Happy 30th Birthday Kindercare! Both our children went there starting with the nursery and continue to attend. Our oldest is in their summer camp program and she loves re-uniting with her friends. The teachers are great! The best part is that if you accept that the staff has many years of experience with children, they can become trusted advisers on children's development. I've found myself asking many times "Is this normal for this age?" and luckily always get a response from the teacher(s) confirming that its just kids growing up.
Kindercare, unlike other providers, has a full curriculum and certified program, so our children excelled in Kindergarten once they started at other schools closer to home. Many other centers don't have an accreditation. As a technical professional who is also certified, this is important to me.
Kindercare Thousand Oaks has been a great part of our childrens' community and we are glad we found such loving and knowledgeable staff to spend time with them when we are at work.
I have been an elementary school teacher for over 20 years. I am a mother of three, and I am also a former preschool teacher.
I saw some red flags at this location. The center was conveniently located, clean, and so I kept trying to rationalize each red flag.The one thing I couldn't dismiss was that my daughter cried consistently when I dropped her off if the director named Miss Lisa was working. I decided one morning to wait around and observe. On this particular morning Miss Lisa didn't even look at my child as she was too busy doing paperwork. My child sat by herself with her hands over her eyes and cried. Miss Lisa continued on with her work.I decided then that my daughter would no longer be attending and notified the school that day.
I later had a conversation with Miss Lisa at her request. She wanted to know if there was any possibility of reconsideration. When Miss Lisa told me she was letting my daughter "cry it out so that she could learn how to catch her breath," I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I had made the right decision. My daughter was only 2 years old and was not having a tantrum. I don't understand why she wasn't comforted.
My daughter doesn't cry when I drop her off at her new school. She waves and smiles. I wish I had moved her sooner.
