HEAD START DAYCARE #2 — Local services in New York

My child started daycare on September 3rd. I visited the center before the start date and was pleased to find a place where the staff seemed trustworthy. My child is currently 2 years old and is familiar only with his family. Unfortunately, he had a hard time adjusting to daycare and cried for most of the time he was there. I requested to be called if his crying did not stop, as I was informed on 9/10/2024 that he had spent the entire day crying. I explained that I work from home and could pick him up if his crying lasted more than a few hours. Following this, I began picking him up before noon to avoid him crying all day and to help him adjust slowly.

On Friday (9/13/2024), Ms. Judith asked me to leave my child for a full day starting Monday (9/16/2024) to help him adjust after nap time. However, today (9/16/2024) at 10:36 a.m., I received a phone call from Ms. Angie about his crying, which she said was distracting to the other children and the 3K program. She asked if I could pick him up. I went to pick up my child and later called Ms. Angie to discuss the situation. I expressed that her comment about my child being a "distraction" was bothersome and shared my frustration with the change in his schedule. Ms. Angie did not acknowledge that calling a child a distraction, especially one who is adjusting to being away from his parents, was inappropriate. She even compared my child’s adjustment period to others who started at the same time, stating that he was the only one still crying. During our conversation, Ms. Angie's tone was sarcastic, and she even seemed to giggle at times. After some back and forth, I decided not to bring my child back the next day and Ms. Angie agreed.

Before hanging up, I mentioned that I would be leaving a review. Shortly afterward, I received a call from Director Edison. I hoped we could resolve the issue, but Edison did not see a problem with Ms. Angie's comments and agreed that my child's crying was a distraction to others. He also stated that there was no other term to describe it. I expressed my confusion about his lack of concern, reminding him that it was only the beginning of week two of my child’s adjustment. My child had only attended two days in his first week due to getting sick. Edison acknowledged that my child was most likely having a hard time due to the weekend. After further discussion, I was told that my child was not crying continuously but only from time to time. Ultimately, Edison and Ms. Angie both state they decide if a child is best suited for their center and felt it would be best for my child not to continue at their center due to his crying.

I am sharing my experience because if you have a child who struggles with adjusting or being away from parents, this daycare will not be best fit. Initially, they may appear to work with you, but you may end up feeling disheartened by the outcome.

Later that afternoon, when my child father went to pick up his things. I notify Ms.Angie, she response apologizing bout her wording and informed me they have to look out for every child, which didn’t mean my child. Again, I had to remind her of her poor choice of words, as if my child was hurting or harmful to other children while he was there.

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As a first time mom, the thought of leaving my daughter in the care of someone else terrified me to my core! At that specific time I was also homeless and living in a shelter Queens. (There’s a reason why I’m sharing this information) there were 3 daycares in the area that I visited in hopes of finding one that I felt most comfortable in trusting that my daughter would be well taken care of. Let me just say, as SOON as I met Miss Angie, my nerves and anxiety were at ease. She has such a calming/nurturing spirit and it showed! Alongside with Miss Susie and Miss Vanessa, I felt confident in my choice during that time. The daycare was clean, full of color and life, tons of educational tools that were visible and not to mention their playroom made ME want to let my inner child take over and play! The first few days I would cry of course because I had never been separated from my daughter before, but by the second week, my daughter was physically showing excitement every morning I’d drop her off thereafter. Fast forward to two months later, my heart melted at the kids reactions to Adele’s arrival (she missed some days because of a cold) and when I heard “YAAAYYYY Adele’s here!!!” by her fellow daycare mates, I got so emotional and filled with joy to know that my daughter was loved and missed. Something so simple, yet so beautiful! These ladies might never truly know how grateful I am til this day that the universe aligned Adele and I with them to share those first moments of that experience. The impact that these incredible beings/caretakers have on our babies lives are SO important! They show empathy, kindness, love, support, guidance, comfort to our children AND us parents/guardians. If I could rate this daycare 10 out of 10 stars I would! I would recommend to ANY and EVERYONE in the Ozone area or anywhere that’s nearby. So, THANK YOU for such a wonderful experience! For reassuring me as an anxiety ridden mom, and making sure my daughter was always well taken care of...

I was struggling looking for child care for my son in the middle of a pandemic. Most places shut down or wouldn’t take his age or the setting is in someone’s home and I really didn’t want that kind of setting. I’m so happy I found Head Start Day Care #2. My husband and I instantly had good feelings upon our first visit. It’s a clean space with 2 levels dedicated just to the daycare. The lower level is basically a full playground for the kids to play which I love but they don’t only do play time here. My son has only just turned 2 years old and he knows so many words (in English and in Spanish), he’s learning to socialize, he comes home with cute crafts he’s worked on, he knows all his colors, he sings multiple songs, he can count past 10, and he’s even started to potty train! The staff here is amazing. We’re so happy...