My family has been with this center for a few months and let me just say, it is clear the Director and management team does not care about your kids or the employees. It seems as though everyday, the team is just trying to "make it through the day". Every morning at drop-off, the toddler and infant classrooms are clearly over ratio and chaotic. There are constant teacher callouts. My daughter's teacher is out numerous times a week for one reason or another. This forces my child to be placed in a different room, proving that there is no consistency. The teachers that do show up everyday, are CLEARLY burnt out. I feel bad for them. Additionally, a majority of the staff lack any educational expertise and seem to view this job as glorified babysitting. Management seems to hire anyone who walks through the door just so they can enroll more families and make more money. This puts a heavy burden on the good staff. No quality curriculum is taking place. My kids never come home with any artwork or projects. The kids are just not learning anything. The center is filthy. I don't think anyone knows how to sweep or mop. I have had to step through my child's classroom to get their backpack and I am disgusted with the state of the classrooms. I truly believe the teachers are so burnt out, they are just too tired to clean. And it shows. There are a handful of wonderful teachers who seem to care about the kids; but unfortunately, that is way overshadowed by the negative vibes in this place. There is a child in my son's preschool classroom (Kairo is the child's name) that has extremely aggressive and violent behavior. My child fears going to class because of him. I have spoken with the Director Heather numerous times about this and it seems nothing is being done and my concerns are being pushed aside. This child needs special help that he cannot get in a large group setting. I know multiple parents have the same concerns about this child. I am in search of another daycare and soon as I get a spot, I will be dis-enrolling immediately. read more

My family has been with the Kindercare company for a few years. Both my son and daughter attend the Melrose center. Good experience!

I like this daycare! The staff are incredibly caring and attentive to the children's needs. The facility is clean, safe, and filled with engaging activities. My child always comes home happy and excited to share their day's adventures I have full peace of mind knowing they are in such capable hands. Highly recommend this daycare to any parent looking for a nurturing and enriching environment for their little ones. read more

I've been waay behind on writing my Yelp reviews so I'm writing this one from an experience over a year ago. Choosing to go to Kindercare ,and not a home daycare, we expected several things to meet the needs of our newborn and ensure a minimum standard of care (scheduled diaper changes, developmental curriculum, emergency procedures, etc.). We were also willing to pay a premium for these services, which is the only thing we got. Here's a glimpse of our experience before pulling her out of there. Very cold rooms (infants can't regulate their own body temps) and disinterested/lazy teachers plus high employee turn-over (and we were there for only a month). Here's the fun part - each day we picked up our daughter, she was in a swing with a pacifier in her mouth. The teachers would do this to keep the kids quiet so they wouldn't have to "deal" with them. This was certainly not meeting our expectations, but the last straw - and hang on for this, was one day my wife walked in to find our daughter in a swing with a towel wrapped around her head (covering her mouth). When she demanded to know why, the teacher said that our daughter kept popping her pacifier out and would cry. She was using the towel to keep the pacifier in, so she would stay quiet! This is not a joke. We pulled her out of there immediately and when I took this up with the Director of the center, she had the audacity to defended the teacher's actions. read more

Not a fan. This place is mediocre at best. Kindercare stoneham was our first experience with daycare. We picked it because of the long hours, proximity to my husband's work, and it is on the way home for me. I like the pro, con attack so here goes: Pro--long hours. 6:30 to 6:30. These hours are hard to find. Less expensive than similar city day cares. I work in boston and the rates in the city are super high. My child's basic needs are met. Barely. They feed her, they change her. Infant rooms are shoeless. Cons---90% of the teachers are miserable and unhappy. They seem annoyed when I call and rush me out of the center as soon as possible. None of the care providers seem like they want to be there and cannot wait to leave at the end of the day. Not good if you are working with children. My baby got sick all the time. I know a little sickness is expected, but come on. My daughter has different care givers every week. I would call is see how she was doing and a different person would be taking care of her. During early morning drop-offs children seemed unhappy. Lots of kids crying and teachers not attending to them as soon as they should. Bottom line. Don't go there. read more

Pros - Open long hours and "hot" lunch and snacks are provided. Open during the summer and some well meaning teachers. Cons- not a school but a business. Children are constantly transitioned from rooms during the day as rooms are opened and closed to keep max student/teacher ratios. Lack of stability for kids. They don't get the same playmates and teachers. Not helpful for learning . Basics are not taught in classrooms but in special enrichment classes for extra fees, ie music, phoniecs, cooking. Curriculum for 2.9 -4.9 is the same, so it gets repetitive for kids. read more

I Love the extra Classes my son can take, he now is doing soccer , it is a great way to breack up his day. There is also math and cooking, and they do hot lunches every day read more

When looking at daycare centers for our first child, the most important things to me were safety, cleanliness and a bright, inviting environment that encouraged learning. After looking in the area at several centers, we chose Stoneham KinderCare because it had all of those things and I felt an immediate connection to the teachers in the infant room who were so excited to care for our child. Since then our older child is now in preschool, and our youngest child is enrolled in infants. Our older child is engaged daily with learning lessons, letters/reading, art, outside play, and comes home excited to share what they learned that day. Their teachers provide daily updates (including if they ate/napped) and weekly we get an overview of the subject matter they are learning. Our parent/teacher conferences cover overall progress and they are always available to speak about any concerns (note: based on the centers schedule of 6:30-6:30 some teachers may not be working for both drop off and pick up - always best to schedule time with them if there is a concern, they are very open to that). Our infant had food sensitivities and all the teachers were aware and comfortable with how to manage. The room is a safe environment and while there may be multiple caregivers throughout the day, they are all trained and engage well with the children. Our child goes willingly (which all infants have trouble with at that age) to their teachers and we know she is cared for. Communication is excellent - emails with updates/illness news/weekly newsletters, phone calls with any concerns and lots of opportunities to engage with the teachers (scheduled conferences) and management (parent committee, extracurricular events such as Spring/Winter "galas" and Halloween parties for the kids). Especially around the times of the Boston Marathon bombing, the communication from the center about what they were doing to ensure our children's protection was incredible. At a time when I couldn't be close to my children, I knew they were safe and taken care of. That says a lot about the trust we place in its management and staff. read more

We have been going to this Kindercare in Stoneham for over 4 years. I have 2 kids there that have been there since they were in the infant rooms, and now they're in the Pre-K and Pre-school classrooms. The staff is wonderful. The same 2 women have been in the infant room A since we started, and my kids still love it when we walk by their room. They always stop and say hello. I also love the summer programs they bring in for the preschool and older kids. The one thing I'd wish they would do is practice their writing and letters a bit more in the preschools. I'd love to see more of their writing samples they do during the day come home with me, and I'd love to see recommendations for us parents as to what we can be doing at home to reinforce what they're learning during the day. But still can't complain to much. They've been great and listen if we have concerns. read more

I am noticing a lot of old posts here, so I thought it was time to update! I have been sending my children to Kindercare for several years now, and I have never seen it in better shape. There is a new director who has completely revamped the center. She has done a cleanup of teachers, made over the classrooms, and I have no complaints. Morale is definitely at an all time high. As far as customer service, this center is top notch in my eyes. Each morning my children are greeted and immediately offered breakfast and a hug. For pickup, I always walk in finding my girls having fun WITH their teacher! Any comment or concern I have is addressed immediately by either management or the teacher with the utmost quality and attention. Also, management has made coming to the center a joy as well. They are always smiling and have daily conversations with me. I have never felt so comfortable walking into a business as I have with them. I am a very satisfied customer and will defend their good honor! read more

Pros: Long hours - not sure it's worth it just for the hours. Cons: We enrolled our daughter here when she was four months old and just recently moved her to another day care at 12 months old. We always gave the center the benefit of the doubt because the people were nice. However most of the teachers are uninterested in the kids and more interested in cleaning at the end of the day so they can go home. It was hardly communicated what the kids did all day... For infants the center mixed younger infants with walkers which was a problem where the older kids moved on top of the small babies. We had issues with medication where the center staff forgot to administer the medication, then over medicated when the medicine date had ended. It's not worth looking at this day care just for the hours, look for another place! read more

My wife and I got a tour -- we both liked the place. We registered our 6 year old for 3 weeks. He loves it -- can't wait to go, asks us to pick him up as late as possible, wakes us up early so we get a move-on, and has tremendous fun with the activities and makes friends. A colossal home run with him. Other reviewers complain that the staff is not chipper and full of pep after 8-10 hours of providing care to the kids. I can't help but think these reviewers are a little out of touch with reality. If the caregivers are doing it right, it is a lot of work! Are they tired at the end of the day? Yeah, probably. I would be, too!! I'm grateful that they're tired -- they've given the best of themselves for my son's benefit. And unlike other reviewers, I never got a sense that the staff felt "demoralized" or "miserable" or "unhappy". In my experience, the staff seemed very caring and attentive. The most minor of scrapes were written up and communicated to us, and they relayed stories of conversations my son had with them and how much they enjoyed him. What matters to me most is that my son is in a safe, caring environment. He gets that, and he has a great time to boot. read more

I enrolled my 4 month old child at Kindercare because several friends recommend the Kindercare Center. My experience at Kindercare Stoneham did not live up to my expectations. My child was not greated by her provider when she arrived. We were told just put her over in the swing. When I picked her up in the evening the providers were often filling out paperwork and not giving attention to the children. My child never slept at the center the intercom system was so loud that I could not stand to be in the room. I also feel that she was hurried through her feedings since her clothes were changed daily because they were wet from milk. When we changed providers my child resumed napping and did not come home in a new outfit daily because of being hurried through a feeding. read more

We use this place because we have to. No one else has space. The people here call kids out so they can go home. They have very high staff turnover and all the major activities cost extra. I would avoid this place. The have no respect or consideration for the parents. read more

My daughter has been going to this center since December, 2011, so for about 6 months now. It seems like a lot of the negative reviews are about infant care, and I can't really relate to that since my daughter only started in this center when she was pre-school age. My experience so far has been great. My daughter's teacher has changed once, however, the older teacher has been with the center for almost 10 years, so it was more of a coincidence. The new teacher has been great, too, my daughter loves her and talks about her all the time. They do switch the rooms though as some of the posters mentioned, but it usually happens in the end of the date (around 5 p.m.), just because most of the kids have gone home by then. Overall I would recommend this center. read more

My son goes to KinderCare Stoneham once a week, and the teachers are well educated, loving, and just wonderful. My son is in Pre-K, and we love it! He has learned so much at this school. He is also takes a phonics class there, and it's amazing how much he has learned. Both the director Suzie, Melissa, and Amy are great, and we are just so happy!!! read more

I am quite surprised at the negative reviews. I would like to take this opportunity to share our wonderful experience with Kinder Care, Stoneham. We first started with KC in 2003, when the center was still very new. Our eldest at the time was 18 months old. The staff at that time was young and energetic. The director was excited about the new center and over the next 4 years our daughter proceeded to have a very positive experience. Skip ahead to 2010 when we enrolled our second child. We chose KC again because of our first experience and we couldn't be happier! The current staff is amazing and our daughter is very happy. In the past, the center had very high turnover. So high in fact, that a group of mothers, myself included, would meet regularly to discuss our concerns. I can honestly say that now, I do not see the turnover under the current leadership. The director has done a fantastic job in building a top-notch teaching staff who respect and, I believe, enjoy working under her and the assistant director's guidance and leadership. They are smart, motivated, and enthusiastic. The diversity in age, education, experience and ethnicity (our daughters were both adopted from China!) are, I believe, an enormous benefit to the children. The changes that have taken place between 2007 and 2010 are simply wonderful! While this is not meant to be a criticism towards the past director or staff, but the current directors have brought so many great qualities to the center. Their enthusiasm is so contagious!! Both are consistently happy and pleasant and greet you with a smile every time. They have a very broad knowledge base and share that with their staff. I get the sincere sense that every teacher at KC genuinely likes and resects them. On many occasions I have heard them say how great they both are. Again, our children are the true beneficiaries of all of this. Another very positive change that has taken place over that last few years is the amount of communication with parents. There is a clear and constant flow of information between the school and parents. This is something that was lacking in the past so I know the importance of it and how it can be very comforting to parents. Morning drop off and evening pick up can be very hectic times of the day so a newsletter, regular emails or a quick conversation in the office can be priceless and just what a parent needs. The genuine love and care that everyone at KinderCare gives the children is immeasurable. When you leave your child for the day in someone else's care, that decision can be very difficult. Everyone at KC makes that decision just a little bit easier! read more

My son has just started Kindergarten in Public School, so we had to say good-bye to Kindercare. What I realized as he has started his completely new experience was that Kindercare prepared him more than 100%. He has eased into his new environment because he was socially and educationally taught from the amazing teachers at Kindercare. It's hard to find a daycare center you trust, that your kids love to go to - this is the place. And on top of it all, they learn all aspects to prepare them for their next adventure. We'll miss everyone at Kindercare - but my son's advancement will always remind us that's where he started! read more

Both of my sons are currently attending this facility three days a week and our family has been extremely happy here. My older son started when he was 2.5 and he is now almost 4.5 in the preschool program. I also have a younger son who started in the infant room at 10 months and he is now almost 2. Both of my sons run into school happily each morning at drop-off. I look forward to connecting with their teachers in the morning and telling them funny stories of events from over the weekend. I have been on the parent committee for almost a year which has made our experience at Kindercare all the richer. I have first-hand knowledge of the thoughtfulness that goes into their safety and enrichment each day. Feedback and input are both very welcome and validated by management. The teachers make efforts to connect parents together and the entire staff and school is a wonderful community that I am happy to be a part of. The hours are extremely flexible and I feel that the food they provide is healthy and thoughtful (and better yet, I do not have to pack lunches!). My younger son has a peanut allergy and this facility has been extremely helpful and understanding about it. I highly recommend this facility and am forever grateful for the role they have had in the development of my children. read more

First let me begin by saying that the teachers are not to blame. Most of them come to Kindercare with optimism, but the Kindercare corporate culture quickly demoralizes them. The only reason why I stayed with Kindercare is because of the convenient hours and that my daughter who has been there now for five years, seems to like the teachers. The company itself however, cares only about the bottom line at the expense of the teachers and most importantly the kids. Like other reviewers have said, they switch the kids around constantly like musical rooms trying to optimize the teachers-kids ratio. We pay a huge tuition to Kindercare, yet very little of that goes to the teachers. As a result there is a high turn over rate. Every year Kindercare holds a professional development day for the teachers. Usually this takes place on a holiday so it doesn't affect the parents, however it probably is unfair to the teachers. Recently Kindercare changed the policy so that the professional development day is on a regular school day, which now requires the parents to scrounge around for alternative care. All in all, the staff appears to be nice and friendly, but underneath that facade, they are unhappy, unorganized and totally demoralized by management. read more

Elitest and classist organization! When I called and to schedule a tour of the facility, I was told that there were openings in the preK and Kindergarten classrooms for my 5 year-old. The facility is lovely and seems to be well-run. The staff also seemed very friendly. Oddly enough, when I came for the tour and told the tour guide that my child was actually a foster child, she then stated that she "would have to double check the open slots and call me back." I was willing to pay cash for the services and my foster child is well behaved, so I'm not sure what the resistance was all about. The assistant director never called me as promised so I called her back, eager to enroll my foster daughter. I was asked my name and once I introduced myself, I was told by staff on the phone that "several children enrolled this week and there are no longer any openings." I guess only biological, privileged children are allowed to attend Kindercare. read more

This daycare has many issues, but the biggest one is they do not practice what they claim. They are NOT, at this point in time a Peanut Free facility. They claim they are a peanut free facility however they allow everyone and anyone to bring whatever food they want from outside. There seems to be no control to prevent, inspect or stop ALL/ANY foods that come in the center and most of it makes it all the way to the class rooms. On numerous occasions I found food in my sons class room that did NOT have a peanut free label or there was a box of Dunkin Donuts donuts/munchkins right in child arms reach. They have teachers who have their own kids in this center, they take them to the Dunkin Donuts next door, buy them breakfast like bagels or donuts and then bring their child to the "breakfast room" next to my kid to eat their breakfast. Our son has a very severe peanut allergy and he is even allergic to peanut trace. I argued with the center director 3 times about this (I was under the impression this is a non debatable issue) and the last time I threatened to sue the center and call the health department if she doesn't crack down and make sure to NEVER allow any food from outside, like all other daycare centers do. I mean they have their own kitchen and serve lunch and breakfast for the kids. For $1400 a month that should at least buy me some comfort in knowing that the people working there, especially the center director and assistant director, actually care about our childs safety, health and life. Our son is a picky eater. Very often (more like every day) he doesn't like the food they serve for lunch, so his diet for 8 hours a day 5 days a week consists of saltine and animal crackers crackers. No efforts whatsoever goes into offering him something else to make him happy and keep him healthy. When we requested to bring in his lunch from home, they said no as no one is allowed to bring food from outside. I guess that was only directed to me because everyone else I see brings items not even labeled as peanut free so that's ok. Our son is also asthmatic and asking them to administer his inhaler medicine properly and on time, is like pulling teeth. If my wife or I even dare to tell them "...you administered the medicine wrong here is how you should be doing it" we get the "I am annoyed" eye roll or sigh. Dressing your child warm to go to the playground when it's winter and cold outside is also a big challenge for them. They don't seem to understand that dressing a child warm for outdoors play in cold weather is important. On numerous occasions I found my son outside in windy 45F and 50F weather with no jacket. Their excuse? "Oh we could not find his jacket" or they point the finger at us saying "...was his jacket labeled?". On one occasion I found my son outside in cold windy New England weather with no jacket, while another child was wearing my sons jacket. Just last week my wife gave them a bunch of required and different signed forms, updated asthma plans etc etc. Four days later I go to pick up my son and they asked me for the paperwork we had already provided them. We had given them a prescribed EPI Pen last year. Of course it expired and we gave them the new pair. They are supposed to immediately return BOTH of the OLD ones so we can discard them. They only gave us back one and made us wait two days before I finally had to ask for it. Once again they did not like being told what to do. When you make many mistakes and are ignorant you cannot be trusted. We have two kids and have been in and out of daycare centers for the past 9 years. read more

My son has been going to Kindercare in stoneham for almost 2 years (since 2012), he loves it and I love it too. The staff is always warm and friendly to me and my child. He always comes home with something new and he only just turned 2. I can honestly see how great he is developing there (he can sing his ABC's and count to 10 and knows some colors and letters). And they are in the process of getting their NAEYC acceditation. Some of the older reviews are outdated, I have never seen a swing in the infant room since I have been there. As for the parent with the peanut allergies (another parent told me about this review which is why I am decided to write), I do know that they no longer allow DD or HDD (including iced coffees, which I used to see all the time there, but on shelves where the children could not reach). Last summer when I wanted to bring in some cantaloup (not a big fan and I didn't want it to go to waste) from my CSA for the kids I was told I had to bring in the whole fruit not cut up so that they can be assured there was no cross contamination. No place is perfect, but whenever I have had any issues (which have been few and far between) the staff have been more then happy to help fix the problem. As for the center director not having kids why is this a problem, I mean there are plenty of parents out there that have no business caring for kids and many without kids (like the director) who do a phenomanal job of it (not to mention its plain old illegal to discriminate based on someones parental status). read more