My youngest son goes to school here and my older son also went to Goddard all the way through jr kindergarten (on the south side). Both are phenomenal and I could not ask for a better experience. And both of my boys have been to other daycares (La Petite and Kindercare), neither of which even came close to measuring up to Goddard in my experience. Those who feel that their children should not get sick from daycare are, unfortunately, fooling themselves as you will not find a daycare anywhere that doesn't have germs (hand, foot and mouth being one of the most common - please google it as "poor hygiene" is not the cause). Ask your doctor and I am sure he or she will inform you that getting sick is part of daycare. It's not fun, but it's a fact and just part of growing up and building immunity. The kids that don't go to daycare will get it when they go to school. I agree that kids shouldn't be walking around with snotty noses or dirty faces all day, but I actually haven't seen that at all in my son's class and he is a toddler. Here are some of the things I like most about this Goddard:
1) My son is HAPPY and SAFE there. This is most important. I feel totally at ease dropping him off every day - you can't put a price on that.
2) The teachers are degreed and they have a wonderful curriculum. I am amazed at what my almost 2 year old is learning - colors, numbers, etc... it's really impressive.
3) They use an app called Tadpoles and send me an electronic summary of his entire day. There are pictures included in the summary almost every single day. Amazing!!
4) The owner and director are onsite and super friendly.
5) It's secure. You can't get in and out without someone letting you in - and I also know there are lots of eyes on my son at all times (he is a busy boy and always into something).
6) The staff are just fantastic - very friendly and clearly love the kids.
7) The rooms are clean and everything is in place at the end of the day.
Do your research, but also be realistic and understand that paying more doesn't have anything to do with whether or not your little one will catch a cold. They have some very strict standards for cleanliness and are inspected regularly (inspection results are all public information @ https://secure.in.gov/apps/fssa/carefinder/index.html) so you can rest assured they are doing a good job there and can check if you aren't sure. You are paying for the degreed teachers, the curriculum, smaller class sizes with additional resources, etc.. If you can afford it, you won't find a better option for your kids. And, honestly, do your research. I know people who go to at home daycares, etc. and feel totally comfortable with it, which is great. I just know that when I drop my son off, I can breathe easy knowing he is happy and learning each day when my husband and I go to work. And no, the daycare doesn't know I posted this and they probably don't even look at these, so I am getting nothing from posting this. I just wanted to be sure that others who are looking for a daycare aren't just seeing the other posts that are out here and basing a decision on those reviews. read more