Our daughter has attended Play and Learn Bryn Mawr since January 2018 and so far, we have had an overwhelmingly good experience here. Susan, the director, has been very responsive and accommodating, and our daughter's teachers are loving and involved. I have found the building and outside area to be clean (the playground area is awesome), and I will echo one of the other parents that the teachers in the other rooms go out of their way to engage with parents and children who are not even assigned to their rooms. There is a nice sense of community here. In particular, Miss Saamara in the Cuddlebug room is outstanding. She is incredibly warm and sweet. Our child had some issues with separation anxiety at first and Miss Saamara would take her and walk her around the room while holding her, showing her pictures and talking to her in a soothing voice as I left. I would often pause for a minute outside the room to make sure my child stopped crying, and Miss Saamara always had her calmed within a minute or two. Now that she has adjusted to her classmates and teachers, our child is always happy and barely notices when we arrive to pick her up - she would rather keep playing! One of the other things I really liked about this program is that most of the teachers have been here much longer than other programs: 5-15 years. That made me very comfortable that the director knows the teachers well and that they are in this career because they love what they do. The reason for the 4 out of 5 star rating is that we have had two minor issues here, but I feel that these has been handled well by the teachers/director and were positively resolved. (a few late arrivals by a teacher which caused me to be late to work and one incident where I picked up my daughter and she had developed a high fever but I was not called. The teachers had not noticed due to it being about 80 degrees out and the children were outside playing.) Overall, I felt these incidents were minor and I felt the teachers and director responded quickly and appropriately to my concerns. I think that as we get more time under our belt here (we have only been enrolled 6 months) and no further issues arise, I would be very comfortable amending this rating to a 5 star. read more

My almost 2-year-old has been at Play & Learn Bryn Mawr for over a year now and we're both very happy with this center! The director is always responsive and the teachers are caring, with many holding degrees in early childhood education. My daughter has grown and learned so much at her time "at school" and comes home saying new words and signing new signs and singing new songs almost every day. Most days she wants to keep playing when I come to pick her up. I've recommended this location to other friends looking for child care centers - we're happy with our decision to go with P&L in Bryn Mawr and look forward to our daughter continuing to grow and learn throughout her time there. There is a wait list so I'd suggest checking it out and getting on the list as soon as possible. read more

The level of care at this center has rapidly declined over the past year. We had 2 children enrolled, 1 from infancy until graduation at age 5, 1 from infancy to age 3.5. There have been many staffing changes during our enrollment, it seems like many of the great teachers don't stick around with the exception of a few. I provided feedback every year on the parent survey that some of the teachers seem generally pretty miserable, and they are all still there. The director was on leave for a period of time and communication, upkeep of the center and staff morale were impacted but we were hopeful things would go "back to normal" upon her return. Then our younger child had a difficult transition to a new classroom. We tried to address our concerns with the teachers and the director when she returned. Our son would come home crying that he hated it, would wake up during the night begging not to go and told us he was was being yelled at and that he was not being taken outside when the weather was appropriate (which is a Stars 4 requirement). We tried for a month to work through the transition, or lack there of, to the new room. There were several inconsistencies in what was being communicated to us on what was going on throughout our sons day. We decided to immediately remove him from the center. We had children there for over 6 years, the director did not even try to reach out. No one from corporate called to see what happened. I called corporate to share the feedback. They seemed pretty uninterested In what I had to say. I asked for a partial refund since our son attended for only a few days in the month and was told they would get back to me. We spent over $100k here over a 6 year period. I got no response for over a month. When I reached out again, I got a message saying sorry for the delay, there will be no partial refund. Please look elsewhere for care for your child. read more

I am surprised by the negative review on here for Play & Learn in Bryn Mawr. My son has been at this location for almost two years, and we have had nothing but good experiences. Also, we did quite a bit of research and talked to other people in the community before selecting this daycare, and I have not heard of any of the issues mentioned in the previous review. One of my favorite things about Play & Learn is the leadership. Susan & Aleta have both been at this daycare for a long time and together they run a very tight ship. All state & other applicable codes and regulations are followed to the letter, which really went a long way in gaining our trust. We are confident that everyone who works with our son is up-to-date in their training and certifications, and I believe most (if not all) of the teachers have degrees (including advanced degrees) in education. In addition, Susan & Aleta are very prompt in responding to emails or phone calls. I have never had a question that did not get answered the same day. Overall, we have always had a positive experience here. They are flexible with their schedule and allow us a four-day week. The teachers are caring and know what they're doing. I would never leave my son in an average daycare. Play & Learn in Bryn Mawr is a fantastic facility and always has a long waiting list. read more

We have had nothing but wonderful experiences at Play and Learn. My toddler has blossomed at this center - during her time here, her ability to express herself, vocabulary and ability to recognize shapes, numbers, and colors has grown by leaps and bounds. She constantly tells me about her friends and teachers. The staff is very experienced and genuinely loves each and every student, the facilities are well maintained, and the director is very professional. After having a negative experience with another day care center, it's refreshing to be part of the Play and Learn family. We have interviewed many other centers in the area and Play and Learn is, by far, the nicest! read more

I created a Yelp account just so I could come on here and leave a 5 star review for the Play & Learn in Bryn Mawr. This has been on my mind as -- next week -- the last of my 3 children (7, 5, 3) will be leaving the center for a new school, and we have had a wonderful 5 years experience here. I have recommended this center to several people over the years, and those who have had the good fortune of getting a spot here have all been quite happy. Note that this place always has a waitlist, has a longstanding and positive reputation in the area (especially highlighted by the recent sudden closures of some nearby childcare centers), and is a finalist for community polls/magazines voting for "Best Childcare Center" and things of that sort (if you value that kind of thing). I'm also really surprised to read the very negative review below about this place. Can this be right? There are several Play and Learn locations so I am honestly wondering if this was an error in location on the part of the Yelper. My children have been through the infant (cuddlebugs), young toddler (caterpillars), older toddler/2's (butterflies), and 3's rooms (Explorers), at which point we have moved them on to school-based preschool and pre-K programs (no knock at all on the older rooms at the center, just a personal preference on our part). We have found the teachers, especially in the younger rooms, to be incredibly loving, patient, and competent professionals. I always felt comfortable leaving my children here, knowing that they would be well-cared for, stimulated, and safe. I can't express how highly I think of the teachers here, and count some of them to be personal friends. The really great thing about this community is that the teachers know ALL the children, even if they are not (and will never be) in their room. So my child walking down the hall will be greeted by name by all the other teachers, and I get a real sense of community here. Many of the teachers have been here for several years, and while turnover rate is generally a challenge at most childcare centers, I don't get the sense that it is particularly a problem here (although of course it does happen). I really have to point out some very gifted, creative, energetic, and loving teachers here -- Ms. Libby, Ms. Alexis, Ms. Annie, Ms. Doris, Ms. Tanya, Ms. Allaire. Several of the teachers have their own children here, so there really is a nice community feel among teachers/parents/families. And I'll echo what another Yelper said, which is that Susan and Aleta (the director and co-director) are GREAT at what they do -- organized, responsive, and just really nice women. There are many center wide events that we have enjoyed over the years (e.g., Hauntless House, End of Summer BBQ) and they really set the tone for family involvement. I imagine that we all choose childcare based primarily on "Will my child be well-loved/cared for here?" That's a definite yes, here. But I also want to point out some other big positives here -- the facilities are cheerfully painted and well-cared for, the outdoor play structures (so important to us) are brand-new and separated into 3 different age appropriate areas (I have not seen this anywhere else we've toured on the Main Line), the rooms are well-stocked and equipped (the PreK room even has a smart board), and I like that there are optional weekly lessons/activities that you can pay for for your kid that come to the school (yoga, karate, soccer). The center (as part of the non-profit Play and Learn organization) receives a good deal of administrative support from their headquarters which results in nice bonuses like having downloadable materials/calendars/photos from the organization website and organization-wide events (e.g., at Elmwood Park Zoo). The organization-wide vacation credit -- up to 3 weeks every year worth of tuition refunded -- saves us a bundle. Is this place perfect? No, and no place is. It's certainly not the fanciest childcare center out there, and it may lack the "polish" that some of the other Main Line prestige places have. But it's a solid loving place where children come to play and learn (ba-dum ching!). We will miss it greatly. read more

Had a very bad experience with play and learn. The staff is not helpful and mistreated my son most of the days. They used to call me at work everyday with petty issues. I felt that my son regressed while he was at play and learn. I took him out of there and kept him at a different preschool and he is doing very well now. I would not recommend them to any of my friends. I heard similar things from my other fiends who had their kids there. read more

My 2 year old son attends Play & Learn in Bryn Mawr and couldn't be happier! I know that he is loved and challenged there, anxious to show me all that he learns there. The building is clean and the staff is warm & nurturing- and the director is always available to listen to any feedback or concerns you may have! I couldn't imagine sending him anywhere else! read more

My daughter has been going to Play & Learn ever since she was 12 weeks old. She will be 4 in October. She absolutely adores her teachers and they love her. What's great about Play & Learn is that they look at each child differently and how they are developing. Children move up based on their development, and not age, which I find beneficial for all children. I couldn't be happier to have my daughter attend Play & Learn in Bryn Mawr. read more

The Bryn Mawr location of Play and Learn is truly outstanding. My son has been there since he was 13 weeks old (he is now 16 months) and has flourished under the care of his experienced, kind and compassionate teachers. One of the things that attracted us to this center was the fact that they have very low staff turnover - several of the teachers have been there for 10 years or more, which is unheard of in this industry. I also love how approachable the administration is and how they are so responsive, via email, phone or just popping in with a question - and as a first time mom, I learned no question or request is too small or too silly! My son is so happy when he gets to school each morning he kicks his legs and shouts with excitement, and runs to give the teachers hugs. When choosing a daycare, we toured several facilities in the Main Line area, plus checked multiple references and this was head and shoulders above the others - I feel lucky that we got on the wait list so early to get into Play and Learn Bryn Mawr. read more

My twin girls have been at Play & Learn in Bryn Mawr for two years, since they were infants. The staff at Play & Learn is absolutely fantastic. There is very low turnover; most teachers have been there for many years. I feel completely at ease leaving my children there each day. The girls love their teachers and little friends. They come home each day saying or doing something new. Play & Learn has also helped create a routine and structure for our family. We maintain the same schedule for snacks, lunch and napping. My children are flourishing. read more