Really had high hopes for this daycare, as there are few good options on the NW side of town. Felt…read moreexcited about it after the tour but bringing my 1 yr old in quickly became a major source of anxiety every day.
My son is typically a very social, happy, and engaged boy and even at our first daycare, which we did not love for similar issues, he at least was very very quick to warm up and happy to be there. This place was a different story altogether and my main and major gripe is with the young ones teacher, Ms. Ryann--cold, detached, minimally engaged.
I spent 40 minutes with my son to help him ease in on his first day at this daycare. The whole time I was in the 1 year old room, his teacher did not greet either of us, did not offer to show us where to put things....nothing. I had to go up to her and ask her right as I had to leave. She did barely anything to comfort my son when he burst into tears when I went to leave. All big red flags to me.
It continued like that for our whole time there and from the times I was able to check in on the livestreams, it was the same thing from this teacher -- bare minimum greetings or verbal/app updates, no warmth towards my son as he'd walk around crying by himself throughout the mornings, no attempts to get him to join the other babies as she sat in the corner with them like a lazy lump doing no activities any time I looked in. Wouldn't know if she ever did since she never sent a single update picture the entire time we stayed there.
Every day when I dropped him off and picked him up, he would totally melt down and cling to me--very different from his typical personality and even very different from his quick and easy adjustment period at his last daycare.
The only day he seemed happy at pickup AND the only day we got a single picture update was a day another teacher covered. That teacher actually led art activities and I saw her smiling and engaging with him and the other babies each time I checked the livestream. The difference in his demeanor was night and day, after just one day
On top of all that, he was being offered hardly any water while he was there with the normal teacher, as evidenced by a sudden and notable change in his BMs, his desire to guzzle the water I offered him at pick up and from me beginning to monitor the water level of his cup at drop off and pick up (which didn't change at all on multiple days)
When we toured, one of my main concerns was that his last daycare wasn't actually taking the babies outside to play at all and we were assured these kiddos went out practically every single morning.
I did tend to bring him at the tail end of the time the babies were supposed to be outside most mornings, but there was never any sign of the others being outside.
Yet, when I would check the cameras to see if my baby was having a better time later in the AM (about an hour or so after drop off and the time they were meant to be outside), the kids wouldn't be visible on cameras as it seemed they were outside.... I asked about this and was told they werent actually outside at this time, just "watching the other kids play from the door"....because why?? Sounds kind of mean to not let them get their own play time, but make them watch others play...probably just because the teachers themselves wanted to socialize. That's an assumption, to be fair, but not far fetched imo
To be transparent, we were only there for about 2 weeks/7 actual days. I let the director know concerns at disenrollment but didn't wait around for her to address them--time is short and everything in my gut was saying this situation sucked for him. The director didn't seem bad, and the rest of the staff was at least friendly on surface level so 2 stars instead of 1
SO happy we switched places, as it was an immediate change in his happiness and demeanor on day 1 and every single day since.
We're greeted warmly and he gets right into playing happily. Hes all smiles at pickup, and we get tons of activity photos all day long. They go outside every morning and sometimes in PM and his poo is magically back to normal!
Who would have thought warm energy and offering water could make such an immediate and drastic difference