Pride And Joy Children'S Academy

We have had our daughter at Pride and Joy since she was 6mo the old and have continued through to the Kindergarten program. The social engagement and care provided in her early years and the development of learning fundamentals provided in pre-K have really given her a great base as we transition to first grade next year. Ms. Emma and Paris are wonderful.

My daughter started in one of the toddler classrooms about 7 months ago and my husband and I have seen so much progress in her development since then. All of her teachers and the directors have been so excited and supportive to watch her meet milestones. I love the updates and pictures we receive throughout each day. We look forward to continuing our journey together.

Our 1 year old had a great experience at Pride and Joy over this past year. The teachers and Diana have show him plenty of love and attention, caring for him as if he were their own. The craft projects that he brought home were adorable, and showed us that this is more than just a job for all the teachers that we had. We want to thank everyone there and say how much we appreciate you!

Honestly, I would give zero stars if I were able to, as the wellbeing and safety of my children was threatened, and Otter did not address or resolve multiple concerns that I presented to them. I should first start off by saying that I have a long history with Pride & Joy Children’s Academy. I attended here as a child and loved it. Up until recently, my own children also attended. Unfortunately, once Otter took over the business a couple of years ago, the quality of childcare and professionalism of staff became a huge concern. Below I have listed a few different situations that I personally experienced. This doesn’t cover everything, but it does address the top issues. 1. My oldest child was given a known allergen (mandarin oranges) that has been listed on his paperwork since he first began attending the daycare. I spoke with one of the managers about it, and she was extremely nonchalant and acted like it wasn’t important. I was told that he received it because the cook “remembered” my mother (who used to work there) saying that he could eat this particular food again. (I know this isn’t true as my mother is well aware of the allergens/health concerns that my children have.) It is unacceptable that this employee made this decision without our consent, and that the business condoned this behavior. It put my child at risk for an anaphylactic episode. 2. Despite providing feeding instructions that were recommended by my baby’s gastrointestinal specialist, the daycare chose not to follow them (even when reminded repeatedly to do so) resulting in further weight loss. I have medical records that prove that upon leaving this daycare and being kept with a family member who followed his feeding schedule, that he began gaining weight appropriately. 3. My baby was also exposed to human feces and most likely ingested it (as it was on his face and hands). I am unable to share how exactly this situation occurred as the note sent home and the verbal explanation from a manager depict different stories. 4. When Otter first took over the business, they informed us that any and all contracts previously in place with the prior owners would be honored. Both the prior owners and Otter themselves have paperwork that states that as long as the business is given appropriate notice, the deposit fee will be applied to the last week of attendance. This did not happen when I pulled out my oldest. I gave the required two week notice, but nothing was applied. I have emails showing that I spoke to upper management who told me that they would administer a “good faith refund.” She later said that it would take a few weeks for it to occur. After 26 business days, I still have not received it. I have had no further communication with them, and it’s evident that they aren’t going to issue it. I’m saddened and disgusted at how this daycare has changed. It used to be a place where you could trust that your children would be safe and well taken care of. Otter only sees parents and kids as a transaction. I caution and advise other parents to look elsewhere when considering Pride & Joy Children’s Academy for their childcare needs. UPDATE (6/13): deposit credit was given

My daughter, Haley has been going to Pride & Joy since she was 6 weeks old. She absolutely loved daycare (which meant so much to us especially since she has Down Syndrome and received very important social interaction with the teachers and other children that went there). This year before summer break, both Jim & Jenny decided to cut Haley from daycare because they had too many children and got caught by the state. They could have taken the high road and rented extra space to accommodate all the extra children as well as my daughter, but they did not, and they broke her heart. The last two months, my 11 year old daughter still loved going to daycare even as she watched all the other kids go on field trips for the summer as she was left behind each and every day. She was happy just going there and wearing the field trip t-shirts even though she did not get to go with the other kids who were her friends. This rating has nothing to do with the teachers, some of who I have known for 15 years. It is completely a rating for Jim & Jenny, the owners, who broke my daughters heart and did not care that their daycare was a place for my daughter to be accepted, a place where she had lots of friends and a place where she received lots of love and stability. Shame on you, Jim & Jenny!