I have two children that attend this facility. One 6 years old and the other 4 years old. They both…read morehave been attending "Children of the Island" since the facility opened at its current location. We found this great child care center after being taken for a ride by another licensed daycare that took our deposit and then left the province. We were a little hesitant after that but once we talked to the owners we decided to try them out. One of the things that intrigued us was the fact that the staff was mostly going to consist of care givers with their ECE's. It gave us comfort knowing that our children were going to be given a good start in preparing them for school. I had a parent who ran an in house licensed daycare and was blown away by what Children of the Island was willing to offer for the fees they were charging. I have personally seen what it takes to care for a group of little people and as each one has their own personality and individual needs it takes the right kind of person. After a couple years the experience has been as promised and then some. They not only met the promised offerings when we first signed on but also added to it. My children have had swimming lessons at JDF, Martial Tots through Crusher Combat Sports, gone to movies, visited the beacon hill petting zoo, gone to Gaileys farm and done excursions to tons of other locations. We also take advantage of the free tutoring for our grade school son and with all of these offerings there has never been a request for extra money to pay for the added activities. Our preschool aged son goes to Children of the Island 5 days a week and we never have to worry about packing snacks or meals. As a matter, of fact we could not make the caliber of meals our son is offered on a daily basis and he has a food sensitivity to dairy. Children of the Island asked nothing more than for us to provide alternative dairy products to their fantastic on staff chef's and they make sure he gets great lunch's and snacks. He eats it up and most days his primary care giver says he goes back for more which is surprising because sometimes it's for food he won't eat at home. This is why we are happy to bring his optional foods. With a facility the size they are running it's understandable that they wanted us to give them the food to prepare. I am sure there are other children with allergies and we didn't want to put them at risk. We are glad they are able to serve up the same meals the rest of the kids are eating as a facility this size couldn't be expected to provide a special meal daily. We are two full time working parents who take great pride in accepting responsibility for who our children will grow up to be both developmentally and socially. We know that not every child could thrive in a large daycare setting like this one but we are extremely grateful that this facility is available to our children for their formative years. .

My guy has been with Happy Campers for 4 years . Out of school , pro D days , spring and summer…read morebreaks . He's always happy to go . Never ever says he doesn't want to go. The educators are awesome and care about the children. They put effort into making the experience fun. The office and upper management are easy to work with, whether I'm in a tough spot or my guy has a rough day . I alway feel my guy is safe and well cared for . Shirley Stewart

I absolutely adore Happy Campers (just as much as my children do :) ) We have been in Happy…read moreCampers for just over 2 years. My youngest attends daycare and my eldest is in OSC. The staff are phenomenal, well trained, kind and the perfect people to watch over your children. Daycare is well run and very organized. They plan many outdoor trips and are always learning something new while having fun. They have monthly themes and daily fun projects that keeps the children engaged and happy! They are always improving the playground equipment and play areas and ensuring the children are safe but have super fun play equipment. Communication is great and Kelly at the office is super helpful and always going the extra mile to stay on top of admin. Brandon in the finance team is awesome too! Lucy-Ann (as manager / owner), is very involved and always available if you need to discuss something etc. Summer camps and spring break camps are also great and my eldest has really enjoyed all the time he spends there. They are highly recommended. Last but not least, the OSC staff are great! Friendly, fun and always patient and kind. My youngest is very excited to join her brother for OSC in September when she starts kindergarten. Happy Campers has become family and choosing them was one of our best decisions!

I was hired by this organization based on my 20 years of experience working with children. After…read morethree days of work I was let go and told that a reference had come back negative. On speaking to my references I discovered that none of them were contacted. I believe my former spouse, who has been very dishonest in the past contacted them. She's gone out of her way many times to contact employers, girlfriends and former employers in order to discredit me. I was not told what was said and I was given no opportunity to defend myself. Not a good way to treat employees. Very disappointing. On confronting the executive I was told that she was unwilling to go into it. She said I could seek legal advice, but it wouldn't do any good. Incredibly hurt and frustrated with the way I was treated and dehumanized in this process and I believe I may have been discrimated against based on a personal disability. Not even sure how to proceed at this point.

From the owner: Give your child a jump start on learning by bringing them to the Kids Klub Centre in Victoria. We…read moreoffer before and after school programming, as well as summer day camps. They'll participate in innovative and dynamic activities with kids in the same peer group. And since happy children are nourished children, your child will also have the opportunity to participate in our brown bag lunch program. For further information about our childcare services, please contact us.

The website for the childcare Looks so nice. With the bus…read moreand same coloured shirts and the pics of fun outings. This first month of after school care doesn't look like that for my child. he is picked up in a mini van. he says they play loud music during the drive. When they get to the site, they go into a gym and that is all the interaction they get with the leaders. No playground, no outside time. My son wanted to play with someone and no leader introduced him or helped him make any friends He is very sad when he has to attend. They also don't have morning care offered. Sometimes there's a sign out sheet - sometimes not. Doesnt seem like a big deal to them. The male worker doesn't seem to interact with the kids but works on his computer in the gym during care time. I wish it has been more friendly and they offered group games or crafts. Something fun after a day at school. My last comment was that after two days of trying - my son didn't want to go back but I couldn't get my Money back from the owner. So he had to go the two days a week for the month. That was disappointing.

I would rate it less than 1 star if I could. We paid for a…read morefull-time spot for the months of November and December, with the intention of sending our son there beginning in January when my wife returned to work. In mid December, with only 2 weeks notice (not the 30 days notice stated in their contract), we received an email informing us that we would not be welcome in January. We were out. No refund would be coming. Too bad so sad. This place is obviously very poorly run, has horrible business practices, and I am very glad we will not be dealing with them in the future. We are advising anyone looking for childcare to avoid this place if possible.

Too Long Didn't Read: WE RAISED LEGITIMATE CONCERNS AND WERE KICKED OUT…read more WE WERE REFUSED DAYCARE FOR BEING 4 MINUTES LATE. Magoo's is in a TERRIBLE LOCATION FOR TRAFFIC. There is no way you can approach Magoo's during peak traffic times when you will not be caught in gridlock traffic trying to get on the #1 Highway. Trip times varied by as much as 30 min. I understand the need for a cut-off - it's disruptive if children are arriving just as they're heading outside or down for a nap. There are lots of ways that Janine could implement that policy that would be empathetic to the reality of life with young children, however! She could have issued a warning, or called me to see if we were coming, or waited a little longer, or come back to work - it was only 4 minutes after all, which is hardly enough time to even leave. AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, WE HAD NEVER MET JANINE, so a meeting was overdue. Even though I was the one out of money and inconvenienced, Janine was abrasive and angry. She complained bitterly about a previous manager leaving and working, "10-hour days." My daughter squirmed nervously in my arms as we listened to her rant. She said she was sick the day we were refused, but regardless, she was adamant that she is strict about her drop-off policy - saying proudly that STAFF ARE SENT HOME THE MINUTE THE RATIO OF STAFF TO CHILDREN BECOMES THE MINIMUM LEGALLY ALLOWED. As she put it, "9:31am." Janine implied that we were often late, but I asked the ECEs who worked with our daughter if, before this incident, we had ever been late, and they said that only one other time we arrived at 9:30. I left FEELING RATTLED. Because I didn't feel like I could speak to Janine about legitimate concerns, I CALLED THE LICENSING OFFICE AND ASKED THEM TO LOOK INTO SOME THINGS. I was concerned that the staff were not getting appropriate breaks. LICENSING DID A ROUTINE INSPECTION AND JANINE CONTACTED US THE SAME DAY TO SAY THAT WE WERE TO LEAVE THE DAYCARE BECAUSE OF IT. You can VIEW THEIR LICENSING REPORTS ONLINE. My daughter contracted HAND FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE in the fall and then I caught it. IT WAS AWFUL. Other kids were sick, too, some for the second time. I didn't feel that they were taking the right steps to combat the spread of HFM. HFM is spread through bodily fluids and feces. At the time, I saw that the CHANGE PAD IN THE INFANT-TODDLER ROOM WAS OLD AND PATCHED WITH DUCT TAPE. Eventually they replaced it. By the time we left Magoo's, they were changing the children by PUTTING THE CHANGE PAD AND SUPPLIES ON THE PLAYROOM FLOOR. THE FACILITIES ARE VERY BASIC AND TOUGH FOR THE STAFF TO WORK IN. The WASHROOM IS TINY; the PLAY ROOM IS SMALL. There is a LARGE SET OF CONCRETE STAIRS leading to the outdoor play area and another one leading to the entrance. The ECEs, who were each responsible for four children, had to take children two at a time up and down those stairs. The NAP ROOM IS A CLOSET and my daughter ended up sleeping in a pack-and-play in the kitchen (by choice - she was scared of the dark). THERE IS NO FRIDGE. The kitchen is very warm, so food must be packed very well to stay cold enough for many hours. THERE IS NO DISHWASHER. The ECEs wash dishes by hand. THERE IS NO LAUNDRY. Soiled clothes are sent home for you to wash. There are plenty of daycares in the same price range that have these basic appliances. THEY HAVE DIFFICULTY IN PROVIDING SERVICE IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER. THE CHILDREN SPENT MANY DAYS INSIDE BECAUSE OF THE RAIN. We provided high-quality warm and waterproof clothing; but regardless they spent many whole days in the play room because of the rain. My daughter had mostly short naps and came home tired, but restless. Incidentally, TWICE THEY MISPLACED EXPENSIVE CLOTHING AND WOULD NOT LOOK FOR THEM. It took asking two or three times to get them to look for the clothes - they were at the daycare. It's totally understandable that clothes get misplaced, and I know they were very busy, but dismissing my requests to look for the clothes was frustrating. THEY ALSO CLOSED THE DAYCARE BECAUSE OF SNOW AND DIDN'T CALL ANYONE. Some daycares stayed open that day and some closed, buses were running, schools were open and the roads were driveable and totally clear by mid-morning. Other parents were angered by the snow day as well. JANINE'S BUSINESS PRACTICES ARE QUESTIONABLE. The day before our last, Janine told us that her "computer crashed" and there was no way she could stop the final direct payment in time and that we would have to put a stop payment on it ourselves. A similar thing happened to my sister. She WAS CHARGED FOR TWO MORE MONTHS AFTER LEAVING. Someone else posted a review on Yelp about PAYING MAGOO'S FOR TWO FULL MONTHS TO HOLD A SPOT, THEN BEING REFUSED THE SPOT AND LOSING ALL THE MONEY they'd paid - check it out. The two ladies who looked after our daughter directly worked very hard and we liked and appreciated them very much. Janine is the problem.

My 3 years old daughter goes to kids and company, Victoria location in BC. She's been going there…read morefor about one and a half years and the care and service that is provided at this centre is exceptional. I've seen many other daycare centres too, but never been able to choose any other place over this. I really recommend this place as a first choice for the kids to my family and friends as I was never able to find any other place that can provide even close service for my child in terms of cleanliness, organization, routines, food, teachers care and love, and so much more. I can always access anytime what my child is doing via the web cameras and whenever I do, my child is always busy learning something. The director (Grace) always makes sure that parents know all that is going on in the centre and is related to our kids. I trust the teachers for the care they provide to all the children. They do their job ina perfect way by not just taking care of the kids but also making them self-dependent. I also like how transparent the system is in the organization. The parents are made aware of not just the positives, but also about the negatives of the organization. I'm glad to have selected the best place for my child.

My experience with the administration staff wasn't good at all. I paid in advance and gave a…read moredeposit for one month for my girl to join Kids and Company when they just opened in Langford. She couldn't fine her place, cried every single day for for full days, and when I wanted to pull it out, they never returned my calls or my money back, they just ignored my e-mails and messages. It never crossed my mind that a "Corporate" Company would create a bad reputation with one customer after waiting for over one year to hear back from them.... For me integrity and honesty is the foundation of any business.