Hand In Hand-Hiawatha

My niece attended Hand in Hand for quite awhile. She hated going there everyday. She said the staff were mean and always yelled. They would punish all the kids if one kid was misbehaving. For example, tell them they couldn't talk for 15 minutes, etc. My niece is typically very well behaved so this really upset her. She always begged me to pick her up from school so she wouldn't have to go to Hand in Hand, and I did when I could but often couldn't. Recently, my sister had extra charges that Hand in Hand billed her for. They were billing her for before school care which my niece doesn't go to. In addition, they added on processing fees over $100 without telling her. Hand in Hand refused to refund the money even though they made an error in billing. My sister works hard and is a single parent providing for her daughter. Don't use Hand in Hand for your childcare. They will do anything they can to get your money and your children won't get the care they deserve.

My daughter attended Hand in Hand after school care at her school (Bowman Woods). I was not pleased with the care she received. They often spent the afternoons watching movies and when they read books the staff picked books for them and forced them to read those books. My daughter, who used to love reading, began to hate it One afternoon, after school a boy shoved my daughter and bit her on the shoulder. The after school supervisor (Cassie) saw it happen and just ignored it. It had to be handled by the classroom teacher the following day. Then recently I noticed the charges from Hand in Hand seemed really high, so I asked for a statement. They had been adding on "processing fees" that totaled $111 since I had the payment on automatic withdrawal from my debit card. When questioned about the fees, their response was they had signs posted all over the school, however parents are not currently allowed in the school due to COVID so there would be no way to see the signs. I double checked the form I signed at the beginning of the year and there was nothing about processing fees. In addition to the "processing fees" they also charged me 4 times for a "card decline fee" of $36. However, I provided bank statements showing that I had money in my account and there was no reason for them to charge me a "card decline fee" After talking with my bank there would be no reason for my card to be declined, so it had to be an error on Hand in Hand's part. In addition to all of those fees they have been charging me for before school care for the last three months which my daughter doesn't even attend. So all together I have paid about $200 of expenses in the last 2-3 months in fees and being overcharged. After talking with Hand in Hand about this they have refused to refund my money. Send your kids anywhere else! Don't go to Hand in Hand, you will regret it. The management is rude and doesn't want to help they just want to take your money.

I highly recommend Hand in Hand. All of the staff were wonderful with my daughter. Their check-in/check-out system is very nice. Anyone who doesn't have their fingerprint or a code saved in the system cannot gain access unless they are buzzed in by the staff. The front desk is situated right in front of the doors so that they can see anyone who enters the building. I felt their security measures were top notch and never questioned my daughter's safety. They utilize an app called Tadpoles for communication. You get daily reports on what your child eats, his/her activities, diaper changes (if applicable), and my very favorite.......pictures of your little one. I wish more day care facilities would invest in this app. They have well-balanced, yummy meals as well. My daughter was always excited when I dropped her off and was happy and smiling any time that I stopped by during the day or when I came to pick her up.

Owner is very money hungry and has increased tuition for the parents twice in the last six months. I do not recommend this daycare.