Cradles To Crayons Learning Center INC.

My daughter started attending Cradles to Crayons around March/April, and we’ve had a wonderful experience. The staff is caring, attentive, and truly made us feel at ease from day one. One of the things I really appreciated was the camera access to my daughter’s classroom—it gave me peace of mind being able to check in throughout the day. Not only was the quality of care excellent, but Cradles to Crayons was also one of the most affordable options we found in Union County. That balance of affordability and trustworthy care is hard to come by, and I highly recommend this daycare to any parent looking for a safe and nurturing environment for their child.

We’ve had a great experience at this daycare—both of our kids have been there since they were infants, and now they’re two and four. The main teachers—Amina, Jackie, Amal, Tracy, Donna, and Anna—have been incredible. They’ve truly gotten to know our kids over the years, understanding their personalities so well and knowing exactly how to work with each of them in a way that’s thoughtful and supportive. Both of our children formed really special bonds with their teachers, which has meant so much to us as parents. It’s also been so comforting that many of the same amazing teachers who cared for our daughter as a baby are now caring for our son—it’s created such a strong sense of continuity and trust. The daycare has also been super flexible whenever we’ve needed half days or extra days, which we really appreciated. And honestly, over time, we’ve developed real personal connections with many of the teachers—they’re warm, caring, and genuinely love what they do. We’re so grateful for the love and care our kids have received here. It’s been a special place for our family.

I had to wait three years before leaving a review, to be as unemotional as possible. My son was enrolled at cradles to crayons in the infant room at five months, went to the waddler room around ten months, and went to the next room at around 18 months. The infant room was great. We had no issues. In the waddler room, my son began displaying aggressive behaviors of all kinds, but what they couldn’t handle was the biting. They responded in a loud, interesting way, so he of course did it more, because he was bored and that is the kind of child he is. There was no redirection. They told me they would try to shadow him to correct his behavior. I could see on the camera that didn’t happen. He bit more kids, and they said “oh he’s so fast.” Then, on what was to be his last day anyway, they called me to pick him up early just before naptime, in which he wasn’t going to be biting anyone anyway because he would be sleeping. When he started his new daycare (Here We Grow) at around 21 months, he did not bite for the first month, as he was still getting comfortable. Then he bit twice in a week, and they sent me a kind email telling me how they were going to shadow him heavily and correct his behavior. I could see on the camera that they did, he stopped, and we never had to sign another incident report that he bit someone ever again. (He is now almost 5.) I didn’t know any better, as a first time parent. They should have known how to handle biting incidents - calm no, redirection into something new and interesting. This is how we do it with my second son, now at the same age, and it is simply a normal toddler behavior and not a daily problem. Additionally, the staff switched rooms partway through the day. They said it was so that they would know how to run each room. In reality what happened was that when my son was transitioning from two naps to one, in a room where most (slightly older) kids were onto one nap, on more than one occasion the earlier caregivers gave him a morning nap,he refused to nap for the regular naptime (since he had just woken up), and then he never got a second nap. Consequently, he was falling asleep over dinner and the evening was a disaster. There was too much turnover at this daycare, and no expertise. I didn’t realize what a difference there could be until we switched daycares. Our new one is run by career change elementary teachers. They give appropriate assistance and expertise about child development to the classroom teachers as needed. Furthermore, in the waddler room my son was, more than once, passed on to me with a poopy diaper. He also came home with diaper rashes. They did not put on the preventative ointment that I supplied. I also don’t know how they missed the pooping - he used to squat and get all red in the face. Finally, they ruined his ability to go to sleep by himself. In the infant room they rock them in swings until they fall asleep and then transfer them to the crib. In the waddler room they bounce them until they fall asleep and then transfer them to the cot, where they pat their back until they fall back asleep. This made my son demand that we do this too, which was exhausting. He had been able to put himself to sleep and lost the ability. It took years of work after leaving here to get that back. My advice is to enroll your baby elsewhere. Here We Grow, also in Westfield, fixed my older son’s biting problem and are taking good care of my younger son. The only pro I can think of about cradles is that the owner responds almost immediately via email. They also kept him alive, which I suppose is the first priority of daycare.

My 2.5 yr old boys attend Cradles to Crayons and are both in the Toddler program. They initially started when they were 1.5 yrs old and in the Pre-Toddler program. Overall, we’ve had a great experience here. I feel at ease when I drop them off and I know that they will be well taken care of. My boys are excited to go everyday and love learning and play with their friends. Miss Amina, Miss Jackie and Miss Tracy are the best! They are so nurturing towards the children and truly care for them. I would recommend for sure!

I cannot say enough good things about Cradles to Crayons. They are top notch on everything I was looking for when caring for my children: 1. Security: First and foremost, I want me kids to be safe. There are double-doors in front, each with its own lock, and someone at the front desk. There are cameras everywhere, so there is accountability at all times when it comes to my kids (this has never been an issue with the staff, but more if my kid trips and falls, footage can be reviewed to verify what happened and reported to me). 2. Care: The staff is simply wonderful. They genuinely care for the children and get to know them on a personal level. There are many long-tenured caregivers, which speaks to it being a good place to work, which shows in the engagement with the children. To a person, everyone has been so great with my kids, I couldn’t ask for more friendly, compassionate and dedicated people to spend so much time with my kids. 3. Development: While they follow a sound curriculum, they really meet my kids where they are. I have worked collaboratively with their teachers on milestones that were different timing for my kids vs. others (potty training, social skills, etc.) and they are great partners in harnessing my children’s strengths and helping them achieve their development goals. 4. Reliability: They are well-staffed and very well run, so there has never been an issue with not being able to provide care. Even with inclement weather, they have only been closed when it was truly warranted. 5. Peace of mind: I simply don’t worry about my children when they are at Cradles to Crayons, because I know that they are in good hands.