A Bright Child Preschool & Daycare

My son went to Bright Child on and off for about half a year – during the off time my husband wasn’t working. We had a very positive experience. My son attended from the age of 10 months to 18 months. Elisa is a great director and does fun activities with the kids. She and the rest of the staff encouraged independence and play. My son was a late crawler and walker but they helped him and always shared daily reports about his progress. Paula was ALWAYS fair and up front about her policies and needs as a business owner. Other reviewers complained about some of Paula’s policies but if you follow the rules and don’t act entitled to special perks she is very accommodating when you might need help. (Basically don’t act like an jerk and she will work with you.) As far as pricing goes, Bright Child is very reasonable for the neighborhood. I shopped around and the prices are less than Giraffe Laugh and CASP. I would recommend this place to a family member or friend in a heartbeat. The only reason we left is because we moved to a new neighborhood and needed a place closer to home. Thanks Paula, Elisa and the whole staff at A Bright Child!!!

Avoid this place at all cost the owner is a bully and will rip you off. She is a col hearted person. I used to work for Paula and she’s as devious and selfish as can be don’t trust her she finds ways to take more money from parents. She doesn’t treat her employees good at all. I’m glad to be out of there. If your child is in Valerie s class she likes to cuss kids out and throw shoes at them and Elisa is the only one who cares about those kids and she’s a great teacher and human being.

I had a similar experience with the preschool as a previous reviewer. It was very convenient to my home & had an immediate opening. We found the staff very friendly & our daughter did like to go. That part was great. However the director of the school was very inflexible and short sighted in her policies. She could not see the forest for the trees. And good luck trying to get a word in… Very poor people skills. The part about charging for everything was true. A few times my husband forgot to sign in or out & each time there was an additional $ 5 tacked onto our bill. We did not have to sign in or out with our sons preschool, the staff took care of that so we were not in the habit. We would have been long term customers if it weren’t for her.

We have had a wonderful experience at a A Bright Child preschool and day care. We love the personal attention our children have received and are grateful to the wonderful care provided each day. We have a daughter less than two and a son just over 3 years old and they express excitement going to the preschool every day. It was important to us to find a preschool where our children would be safe and cared for as well as learn important lessons such as how to follow directions and socialize with other children. We have enjoyed their art projects as well watching their language and social skills blossom. Due to our hectic schedules we have often dropped by the preschool unannounced and have always been pleased with the activities and care provided. I would highly recommend A Bright Child to anyone looking for a wonderful place to send their children.

We think Britta’s review is exceptionally harsh. We have had our child at ABC for 14 months since he was 3 months old and couldn’t be happier with our experience there. Our child is obviously our number one priority and we took choosing a daycare for him very seriously. I am a physician and have high standards and I would consider myself and my spouse very particular when it comes to the care that our son receives. We have been very involved with his day to day care at ABC since he started. To say that I honestly have not worried about him for one minute while I am at work is (in my mind) a huge accolade for ABC. We have referred many other families to ABC without reservation.
We frequently drop in during the day and have never had issue with the way that our child or other children are being treated. Yes there is a 1:6 ratio for babies but I have frequently observed this to be far better than this. You cannot expect that every baby can be held all the time, but I have certainly seen them try!
It has been our experience that the director has very high expectations of the staff. She would never condone a «no holding babies» policy. She is very involved and knows the children as well as any of the rest of the staff. She is very organized and keeps the place running efficiently. There has been little staff turnover since we have been there which is very important to us.
With regard to the «nickel and dime» comments, the facility has policies which are designed to help them have what they need to take good care of the kids. These policies are not secret and were made very clear to us from the get-​go. I do not think it is too much to ask for parents to be prepared and have changes of clothes for their children in return for receiving great care all day. Any daycare employee works their tail off taking care of small children all day long. Any parent should understand that is a very difficult job and be ready and willing to make that job as easy as possible. And yes you will get charged for failing to sign out your child. Again, I don’t think this is too much to ask. It is a policy designed to make sure that the correct person is picking up each child and that all children are accounted for. I don’t want a stranger picking up my child from daycare! I am also fairly certain that this is required for them to prove to the state in the event of an inspection. Sometimes a fee is necessary to help people remember their responsibilities. That said, I know there has been a time or two that we have forgotten to sign out that has been «overlooked.» Optional holidays are just that… OPTIONAL. This is designed to keep fees low by excluding fees for days that typically have low attendance. The policy is again made clear from the beginning.
Overall we have found ABC to be a great value. Every day the kids old enough to eat solid food get a hot lunch that is nutritious — a main dish always accompanied by a fruit and a vegetable. Snacks are also nutritious. I have NEVER seen them give out Oreo cookies. They get age appropriate snacks in a reasonable serving size. Not having to prepare a lunch is one less thing I have to do every morning and compared to other daycares in the area that don’t provide food, ABC is still less money.
Our child is definitely treated as one of the family and is loved as one of their own. Daycare is never going to be the same as having your child home with you every minute of the day. There is no way they are going to do everything the way that you do. That said, ABC has made every effort to do things as we would as much as possible (despite the fact that they are doing this for every other child and consequently trying to accommodate multiple baby schedules). They have bent over backwards for us to accommodate our changing schedules and the changing needs of our child.
In short, if you want your kid to be loved and well-​taken care of and pay a reasonable price for it, this is the place for you. You can’t put a price on peace of mind.

Avoid this place at all costs. We went here for 2 months and no more. I should’ve known it was bad news when they had an opening right when I needed it. All the decent places around here have wait lists a mile long. We needed a place fast and it was very convenient to our house. Those are about the only good things about it.
First of all, they have a 1:6 ratio for babies, which is the state max, and I thought it would be ok. It might at other daycares, but you don’t see the workers pick up a baby unless it is to feed him/​change his diaper. I believe the director of the center has that as a policy. A kid will be crying, the worker will have nothing in her hands, and she’ll just stand there talking at the kid. I think the majority of workers are nice and feel empathy for the kids, but the director won’t let them hold babies or they get into trouble.
Secondly, you pay up front for the month, which is pretty normal. However, they nickel and dime you for EVERYTHING. $ 1 for a change of clothes when my baby had 3 blow-​outs before they called me. $ 5 for each time you forget to sign-​in/​sign-​out. They called me one day and said «your baby has a 103 temp, come get him». So I rush him out in a panic, forgetting to sign out. Yup, $ 5 on the next bill. They have optional holidays (Veterans’ Day, Presidents’ Day, etc) that you have to pay EXTRA for if you want to drop your kid off. And if you don’t sign your kid’s absences up on a sheet, oh yeah, extra cash outta your pocket.
To top that off, I overheard the director on the phone telling an employee not to come in the next day b/​c they had a lot of kids leaving early so she wasn’t needed in the afternoon. Um, I already PAID for that person to be there.
Then, they feed your kids crap. I walked in late one day and the other babies who could eat solid foods, under 2 mind you, were sitting there at 9am eating what amounted to an Oreo cookie. Seriously? I brought my own food, but they stopped feeding it to him after a couple of weeks. I don’t know the exact reason, but I can guess.
In short, if you just want your kid to survive the day and you don’t mind being frisked for extra change every time you walk in, this place is for you.