Experiences with KinderCare?

[Bobbie]

I am in the unfortunate situation of considering new child care arrangements. My daughter is 17 months old and we only need two days a week.

My new neighbor lady who we are becoming friends with works at KinderCare in the four-year-old room, where her daughter also attends. It might make me feel more comfortable to use a center where someone we know works. Being a large chain, KinderCare gives me the impression of being the McDonald's of child care, but I've never set foot in one of their facilities, either. I assume each location might be a little different, but does anyone have experiences with them? Is it worth checking out?

[Dennis]

I think any place is worth checking out. We looked at one here when we were looking for daycare and weren't that impressed with it, but I'm sure each one is different. I would definitely be more comfortable starting at a place where I knew one of the teachers, although you get to know them really fast anyway.

Dennis

[bunybomb]

I've had first hand experience with Kindercare. My DD was there for 3 years. It was good, but expensive and we were lucky to have a good teacher the first two years. The third year was ok, but not terrific. Our daughter had gone to in-home daycare and it was time for her to go to a more structured environment. It's worth checking out. Since it's a chain, they have good security policies in place, accredited teachers and state guidelines. I don't know how they will be about only two days a week, they might make you pay for full time care even though you won't use it. The one drawback with a center. Good luck.

[Bobbie]

Thanks -- it's helpful to know there's no particular reason to discount chain-type centers. I suppose the individual teachers have a lot to do with it being a good or bad experience. We used a center for a short while last year that allowed us to pay for one day a week (long story); I'll have to check around.

[Karri]

Aidan used to go to Kindercare when I worked. We liked the one we were at, but really, each center is different. Like Becky said, because its a chain, they have excellent security, and their teachers all have to meet certain qualifications. They are weird about part-time though. Its definately not affordable. They arent cheap, either. We used to pay $225/wk. They let us do 1 day/wk when I quit working, just because we had been there for over a year. But they typically dont do that. We paid $69 for 1 day :eek:

[Dennis]

I can't speak for Kindercare on the p/t question, but from the centers we looked at, generally they are willing to do part time with older kids but not infants. Our center allows it starting at 2, but I think there were some that let you do it a little younger.

Dennis

[bunybomb]

We paid $69 for 1 day :eek:
Oh My Gawd!

Bobbie, check with in-home if you have some near by. They are usually more flexible. During Alex's first year, I worked part-time and was able to pay for part-time care. I worked 4 days a week and paid $125. I shared a spot with another family. That might be a good alternative.

[Brooke]

We don't use KinderCare but we use another local center. It's a chain but there are only 3 locations. I like it alot and Rebekah likes it, too. I like that it's like a school and she's with kids her own age all day.

They were fine with us going part-time. We pay $40 a day and she goes 2 days a week.

[CadensMom]

We checked out kindercare when I was thinking about switching. The one we looked at was great. I really liked there programs and security. Although it was very pricey. We decided to stay with where we were at. Our daycare is through the local school district. Cade will stay there till he starts kindergarten. They have pre-school in the same facility. I really like his teachers now that he is in a new room. Although the security is less than steller. They are very good at knowing who does not belong in the school or who they do not recognize. The classroom doors stay shut all day so there are no wondering kids

[chickybanky]

My DD goes to KinderCare. She is 8 months old, and has been there since she was 5 months old. She and I both love it! The two teachers in her room have been there over 5 years, and they are great with the babies! At our facility you need to punch in a code at the front door in order to be able to enter. They will only allow the child to be picked up by someone on your list, and they check all ID's (and will call you or your husband if they have any questions/doubts).

She only goes part-time, and while we do pay more than the "typical" part-time rate, I feel it is worth it. I would definitely check it out. After I visited KinderCare while I was still pregnant, I didn't like the feel of any of the other places I saw. I think you kinda just get a feeling of what feels right, and where you think your child will be better off.

Good luck!

[koalita]

Jason has been going to KinderCare for 8 months now and he and I love it. I actually looked at two different locations - one right by my work and one closer to my house. The one by my house had a much more family-type feel than the one by my work, so I went with that one. My neighbor looked at both centers too, and had the same feelings... Even though they're run by the same company, it's the directors and the teachers that really set the tone of the place. You can tell that everyone at Jason's daycare really cares about the kids. Jason's teacher left a couple weeks ago because she's pregnant, and she gave me her number before she left and offered to babysit Jason for free because she was going to miss him. She actually came over to our house today and played with Jason for a couple hours, and Jason had a huge grin on his face the whole time she was here. So I would definitely check it out.

[Bobbie]

Thanks for all the replies. We finally visited KinderCare yesterday. We liked the people we met a lot, and they're more than willing to take K two days a week, but the tuition is 50% more than the other centers we visited. Kind of a bummer.

[TxTeacher]

I worked at a KinderCare here in Lubbock back in 1997. I was just a high school graduate with about three semesters of college, plus I had about 2 years experience working as a teacher's aide at an elementary school. So, I didn't exactly have a lot of experience handling children by myself, nor was I accredited in any way. I did have to have CPR and first aid training, but that's a requirement of any child care facility.
I remember that the fees were more expensive for infants and children under 2 than for older children. I want to say it was about $150/week for an infant, but then again, this was 7 years ago. I'm sure it's much more expensive now.

I was soley responsible for about 27 3-and 4-year olds; it was very difficult to maintain any kind of order, and I'm almost sure that the ratio was in violation of daycare guidelines/laws. The security wasn't stellar; there wasn't controlled access at the front door, and parents didn't have to sign in. The children were supposed to have a "curriculum", but essentially, all I could do with that many children in a such small area was to keep them from hurting each other; there wasn't enough time or "manpower" to keep them calm and organized enough to have guided activities or academics.

The room my class was in was pretty small for so many children to be running around in: it was probably 200 sq ft, and all open: no doors to control access to the room, and all the older children stayed in an adjacent area that wasn't separated by anything but some shelves.

I don't know if my negative experience was due to the daycare being part of a chain, but I do know that I wouldn't assume that because it IS a chain, it's somehow more stringent in its security and hiring practices.

Just another perspective, from someone who worked there.

[koalita]

Wow, that sounds nothing like the Kindercare Jason goes to... They have a code on the door so only people who know the code can get in, parents have to sign in and out every day, they check IDs of people they don't know, and I know the ratio is a lot lower than what you're describing. I know that some Kindercares are NAEYC accredited and some aren't; ours is, so maybe that's why.

[Billy]

We're looking into Kindercare right now for DD Rebecca, so far everything looks great. They also have the code thing on the door and anyone else has to ring the doorbell and won't be left in till properly identified. I love that they have Hooked on Phonics, dance, tutoring. It is pricey but sounds worth it so far..

[Dawn]

I just wanted to say that my sister's 2 kids go there (ages 2 & 5) and the kids and my sister love it. The security is great.

We're thinking about possibly starting Alexia in a part-time nursery or preschool of some sort in the fall. I got a list of schools that were accredited in our state and unfortunately, the closest KinderCare to me is about 1/2 drive! Bummer.

I'm not sure if an accredited school is important to you or not, but if your interested I can send you the link to check out and see if any particular schools your interested in is accredited by the National Assoc. of Family Child Care. Also, don't forget to check out to see if these schools have anything on file with the Better Business Bureau as well.

Good luck! :)

[Missy&Maggie]

Maggie will most likely be starting at a Kindercare next month after we move. I looked at three daycare centers in the area, and Kindercare wins hands down. The center I visited was so bright and CLEAN and the kids seemed very well cared for and happy. And it's really pricey -- $300/week but it's worth it.

[CadensMom]

Like I said in my previous post the Kindercare here is great. We just switched Caden to another daycare, we had issues with the one through the district. I am so glad we switched we went with another chain because kindercare was to far away since we moved. We went with Childtime and they have two locations right by us. One on my way to work the other on the way to dhs work. and we chose the one on his way. the two locations had completely different feels to them and the one closer to my work I was not impressed but the other blew me away. We love it. It is alot like Kindercare with regards to programs and security. I think they have locations where you are looking also

[Katrina]

I just looked at a Kindercare for Zack because I am thinking about switching daycare centers.
Its closer to my house than the center he is at now, and they have all the aforementioned security in place. I went today after hours (because of my work) so I didnt get to see the kids in action, only spoke with 2 teachers (one who is the assistant director) but I got to see the baby room (no toddlers, just infants!)
I like what I have seen so far and its not really expensive sompared to some other centers around here. It runs $167 a week and they provide food and formula! I currently pay 150 a week and supply everything.
Others in my area run in the low 200's a week and dont provide food and formula.
So far I am impressed. They also said they would give me a week free since I have to give 2 weeks at my other day care, plus the free day they provide to anyone wanting to check it out.