Gateway Academy Child Development Center Whitehal

This was my daughter’s first experience in a daycare, and I could not be happier with our experience here so far. The staff and her teachers are amazing- they communicate so well and I know my daughter is getting the best care and feeling loved while she’s at school. I love their integration of learning through play- she is learning so much and has fun in the day! I am so grateful for our experience here.

It took me a while to write this review, but my experience here started off great and it ended HORRIBLY!!! It started with a change in leadership a couple of times in the beginning. That wasn’t a big deal. This was my child’s first daycare. My child had to adjust to a structured environment. The first couple of teachers were really nice and very supportive of helping my child to transition. After my child moved to the 3 year old class everything changed. The first teacher from his 3 year old class was nice and really good. She left. After that teacher left, my child had a new teacher. Around this same time, there was a person there who had became the new director. The new director left to go to another school and another staff member there was promoted to become the new director. We really liked her, she was very helpful when we initially enrolled our child. Once our child was with the new 3 year old class teacher and the assistant, Ms. Starr, our life became a living hell. Ms. Starr had ZERO UNDERSTANDING OR ABILITY to handle small children who were trying to adjust and transition from being at home. She was extremely unprofessional and she ran the class vs. the actual teacher. We went from getting zero calls to calls every other day. Ms. Starr seemed to take issue with my child and as a couple of other parents mentioned, she specifically, seemed to want a perfect child under her care. Ms. Starr was unprofessional and unchecked. It got to a point where Ms. Starr, the assistant( not the teacher), said she wanted my child removed from her class. As I mentioned, I liked the new director at the time, but she did nothing to address or correct Ms. Starr. After my child was removed from the class (we agreed to do that because we no longer thought it was safe to have him under Ms. Starr’s care), my child was placed in another teacher’s care and it was if that new teacher and her assistant had been given a heads up about my child. Their behavior wasn’t better. They began sending write ups home as if to build a case for themselves to remove my child from the school if they felt that it was needed. One teacher even once said that she needed to get in my child’s face so she could “get on his level”. We’re talking about a child! At this point my child is in the 4 year old class and we were getting several calls throughout the week and requests to pick him up. My husband came to the daycare one day unannounced and literally saw a teacher dragging my child down the hall. Also, my child began to spend more time up front with the director, than in the class. The last straw was when my husband came one day and the director was sitting outside on the bench with our child. This is NOT HOW A CHILD AND FAMILY should be treated. I’m so happy to say that we found a great place to place our child with loving and caring teachers who work with small children, especially those new to daycare and needing to adjust. On a final note, no I didn’t have a “bad” child. My child was adjusting and needed people who understood that. My child went on to kindergarten and EXCELLED! No issues AT ALL! All green happy faces every day in kindergarten for behavior all year with the exception of one yellow :-) My child was a top reader in kindergarten and at the top of the class in 1st grade, in particular for math. My child is known for being an intelligent and respectful child. The first grade teacher recommended my child to the gifted program. We tested, and my child is now in the GIFTED PROGRAM. If you have a real passion for teaching the whole child, then you should be a teacher. If you don’t, maybe choose another profession. Also, Cadence, I hope you never treat another child the way you treated my child. THANK GOD we found another daycare that truly cared and we still utilize them to this day for after care. My child is now THRIVING in elementary school! I hope management and higher ups take this review to heart. I can’t explain how frustrated and hurt I was at the time. I wasn’t able to write a review, but I hope this helps someone.

I wanted to wait a little before writing this review because I didn’t want it to come off as just love-bombing, but honestly, this daycare deserves every bit of praise. My positive experience started the moment I walked in for my tour. The atmosphere immediately felt warm, inviting, and absolutely positive. The building itself is vibrant, open, and spotless. It even smells fresh, which is something you don’t always get in childcare facilities. First impression: 10/10. I had the pleasure of touring with Miss Christine, and let me tell you, what a gem! Her personality, professionalism, and passion for what she does were obvious from the start. You can tell she truly loves her job. That tour set the tone, and even though I had three or four other daycare tours scheduled for the day, this was the first stop, and the only one I needed. I fell in love immediately. During the tour, I asked all the tough questions, about curriculum, discipline policies, and teacher retention, and every single answer was exactly what I hoped for. As parents, we all know this: when you put your kids in daycare, you’re not just dropping off your kids, you’re entrusting your heart to someone else. If I don’t feel my kids are safe and happy, I can’t function at work. That means stress, less productivity, and a ripple effect on my whole family. But this daycare has given me peace of mind. In fact, I used to be the mom who would run errands and rush back right away to pick up my kids. Not anymore. Now, I can take my time because I know they’re in a safe, loving, and structured environment where they’re having fun AND learning. A huge shout-out to Miss Asia, the director. She impressed me from day one. I asked her a question on a Friday, and by Monday, she had the answer written down on a sticky note ready for me to take. That level of follow-through and organization speaks volumes. Of course, our experience at our previous daycare wasn’t great, but that makes me appreciate this place even more. It’s hard to fake a truly good establishment because excellence shows through in every aspect, from the classrooms to the teachers to the leadership team. This place runs on passion and heart, and you can feel it. Lastly, thank you to the amazing teachers, Miss Cici, Miss Ciah , Miss Alyx, and everyone else whose names I’m still learning. You all make such a difference, and I want you to feel as appreciated as I feel as a parent. If you’re looking for a daycare that feels like an extension of your family, this is the one.

Cadence Academy has given us the best possible childcare experience since the day we enrolled our 10-month-old daughter. The leadership team in Asia and Julie are always responsive, kind, and a joy to work with. Our daughter's teachers in each classroom have always been loving and dedicated teachers. She has learned so much there and I have always had peace of mind while she is in their care - which is priceless! I cannot recommend this school enough.

We ended up at Cadence Academy for our one-year old for a few weeks through Bright Horizons backup care, and they treated us like a member of the family from day one. They were very easy to get in touch with to get our paperwork in, and they knew exactly who we were when we walked in the door the first day. His teacher knew exactly how to handle his anxiety when I left, and scooped him into a nice hug to comfort him. We loved getting photos from them every day — showing a wide variety of different fun activities, like art, storytime, and even playing in foam bubbles on the playground! Thanks, Cadence for a great experience!