First Step Child Care Center Inc

The staff here are are great. My son has been going here for 5 months now & started when he was 3 months old. My son LOVES the staff and is loved in return. He is very happy here and very well cared for — which is important.
The location isn’t great (why I took off a star). The parking can be a nightmare at pick up time. I’ve ended up just having to drive around for 5 mins waiting/​looking for somewhere to park that isn’t 2 blocks away.
Would be great if the small parking area across the street was expanded and turned into a bit of a parking lot for the daycare with a set of lights to be able to leave easily. I sometimes find myself having to go around in a circle or going down a side street to turn around to avoid having to take a left turn at that little intersection because it gets so backed up on both sides that it’s impossible to get out.

My daughter has been going to First Step two days a week for a few months now and I am quite happy with them. I will say that I did almost cancel my appointment to check this place out because it does look kind of like a pit on the outside (sorry Sonia!), but don’t be fooled. Once you are in… it is spacious, bright, open and CLEAN! Most importantly, the staff is lovely and friendly as is the owner, who is always on site and very hands on!
We visited a few places. One was in a basement and incredibly sad and dark. Kids looked like puppies crammed into cardboard boxes, all leaning over the gates to get a treat or someone to pat them on the head… very sad. Another was nice enough, but because it was in a multifamily home, it was so crowded and pretty dark. The room my daughter would have been in would also have been their smallest. I also met a woman running a home-​daycare. She was super super nice, but was a one woman show and I would fear what would happen if she were out of commission and could not work one day…
All in all, and for the money, First Step is our spot! I only took away a star because 1) I wish they had a bigger/​nicer outdoor play area and 2) I loathe the street it is on. Very tricky unloading multiple kids from your car when traffic is whipping by at 60 miles an hour an inch from your car door!!! There is a parking lot option at the end of the block, but I prefer to minimize my walking distance with two sometimes-​uncooperative toddlers who are prone to darting at any given moment…

I have had my son in two other daycare’s before I found this one, it is without a doubt the best daycare around. The owner is fantastic with children as are her staff, the classrooms are spotless and curriculum is taken seriously. My one year old daughter goes there also.
Steph Mills