriculum, and they have a good variety to their activities - a comfort considering this is definitely an investment to send your child here, and you'd hope they do more than just "hang out" all day. Highly recommended. read more