Cradles Cribs & Crayons

This place is fantastic. Both my kids attend here and they could not be happier. We are so pleased with their development, the friends they have made and the wonderful teachers. As we drop our kids of each morning they, literally, run and jump into the arms of their teachers.
This really is an incredibly caring and loving place. We are so happy we found them!

Cradles is the most wonderful place. It truly is. Both of my children attended this daycare from the time they were infants to the time they graduated to go to kindergarten. We were fortunate to have them be a part of our lives for over 10 years! Ronna, Ely and the all the staff at Cradles are terrific and loving and… well, I just cannot express how happy we were to have chosen this daycare. As a working mother, I was very happy that they were there for me. We were so sad to say goodbye at the start of this school year because everyone at Cradles became a part of our extended family and community. We will be going back to visit soon since my youngest keeps asking to see his teachers at Cradles!
Both of my children learned so much and had so much fun. Academically, both of my children were ahead of the rest of the children in their kindergarten classes. They have a love of learning that was fostered by the environment at Cradles. When they were infants and toddlers, they were learning and playing and doing so many things that engaged them throughout the day. Their proactive teachers took an interest in all the kids and everything that they did. My children learned how to be fair, how to share, and how play with other children while learning colors and shapes.
They learned music when they were two, had a winter holiday show every year, went on field trips to the zoo, to plays, to the Botanic Gardens, to Lambs Farm, and, of course, our family’s favorite, the Pumpkin Farm. They got to be in a Fourth of July parade, met the Villages First Responders, have a Hawaiian Day, a Sports Week, a Pajama Day, made a Thanksgiving turkey, go to weekly trips to the Water Park, a Bounce House day, and kinds of wonderful things that kids love to do!
The facilities are clean and the toys are continually being cleaned and disinfected (I’ve seen it! A prior reviewer said that this was not their experience, so I wanted to mention it). There is always communication between the staff and parents. Safety is a number one priority for the staff and they are CPR/​First Aid trained. When there is a bump or scrape, TLC is administered along with the Band Aid and ointment.
Bottom line, I would highly recommend Cradles Cribs and Crayons. I feel lucky that I found them over decade ago and I truly believe that Cradles had a positive impact on my kids and they are better people for being a part of the Cradles family. As a parent, I trusted them with my children and had complete peace of mind when they were in their care.

This is the most wonderful daycare EVER with the most loving, caring staff imaginable. I don’t know what that other lady was talking about — every single person who attends here RAVES about it! I wish there were more than 5 stars to give!
Both my children currently attend CCC and I could not be happier. In fact, 1.5 years later I still can’t thank the owner and staff enough ever single day for making our lives so wonderful!
The teachers love the kids as if they were their own. My son races through the door everyday to give each teacher a huge hug. And my one year old can’t get out of my arms fast enough so she can go cuddle the teachers.
My one year old and four year old do projects everyday, and are constantly learning new things in a very fun manner.
They have dentists, fireman and other visitors during the year and the kids love it! In the summer there is always something fun going on whether its a field trip, crazy hair day, pajama day, water day, etc.
They also clean the center and the toys all the time. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen all the toys taken out of a classroom so each one can be scrubbed down… and the classroom too!
The teachers and owner also really work with you on the best thing for your child. My daughter needed medication 1x a day and they were so accommodating and helping us with her needs. My son is also in speech therapy and the teachers and owner take time after every session to speak with the therapist so they can help my son continue to progress.
Every parent I have ever spoken with goes on and on about how wonderful this place is. IT IS TRULY A GEM!!! I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT EVERYONE WHO WORKS HERE AND THE PLACE.
Thank you so much to Ronna, Ely and the rest of the teachers for making our lives so wonderful and for making my children and so many others so happy and healthy!

We wanted to like this place, we really did, but we just couldn’t.
This place is extremely dirty. they never clean the toys, there are toys that look like its had dirt on them for the past few years. They let parents and kids walk on the carpet with shoes on. the same carpet they also let your kids crawl and lay on. how is that sanitary?
Ronna only cares about the money. Sure during your visit she may seem nice and caring, but once your child is enrolled, she only smiles at you when you give her the check. Oh and that check doesn’t go towards new toys or new equipment for the center. So don’t expect to see new CLEAN toys or beds or rugs. Because they’re satisfied with the way everything is.
They also allow older kids to visit the infant rooms. Have they ever heard of how germs and diseases are being passed on?
These older kids are running around playing with the infant toys while the infants are lying down on the carpet. Where they can easily be kicked by one of the running kids. That doesn’t seem safe to me. I came in to pick up my child one day, to find her laying on the floor playing, and some toddler running circles around the infants laying on the ground. WTF?
The teachers there are lazy. I’ve seen teachers walking the kids around the block only instead of walking they sit at one of the stairs off to the side and talk on their phone while the kids sit in the buggy probably bored to death. I’ve seen this multiple times on the way to pick up my cild.
While kids are playing at the playground, their teachers sit on a chair 25 feet away. Very responsible of them to keep an eye out on the kids. I guess this is their break time.
My kid had a new child in her room every day I came to visit. It wasn’t a child that was originally in her room, but I guess their thought is. «one more can’t hurt right?»
Did I mention that they leave infants unattended? I came to pick up my child and the teacher was outside the room while the kids were alone inside. How is that safe?
Our last straw with them is that someone threw up on our child. not another child in her class, but a different child that happened to be in the room with my kid when she threw up. Seriously? I was ready to go insane when I found out and complain. but guess what? Ronna was on vacation. probably spending the money that was suppose to go towards new toys or equipment. How conveniant!
Crappy day care, with crappy teachers, and a very crappy owner who cares nothing but the $$$.
I plan on reporting them to DCFS because of all this crap and the crappy protocols they have.
Please save yourself the trouble and send your kids elsewhere so you can get some peace of mind that your child is in a safe and caring environment.