Great Beginning Childcare

Great Beginnings has been a reliable and supportive daycare for our family for the past five years. Our children have been there since we began fostering them at the ages of 2 and 1. As they grew older, they began seeking help from a therapist for the traumatic experiences they had gone through before coming into our care. The director at Great Beginnings was incredibly accommodating and arranged for the therapist to conduct sessions at the daycare, allowing my wife and I to stay focused at work while knowing that our children were receiving the support they needed. Our experience at this daycare has always been positive, and we have never considered leaving. Whenever one of our children has been injured, we have consistently received an "ouchie report" from either the classroom teacher or the director. By "injured," I mean instances like bumping into another child, falling down, or getting a minor bump on the head. When they were younger, there were occasional incidents of biting and scratching, which were appropriately managed by the director and the parents involved. As a dedicated father who is fully committed to my children's well-being, I prioritize their safety and care. If I ever had concerns about their safety, supervision, or well-being at the daycare, I would be compelled to explore other options. I would certainly recommend Great Beginnings to other parents seeking a secure and nurturing environment for their children while they are at work. Additionaly, I have attached receipts proving that I actually pay to have my children attend this daycare. Can the people leaving 1-star reviews do the same?

4 years after our daughter went here she came to use and told us about a director spanking her bare butt in the bathroom. She didn't tell us before because she was ashamed and embarrassed that it happened to her. Neither me or my wife have ever worked at this daycare or any daycare. We should have been able to trust these people with our kids but we couldn't. This information came from our 9 year old daughter out of the blue. We always thought that this daycare was a safe, nurturing place until our daughter told us what happened to her. Stay far away from this place. I am so thankful to be in the position we are for my wife to be a stay at home parent because we will never recommend this place to anyone and we thought it was one of the best ones in BA until this came up from our daughter. We will always, always, always believe our daughter.

My granddaughter has gone to this facility since she was 6 weeks old and is now 2. We have loved everything about this daycare. She is loved and cared for the way we care for her at home. She has learned so much and comes home singing every day. I worked in daycare when I was in Highschool and college and know that all kids will have scrapes and bruises, even sometimes get bit, hit, or pushed by other children. That can also happen at home, school, or church. I am very confident in the staff and will always recommend this daycare. Some people will get mad and say anything to ruin a reputation when they don’t get their way, so I continue to trust in all these women with the care of my granddaughter. I also know that DHS investigates and watches the footage from the cameras when complaints are made.

Do not recommend this daycare. My children often come home with bruising, scratches and scrapes with no incident reports. We often had to ask teachers and directors for reports. Almost always, cameras had to be reviewed because teachers explanations did not line up with director’s explanations. My child got pushed so hard that he had a goose egg on his head so large that it required a pediatrician appointment to clear the injury per DHS’s request. When retrieving my child’s items upon leaving the center on the last day, one of my son’s blanket was being used as a window curtain, my other son’s blanket had to be searched for in a storage closet. Their sheets were never located. My daughter’s cup was also lost and my lost property was NOT reimbursed in any fashion. The directors claim their handbook states “lost property is not reimbursed” and they claimed it could have gone home with another child. Upon trying to view their handbook online to confirm that policy, the handbook is blocked from viewing and cannot be accessed to read. They failed to write an incident report for my twins who came home with the bottom of their thighs covered in bruising close to the diaper line, and I heard 4 different excuses for the “reasoning” before cameras were reviewed and the incident was found “inconclusive”. At one point, one of my child’s shoes were missing - turns out he threw it in the trash can (kids ya know?) however; the supervision was so poor that the shoe got tossed into the dumpster in the trash bag and I had to wait close to 20 minutes while directors and multiple teachers searched the entire center for the missing shoe. The dumpster outside was the last place checked and that’s where it was found inside of a trash bag out of the classroom. The only positive thing I have to say is it is a loving staff, however; very poor supervision in the center. Very lacking on communication. I was very disappointed in how they handled my concerns about my childrens’ wellbeing and safety in this center.

My 4-year-old daughter has been fortunate enough to have been part of this wonderful facility since she was an infant, and the care and love she has received has been unparalleled. The staff has been diligent in their attention to her needs because she was a fostercare micropreemie. We were fortunate enough to be able to adopt her. And even now that she is 4 it is still clear that she adores them. I want to emphasize that I'm not swayed by negative reviews on this platform, as I believe they may be fueled by disgruntled former employees who were previously dismissed from the facility. In one instance, I've seen a mother-daughter duo who were terminated due to their behavior and are now seeking to tarnish the facility's reputation. Another instance that comes to mind is a parent whose child pushed a disabled child and resulted in her child being injured (they had the incidenton camera). While unfortunate, this incident highlights the importance of responsible parenting and the challenges that can arise in any childcare setting. As a parent who has navigated the childcare landscape for 13 years, I've had the opportunity to witness both exceptional and subpar facilities. I can confidently say that Great Beginnings stands out for its commitment to honesty, compassion, and ethical practices. The fact that DHS/CPS has been involved in our experience does not concern me, as it's a natural process for ensuring the well-being of all children. It's essential to remember that anyone can file a complaint, and I believe it's essential to consider the context and motives behind each report. I wholeheartedly recommend this daycare to anyone seeking a nurturing and responsible environment for their child. The staff's dedication to providing exceptional care and the facility's commitment to excellence have earned my trust.