Clayton Early Childhood Center

We've been so happy with our experience at CECC since our oldest first got off the waitlist! Our boys have been there for almost two years now and the experience has been excellent. The teachers are great and most have been there for years. They really care about the children, and there are almost always extra staff relative to minimum ratios. We were happy with our previous daycare, but there are a few things CECC does differently that we've really appreciated. The biggest is that at our previous daycare the children were shuffled around rooms during the days to maintain minimum ratios. It kept staffing extremely efficient but also spread germs. That never happens at CECC, and I think because of that our kids have been sick so much less. It also lets our kids build strong relationships with the same, consistent teachers.

We enrolled our son at Clayton Early Childhood Center because their website emphasized 1:1 attention, three teachers in each room, high retention, and a tailored curriculum. This matched what we saw during our tour, but not what we experienced after enrolling. From the beginning, our son struggled with naptime and transitions. Child-care professionals recommended brief 1–2 minute check-ins every hour or two, but CECC told us they could not accommodate even this. At drop-off, we consistently saw only one teacher present, and through conversations it became clear most of the day often had only 1–2 staff, which differed from what was described to us. We were also told retention was extremely high, yet shortly after we enrolled a teacher resigned and staffing seemed less stable than presented. We received an incident notification saying our son told the director to “stop pushing him,” and she reported he had pushed her. This was confusing and concerning. At the parent–teacher conference, despite their handbook stating they use a 30-day support plan before removal, we were told immediately they could not support him and that we needed to withdraw. When we calmly expressed disappointment with the mismatch between what was advertised and what we experienced, the director became visibly upset, told us to leave, and threatened to call the police. Our son had also recently said a teacher hit him. When we shared this, we received no explanation of how they would address it or follow up. Based on our experience, the program did not match what was advertised or what was described during enrollment. Other families may have different experiences, but this was ours.

Our oldest child attended for 4 years; however, during COVID19 it became rapidly apparent that communication, innovation and flexibility are completely lacking from this place. We were charged tuition for services that we could not utilize. We were provided infrequent and uninformative updates. The Board of Directors never addressed us. My advice to parents, especially those who still have professional jobs, is to find childcare that is willing to work with you and be supportive. This IS NOT the place.

I disagree with some of the critical reviews. Daycares in general were put in a very tough position during COVID and risked closing altogether forever if they simply stopped charging tuition for months. As soon as CECC got a PPP loan they dropped tuition down to 10% and simultaneously managed to keep everyone’s jobs. I value that commitment to their staff. Yes, now we are getting fewer hours of care for the same tuition, but that’s because of the extra hours needed for cleaning and to maintain proper health and safety protocols. As of this review (June 2020), no school district in St. Louis, nor any private k-12 school that I know of, has figured out a good way to reopen and when they do they are talking about things like half days. At least cecc is staying open 8 hours a day. Overall I think they have done a good job in an extremely difficult situation.

A warning for prospective families: $100 waitlist fee and a long waitlist! This is one of the few early childhood centers that charged a waitlist fee. I inquired about the length of the waitlist via email and explained our family's timeline. The response was vague and simply suggested that I "get on the waitlist as soon as possible." As soon as I paid the fee, I got a confirmation email indicating that my child was 50th (!) in the waitlist. When I called, the woman on the phone basically told me I shouldn't plan on getting a spot given my position. As far as I can tell, the only thing that had changed in the week between correspondences was that they had my $100 nonrefundable fee in their pocket. The childhood center could be great - I have many friends who recommend it - but I feel like they pulled a bait and switch. Save your $100 until you get a firm answer on waitlist length and don't be a fool like me.