Do you know anyone who has or recently had a child in the oldest/pre-school room who can talk with me about the learning there? I saw a post saying it's really not geared towards older/pre-school kids but it's somewhat of an old post. If so, I would appreciate e-mailing/talking with them. My e-mail is carolyn_peri@hotmail.com. Please have them write Sugar Plums in the subject line. Thank you!

Perfect size in my opinion. The kids change rooms about every year, typically staying with at least a few of their friends as they move up. There are two main teachers per room so there is good coverage.

how many children approx are at this facility? Do you think its too large or fine? Thinking about sending my 3 month old here bc they offer a part time option which is very hard to find.

My daughter has been at Sugar Plums age 3 mo. till now (she is 2 1/2). I never worried for a minute about her care. All of her teachers have been attentive and caring. It is the cleanest facility I have ever seen and well organized. I have thought about moving her primarily for cost reasons and maybe for a change, but haven't found anything in the area that doesn't seem "off" and offers the same amount of time coverage. Her teachers taught her the alphabet, songs, shapes, colors, and engage her creatively on a daily basis. While the Director Deborah isn't on site full time, she has a full-time manager (Tricia) who keeps tabs on the facility. Plus, many of the teachers have been there for ages, so they all look out for on another and the kids. In a nutshell I recommend Sugar Plums.

I'm also interested in a recent update...anyone??

Reviews on this center seem to be mixed. Does anyone have anything more recent to report?

I went there today for a drop in visit, because I think it is really important to ensure that a facility that is caring for my child is consistently doing there legal requirements. HOWEVER, I found that there was no director on site anymore, and the owner was on her vacation in another state. The teachers were in the hallways not in the classrooms with their children. I am not happy with this situation at all. Moreover, the prices being charged are not competitive and noticed that there was very little there to offer the children. For $2000 a month child care I would be expecting snacks - healthy ones and decent play equipment, which there are not. I am removing my child from here asap, but don't forget to give your 30 day notice period in WRITING or you will not get any money back. Best of luck finding somewhere.

I would recommend Sugar Plums for infant care, but nothing above 18 months. By age two, I would definitely suggest moving your child to a center that is more of a pre-school.

The quality of care at Sugar Plums depends very much on the staff in any given classroom. Unfortunately, turn-over is high, rooms are often chaotic and the teachers are often in reality more like babysitters -- with the notable exception of Ms. Chandi, who tends to the eldest children.

Uniform standards of care seem to be missing and there seems to be a disconnect between what management says is happening and what parents see. My family has moved on, as have most of our friends, and we are far more satisfied with the standard of care our child receives at our new center. Live and learn.

Anonymous wrote:It is nice to hear how everyone feels about Angela (since she is my wife). She does care about children very much and takes pride in her relationship with the parents. FYI, she is the co-director, not the secretary.

I AM GLAD YOU ARE VERY PROUD OF YOUR WIFE BUT LET ME TELL YOU MY EXPERIENCE WITH THAT DAYCARE AND YOUR WIFE! MY SON HAS A SERIOUS MILK ALLERGY AND ONE DAY HIS TEACHER CAUGHT HIM DRINKING REGULAR MILK FROM ANOTHER KID'S CUP. HS TEACHER TOOK HIM TO ANGELA (WHO IS YOUR WIFE AND WHO STARTED AS A SECRETARY AND PROMOTED TO CO-DIRECTOR POSITION PRETTY QUICKLY) . YOUR WIFE'S RESPONSE TO MY SON'S TEACHER WAS "TAKE HIM BACK TO THE CLASS, HIS PARENTS WILL BE HERE SOON" INSTEAD OF TAKING ANY ACTION OR EVEN CALLING US SHE JUST IGNORED THE SITUATION AND BECAUSE OF HER WE ENDED UP AT THE ER THAT EVENING. THE INCIDENCE HAPPENED AT 4:20PM AND WE NEVER PICKED HIM UP BEFORE 5:30PM. SO ANGELA LIED TO MY SON'S TEACHER ABOUT OUR USUAL ARRIVAL. AFTER ALL THIS HAPPENED, SHE DID NOT EVEN APOLOGIZE. WHEN WE GOT TO THE DAY CARE MY SON WAS COVERED WITH RASH ALL OVER HIS BODY AND NOBODY, NOBODY THOUGHT THAT HE WAS HAVING A REACTION.

SUGAR PLUMS IS THE WORST DAY CARE IN THIS AREA. THE DIRECTOR ONLY CARES ABOUT THE MONEY. AFTER THE INCIDENT THE DIRECTOR CALLED US, AND INSTEAD OF APOLOGIZING SHE ASKED US TO MOVE OUR SON TO ANOTHER DAY CARE BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE COULD NOT GUARANTEE MY CHILD'S AT HER DAY CARE ANYMORE. WE WERE GOING TO MOVE HIM ANYWAY. WE WERE NOT THE ONLY PARENTS WHO WERENT HAPPY WITH THAT DAY CARE. RIGHT AFTER WE MOVED OUR SON TO ANOTHER DAY CARE, HALF OF THE PARENTS AT THAT DAY CARE MOVED THEIR KIDS TO ANOTHER DAY CARE AND MOST OF THE TEACHERS LEFT AS WELL.

YOU CANT SEE THE DIRECTOR AT THE DAY CARE BECAUSE SHE IS VERY BUSY WITH HER JEWELRY STORE IN BETHESDA. THE TEACHER TURNAROUND IS HIGH, BECAUSE SHE HIRES THEM AS PART TIME WITH NO INSURANCE, NO VACATION LEAVE, OR EVEN SICK LEAVE. WHEN WE WERE THERE, THE TEACHERS COMPLAINED ABOUT THE DIRECTOR A LOT.

THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE THE DIRECTOR MAY BE YOU CAN ASK HER ABOUT THE BIG MIGRATION TO THE ROCK SPRING CHILD CENTER A FEW YEARS BACK I WONDER WHAT LIE SHE IS GOING TO TELL YOU

My baby began at Sugar Plums a year ago when she was only a few months old. We have been very pleased with the quality of the daycare providers. Over the year, she has had two main sets of providers and each one was as good as the previous one. Although I love her daily care providers, the director is another issue. Thankfully, I do not come in contact with the director on a regular basis and only the daily care providers who are amazing. I would recommend Sugar Plums to others.

I can't speak to the quality, but I agree about the costs. It is on par with our centers in the area. Child care is very expensive. It is not easy to find a place where you can feel comfortable leaving your children every day. And, most of these places are not exactly raking in the cash. It costs a lot to have a facility in Bethesda and have quality people working there. You kind of have to expect to have a large chunk of money going to childcare for several years if both parents work.

The cost of Sugar Plums is worth it. My son has been there roughly 6 months and loves it. We actually pulled him out of another center to bring him to Sugar Plums and have never looked back. The facilities, staff and management are all top notch. I never worry about him while at work as I know he is in good hands.

I don't think it is just Sugar Plums, but most of the centers in the area. Private daycare and preschool costs a lot of money. The good thing is that you usually only have a couple years where you will have 2 in care. Then things can go down a lot if you go the public school route. But, if you can't swing it for those couple of years, you could look at other options such as in home daycares, co-ops, or nanny shares.

Hi,

Is there some kind of second kid discount in Sugar Plums? What do parents do if they have two kids in daycare? Without any kind of discount, it will be way too expensive to send two kids to Sugar Plums.

For argument’s sake, assuming that the position title was secretary. Would it be weird to be promoted from secretary to co-director?? (An anonymous’ question to me)

My response: No! It depends on the size of the company.

There was a junior analyst in my company a few years ago. This person later on got a new job and the new title was vice president. Scratching your hair? Not so fast, given that the new company had a total of 3 employees. The first one would be president/director. The new starter would be vice-president/co-director/CEO. The third one….well…pick a title, whatever suits your fancy.

Junior analyst to vice president? Sure. Secretary to co-director? Not unlikely, given that the total number of non-teachers in the center is probably 2.

P.S. I said PORBABLY 2 because the number 2 is my best guess. God forbid if I get the number wrong. Not only will somebody correct me to the second decimal place, but a bolt of lightning might strike me from the sky.