If you're looking to save money, this is the place to go. But, you get what you pay for. Both of my kids came here for a little while before we decided to seek services elsewhere.
Some of the teachers are pretty good and you can tell they really care for the children and are nurturing. For other teachers, it seems like this is more of a job than a career, and I do wonder what everyone's credentials are. On the one hand it's good that teachers rotate through the different classrooms so they and the children get to know each other. On the other hand, it does make me nervous when I overhear a teacher say to another ""I don't know why I'm in this classroom."" Or, when a teacher begins to tell you how to parent, and then thinks better of the situation, surely knowing that if s/he finishes the sentence that s/he started, it will not end well.
The older children get breakfast and lunch and a snack each day, and the infants get a little snack in the afternoon when they're old enough to eat crackers. We were happy about this.
The waitlist is top secret. When you get on it, you don't know which position you are in. When your child is birthed into this world, it's the same. 1 month before maternity leave is to end, mum's the word. This is an extremely frustrating process, especially if you have no back up and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars at other daycares putting in applications and trying to secure a spot. I really do wish the management was more understanding and human about this. Although they do work on federal grounds, this information should not require clearance from the highest levels.
The entrance into the daycare is locked, you have to ring a bell so that someone can come to the door (good security, I do appreciate this). I don't think parents should be made to feel guilty for ringing the bell so that they may drop off their child, as that's the only way to get the child in the door. More often than not, you have to wait and wait and wait for somebody to come to the door. Sometimes the director or assistant director will come out of the front office, which faces the front door, and answer it themselves. Sometimes they remain behind their closed door and, after three rings or so, a teacher will leave their classroom to open the door. This can be frustrating, especially when you need to drive 8+ miles to get to work and are held up by a daycare center that is slow in opening its doors to you.
If they (management) do answer the door, don't expect a smile or a warm greeting. Expect a brief ""hi,"" an acknowledgement of your child's existence, and then a retreat back to the office. Come on, they can do better than this. Surely they can fake it for a few seconds? Is the world of childcare so difficult that it hardens the hearts of those who manage the day-to-day operations?
They do close at 6, which is pretty good. However, by late in the day management has gone home, and teachers have to go to the door if you ring the bell. This can take even longer than the morning. When you're tired, need to fight traffic and plan dinner, the last thing you want to be held up by is a locked door between you and your child. Maybe the director or assistant director could stay until the end of the day so that the teachers don't have to leave the children to constantly open the door?
I'm not sure if things changed since we were there, but when Small World appeared in an Internet search and I was reading the other reviews (which I do believe are all true - everyone has different experiences), I just had to recount our experiences with this place. It brings back memories.
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