I felt the need to update my review for future and current parents. I noticed bruises on my sons ear, and when I started asking questions, the teachers turned on me and told the director that they no longer felt comfortable watching my son because they didn't want to get blamed for it and saw nothing. I was hurt to hear that they no longer wanted to watch my son because of a concerned question that was asked. That seemed unsettling and off to me. I noticed the bruise on a Saturday night, and by Monday my son started yanking on my collar, not wanting me to drop him off. It was heartbreaking and not like him. I came into work in tears because something felt off and I hated that I had left him there after my finding (not knowing what happened). I was talking to my coworker about it, and when she pulled the yelp reviews, she asked me if I had read them recently. She said that on Dec 12, 2025, (a month prior to my son's incident) there was a review of another student coming home with bruises in their ear. I can not express how sadden I was to hear that. I knew in my heart that the same thing had happened to my son as well. A teacher is clearly getting handsy with our kids and the director will not do anything about it. We drop our kids off praying that they will be loved and properly cared for, and that is not what my son received towards the end of his time at Zion. I'm so happy that I removed my son from this center and put him in a new one. He is back to his happy self, gets excited to be dropped off at his new daycare , and even asks to see his teacher over the weekend read more

Zion Lutheran - Bruise on the rim of his ear - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Lodi, California

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As a first time preschool teacher, starting my journey at Zion Child Care Center & Preschool has been an incredibly positive and life changing experience. I couldn't have found a better place to begin my career in early childhood education. What makes Zion so special is the people. The teachers and staff are truly amazing so patient, nurturing, and deeply passionate about what they do. They treat every child with such love and respect, always taking the time to meet each little one where they're at emotionally, socially, and developmentally. You can see how happy and safe the children feel here, and that comes from the genuine care and consistent support they receive from the staff. Zion has such strong structure and organization that it creates the perfect environment for both the kids and the teachers to thrive. The routines, lesson plans, and classroom expectations are so well thought out it's not just a daycare, it's a place where children are actively learning and growing every single day. Being part of this team is helping shape me into the kind of teacher I've always wanted to be. I've learned so much just by watching how the other teachers handle challenges with grace, communicate with families with compassion, and always keep the children's best interest at heart. Everyone works as a team, supports one another, and truly wants the best for each child and each coworker. I'm incredibly grateful to be part of Zion. It's more than just a job it's a place filled with heart, dedication, and purpose. If you're looking for a place where your child will be loved, guided, and cared for by amazing educators, I wholeheartedly recommend Zion Child Care Center & Preschool. read more

Dont trust this place! Your children are not going to be well taken care of. The care here is horrible! My niece and nephew attended this "daycare" for a few months before My sister finally had enough of the poor care my niece and nephew had while attending this place. My nephew would come home with bruises in his ears. He was also petrified of Brenda the assistant director. When questioned he said his ear was pulled and told to pick up the toys! My niece was always sick!! Something that never happened until she started attending this place, and she was just an infant. I went with my sister to pick them up and saw babies sleeping in swings which is a huge NO NO!! As this is know to cause SIDS. Babies with full diapers. Babbies crying on the floors with zero attention. Mind you my nieces diaper was never properly changed and always had bad rashes. She also got hand, foot, and mouth disease. The worse pink eye case I have ever witnessed! Another time the assitant director was extremely rude (which by the way she would NEVER REPLY TO EMAILS!) one time almost throwing a fit because she was short staffed and that meant she had to help to care for the kids herself. Insisting my sister not drop off her kids that day. Later we found out why. The place is not clean and in the winter kids are outside waiting to be brought inside and it's freezing. So no they arent well cared for. This is my second time leaving this review as they know its true and keep flagging it to be brought down. They also call CPS on parents for ridiculous things if the director happens to be in a bad mood. This place is not a good place to leave your kids here they are not in good hands. They are very aggressive with payments and telling you that even if your child doesn't come you will still get charged. But not worth the money at all! I have way more things to say about this place but honestly don't have the space for it all. read more

I've had enough childcare experiences (home, private, etc) to say this is a good place to have your kids. Regular cleaning is done, teachers are kind and attentive to the children. The staff as a whole is warm, friendly and considerate. We've been here for several years with more than one child and this has been my best experience. Thank you ladies (& Chris) for creating an exciting and loving space for my kiddos. As far as pricing goes, it seems to be fair and reasonable! read more

I am leaving this review as a concerned parent who would like to share our experience at Zion for others to read. My husband and I placed our daughter on Zion's waitlist before she was born with a desired start date of November 2024, when she would be 5 months old. Once on the list, we were told to reach out closer to our desired start date, at which point we could find out if they would have a spot and could also take a tour of the facility. Tours are not offered until you are off the waitlist. In October 2024 we were told they did have a spot for our daughter and that we could come in for a tour and paperwork if we wished to move forward with enrollment. While the building and furnishings itself were dated, everything appeared clean enough and the staff seemed nice, so we decided to move forward. In hindsight, there were red flags during the tour: The person we were scheduled to meet with was not there and the staff member that ended up taking us on the tour was not expecting us. We overheard a preschool teacher raising her voice to a child. Electric swings were used in the infant room. Children in the toddler room did not appear happy. Moving to our daughter's time at this daycare. I had the opportunity to visit the infant classroom during my lunch breaks for 45 minutes to an hour each day. I'm very glad that I did, because it afforded me a vastly different perspective than what was seen during our tour, or the short interactions at drop-off and pick-up. In the 4 days that our daughter attended Zion, multiple things were witnessed that not only made us uncomfortable, but made us question her safety and that of other infants in the nursery. The following was observed each day when I arrived at 11:30am: * Day 1 - Arrived to my daughter sleeping in an electric swing. * Day 2 - Arrived to my daughter and another little boy sleeping in swings. The assistant director who unlocked the classroom door for me acknowledged that my daughter had "started her nap", the teacher in the room did as well. I watched as the boy was allowed to sleep in the swing for 45+ minutes while I was in the room, with the teacher noting his nap on their tablet. * Day 3 - I arrived to my daughter and other children crying inconsolably on the floor. The other children continued to cry for the entire 45 minutes I was in the room feeding my daughter, with little to no attendance from the staff in the room. * Final Day - I arrived to my daughter and other babies crying on the floor again. The only child not crying in the room was the single baby being attended to by staff. When I collected my daughter's things to leave, I discovered she was also overdue for her bottle. On what was our daughter's final day, I had requested that staff call us if she was crying and could not be settled like the previous day. This was done both in person during drop-off and in the drop-off notes. They did not call, and when I arrived, she had clearly been crying for a very long time, as were the other children. It was also clear that no attention had been made to wipe her face, which was dirty like it had been on previous days as well. Of everything seen, the use of swings for sleeping was most concerning considering the known risk of suffocation during sleep, along with CCL Title 22 regulations on safe sleep within daycare facilities. While we weren't thrilled to see they used swings in the beginning, we were assured by the assistant director in person during our tour and by email that children were transferred to a crib immediately if they fell asleep. This was not the case. Our entire experience was extremely disheartening, and we have since found other accommodations for our daughter's care. Overall, infants deserve better than what is offered at Zion. Providing care that minimally meets state licensing requirements, and at times fails to even do that is not a loving, nurturing, or safe environment. Because of this, we could not in good conscience remain at this daycare. read more

If you are good with your child contracting hoof and mouth, head lice, getting bit by other kids and have repeated diaper rashes all within a few months, then this place is a great place to take your child. read more

From the moment you walk into this daycare it smells bad and it is all worn down, they clearly do not take pride in first impressions. The classrooms have beaten up dirty toys and the rugs are also so dirty like they haven't been washed ever. I still made the mistake of giving them a chance and enrolling my kids here. From day one they would always come home dirty the babysitters wouldn't even mind wiping their little faces or changing them if they spilled something on them. Diapers were also wet like they hadn't been changed in hours. Which as a result due to lack of hygiene my kids were always sick and had every sort of virus you can think of from severe pink eye to constant diarrhea and fevers from viruses I have never even heard of. To make matters worse no matter how cold it is in the morning you have to drop off your little ones outside from 7am till up to an hour until their babysitter arrives. It's ridiculous when they have a gym that they will only use if it rains but not when its like 37 degrees outside. A baby outside in freezing weather for up to an hour out there, not for my kids. Also, good luck if you ever need to speak to the director. She has horrible communication etiquette. Will take forever to respond back to emails and is not even friendly or welcoming. I would highly recommend you take your kids somewhere else. read more