I joined Overlake KinderCare a few months ago, and the change in my son has been incredible. He came from a center where he had behavior issues due to the lack of care from his previous teacher. He had major behavior concerns both at school and at home and was experiencing significant language regression because he wasn't receiving proper care. He would come home angry and frustrated. Since joining Overlake KinderCare, his behavior has completely transformed. He is now constantly talking, using clear words, and can have full conversations with me. He has become a completely different, happy child. The center director Luisa has personally addressed all of my questions immediately, and his teachers are warm and welcoming. Now, he comes home happy and looks forward to going to school every single day. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to the teacher Ms. Lilly and the center director Luisa for taking such wonderful care of my son. Knowing that he is being well taken care of, safe, and loved at this center has been a great relief for me. read more

I could not give Overlake KinderCare more than five stars, but if I could, I would!!! My child was there for about 3 years and she thrived in every way. The outstanding communication and care shown by both the directors and the staff has set the gold standard in my opinion. I always felt at ease leaving my kiddo with them because I knew without a doubt, she was in safe, capable hands. They offered more activities and fun events than any other center I've experienced and truly care about each child as an individual. Overlake KinderCare meets your child where their at and works with parents and staff to encourage your child's success and happiness while they are enrolled. Incredible values, and genuine, compassionate people. We will miss you guys!!! read more

Our 2 daughters went here for over 4 years and had a great time . They learnt, played and had a great experience. Most of the teachers are loving and genuinely care for the children. The fees are relatively reasonable for the area. The director and their assistants are super friendly. They also have additional classes like phonics and math (that you have to pay extra for), but helpful. My younger one is finding kindergarten super easy as she already knows most stuff - learnt from Kindercare. The center May not look modern , but that's why the fees are reasonable :) I highly recommend this center. In fact recently I was thinking of going visiting the teachers just like that - that's how much of a bond we all have made . read more

This place is absolutely amazing! We needed care for our LO for a week since his regular daycare was on a break. Every teacher, every staff member is so kind, caring, friendly and understanding. The director Ms.Marzieh is super helpful and caring. She personally checked on my son whenever I called her to check how he was doing. On top of wonderful people, the activities are so good for him! They've handled the Covid-19 crisis very well and we feel very comfortable with the extra measures they take to make sure everyone stays healthy. Definitely recommend!!! read more

The Kindercare in Des Moines does not pay attention to food allergies, the teachers sit on a wall while the kids play. They did not monitor the kids so when someone gets hurt they can never tell you how. They told me he got a black eye from going down the slide. There was nothing to give him a black eye. There was also no teacher watching him or anyone going down the slide to prevent injuries. There never is. He had come home with bruises on his arms and face and there was never an incident report. They will write what ever they feel on the daily sheet even if its not what actually was give food wise. My son came home with hives multiple times from being fed foods that contain his allergies. The teachers will speak other languages in front of you especially if they know you don't speak it. My son being the minority in that school was teased about it. The teachers just laughed it off. I WILL not recommend this school to anyone. read more

Mediocrity at best, indifference at worst. Good things first, the center director is quite good and professional and is always ready to assist parents, reasonably priced thought it probably has its flip side as I will come to it a bit later in this review. Now, my child has been here for more than a year and it took me a while to understand why some pre-schools are really good while others are just generic. My child started from toddler program and it was pretty nice experience but it's when they moved to the discovery pre-school is when I realized the limitations the staff here has. This center first of all has the least diversity among the children in which the center has no part to play I agree but it's kind of strange though its a personal opinion. Now coming to the teachers, teachers here are rude, indifferent and incompetent. Rude in the sense that twice in front of my eyes my child was mishandled by their teacher, like pulling a toy really hard from their hand and second time moving them away from a toy by literally dragging them. I don't know how I got the patience to remain quiet but it was pretty annoying. Second, at one point my child wet their top, and since I forgot to provide an extra pair they kept them in vests in an a/c room for how long I have no idea. I suppose I was wrong there but I am sure they have spare clothes in the school like tees which they could have used, pretty disgusting or at the minimum could have called me up to see if I could do something. Indifferent because they do not really care what a child's strengths and weaknesses are, instead they are more like eager on finishing their day as soon as possible. Very rarely will you hear good things about your child, bad things yes a lot, like they bit someone, they hit someone, blah blah. Incompetent because they do not understand a child's psychology and instead rely on a dangerous trend of comparing children, their English at times has a weird pronunciation and is also grammatically incorrect quite often.This could be partially due to the least amount of stress the center puts on the quality of staff which is tied to a variety of factors including salaries. In short, I would say stay away if you can or at least keep a strict check on your child's day to day activities and their teachers too. read more

Its going to be a long review! I have a full stint to cover!!I did not write one till now coz didn't want to react in haste or laurel too soon! I have no words to express how this daycare has been the whole world for my son who is now graduating to Kindergarten. As we get ready for the next phase of our 'Big 5 year old', with farewells and goodbyes in order to this wonderful daycare, I am reminded of his first day at KinderCare. We visited multiple excellent daycare/preschools nearby as it was important for me he transitioned from home (and staying with me 2 years) to a daycare environment with as less pain as possible. When I met the center director Ms. Marzieh Mesferoosh, I could instantly relate to how she impeccably connects with the little world. And this was exactly what I was looking for - whole development of the child than just academic skills. This is exactly what my son received. From fussy eater, poor napper and extremely shy with the outside world, my 'yet to turn' 5 year old) is ready to approach 'big school'! I believe in both parents and teachers working together with a child not just the teachers alone. It was not always like a fairy tale. Its NOT practical. Each child is different. My son is a very good kid at school and does everything told, but not at home. It is important to understand your child before passing the blame to the teacher or daycare. A school has more kids to manage and with terrible 2s or 3s even, some slips are unavoidable. (I would agree with one of the review comments on clothed with vest alone. But that cannot take away the excellent job the daycare does. May be they can set up a drive where parents can give their kids outgrown clothes in good condition / or even denote new; to avoid these scenarios.) But Ms. Marzieh and the entire staff has been so helpful and listening to our concerns and trying their best to resolve them. A brief with teachers at pickup times when possible really helps! Shout out to all the excellent staff, support staff and the cook! I cannot thank enough every teacher my son has been with -- Ms. Cheena, Ms. CAT, Ms. Rupali, Ms. Ayesha, Ms. Debbie, Ms. Totka, Mr. John. Special mention to their reading and math program by Ms. Ayesha (requires enrollment) where a child gets one on one session. Ms. Marzieh, you rock and Overlake KinderCare is the best! read more

I sent my two kids to Overtake KinderCare and had great experience. The teachers were very caring. Director Ms. Marzieh had great leadership and was always able to resolve my concerns quickly and effectively. They are also one of the NAEYC Accredited Programs, so the curriculum is good. read more

This Kindercare location is amazing and my daughter loves going here. She's 2 y/o. She's been going to this facility for 4 months now and I can tell her teachers give exceptional care. Every time I pick her up she's clean and happy. The tuition fee is reasonable for the location. Marzieh is the director and Colby is the assist. Director and both of them are wonderful. I can always go to them and they can resolve any issues I may have in a positive manner. Kinder Care is lucky to have such great management running this facility. Totally recommended. read more

Our boy spent two and a half years at Overlake Kindercare. Everything is good and nice teachers. We strongly recommend learning programs there, especially phonics, math, and STEM. My kid, who will go to Kindergarten soon, has studied with Ms. Ayesha for one and half year. Now he can read a lot of books from the library (Level 1, or step 2). The progress is amazing to us. We are planning to send our second kid there. read more

This review is long awaited. Had a really bad injury to my 2 yr old kid here 2 years ago. He underwent ER visit and 6-7 stitches. What was frustrating was that they said we are not sure how this happened. How can a child care have sharp objects and not aware about how a serious injury could have occurred. Parents please be aware and make sure you are sending your kids to safe environment. read more

While like any childcare center, this one has had its ups and downs over the years. I can confidently say that right now and for the last year, ever since the new director Debbie stepped in, the quality of care at this center has become top notch. The teachers are very engaged, the kids seem very happy, my daughter comes home with lots of artwork every day and talks excitedly about the stories and things that she's learning at school. I've been sending my daughter here since she was 12 weeks old (she's 3 now) and I've visited several KLC's and this is one of the good ones for sure. LOVE the preschool program! read more

I am over the moon with this Kindercare. It's clean, we'll run, and the teachers all care (I've worked with 4 at this point). It's very multi cultural so my daughter gets exposure to people different than her and gets exposure to many different cultural experiences. This is huge for me. I can't say enough good things about this center. Tight knit and they care. Director Marzieh and Assistant Director Morgan are very hands on and do a great job. Teachers, Samira, Lenore, Lulu, and Cheana have made an impact on me and my kids. Thank you. read more

This place is awful! My child started the program before the current director took charge. The daycare was great, the children had a curriculum. A set schedule was in order. Everyday parents were left with a note describing the teachings of the day, the were also personal notes with concerns or praise about your child. Teachers were allowed to stay to chat with parents about their children. It was my first time sending my child to a daycare, so you can imagine my fears. The director (at the time) eased my worries and ensured me that my child would be left in good hands. She was absolutely right, everything was great. Then unfortunately the director (at the time) was transferred. The director that followed her was also pretty good, she seemed to be a very concerned mother. Also unfortunately she didn't last to long with the program. Then it all started to go downhill. Then the new director started. Soon after she started the curriculums started to change. The kids were not learning as much as before. Schedules were changing, teaching became less of a concern to her. I talked to numerous teachers who were very unhappy with the way the new Director started to run the program. The daily notes stopped, i had no idea what my child did that day. As soon as the day would end teachers were no where to be found, only teaching assistants were found in the class. Most of them had no idea as to what the children did that day. Another thing that really took me by surprise is the director required the kids to nap for 4 hours?! There were many days my child would come home unable to sleep when it was bed time. As a parent, I know many of you out there would not allow your small child to nap for 4 hours. We had to speak with the director to make her understand that 4 hour naps were unacceptable. I understand that concern of mine might be pushing it, but before the kids were only allowed to sleep 1 - 2 hours. After naps they would give the children work (workbooks, writing). Another concern of mine is when I would speak with some parents who's children would get hurt in the care of a teaching assistant. The director would refuse to tell parents what happened to their children until the parents would threaten legal action. I had an issue with one teaching assistant, I caught her being extremely unprofessional to some of the children, my child included. Which you can only imagine as a parent made me EXTREMELY angry! I sat down with the director assistant and told her what I witnessed. She seemed to be on my side and told me that it would be dealt with. A week later I received a phone call from the director asking about what I had witnessed. She then asked for me to come in to have a sit down with her and the teaching assistant. I was unsure of what this sit down was going to accomplish. The director allowed the teaching assistant to explain to me what had happened. The assistant spoke about how she had a bad week and that day was being extremely worse. As if a bad week would excuse the unprofessionalism (sorry I will not go into detail) I witnessed. The director asked if I would excuse the teaching assistant and allow her a second chance. WHAT?! Really? Absolutely not! The director then tried to ease my worries by repeatedly telling me that the situation would be taken care of. I knew that this wouldn't be the last incident. Soon after this concern the director got extremely personal with myself and my family (this must have been what she meant by "taken care of"). She started pulling my child away from the friends in her class, in a sense segregating her, she would place my child in the pre-preschool classes. I asked the director to explain to me why my child was being removed from class and friends. It was not because my child was being bad or disruptive. It was simply because the teaching assistant (that should have been let go) was in my child's classroom. Soon after I drew up that complaint my child was moved back into class and the teaching assistant was placed in another room. I wish that I could say it was only myself that went through these experiences. The kids of the school are amazing, the teachers that were there before this new director were also amazing. Unfortunately she drove almost 70% of them out. Most of teachers and parents all had concerns with this place, most of them to the same extent as my own. The director will make everything personal. I highly advise you to keep your child away. Its unfortunate that a place devoted to children is not. From this experience, my newly born child will not! return to this KinderCare, or any. read more