There have now been three "self reported serious incidents" in 2019. Two in January and one in February (see follow up story in the NY Post) and there are still uncorrected violations going all the way back to December when my son was injured (see my previous reviews) and 89 violations total since they opened. NYS lists them as "pending revocation" since December 2018. They are up for renewal in October 2019. I know from our own experience that it can be hard to find quality care, but please do your diligence before enrolling here or continuing to entrust this facility with the welfare of your children. Their compliance failures are overwhelming. read more

Parents be warned: do your homework on this facility's incident and violation history before considering enrolling your children here. My son was badly injured at this facility and they did not seek urgent medical care. We've taken our story to the press to make sure parents in the local community were made aware. A simple Google search of this facility will show you the full story, covered by WCBS, NY Post, USA Today, Journal News/LoHud, News12, HLN, and several more. My sons accident uncovered a sad reality - this facility had been operating all year with over 30 violations against it. We had no idea. I've since become very familiar with how to view daycare violations on OCFS.com. As of January 4th, 7th and 8th of 2019, the state of New York logged even more violations against TLE Dobbs Ferry. They now total to 83 violations. In my quest to find new daycare for my son, it appears most daycare centers in our area don't have more than 5 violations over the span of several years, some which have been in operation for 20+ years. Compare that to 83 violations at this facility from November 2017-January 2019. They should be ashamed of themselves. I wish we had known about these violations sooner. We would have removed my son from the program immediately. Since we've spoken to the press, at least a dozen parents and former staff members have contacted my husband and I directly about their own negative experiences at this facility, ranging from injuries to their children requiring stitches and leaving scars; to a 4 year old child being called an "idiot" to her face by one of the head teachers; to another teacher telling the pre-K class about her brother in jail on a daily basis; to teachers being encouraged by management to manipulate the children's daily performance sheets to make it appear they are learning skills at a faster rate than they truly are. Ask yourself, would you want you child being watched by this facility? If you look up the violation history of this center at OCFS.com, you'll see they even failed to perform background checks on a number of the staff. I won't besmirch everyone at TLE Dobbs Ferry. My son had a few really great teachers who cared for him dearly in the 12 months he attended this facility. Unfortunately for my son, none of them were present when he was injured. Had even one of them been, I'd like to think his injury would have been handled better. Many of these teachers have since left TLE and gone on to better facilities. I can't encourage parents enough to do their homework. Please use the resources available by the state of New York and look up the violation history of any daycare facility you are considering for your child. You can also contact the Westchester Childcare Council for assistance. They will even perform a daycare search for you based on where you live, and will give you all the information you need on individual facilities. read more

I'm a retired public school teacher who taught for 30 years and when I was working, I had my two children in daycare, so I have a lot of experience with education. My two grandchildren attend The Learning Experience in Dobbs Ferry, and I can tell you there are many things you can't fake or pretend you're doing well, such as providing an excellent education and a warm and loving environment, and TLE provides those things and a lot more. Family and friends are often remarking on how well-spoken and polite my older grandson is, and I attribute a lot of that to TLE. They have a phonics program that is unlike anything I've seen in a preschool, with reports given to show his progress and what they can be working on at home. They have a variety of other lessons of being polite, recycling, kindness, etc., and when he starts kindergarten in the fall, I know he will excel. But beyond the education, and the security when we enter the building, and the technology components and updates, the thing that I love seeing the most is the staff and teachers who come running to greet us in the morning and call the boys by name. They give hugs and high-fives and play peek-a-boo with my youngest grandson. I can see and feel the love that the staff and teachers have for not only my grandchildren, but also this profession. I want to thank the current staff, teachers and TLE executives for not only what they do everyday for the kids, but who have been working tirelessly - doing what I'm sure at times feels like thankless work - to put in additional safety measures, far beyond what the state even requires, because they want to make sure the children have the best and safest environment possible. I'm definitely an overprotective "Nana" so I would be the first to let you know if I thought anything was amiss, but I can tell you that I'm so happy with The Learning Experience. read more

My son started to be there since around 3 yr old, after staying in 2 other places. I feel he is happier and learning more things, so I started to send my daughter in since she's 1.5 yr old. What I care most is they are learning things systematically like in a school and also enjoy playing with kids. They are also picking up good behavior, which sometimes surprised me a little bit. In my view, TLE is like a school with extensive working hours and very minimum holidays. It makes up what I cannot do for my kids, as a working mom. The facility is new and clean. I guess they have scheduled cleaning every week, or maybe every day. I have seen new kids coming and do not speak English. Some staff will hold and hug the kids to make them comfortable. I think it helps the kids to develop some social skill and prepare them before the elementary school. read more

This is something very fishy about this Yelp page...there were lots of reviews from unhappy parents before and after DCFS suspended their operations. This was my son's first daycare and it's only now that he is gone (and THRIVING in his new daycare) that I realize how bad this place is. Food - worse than a school cafeteria. a slice of American cheese on a hamburger bun is called "grilled cheese", canned fruit cocktail is "fruit", "soup" is corn in broth (no bowl provided they put "soup" in the plate. I packed my son's lunches and snack every day after I saw how awful the food was. Care - There is just not enough help to tend to all the kids. My son always had crusty mucous and boogers all over his mouth. 2 teachers and 10 kids is just not enough to get GOOD care. When I dropped him off he would cry and sometimes the teachers would ignore him or comfort him for a few seconds only. They were either totally disengaged bc their work environment sucks or they are just terrible employees. read more

I had to remove my child immediately from this daycare. Several times she came home with severe diaper rashes. One evening when we picked her up, put her in the car seat she cried and cried. We thought she was very hungry because of how quickly finished the bottle we made in 2 mins. We rushed home to feed her some more but at bath time we discovered the severe diaper rashes and her skin was so red and peeling off. Few weeks prior to above incident, my husband picked her up and she cried so much while being put in car seat. He differentiate "tempos"in her crying choose to investigate by checking her head to toe and saw the rashes. He went back into the infant room to speak with the teacher. The teacher told him that she saw the rashes when she changed the diaper but it was not her fault since her shift started late afternoon. My husband called me and said must find another daycare immediately. "Stupid me" I choose to stay and trust that the center would change. I was lured by the sweet words, colorful environment and discount that brought down monthly fees to $1700. I spoke with the mgmt, she gave me a form that stated I must give a written consent on a weekly basis for a diaper ointment to be applied. I was told that they did not see such form in her records "I FROZE!.", asked her my baby was not applied diaper ointment intentionally because I did it fill a form that was never brought to my attention? She was mute. However, diaper was changed consistently the said day. A diaper ointment was provided as listed on their supply list. I quickly sign a weeks worth of authorizations and started looking for alternative childcare. I left work few times after lunch to pick her up very early and spy on what's really happening and search for new childcare. My observations was so sad. I do not write reviews but I need the center to hire/re-train caregivers. We found the very best childcare center. We really thank God! Note: Parents prepare your formula bottles and split them into little portions. Ours were wasted on a daily basis because our 8 month old cannot feed independently with distractions. We made 6 bottles of 4oz formula sometimes 7 bottles. Once the bottle is heated and baby takes a sip, the rest of the bottle would be tossed away. Not much assistance is provided to encourage feeding. read more

The learning experience has been the blessing for my daughter. She has advanced so much since she started there. Angela has helped us parents along the way as well. I highly recommend this learning experience read more

This is our third day care and we have let strangers care for our boys from the time they were four months old. I can't count the number of teachers each of them has had in their combined six years but it easily surpasses fifty. Despite a recent incident that can't be denied or belittled, I still believe this is a good day care for the following reasons: 1. They have a structured curriculum, which (believe it or not) not every day care has. 2. They open at 6:30 am and are always accommodating to our need for flexibility as two working parents with no grandparents or other help. 3. They serve meals, which, again, as two working parents, we do not have time to prepare. 4. They have a corporate structure as backup when things go wrong. And things will go wrong. (One day care we looked at was temporarily closed for leaving a child in a Brooklyn playground.) 5. Most importantly, I believe there are many good staff members here who have shown love and engagement consistently to my two children. They always comfort our children at drop off, which can be a traumatic experience for a child and a stressful time for parents. We have had occasional issues but we always felt they were resolved to our satisfaction, including requesting changes in the caretaker of our children. We have noticed some disorganization and lack of professionalism in the afternoon shift of workers. We have spoken to the new leadership about this issue and feel it will be addressed. This responsiveness was not always true of the other day cares we have been to. We left our first day care after a worker exhibited extremely violent behavior in our child's classroom and nothing was done about it. The second day care was smaller and felt like more of a community but it had extremely high turnover of both leadership and staff, and one of the teachers stole from us. We were baffled that none of the other families we told about these incidents seemed to share our outrage. We've since come to understand that each family makes their own decisions based on their needs and their individual experiences. Of the three day cares, this is by far my favorite and it is the one where I feel my children are the happiest. We were never under any illusion about its glossiness nor did we go in thinking it was perfect. High turnover, the occasional bad leader, disgruntled staff, and moments where classrooms are out of ratio have happened at all of the day cares we have used. And sadly a lack of violations is no indication of an absence of issues. A day care is a collection of human beings making decisions, and in our opinion this group of people should not be permanently penalized due to the actions of a (now fired) leader who appears to have exercised HORRIBLE judgment on multiple occasions. I believe my children' teachers are extremely competent and care about what they do. We have asked them directly about their credentials. We meet and speak with them on a regular basis. And while I can't vouch for the entire staff, the teachers of my boys are of the highest quality and trustworthiness. And we've seen enough day care staff to know. To paint the entire organization with one brush is simply not accurate. Most day care teachers I have known are on a journey to better themselves, often taking classes and working additional jobs to make ends meet. I would love to think that they exist only to take care of my children, but I know this is not the case. By all means, do your diligence and be observant and vocal if you feel something needs changed, but the bottom line is that we highly recommend The Learning Experience in Dobbs Ferry. While the tenor of this review may not sound like a five star, the five stars are based on having taken the survey of the broad set of options available to us and understanding this is one of the best. Again, I hope it will help other parents make a clear-eyed decision. We don't aim to belittle anyone's experience. We just want to share ours too. P.S. TLE please do not thank me for my post. Focus on communicating with the concerned parents who are all somewhat in the dark about what the future holds. read more

Both of my children attend The Learning Experience and my wife and I are very pleased. Our older child is already learning Spanish, sign language and how to read and write. He will be very prepared for kindergarten this fall. My mom and mother-in-law are both retired elementary school teachers and they are impressed by the curriculum. Our child is excited about going to school everyday which says a lot! The staff is also excellent at keeping us updated via emails, the app and phone calls. They even call to keep us updated on minor incidents (i.e. our baby getting accidentally scratched by another infant) so there are no surprises at the end of the day. Overall this is an excellent daycare I would recommend to other families. read more

Our daughter has been at TLE Dobbs for about a year now and she has absolutely blossomed. She went from a quiet, shy little girl who she can still be at times, but being there she has opened up, her vocabulary and speech has increased dramatically in the past few months. She loves going to her class and seeing her friends and teachers Miss Stephanie and Miss Judit. We couldn't be happier. Everyday she comes home with new artwork and stories about her day. She learns about different topics each week/month, some in which you wouldn't think a 3 year old would know about. Her teachers as well as the other staff are always very welcoming and friendly. I get an update on my daughter everyday from her teachers, they go above and beyond. I can honestly say I truly appreciate that my daughter is in good hands and I don't have to worry about her safety and well being in my absence. I can head to work knowing she's happy and fine. The daycare is very accommodating as she is the youngest in her class, we requested for her to be moved to that class and they did so with no hesitation. It is nice to see the change in the building when you walk in. You see the walls covered in artwork or decor for whatever season we are in. There's always information regarding the week/month, etc in the front table. They are following Covid guidelines as well, ensuring the kids are safe wearing their masks. I highly recommend sending your child here. I am grateful I was introduced to this daycare and couldn't be happier. read more

We absolutely love The Learning Experience. We have two children enrolled and our oldest son has been there since the center opened more than a year and a half ago. As any parent knows, choosing childcare is an extremely difficult decision, but there are many things that TLE does that are far beyond other daycares we have been enrolled in or have visited. First of all, security is a top priority with two sets of locked doors and a two-step check-in process. When we attended a daycare in Manhattan, there was only one door and the lock was often broken, which made me extremely nervous. The staff will also notify us immediately if anything happens - even something as minor as our baby being scratched by another baby - and they keep us updated throughout the day via photos and updates on the app as well as an email report at the end of the day. We also fill out paperwork indicating which hospital and emergency services we want to use if god forbid an accident happens. In the baby room, parents must wear surgical booties before entering to keep the floors clean. The curriculum is very advanced and our 4-year old is already learning Spanish, sign language, math, geography, etc. along with special sections on manners and volunteerism. The staff, including the new director Ms. Felice, are absolutely wonderful and many of the teachers have become like family members to our kids. The center offers a bunch of great incentives that you won't find in other places like sibling discounts, corporate discounts, vacation credits and meals and snacks included. Overall, we know that The Learning Experience is a fantastic school. Many of the nursery schools in Westchester County are not licensed, which means you won't find violations on them, but that obviously doesn't mean there aren't issues. The state of New York is extremely strict on violations, which is a good thing! But that means most licensed daycares will receive violations, even for minor issues, and often times the same infraction will be listed multiple times just with a different code. I'm a former journalist, so trust me, it's my nature to be skeptical. I also know things were exaggerated and misrepresented for a good news story, but I can tell you without hesitation, that I would recommend TLE to other families. read more

I wanted to share my experience with you to prevent it happening with another family. I looked into TLE for quite some time and was truly impressed. I specifically waited for my daughter to become a toddler to enroll her. I just felt like it would be the perfect time for her to socialize with other toddlers her age. When I received the tour, I was beyond excited and ready for my daughter to continue  her learning journey in the toddler room. The director who gave me the tour was awesome. However, my excitement was cut short when after a week and a half of being there, they pulled her out the room and put her in the infant room. My husband and I were told several different reasons. Therefore, we are still unsure as to why they would do that and we do not trust them! We believe that they had more people interested in the toddler room and thought they could get away with throwing my daughter into the infant room. After I pulled my daughter out, they offered returning her to the toddler room, but all trust was already broken. Secondly, they told us that they would present us with atleast 5 photos a day; however, they did not. On the day that they switched my daughter, we received one photo of her sleeping on sheets that were not even provided by me. She didn't even have her blanket over her! Thirdly, she never had a cold before starting at TLE; however, she came home with a runny nose each day. They even sent a picture with her nose running. This makes me think that they didn't even bother to wipe it throughout the day. I'm still very disappointed! read more

I currently have both my daughters at TLE Dobbs Ferry, both under three years old. We have been sending our girls there for a year, and feel very confident and comfortable that our girls are in good hands. Most importantly, the security is top notch and we know the girls are safe. On top of that, all of the teachers are consistently being trained on health and safety and education procedure and protocol. All of the teachers are warm, welcoming, engaged and knowledgeable, treating my girls like they are their own. Every morning we are welcomed with big smiles and hugs. Although there was an unfortunate incident that occured in December, TLE responded well. They closed for a short period of time to bring everything up to code, and temporarily placed people from corporate in the center to oversee trainings and the day-to-day. Since the occurrence, TLE has made several noticeable changes - they have hired a lot of new staff and most of the administration is new. We are very happy we didn't pull the girls out when the center temporarily closed - the staff is amazing and our girls truly look forward to going everyday. Before sending our girls to this location we had them in the TLE in Manhattan, and both offer a well organized and thought-out curriculum. I am always impressed with what my girls are learning and the passion they have for the structure during the day. When our daughters are with friends on the weekends, we notice that our girls are definitely more socialized and advanced than their peers (who don't go to TLE). All TLEs also have a great app where you can see what your child is doing, along with some pictures from a majority of the activities. The staff are all very flexible, and do their best to accommodate each child and families needs. TLE Dobbs also offers morning and late care, which has been a necessity to us since both my husband and myself commute everyday. They also offer healthy, balanced meals and snacks everyday for children over 1, which is included within the tuition. Its a great way to ensure your child is being introduced to new foods! Overall, this center has done wonderful things for my children and I. We are so happy with TLE and highly recommend it to others! read more

The new director Felice is absolutely awesome. When we bring my 15-month old nephew into school, he pretty much jumps into her arms. I feel like kids and animals always recognize good people. It's practically a new school from what it was 7-months ago. We're super impressed with all the positive changes. read more

My wife and I are among many parents and grandparents who love and support The Learning Experience in Dobbs Ferry and have become a tight knit TLE family. Sending a child to daycare is often filled with such guilt that you look for things to be wrong, but every time I drop off my children, I leave knowing that they are in the best hands and are going to have a great day. In the mornings when our oldest is playing or watching Paw Patrol, he'll stop and say, "Can I go to school now? I don't want to miss anything." Ha! The school is clean, spacious, has a super smart curriculum and a bunch of monitoring and security systems that put our minds at ease. They also have a snack and lunch menu developed by a dietician that is provided at no extra cost. It is light years ahead of the prior daycare we went to. The loving teachers and staff have become like family. I also want to commend the staff on all their hard work and dedication, particularly over the past few months. There was an accident at the school that was unfortunate and could have happened anywhere, but they've used that experience to remove the people involved, retrain all the staff (even above the state's requirements) and have put in safety precautions that you won't find anywhere else. (There are accordion looking contraptions in every door frame so no child can get their finger caught again. I've never seen that anywhere else.) I'm sure it has felt like a thankless job at times with the unfair scrutiny put on them, but they have worked long hours for our kiddos. One note about the violations that have been exaggerated ad nauseum. The state has an antiquated system of reporting violations, so when they are transferred from paper to online, one violation will be broken up into several lines and then often repeated, so one violation can look like 10 or more. They've also been reported or had to self report for minor things (i.e. a violation regarding the variety of milk %'s being served - give me a break) but the spotlight is on them. I'm not saying there haven't been any issues in the past under prior management, but they've worked quickly to address them and have a new director who is experienced and top notch. As parents we need to realize that as humans we're not perfect, yet how we can hold daycares or nannies to unrealistic expectations or standards higher than we hold ourselves to? (Our son once cut his toe open on a piece of furniture when my wife was standing RIGHT next to him and she didn't know the severity of it until the bleeding stopped. He needed stitches at 14 months. She felt awful, but it was an accident.) My wife and I are very happy with TLE and would recommend it to other parents without hesitation. It is truly a great school with a community of staff and parents that are some of the best of the best. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out, we'd be happy to chat anytime, 317-385-5752. One final note: this is my second attempt at a Yelp review since someone reported mine and my wife's positive Yelp reviews and Yelp removed them (along with other positive reviews), but Yelp and Google have allowed negative reviews to remain from people who don't have and have never had children at TLE. We even received nasty messages from people asking us to remove them. That definitely says a lot about the kind of negative society we've become who are much more likely to believe and share the bad stuff. read more

My child has been enrolled at this school since it opened. We love the teachers and my daughter is very happy.

We love TLE Dobbs Ferry! I can tell my daughter is loved and nurtured by the staff and is always challenged in fun and exciting ways. She loves going to school and sometimes doesn't want to go home at the end of the day because she is having so much fun! As an educator myself, I feel confident that she is thriving socially, academically and emotionally at TLE. read more

Looking for an amazing Daycare for your children? This is it! The curriculum is phenomenal and the teachers are extremely loving and kind! The have video cameras and very tight security for the families and children enrolled in the school. Their structure is amazing and brand new and super clean! Our children love going to school and learning Spanish and exercise moves. Our son talks about the teachers often and says only nice things and is extremely tired when we pick him up: sign of a great day! Definitely worth every penny! read more

My two children have been at this daycare since early 2018. We moved here from Brooklyn, and this was our 3rd daycare. TLE is by far our best experience. We have been very happy with the loving and nurturing environment TLE provides. My children are genuinely happy there, and many of their teachers they started with are still there. Compared to our other daycares, this is very rare and is very much indicative of the good leadership and staff that is in place. When the incident with the child's finger occurred in Dec. 2018, we made the difficult decision to stay at TLE, and we have witnessed a complete turnaround in management. They have since fired all the leadership and teachers involved in the incident, and it is now being managed by a very experienced education professional who genuinely listens to our concerns. At our other daycare, a teacher displayed violent behavior in front of our child. We asked the director to dismiss her and they wouldn't. The fact that TLE has responded immediately to let those involved go, and hired new leadership to transform the school and clear all violations since the incident has put our minds at ease. Parents should keep in mind that no daycare is perfect. Every once in awhile, a teacher is bound to make a small mistake. My previous daycares have also had their issues. It is always difficult to entrust strangers to take care of your children. But with two working parents and no grandparents or family around to help, some of us have no choice but to find full-time childcare. But I truly am glad that I have a full-time daycare that is convenient for working parents where I see my children smile every day and continue to see progress in their learning and development. read more

My child was hurt while at this school . When picking her up she had a cut in the center of her head. No one at the school could tell me what happen. No report was generated about the incident . As per the director she did not know anything about the incident and later on changed her statement saying she did not write a report because she was busy covering class. . I requested reports and statements from the school I received several reports that needed to be changed because of false information. I received a statement from one of the teachers but the teacher refused to sign it or write her name. I reached out to corporate who could care less if my child remained in the school. They did apologize but never offered to try to personally rectify the problem. corporate stated they would create offer training to their teachers to avoid any future incidents. They refused to refund me my money and offered only my registration fees back. I was also informed that camera system which really made me fall in love does not record and is only a live feed. this school take pictures of the kids everyday. I received two pictures that day from the school of my child that did not show her face only her from a distance. that same day the teacher who refused to sign her statement took a picture of my child with another student that shows the mark on my Child's head and only sent it to the other students parent ,and still no one reported it. For the money you pay your child should be safe and monitored . this school's policy is to complete incident reports when an issue occurs which they have done in the past but because no one knew what happen to my child and it shows their negligence this school tried to covered this up. still to this day no one knows what happen to my child and no one has reached out to follow-up. Do not send your child here if you are a parent who relies on supervision and safety . read more