Bethesda Daycare Feedback

[Anonymous]

Hi - I will be relocating to Bethesda (near NIH) shortly and am deep into daycare/preschool research for my almost 2 year old. Compared to where I am coming from, I am pleasantly surprised at how many actually have availability and didn't expect to be in a place of having options. Thanks to this forum, I've used checkccmd.org to do some vetting, but have been unable to find many of them on there. Many of the detailed reviews on this board about particular locations are fairly dated, so would love to hear of any firsthand experiences at the following spots that we are considering:
- Montgomery Child Care Assoc. - Kensington/Forest Glen
- Lily Pads Early Learning Center
- Smart Kids Bilingual Learning Daycare
- YMCA Ayrlawn Early Learning Program
- Elefantitos Preschool
- Bright Horizons at 2 Bethesda Metro

[Anonymous]

Make sure to check https://www.checkccmd.org/ for licensing violations. At least one of these has a concerning laundry list of violations that indicates poor management.

[Anonymous]

Our child attends Smart Kids Bilingual Learning center and we couldn’t be happier. Have known a few families whose kids have graduated and also loved it. We used to send our child to a popular center in downtown Bethesda and even looked at a few other larger preschools this year, but much prefer the intimate environment of this in-home school that encourages learning through play and exploration (plus we can walk there). No violations on checkccmd; Damaris Tovar is extremely thorough and organized.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't take my child to a place that wasn't NAEYC approved- I don't think many of those are.

Also check out Rock Spring Children's Center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't take my child to a place that wasn't NAEYC approved- I don't think many of those are.

Also check out Rock Spring Children's Center

NAEYC doesn't "approve" daycares. It accredits them. It's an expensive process. It's great to get a NAEYC accredited daycare but there are great ones that aren't.

[Anonymous]

Also many of the NAEYC accredited daycares are large chains owned by private equity. Some of those can be great, but many are not because they treat their employees horribly. And they are extremely expensive.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ECEProfessionals/s/ekSzCXSVkX

[Anonymous]

They are accredited because they have enough space for the children they are caring for, their teachers have continuing education, etc. I wouldn't do anything else, and only at a non-profit day care center, not a for profit center/chain

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also many of the NAEYC accredited daycares are large chains owned by private equity. Some of those can be great, but many are not because they treat their employees horribly. And they are extremely expensive.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ECEProfessionals/s/ekSzCXSVkX

Agreed I don’t think that should be the only thing you look for

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are accredited because they have enough space for the children they are caring for, their teachers have continuing education, etc. I wouldn't do anything else, and only at a non-profit day care center, not a for profit center/chain

Licensing rules cover basic safety issues such as adequate space and basic teacher training. Accreditation is separate.

[Anonymous]

NAYEC accreditation is nothing. Look for the subtle signs of employees' happiness. If they are not happy, your child won't be either. The teachers' pay is mostly ridiculous, so if you do end up using one of those places, make sure you contribute to teachers' bonuses!

[Anonymous]

The NYEAC accreditation poster is Goddard school because they are accredited (see sticky in the forum about them spamming the forum, or you can ask Jeff to check)

Sorry OP, no experience with those options. We were happy with Wonders (at the Bethesda metro).

[Anonymous]

My kids are at Bethesda country day and we love it. Many of the teachers have been there for decades. My children have both learned a lot and my older was well prepared for kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Wonders in Bethesda is accredited and not for profit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NAYEC accreditation is nothing. Look for the subtle signs of employees' happiness. If they are not happy, your child won't be either. The teachers' pay is mostly ridiculous, so if you do end up using one of those places, make sure you contribute to teachers' bonuses!

This has to be the most uneducated response yet. Only 8 % of preschools in the country are NAEYC accredited because the preschool has to show consistent overall high quality programming, staff retention, nurturing environment, certified staff, etc. anyone claiming it doesn’t matter is just upset because their school cannot attain it. It’s like saying I didn’t get a master’s degree, but I am just as smart as anyone with a degree.
NAEYC is a guarantee of quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NAYEC accreditation is nothing. Look for the subtle signs of employees' happiness. If they are not happy, your child won't be either. The teachers' pay is mostly ridiculous, so if you do end up using one of those places, make sure you contribute to teachers' bonuses!

This has to be the most uneducated response yet. Only 8 % of preschools in the country are NAEYC accredited because the preschool has to show consistent overall high quality programming, staff retention, nurturing environment, certified staff, etc. anyone claiming it doesn’t matter is just upset because their school cannot attain it. It’s like saying I didn’t get a master’s degree, but I am just as smart as anyone with a degree.
NAEYC is a guarantee of quality.

Clearly you don't have a master's degree. I have one and it was for networking , not making people smarter.