Vasaio Atelier

I had a truly shocking and upsetting experience while attempting to enroll my 4-year-old daughter at this facility. Back in September, I saw their sign with a QR code on Jungermann Road. The QR code didn’t provide clear information about fees, so I stopped by in person. A staff member gave me a phone number and told me to text Kathleen Blessing, who was kind at the time and provided the fee information. Fast-forward to mid-November: my current daycare is closing permanently at the beginning of December, so I reached back out to Kathleen using the same number I had saved since September. We scheduled a tour for November 20th at 6:15 PM. This morning around 10:20 AM, she texted to confirm our appointment. I replied, “Yes, I will be there.” She followed up by asking whether I needed 4 or 5 days of care each week, and I responded “5 days,” then asked, “How much are the enrollment fees?” My only intention with asking about the enrollment fees was to be prepared before coming in—I had already visited the facility once and planned to enroll my daughter after the tour. Instead, Kathleen replied a few minutes later with: “Don’t show up because the police will be there. Do not text me or call again. I am completely aware of this scam.” I was stunned. The only thing I could think of was that maybe my 813 area code made her assume I was a scammer. I immediately tried to clarify. I sent a photo of my driver’s license showing my Saint Peters address, my work number with a local Saint Charles area code, my business card with my company information, and even a photo of my veterans recognition wall at my workplace. I even offered to FaceTime to confirm my identity. Her response was a meme of police sirens, and she blocked both my personal and work numbers. I was completely blindsided. I had no idea that asking about enrollment fees could result in such an extreme reaction. Hoping it was all a misunderstanding, I drove to the facility with my older daughter after I was off work. The staff inside stared at the door but refused to open it. The original staff member who previously gave me Kathleen’s number would not acknowledge me at all, so we left. I am still struggling to understand why this happened. I’m beyond embarrassed by how the situation unfolded, and nothing I said or did seemed to matter. I wanted to enroll my daughter in good faith, and instead I was treated like a criminal.

I am sharing my gratitude to a group who dedicate their day to provide outstanding care to my child . I always feel included in my child’s day with shared pictures and updates . It is exciting to observe my child developing friendships , engaging in thoughtfully curated educational activities (some that I truly wish I could experience myself ) , and gaining a sense of autonomy. I appreciate the authenticity of the staff who I truly belief make magic happen in the classroom!

Although we did not have any overwhelmingly negative experiences with this daycare, I would not recommend it. Our son was enrolled in May 2024 at 15 months old and attended until August 2025, when he was two and a half. During his time there, the director and owner, Kathy, expressed concern that our son might be autistic. She shared that a worker from the State of Missouri had been present for an inspection and observed what she described as “stimming” behaviors. While we recognized that our son was developing somewhat differently than some of his peers, we did not believe his behaviors warranted that conclusion. Out of an abundance of caution, we had him evaluated by several professionals to ensure he received any necessary support. Ultimately, he was diagnosed only with a speech delay and began speech therapy. Every doctor and specialist we consulted confirmed that he was not on the autism spectrum and expressed surprise that this had been suggested. Kathy had mentioned that her staff would record instances of these behaviors to share with us for medical consultations, but we never received any videos or follow-up documentation. At daily drop-off and pick-up, we consistently received comments such as, “He was great, he had a good day,” which seemed inconsistent with the earlier concerns that had been expressed. When he first started, our son struggled with morning drop-offs, which we attributed to normal separation anxiety. However, we frequently received messages that he had cried for extended periods or was inconsolable—behaviors we did not observe at home or in other environments. We also became concerned to learn that, because of his speech delay, he was spending much of his time in a classroom with younger children. This arrangement seemed counterproductive, as interacting with peers who speak more fluently would have been more beneficial for his language development. Another ongoing concern was the number of mosquito bites he came home with daily, despite our providing bug spray as requested. The number and frequency of bites were troubling, and while we thankfully never had to deal with any related illnesses, the situation raised significant safety and hygiene concerns. I intentionally waited over a month after leaving this daycare before writing a review to ensure I could offer a fair perspective. In the six weeks since transitioning to a new facility, our son has absolutely flourished. He is now in a larger setting with more peers, which has been wonderful for his social and language growth. His vocabulary has expanded rapidly—he is learning two to three new words each day—and drop-offs are now tear-free. At home, his sleep, eating habits, and overall temperament have improved dramatically. Seeing him so happy and thriving now brings us great joy but also makes us reflect on what may have been contributing to his earlier struggles. Every parent wants their child to be safe, happy, and loved. While I am grateful that our current situation provides that, I cannot overlook our past experience. Although I recognize that other families have had positive experiences here, based on our own, I would not personally recommend this daycare.

2 years ago we enrolled our first daughter. As all parents we searched high and low. Visited center after center. Nothing felt great… until we visited Vasaio. It felt comfortable, safe and oh my goodness so much love. Now here we are dropping off our second daughter for her first day of daycare. Unlike the first time there were know scary visits to other centers where you wonder how your child will adapt and if the staff will love them as much as they need. NO! None of that. I knew our second was going to thrive and be loved, cuddled, cared for! There is no greater peace of mind than knowing your children are safe! Kathy and all of the teachers have given us something we can never thank them enough for! Caring for our children and did I mention peace of mind! I never thought it was possible but it is. Anything that has ever given me pause has always been addressed before I can even bring it up. Kathy asks for feedback regularly and you can tell the teachers LOVE their jobs. Like what!!! It makes me want to stay and hang out too! They truly value learning through play and imagination. I am always impressed by what my 3 year old can do and how independent she can be. They value outside time. You can tell there has been so much research done by leaders and teachers on how to foster a fantastic environment for children and how they learn best. I wish I could give 10 stars. They all deserve it! ❤️❤️

Kathy, the owner, is very unprofessional. She had 3 locations and now is down to one. In our year of being there we’ve been switched to all locations with minimal notice. There have been several other smaller issues. However, our final straw was when Kathy blew up on my husband on a phone call that was supposed to be discussing schedules. She was very irate with my husband which ultimately led to him hanging up on her and us pulling our son from her daycare. She then blocked me from viewing any of her daycares on Facebook. This must be a common thing she does when she pisses parents off, so they can’t leave truthful reviews. I have hear from multiple other parents that she flies off the handle.