Pumpkin Patch Child Care & Learning Center- Cromwell

Our son has been at Pumpkin Patch since he was 3 months old. He is now almost 4. The reason we chose this facility was the warm and welcoming staff. We visited other care facilities and did not get the same warmth as when we visited here. Over the 4 years our son has been here, despite some staffing changes, we still feel he is in the care of people who genuinely care for and love children. He has learned so much through play and activities there from signing for food when he was an infant, to the days of the week, his letters, and interpersonal skills. The staff is kind, helpful, and happy. We will be sending our newborn here in a few short months as well. The administration is kind and always working on improving both their student and parent experience through updated app systems, facilities upgrades, and new programming, such as the monthly family activities they send home. They also have an awesome play area and get the kids outside often. We are often some of the last parents to pick our child up at night and everyone not watching children are cleaning and sanitizing surfaces and materials. We highly recommend sending your child here.

My two children have attended this daycare from infancy through their preschool years, and overall we’ve had a very positive experience. The staff has always been loving, patient, and genuinely great with the kids. I’ve felt confident that my children were cared for, supported, and engaged during the day. One of the standout features is the outdoor play area—it’s a great space where the kids can run, explore, and burn off energy. I also really appreciate the variety of planned activities. There’s clear effort put into keeping the children stimulated, learning, and having fun, which has helped my kids grow socially and developmentally over the years. That said, one area that could use improvement is teacher turnover. While the teachers we’ve had have been wonderful, the frequent changes can be hard for both the children and parents when it comes to consistency and building long-term relationships. Overall, this daycare offers a warm environment with engaging activities and a great outdoor space. With more consistency in staffing, it could easily be a 5-star experience.

We had a very poor experience at The Pumpkin Patch. The facility was often dirty and had a strange smell every time we walked in. My child frequently came home with scratches and other injuries that were many times unexplained as it seemed the staff were not paying attention. There was no clear structure or organization — it often felt chaotic, with little to no planned activities or learning opportunities. Since moving our child to another daycare we’ve seen such a positive difference — our child is happier, more engaged, and thriving. They pay attention to his needs. I would not recommend this daycare to anyone.

Everybody is very nice and outgoing. Ms Christine goes above and beyond for all students and parents. Her staff are amazing. There’s always activities going on for the kids. Overall just great place to bring your child to. My children have made so much progress in less than a year.

Pumpkin Patch expelled my 3-year-old son without warning the day before Christmas Eve. They sent the dismissal letter five minutes after we picked him up, so he wasn't even allowed to say goodbye to his friends at the Christmas Eve party the next day. He was having tantrums at school, but we were working with Pumpkin Patch and the Wheeler Clinic, and we're assured by Pumpkin Patch, even up to a week before his expulsion, that he was not in danger of dismissal. With the benefit of hindsight, and connecting with other parents and organizations that have had similar experiences with Pumpkin Patch, I now realize it was the center's inconsistency, constant changing of staff, and complete lack of structure that was contributing to his behavior. Regardless, the expulsion and the way they handled it was completely inappropriate, and damaging to my 3-year-old, and my other child (age 5 at the time) who was also no longer going to be able to attend. After talking to Child First, we learned that Pumpkin Patch has a reputation for dismissing children they don't like without warning. Do better for your kids. My (now 4-year-old) son is now at an *acredited* school across town, and thriving. There are always trained teachers on staff, and he's been having nothing but good days. The longer he's been out of Pumpkin Patch, the better he's done, and the less I've worried about there being something wrong with him or his behavior. Pumpkin Patch was simply a bad school. For both my children. Even my older son talks about being yelled at constantly by the staff. When we enrolled, there were many trained adult staff, but by the time we left, my kids were being watched by 17/18-year-old children who had no idea how to handle a small child, and who were unable to not take his behavior personally. This new school has revealed that it was 100% the environment, and not a defective child. I always got bad vibes from Pumpkin Patch, and wish I had listened. It smells terrible, looks dingy and dirty, and the director, Christine, is one of the fakest, most two-faced people I have known. You can feel it just talking to her. Please look harder for a daycare.