My advise is to keep looking. My son was enrolled there for 6 months, it was a regretful experience. He's now happy to be back at his original daycare, Kids R Kids. I HIGHLY recommend you go there, it's just right down the street. The only reason I moved him was because of a conflict I was having with another mother after she hit my car. Thank God, I came to my senses!
I'll try to keep this short. Small Strides is VERY cramped, there is not much room for the kids to run around & play. A few of the class rooms are a little more spacious, but that wasn't the case for my son.
Be prepared to make all the lunches, have your child come home ABSOLUTELY filthy, to the point you have to change their entire outfit just to run to the store. It's bad! It's not my son or his age either. I have no problems with that at all now. They don't listen to your concerns, they just carry on w/ their way of doing things & give you a million excuses. They allowed my 16 month old son (at the time) to have 4 hour naps on a daily basis & he was only there 6-7 hours daily. So needless to say, he had problems sleeping at night. He was WAY to old for the room they kept him in. The age limit maxed out @ 15 months then he was to move to the other class room w/ his age group. He was in the baby room from 15 months to 21 months, till I pulled him out!!! There is nothing wrong w/ his development. He's developing perfectly & is having no problems "adjusting". The problem wasn't my son, it was a worker named Crystal whom I had an AWFUL experience with. From day one she ignored me, was extremely impersonal, not to mention my son HATED to be alone with her. Red flags!!! My son is so mellow and easy going. As a new parent coming in she could've attempted the "wow" factor. She is the reason my son never advanced and I'm SO mad at her for that!!! The original excuse for putting him back in the baby room was because he wasn't walking yet. I understand that. 3 weeks later he was walking & should have moved up!
There are so many other minor dislikes, but that was the final straw for me. Also, be prepared to supply tons and tons of wipes. They don't use towels, apparently or hand soap. They use your wipes to wipe their hands off before & after the diaper change, that's 4-5 wipes for one change. Then they use them to wipe down tables, high chairs, etc. I've seen them do it & I asked about it. Several parents have complained.
Finally, in the baby room, there is a VERY small room w/ a huge metal door that they call the sleeping room. I call it the closet. It has all the cribs in it, they blast lullaby music or white noise, shut the sound proof door & call it nap time. Remember the 4 hour naps? These little angels aren't asleep majority of the time. They look frightened and restless and like they want out! I've addressed it several times. I was told everything from, "oh, they just woke up" to "their parents want them trained to be in a crib & they just don't like it , they're adjusting." Whatever! Some of them would scream and scream, it'd break your heart. No wonder my son cried and cried during drop off.
The staff over all seems very nice and knowledgeable. Just be aware that many of these young ladies are not mothers themselves and I feel they have a hard time really relating. Ryan is a first time owner, not a mother herself. I think she does have a passion for children, she just needs more hands on experience. read more
