La Petite Academy

I have have trusted La Petite with both of my children. My Son is now ten, and began going when he was about one, and my daughter is still currently enrolled, and has been there since age 9 months.
First off, many people may be immediately turned away by this place when they look only at the cost. Yes, this place isn’t cheap. It’s one of the pricier places for childcare in Bakersfield, HOWEVER, you truly to get what you pay for… and when it comes to skimping and wanting a discount, quality/​safety and a loving atmosphere take precedence when we are talking about my child’s life.
For starters, they take them as young as 6 weeks old. It must be so hard for a parent to leave a baby that young — a lot of places don’t take them that young, but La Petite does. And they are wonderful. Miss Barb (and the other teachers in the infant room) literally is the most loving and kind hearted woman. She is a baby whisperer… and I am so thankful for a woman like this holding and loving on my babies since I have to work to support a family and I can’t be holding and loving on them during the day — at La Petite I know they aren’t just put down in a corner somewhere. Every time I would come in, or friends who had children in La Petite would come in, it was the same consensus — someone always holding or rocking a baby, on the ground playing, dancing with the kids to music. Instead of crying in the morning, my baby would RUN to Miss Barb… kind of killed me a litte inside, but also really really reassuring. We saw her at lunch one weekend out and about, and my baby girl called and reached out for her until Miss Barb came over and picked her up and hugged her and loved on her a bit.
other reasons why La Petite is so top notch:
They are open from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. I don’t know of any other faith-​based daycares or home daycares that offer those hours. I would NEVER want to leave my children in daycare for 12 hours! But I know that if I get held over… I have an early morning of work… there’s a traffic jam or something happens, I have the flexibility to drop them off very early or leave them there much later if the need should arise.
They are SO secure. They usually know everyone by name, but there are seriously like 3 different access points where you have to enter different codes to get in different doors just to access the facility.
No secrets! You can stop by anytime you want just to see your kid. All the rooms are connected, so you regularly see what is going on in the other aged rooms as well. Windows to most of the rooms as you walk by, and glass on all the doors. You never have the feeling like you can’t come see your child, or that they might be doing something you woudln’t want or not giving your child the proper care. It’s all out there in the open, and I love that.
Great management! Maryanne and Jennifer have both been running the place since my child attended 10 years ago… however there recently has been a change. Jennifer retired, and Maryanne has gone to a sister location… however she still mentors and is responsible for Ashley the new manager. Ashley has worked there for a while herself, and is very nice… I think with Maryanne’s guidance and VAST experience in childcare she has the opportunity to continue running La Petite the way it has been operated.
There’s no suprise «sick days». Yes, you pay for a full week sometimes and then can only bring your child for 4, like when Christmas is during the week, or the 4^th of July or Thanksgiving. But these wonderful peole taking care of my babies and loving them deserve a paid holiday, and most working parents are off on those days anyway. However, unlike a home daycare provider, there is never a day I can’t bring my baby where the daycare provider is sick, has a docotrs appt, is on vacation, etc. The beauty of it being a business means they are always staffed and there is no last minute scrambling because the provider is not able to watch my child on a random day of the week. For a working single parent, this is GOLD.
They record everything. Every diaper change… and what was in the diaper. Every meal, every snack. Their temperment, when and how long their took their naps… they give you a report at the end of the day, and I love seeing those.
They are responsible. If you child falls down, bumps her head, gets bit… I mean, kids are kids and these things are going to happen. But they ALWAYS call you, and there is always a written accident report for the parent to read and sign. There have been times that it is something minor… my baby tripped and bumped her head… no blood, no bruise… but they call anyways just to keep me informed. They are very proactive on keeping you informed… and welcome you to come and see your child or see if their is brusining or swelling, and they let you know how it’s going «she cried for five minutes, but we iced the bump on her head and she is happy»