Children's Learning Adventure - Willow Bend — Local services in Plano

My daughter attended CLA part time this summer and I noticed a breakdown in communication as well as some other items that need to be addressed:

The first and most alarming was the classroom cameras which face the girl's bathroom. The toilets are adult size and my daughter needs to get off the toilet completely to pull up her pants and stands in direct sight of the camera to do so (I was told the doors stay open for safety reasons, despite being glass). This means that the facility has several recordings of my child's private parts. This is very concerning.

Bathrooms: I don’t understand why there are adult size toilets in the classrooms as opposed to the shorter toddler toilets, especially considering the staff use the hallway facilities. My daughter struggles to climb on the toilet and there's only one dirty bench by the sink and I really don’t want my daughter moving that dirty bench to more easily access the toilet. Additionally, the soap dispensers are hard to push and she told me multiple times she can't get the soap out. If a teacher can't be in the bathroom with the kid, then there needs to be smaller toilets and/or benches and soap with dispensers that are more toddler friendly.

Communication: I wanted a tour but wasn’t getting a reply from either their website or HQ number so I just showed up and was impressed with the facility. I loved the animal/nature wall paper and décor and that my kid had access to special classes such as cooking, science, bowling, etc. I registered and left with all the paperwork but was told I could submit it in late May after her Dr appt. Come mid-May, I get a snarky call saying if I don’t turn in the documents, they’ll unenroll me so after a few emails/phone calls I get it straightened out and submit my paperwork only to have them lose it on the first day of school and have us wait 30 mins (with me trying to entertain a 4 and 2 yr old in their lobby that has nothing for kids) until they find it. I also find out that they’ve had a renovation and have completely removed all the wallpapers and replaced them with boring tan paint; so, so sad about this. Finally my paperwork is found and I drop off my oldest. No explanation on the check in/out procedure so I had no idea what to do….. so frustrating.

Specialty Rooms: During the tour I was told that my 4yr old would go to bowling, imagination island and to nature’s nook (outdoor gardening, she loves this) DURING THE SUMMER (as it’s partially shaded). After about a month, she wasn’t going to these and I was told that it was too hot for gardening (fair but I did specifically ask because I knew it’d be hot), for safety reasons, 4 yrs olds don’t bowl (again not what I was told originally) and that imagination island had some water leaks (fair, but I was told it had been fixed and my kid was still not going). I changed her schedule to do other specialty rooms. Per the schedule, she’s supposed to do 2 specialty rooms per day but she only went to one. I asked about this and I was told they rotated the rooms attended every 2 weeks (doesn’t explain the 4 week gap), then I was told the teacher was doing it wrong and they should be attending 2 per day and they’d “provide the teacher with further instruction”….. a month after the teacher got ‘further instruction’ she still only went to 1 specialty room per day; at this point summer was almost over so I just stopped bringing it up.

Overall, there seems to be a lack of communication, both during registration and schedule adherence. Additionally, I feel CLA is way overpriced for what it offers. I paid $249/wk at CLA vs $380/mo for the same exact part time schedule (3 days a week, ½ day) at her year around school; extrapolating that over a year it’s $12,948/yr at CLA vs $4,560/yr at her current school or $8,388 more. The curriculum is very similar and other than the specialty rooms, the facilities are very similar. 3hrs/wk in a specialty room doesn’t justify paying almost...

Our, now two year old, has been going to CLA since January 2015. I have been so impressed with this daycare, It would have to take something very serious for me to even think about taking him anywhere else. The entire staff knows my husband and myself by name, and of course, our son's. We always get a friendly welcome when dropping off/picking up our son. Suzanne and Kinsey are the morning greeters. Emily and Whitney are usually our greeters in the afternoon. The always make you feel special. When there is an incident- no matter how minor, I always receive a phone call. When I have an issue, there is always someone there to talk to.

He has since transitioned to a different class (August 26th), but his first classroom, was for 1-2 yrs. His teachers, Ms. Jessica, and Ms. Michele took very good care of him. He has learned so much in the short amount of time he was there. He turned 2 in July and knows numbers, letters and even says his ABC's (although, not perfectly). He even knows some Spanish words!! They have always been very attentive and even help with potty training. When we leave he hugs his friends and hugs his teachers and most mornings (Hey, he's 2), he gets really excited when we pull up. I get daily "Notes" and tells me what he ate, his nap time, diaper changes and a summary of what he learned and what he did that day. I get weekly newsletters in my inbox and he has even been in some of them. They also have weekly "Field Reports", which focuses on "Attention Bonding Communication", a classroom schedule, and event Fridays. Every Friday, they have something special, whether it's a dress up day, special guest, or something extra fun. The whole school participates and encourages the parents to join as well!

Although it took a couple weeks for him to adjust to his new surroundings and new teacher, Ms LaTonya and Ms Nicole, he now, gives them hugs when he leaves. He is still with his friends, as most of them transitioned together, and they have such a great time. CLA was pricier than his previous daycare, and we were skeptical at first, but it's worth every penny in our eyes. We plan on taking him well after he starts regular school. The love and attention they give our son is above the rest and when his eyes light up when he's there, that's enough for us. I wouldn't recommend any other daycare but Children's Learning...

I am writing this to hopefully prevent this happening to any other children that are attending this daycare. We have been going to CLA for over a year and we unenrolled immediately from the SECOND time my daughter came home with bruises from her TEACHER.

The first time my daughter came home with a shoulder bruise, management made it seem like an accident on how the teacher grabbed her in the bathroom.

The second time, my daughter has always had a pleasant demeanor being dropped off in the mornings until recently - shes has been crying and begging me not to leave. I stayed back to watch how the teacher handled it - she grabbed my daughter by the arm multiple times.

I left the building telling management how upset I was to witness the teacher yanking my daughters arm and scolding her for crying. Nothing loving about the 3 year old classroom in this facility. Casey, the director, called me during the day to say that the teachers back was hurting and that is why she grabbed my daughter the way she did. Management does not seem to care about what happens behind the classroom doors.

I have had to speak with management NUMEROUS times due to how the teachers treat the children. I have heard teachers say to kids, "you are not my friend anymore", "I am not talking to you anymore". My daughter has come home copying what the teacher tells her.

You are only going to pay for the building not the quality...