Where do I even begin?? At first, this place seemed wonderful. The staff was always cleaning and everything seemed to be in order. However, during my son's year there, he was sick quite often and couldn't seem to catch a break. Half of the teachers were working while they were sick and just passing everything back and forth among themselves and the kids. My son often came home, literally starving bc it seemed he wasn't being fed enough. It wasn't until I talked to them about it and he moved into the toddler room, that someone actually paid attention to what and how much he was eating, instead of just placing him in a high chair with his food in front of him and walking away, trusting him to eat on his own. Every morning, when I would arrive to drop him off there would be at least 3 staff members sitting at one of the kids tables. After someone let us in the door, only a select few would come over to try and comfort my son in the morning, as he would cry every time. No one lifted their heads to greet anyone, smile or even acknowledge that we were standing there. Then on other occasions, the owner would stand and talk to me for an hour about personal issues she was having, such as her cheating husband and divorce.
I walked in on numerous occasions to pre school aged children, sitting in high chairs as a form of punishment, while other kids ran around and played. As they cried and begged to be let out, they were ignored. I personally heard one staff member tell a child "if you didn't act like a baby, you wouldn't be treated like one" and she walked away.
My final straw was when I was at work and I received a call from my husband that CYS was at my house, requesting to see my son. At this time, he was 20 months old. The CYS worker informed me that there was a complaint called in to child line, stating that they witnessed a teacher grab my son by the arm, drag him approximately 20 feet across the floor, forcibly place him on a sleep cot, point her finger at him and tell him to "stay there". I left work immediately and went to Willow Tree to speak to the owner. She was adamant that it didn't happen and wouldn't even consider that it was a possibility. I asked her about surveillance and she stated she doesn't have cameras because she trusts her girls. Well I'm sorry, I don't trust her girls that much. I was in her office for over an hour and she refused to budge on her position on it. She said over and over that if any of this is founded, this "teacher" would lose her clearances, her job and in turn, lose everything. I don't care about this woman's clearances or her job. Now, I'm all for sticking for your employees but when something serious like this comes up, instead of calling people liars and not credible, you look into the situation, not sweep it under the rug. It was as if the safety of my son was of minimal importance in comparison to this persons job. They were aware of this incident 6 days before I was informed of it. No other parent had been told what happened and this "teacher" was still able to work there. And because the owner refuses surveillance cameras, the abuse allegation was unfounded and dropped. This person is still employed there. She's allowed to run a class room unsupervised, discipline children and most of all, continue to act like nothing ever happened.
I pulled my son from Willow Tree the day that I got the phone call. He is happier at his new day care and barely cries in the morning for drop off. When I pick him up, he's smiling and playing. It's like he's a different kid. What a difference this new place has made.
I normally don't post reviews or anything like that but i hope it helps other parents see past the eyewash that Willow tree provides. They look great and friendly when you walk in there but it's not all what it seems.
So did it happen?? Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. But I'm not willing to bet my sons safety on her choice of employees. read more
