We've had two kids at STEM over the last year and are happy with the overall experience. STEM's long daily operating hours, nutritious meals, acceptance of UPK, and limited holiday schedule are extremely convenient for working parents (and we've found that they provide one of the best daycare schedules around Castle Rock). Our children were able to develop strong, lasting relationships with a number of teachers and friends at STEM. Ms. Mya specifically has been a positive influence and constant supporter of our children. read more

We've had a good experience with STEM Child Care. The staff is caring and attentive. Our two boys have made great progress socially and always come home with a smile. We're grateful for the support and structure they've provided. Thank you to the team for all your hard work! read more

I hate to write a negative review about STEM Child Care because my son really did like it at the school (and a lot of times when I picked him up, he would say "mommy, I want to go back to school"), and it seemed like a very neat and clean environment with a great play facility, but the school went downhill mid-way through my son's attendance here, right up until... THEY KICKED HIM OUT. Now let me take a minute to say, yes, my son is a very active, on-the-go, kid, who loves to play, dance, and seek attention from adults... So at times, he can be a lot to handle, but I don't see him as any different than any other three-year-old. This age is a tough one because they want to explore and learn about everything around them, and that's exactly what my son wants to do, but it seems as though STEM does not want that for my son (and perhaps your child too?). Instead, they want perfectly neat and proper kids that color inside the lines, stick napkins in their shirts when eating, and lay peacefully down during naptime. Hate to break it to you though, STEM... We don't live in a fairytale. Kids want to push their boundaries and test their limits and it is your teacher's job to educate the kids on what's right and wrong, not simply give up on the kids and tell the child's parents that their daughter or son is no longer allowed to attend your school. Yep, that's exactly what happened to us. My son recently decided he is done with napping (and had struggled with laying down for a nap in his previous classrooms at STEM too, but really who can nap in an environment where there are 10 - 20 other kids and teachers walking around), which a lot of kids at the age of three decide. Well, STEM did not like this and had my husband and I come in for a meeting to discuss the fact that our son did not want to nap anymore. Apparently, they tried quiet activities, rubbing his back, etc, which did not regularly work, however, at home, when told he needs to be quiet and focus on quiet activities, he obeys and does so. Anywho, long story short, my husband and I proceeded to have two more meetings with the staff at STEM only for them to tell us that we could pick up our son in the middle of the day, when nap time occurred, only to drop him off when nap time was over (from about 12:30 - 2:30 pm), which I found utterly preposterous because it's right smack in the middle of the day and it made me feel as though these people think we literally twiddle our thumbs all day long as opposed to actually WORK. Initially, a 1/2 day option was offered, which my husband and I were, in fact, considering because finding childcare right now is nearly impossible, but then the head of the whole operation called me to inform me that 1/2 day tuition rates don't exist and if we picked our son up at 12:30 pm, every day, we would still be charged the full tuition rate (which by the way is a few hundred dollars MORE than other daycare operations around the Castle Rock and Parker areas). So I guess what I am trying to say is I would be very wary about sending your child/children to STEM Child Care, for fear that they will call you at any point during the day, to tell you that your child is being unruly (but isn't that to be expected considering they're children?) and that you need to pick him or her up ASAP... The anxiety this caused me at the end of my son's attendance at STEM, I swear, has caused me health issues that will take a few weeks to reverse. Oh... And one last thing that I will briefly mention... One of the staff members at STEM was actually fired because she psychically pinned down my son with her leg at nap time, to try and get him to stay on his sleeping cot. While yes, they fired her immediately, it just makes me wonder what kind of screening process STEM takes with their staff members. read more

If you are looking to have quality care with teachers that really appear to care STEM is the place to be. STEM is great about keeping you updated on your LOs day. They use the Brightwheel app to keep you up to date. You get pictures throughout the day as well as info on diaper changes and food your LO eats. The food always looks delicious. They do a lot of arts and crafts and other sensory activities throughout the week and the outdoor space is very open. When we moved from Aurora to Castle Rock we worried about how our son, who was 16 months at the time, would do transitioning to a new daycare, but they made the transition super easy and he was able to adjust very quickly. I think the ease of the transition really speaks to the quality of the teachers. The photos we got of our son always looks like he was having a wonderful day full of fun activities and learning. read more

My daughter has been attending this daycare for just over a year and a half and it has been amazing to see the development she has had. This is one of the reasons we have chosen to stick with this daycare for as long as we have, she is so smart and well behaved thanks a lot to the wonderful teachers that work here, who also have education within childcare. They have an awesome curriculum that among the normal reading/writing/numbers etc. they also fine tunes motor skills. It's also very nice that they have 12 hour opening from 6:30 am to pm with no late/early fees. Just one set price. It's a little bit but talking with the staff there (which are wonderful) and as I mentioned seeing how far she has developed makes it well worth it. Highly recommend. read more

Our son has been with STEM for four years. The staff is very friendly and communicate throughout the day. The hours are also great. Would recommend! read more

My husband and I loved this child care, this place has done wonders for our little one. For a short amount of time my son is excelling it his vocabulary and social interaction. The staff at Stem child care are so wonderful and kind. I struggled for a bit and there where there to help me out. I am so glad we found this place and our son enjoys this place. I couldn't ask for a better place. read more

Stem has been a great start to our children's education. The staff they have here are amazing, my kids really love it here. The staff has also been very co-operative during today's issues. Glad we found a place where our kids are comfortable and we can trust. read more

My son has been going to STEM almost a year now and it has been an excellent experience. One of the things I love is that no matter who the caretaker is at school they all seem to know and love my son when they greet him at the door. He is constantly stimulated whether it is classroom activity or with his classmates. I love receiving the artwork that he makes and the updates that I receive via the app. As a working mom I suffered a lot of guilt at first not being home with my son, but now I'm so confident about all the love and attention he gets during the day that I wouldn't have it any other way. read more

This daycare does not have it together at all. I got a job working Monday, Wednesday, Friday And my husband and I were in a bit of a time crunch to find childcare. We set up three tours with three separate daycares. Our first was stem. We scheduled for 2 on a Monday. That morning I ended up rescheduling because something came up. We rescheduled for 2 pm the next day. 2 pm rolls around Monday and we get a FaceTime call from stem. Didn't answer as I told Deborah I needed to reschedule and she confirmed prior to this call. Tuesday at 2 rolls around and no phone call. We called twenty minutes later asking what the deal was and rescheduled for 2 the following day AGAIN. finally get on the FaceTime call with Deborah. First off I understand COVID is a thing thus the virtual tours but I really don't get how my kid who lives with me who is in the same house all day as me can go into a daycare but I the mother cannot. Whatever moving on we met deb on our call and she wasn't wearing a mask. Fine it's just a FaceTime call and she's in her office. As she gets up to give us this tour she doesn't put a mask on. I'm not one who believes in masks but we were told that our three year old son would have to wear one while he is in school. How can you make a three year old wear a mask but you as an adult won't? Absurd. As she's taking us on our tour she shows us the classroom briefly. And the kids are all napping. Don't get to see the teacher don't get to see the interactions with the children, the curriculum. Nothing. Just a dark classroom with sleeping kids. I wasn't aware they'd be sleeping at that time and wish Deborah would've told us that so we could've rescheduled for a time to see all the action. The tour was a total of 13 minutes. Short and sweet. We toured the other schools. Those tours took an hour each and both the directors were wearing masks but didn't require the little ones to wear them. Great. Only problem is they didn't have the availability we were looking for. So we went with stem. We were only going to keep him there temporarily and then switch him somewhere different once a slot opened up. I went to drop off my paperwork on Friday. Hudson was set to start school on Monday. We're greeted by deb. I'm allowed in the lobby but nowhere near the hallway or classroom. The teacher comes out to greet us. Friendly girl. As were chatting I ask if there are cameras in the room. Deborah replies no there are no cameras in the classrooms but there are in the hallways and the lobby. Then she says "my philosophy is if you're going to do something to a child you're going to do it where there are no cameras" yes that is true. Which is why I want cameras in the classroom where my son will be all day! I was in disbelief at her comment. We left and wrote an email stating we would not be there on Monday and I wouldn't be taking my son somewhere that doesn't have cameras. Didn't hear a word back. Very unprofessional staff. I have worked in daycares in my teen years and every single one had a camera. So not sure why this one doesn't but be cautious before you decide to bring your children here. read more

Our child was at STEM for 10 months in the infant - toddler room. When we removed her from the school, she was beginning to transition to the 2s room. While we were initially happy with the school, things slowly declined, and we were left in a situation where we would not recommend anyone attend the school, primarily once we started in the toddlers To start, the staff never made much efforts to keep our child clean. I would pick my child up, and often no effort had been made to wipe off any snot from her face throughout the day, or she'd still have leftovers on her face from lunch. We cloth diaper, and frequently I would pick her up and she would be in disposables. Every single time she wore disposables at school, she would develop a diaper rash, which only happens to her if she's left in a wet one for too long. If she ever pooped there, she was never cleaned properly and we would find her bottom still with poop in crevices when we got home. When we brought her things home after her last day, though we had repeatedly been told that her cup would be cleaned at school, we discovered mold growing in the cup that she drank from daily. Communication within the school was also a noted difficulty. At one point in the middle of the school year, a new handbook was made, not widely distributed, and additional holidays had been added. This should have had a signed parent acknowledgement to the changes; instead, we were left scrambling when a msg went out on a Friday afternoon that school was closed the following Monday. Every day, when I picked up my child from school in the afternoon, all of the staff had switched over to the afternoon staff. This meant, that any questions I asked about my child's day, was met with blank stares and shrugs of "I don't know." The day staff and afternoon staff never communicated during the switch over, and provided absolutely no insight into the children's day or behavior. We began potty training at home as well, and spoke to her teachers several times about working with her at school. Yet anytime I would ask in the afternoon how she did with going to the potty, the staff in the afternoon had no idea they should have even been trying. Several times in which communicable diseases were being spread throughout the school, as confirmed by our pediatrician even knowing about cases of it (strep, flu, HFM), none of the parents were informed, or only after it had already been spreading for a week+ The afternoon staff was also never consistent. My child had the same main teacher during the day most days, every week it seemed there was new afternoon staff. The staff didn't really watch the kids well either. I frequently picked my kid up and another kid would be playing in the sink, standing on top of toys trying to get over the gate to the other room, etc. Parent teacher conferences were mentioned months ago but those never happened. Again, leading us to have no idea what was happening during the day, the curriculum our child was learning, or what her behavior was like. We were assured that she would be moving up to the next classroom in Jan, and starting the transition in Dec. Early Jan they were only just then beginning to transition her, and never fully moved her to the older classroom. Also, several incidences and questions regarding safety of the kids. A few times in which whole grapes or whole carrots were served to kids 18mo-2 yrs old. Each time I brought this up as a concern, with it being a major choking hazard, I would be blown off or just told it would be handled, and nothing seemed to change. The teachers in the room seemed oblivious to this being a problem, and did not seem to have the children's safety in mind. STEM also does not use indv door codes for parents like many of the nearby schools. There's 1 shared code for the exterior door and 1 for interior. The outside code was only changed a 1 time while we were there, and the internal codes have never been changed. read more

Both of our children attend STEM. We are very happy since the have joined. The staff is great. Very friendly and warm. We receive multiple updates, pictures and the kids are eating great throughout the day. The kids are so happy to be a part of a program that introduces them to many different experiences. I highly recommend STEM! read more

What an amazing find in Castle Rock. They have great operating hours, provide nutritious meals, and have a great hand's on approach in learning. All the staff is incredibly friendly and they're always so patient with all of my questions. I appreciate how nurturing they are with my daughter. They care about what they do and it shows. read more

After I dropped my daughter off on her first day, I received 3 'update' photos from the staff - in all 3 photos, she had obviously been crying and she is normally a very happy baby. After a couple hours, I went to check on things and asked if I could sit with her in the classroom for awhile. I left with her 40 minutes later and decided to pull her from the daycare. The two caregivers in the classroom were nice but seemed over-whelmed & discombobulated, at least half the babies were crying the entire time I was there (one baby had been standing in the crib crying for over 15 minutes and nobody was helping him), the room was freezing cold, and the staff/child ratio seemed off to me. The next day I informed the owner that I wanted to cancel the contract since I did not feel this situation was healthy or right for my 8 month old baby. Despite sending several (polite!) email requests, they would not refund a penny (they said they could offer some money back if one of the waitlisted families would take my spot but apparently that never happened). So, I basically paid $1500 for 3 hours of my baby crying. It is unfortunate that I can only give an unfavorable review of this facility. read more