As a mom who scours the internet, I can tell you that there is more of an incentive to write a scathing review of something when it has angered you, so good reviews can be hard to find. I am making the time to do just that.
I'll preface that I come from a latin family. The idea of childcare is foreign to me, because back home, there is always an aunt, a grandma or someone who watches your kids until they are ready to go to school. Because of this, it was extremely hard, and painful, to select a daycare for my first child. My mother watched her for a year, until there was no choice but to enroll her. We were appalled at some of the centers we visited, until we found BlueBird.
Notes:
-The ladies clean the rooms every day as they close up the school. I have seen them all vacuuming, mopping, disinfecting regularly.
-Open door policy. I can drop in whenever I please, and check in and see what the little ones are doing.
-They are affectionate with the kids. I ENCOURAGE this. I want them to love my babies as if they were extended family, because I want my kids to feel comforted, as ease and safe with their caregiver. I want them in turn to be patient, caring and loving with my kids. It is a hard job (they exhaust me and I'm their mother!) so imagine a room full of them!
-They are bilingual. No, some of the ladies don't have great pronunciation, but a lot of them do. I encourage the teachers and assistants to speak to my daughter in spanish because her english has skyrocketed and her spanish needs reinforcement. Having a bilingual child at age 3 is not a bad thing in my book.
-They provide diapers, wipes and start potty training, provide snacks and food (except formula for babies.)
-Their rates are more affordable than other daycares, and a flat rate for multiple kids
-They have extensive activities. It is apparent, just look on the walls and see all the pictures they take of the kids. There is always something going on. They throw holiday parties for the kids, my daughter frequently comes home with presents from her teachers...
There was no question when we had our second child where he would go. Again, it was painful to leave a baby with another, but I was much more reassured that the same ladies that took care of my daughter welcomed my son.
here in one negative thing: my fob didn't work, and it took a while ( like a month) to get a new one... That is really the only negative thing I have.
I hope you moms out there are at least a little assured, and I know this is a really hard decision. Best of luck,
Overprotectivemommy