Celebree Columbia North is hands down the worst childcare center I've ever dealt with, and parents…read moreneed to hear the truth.
I gave Celebree Columbia North a glowing review 5 months ago on google . That was before I realized the polished "tour" and promises were nothing but smoke and mirrors. Once you're in, you see the truth: this place is neglectful, unsafe, and run into the ground by poor ownership and new management.
On multiple occasions, I picked up my child dirty, hungry, and thirsty. Bottles I packed came back completely full, leaving him dehydrated. His cheeks were flushed, lips dry, and he was clearly uncomfortable. If he didn't want to eat right away, the teacher just gave up and sent him home hungry. On top of that, he was put in the wrong diaper several times, which led to painful rashes (see pictures below). I've picked him up smelling like urine, proving he was left unchanged for far too long. Even though they claim they change the kids every 2 hours.
The environment itself is no better. I saw bugs on the floors multiple times. The front door, supposed to be secure with a lock pad, was often broken, meaning anyone could walk in. Safety is supposedly their priority, but clearly it's not. The child reports were often unclear or incomplete, and when I asked teachers for details about his day, they couldn't even tell me what he ate, drank, or did. That's not communicationthat's incompetence.
Teachers are constantly on their phones or sticking kids in front of iPads instead of teaching. I've caught teachers sleeping while children napped. The most disturbing was seeing a teacher yank a child up and verbally assault them. I refused to let my son into that classroom until that teacher was removed, but ownership took their sweet time to act. That is beyond unacceptable!
And staffing? A disaster. Teachers walk out in the middle of the day all the time, leaving classrooms out of ratio and unsafe. I had to beg a teacher not to quit mid-shift so the children wouldn't be abandoned. You can see the exhaustion and burnout written on the staff's faces due to new management. It's sad and unfair for the kids who rely on routine and stability, and the owners simply ignore it. When I raised concerns, they brushed me off. Parents' voices mean nothing here!
Celebree Columbia North charges top-dollar tuition $570 a week but delivers neglect, chaos, and unsafe conditions. Dirty classrooms(kids are always sick with COVID RSV or God knows what else), hungry and thirsty children(cause they have a give up method schedule) , bugs on the ground(be careful they might come home in your child's belongings), broken security doors, lazy staff or burnt out staff , and useless management / ownership that won't listen to concerns.
I pulled my child out as FAST as I could, and I will never recommend this place to anyone!
The only bright spots in this broken system were Ms. Zuri, Ms. Anna, Ms. Maya, and Ms. Patricia--teachers who genuinely cared for the children and gave their all in an environment stacked against them. And Ms. Lisa, in her management role, showed more effort and compassion than anyone else in leadership. Unfortunately, even their dedication couldn't make up for the chaos, indifference, and neglect created by ownership and poor management.
