We've been going to Childtime for the last 3 months, and are extremely pleased with our daughter's experience. Stephanie is very professional and handles our requests and inquiries very promptly, and also spends time recognizing the teachers and helping to ensure a positive, strong culture. We view retention and teacher longevity as paramount, and it's clear she does as well. Our daughter is well taken care of in her classroom. Kinza, Hailey, Jermena, Gigi and all the infant teachers are lovely. They clearly care deeply for the kids and their experience at Childtime. We give Childtime our full endorsement, and are deeply thankful that they're here for us in the Martinez community. read more

We have been going here for a little over a year and love the teachers! Our daughter is currently in Ms Marjely's preschool class and she's excited everyday to go to school. It's been very exciting to watch our daughter become more social, curious, and learn her alphabet and numbers! We really love having Ms Marjely as her teacher and every teacher so far has been great, our kid still talks about them every day. Special shout out to Ms Cynthia, Ms Katie, Ms Zoe and Ms Rosa. She also likes being greeted at the front by Ms Chantel, Ms Jackie, Ms Jessie and Ms Stephanie. read more

Our family has been with Childtime for nearly 4 years. We have two children there and have been consistently pleased with the level of care our children experience, the clear communication from admin, the quality of teachers, and most of all, a culture of belonging that can be felt in all classrooms. Although this day care is a just a tad pricier than others, it is money well spent. The facility is always clean, food and diapers are provided, and there is a clear sense that all of the teachers love their jobs! The facility is also very safe and secure and the camera feed available to parents allows us peace of mind. My wife and I are able to get through our busy days at work because we know our kids are taken care of and given so much love!!! Thank you Childtime! read more

My daughter was in the afterschool program from 3rd - 5th grade and loved it...In 10 years of trying different programs including private school, christian-based, YMCA, community I am happy with this facility. It is clean, professional but still very personal. The teachers seem to be aware of all the kids and have the skill and willingness to work with the kids. read more

Overall this "school" is a "day care" at best but I struggle to even call it that because there is so little "care" involved The educators come and go so fast and the only ones who stay are totally burt out and exhausted. In a big part due to the unmanageable ratios they choose to maintain. Our child is so much happier now that we have moved to to a different school. There is NOTHING trustworthy in this facility: the leadership is sleezy, the billing is untrustworthy, the facilities are questionable. I felt my child was not just unhappy but unsafe read more

My daughter attended this day care for almost 4 years, from 10 months until about 4.5. 2019 until 2023. My son then for one year from age 1 to 2, 2023-2024. That being said, I had a very large sample size to draw a judgment from. During my daughter's time there things were mostly good. The center was managed by the director Stephanie and her assistant Karna. There were some brief hiatuses due to covid but for the most part the center was managed well and we as parents were happy. As soon as my daughter turned three and got moved into the preschool room in 2023, the director Stephanie went on hiatus and her assistant Karna had some medical issues that caused her to have to leave so Denise took over as the assistant. This is when things went significantly downhill in my opinion. Many of the teachers that had been there the last couple of years, who had helped raise my daughter, started complaining about mistreatment from management. Shortly after they began quitting from their positions. New staff members started coming in only to quit within a couple of weeks. Also because of complaints of management during this time Stephanie was on hiatus due to knee surgeries. Most of these complaints were of Denise and the way she dealt with staff and to be honest she wasn't very good with parents either. Very short with answers and seemed bothered when asked questions about the revolving door of teachers. After a few months Stephanie ended coming back to work with Denise as her assistant but the center never returned back to the level of service it had before Stephanie's hiatus and when she had Karna as her assistant. Stephanie seemed checked out like she's ready to retire and Denise just has terrible customer service and is not good with dealing with parents. We were so unhappy with the way things were going in preschool(32 kids in a room with 2 teachers.) that we decided to pull my daughter out of the center and not have her complete TK there. Instead, we decided to enroll my son who was at infant age simply because we were much more happier with the center when our child was in the infant/toddler program. We thought the ratios increasing in the toddler age is what ultimately caused a terrible experience. Although we were very happy during the infant and toddler experience, the minute our son turned 2 years old and got transferred to the toddler room. Things immediately took a turn for the worst. During this time the kids would get herded together so you would have 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds all on the same room in the mornings with a ratio of one to 12. That morning drop off the entire room would be madness because most of the time the one teacher watching 12 kids has her face buried in a tablet. One day I walked in and a single teacher had 23 children. This is against state regulations because it's obviously a very dangerous situation where children can get hurt. There were 4 and 5-year-olds running around with pencils and the 2-year-olds just looked kind of lost and scared due to the lack of supervision. That day I did not drop off my son. Instead I came back later when the ratios were reduced. I told Denise I was extremely upset about what happened. I never received a call back or a follow-up from Stephanie. The very next day I went into the center and I unenrolled my son. I explained to Stephanie what I witnessed and she just said okay. The teachers were mostly exceptional and it's not fair to them to be put in this situation by management with ridiculous ratios. To the point where if somebody doesn't come back from their break on time or if somebody is running late to work they end up going into non-compliance. Also, all the reporting that they have to do with the tablet really takes away from the supervision they give to the children. Although I liked updates in the app, it's a catch 22 because every time they update something in the app those are eyes that are not on your children and the ratios are already maxed out. I couldn't believe what an unsatisfactory level of service I received, especially after all those years of business. I would avoid the center at all costs. read more

Childtime of Martinez - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Martinez, California

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Childtime is a wonderful daycare and preschool. My fifth child is there now and all of my other children have attended as well. My favorite parts of the center are the staff, the learning experiences and the pictures/videos and live streaming. While daycares are notorious for turnover, there are many teachers at Childtime that have taken care of all of my children. The teachers welcome us every morning and afternoon for pickups and drop offs. Watching the teachers on the cameras as they are interacting and playing with my child is so comforting. Stephanie is an amazing director who manages the center very well and listens if there is ever a concern. We are so lucky she has been the director there for all of our kids. I absolutely love all of daily pictures I receive of my child. I see him doing arts/crafts, playing outside and dancing/singing with his classmates. The only drawback I have is the price, but it is comparable to other centers in the area. The cleanliness, security/accessibility features and staff make it worth the little bit extra in cost. read more

We have had the best experience with Childtime! Their teachers are incredible - huge shout out to Ms. Jessie, Ms. Katie, Ms. Rosa, Ms. Zoe, Ms. Chantel, Ms. Jackie. Our daughter has flourished with their structured activity program, routines and extracurricular activities. We look forward to many more years here. read more

If I could give zero, I would. My son attended during Covid and I pulled him within 2 weeks. Live streaming is their worst enemy because I could see how my son was neglected, especially when crying. He is still traumatized of Ms. Denise. read more

My son has been at Childtime since the beginning of August. He started the infant care program, part time, just before he turned 6 months old. He was adjusting the first two weeks and was very over stimulated. By the third week, he started smiling at his teachers and playing with the toys and other babies around him. I love that you get to use their SproutAbout app because when I get mom anxiety or mom guilt, I can take a peak at the livestream and see what he's doing in real time. He's done finger painting and played with hanging toys. He's really learned how to keep himself occupied and entertained and it shows at home too. We love Childtime and can't wait to see what the next few months looks like for him in their program! read more

Childtime of Martinez - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Martinez, California

personally wouldn't recommend this childcare to anymore with minority children never felt welcomed my child of mixed nationality where there for about 2 months never wanted to go always complained about being dropped off. had a couple concerns in the couple months my kids were here there all brushed under the rug by directors . if I could give no stars i would also extremely over priced read more

I just finished a tour with Denise, Assistant Director, for kindergarten after-school care and am very upset by the interaction. The whole time, I would lead the questions or prompt the conversation -- it didn't seem like she wanted to take me on the tour. Bluntly, it actually felt like I was wasting her time. She seemed disinterested and disengaged. She'd answer tersely and not try to lead the tour by showcasing Childtime or their offerings. At the end, I even asked her if there's anything I may be missing that she can share with me. She said no, and we ended the tour. Another note, a fellow mom who also attended the tour (few weeks ago) had shared that her tour guide took her out to the play yard. Denise didn't take me outside, even though I had asked about the play yard. Then, I asked if they help with homework and she said "no", which seemed inconsistent with what Childtime shared with me over the phone. Overall the tour took five mins. If this is how they treat me, how will they treat my child? No, thanks. read more

My 8 month old has only been attending for about 2 months, but during that time he has been left alone without any teachers watching him, and hospitalized with RSV. The teachers have been awful and they have been annoyed that we ask them to attempt to follow our schedule that we want for our son. We understand it is 4-1, but they truly have left him alone in unsafe situations. We are stuck using them, and only got our situations investigated because the District Manager happened to overhear our compliant one day. Otherwise nothing would have happened. They also are not following the CA law for correct amount of teachers per babies, and they just told me they are short staffed with no solutions to keep to CA law for caregivers. Don't come here if you care about your children's safety. read more

I always refer to Childtime as a zoo. I was impressed when we toured it years ago because it's clean and safe. It still is. It's packed with the maximum amount of children and the minimum amount of faculty. That's problematic at any age but when working with very young children/toddlers/infants that is unacceptable. It's licensed through the state, if you google it you can see the very long list of citations it has received for violations, including two recent ones. My children have no special needs and whenever I ask about their care I'm told the faculty is too busy for their needs. There is constant turn over amongst faculty. Please save yourself the headache and do not send your kids here! read more

There are so many negative reviews, I think it is important that other parents hear that there are so many positives about this school. The director, Stephanie, is very attentive and knows all the kids as they come in. When my daughter had an issue with another student, I called her directly to discuss it and she was very compassionate and eased my concerns. I feel confident that if the issue were to persist, she would address it appropriately. The teachers are so sweet and caring. Even after 6 months of being out of the early preschool class, I still hear about Ms. Kara and how much my daughter loved her. And now, she always says Ms. Brandy is her favorite person at school. Every morning, I receive an update on what the kids will be working on that day. She comes home with neat projects and is identifying her letters more and more lately. She participates in the yoga class when it's available and enjoys that quite a bit. She shows me the moves she learned and her deep breathing when she gets a bit upset. When I pick her up and ask about her day she always says how much fun she had. If I had a complaint it is that they don't always use washable paint and it ruins her clothes. Definitely disappointing because my girl loves arts and crafts, but also loves a cute outfit. As a working parent, this center offers some logistical advantages that are unbeatable. The hours are SO good. If i needed, she could go from 6:45-6:30. I obviously wouldn't want that, but it's an option. It's also conveniently located on my commute with plenty of parking. Finally, the online payment portal is SO easy. read more

My son was attending the early-Preschool program at the Childtime Learning Center. On March 3rd, one of the teachers got rough with our son by grabbing him with both arms and forcing him to put his toys away. This action led to several bruises on my son's arm (see pics). We took pictures and documented this event. We met with the director of Childtime Learning center in Martinez and brought this issue to her attention. Three weeks later, on Friday, March 25th, the same teacher was rough with our son again by grabbing and pulling him to force him to sit. Teachers ARE NOT allowed to grab and pull any kid under any circumstances. It appears the first time that we brought this to the director's attention, no corrective measures were taken, and I will NOT allow anyone to abuse my child physically and emotionally. To all parents, PLEASE check the camera in the classroom as your child might be a victim of physical and emotional abuse, especially if they come home with random bruises on their arms. They always tell you "Oh he had a good day" but then will use physical force towards your child. After a series of physical and emotional abuse that our son has endured at this center by his teacher in the early-preschool program, we have decided to pull him out of this center. read more

Childtime of Martinez - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Martinez, California

We love Childtime! We moved to the area in Aug of 2021 from Alameda and had a school there that we loved so we had high expectations of our "new" school. Our first consideration was COVID safety. My husband is in health care and having a place on this side of the tunnel that abided by mask mandates in practice, not just in theory, was super important to us in evaluating spots for our littles. One of the other things we love about Childtime is the curriculum. We have a kindergartener there for after-school, in addition to a 3yo. During the holiday break, our K was there all day, b/c school hadn't started back but both my husband and I were back to work. The work that was done at Childtime felt like lightyears ahead of the work we see him bring home from Valhalla. It's a 10 child class vs 25 child class - make sense, really. Their preschool curriculum is great b/c they are in-line with what is being taught at the local elementary schools and what they teach supports what the students will be expected to do when they get into MUSD. We have also felt so supported by the staff. If one of our children has had an issue the prev day or week, they ask how they're doing. Our little girl went through a thing at the top of the year, after coming back from holiday break and being at home with COVID for a spell, she'd been out of school for a minute and was having a hard time getting back in the routine. I struggled with this for a day or two - when one morning, after trying to coax her into class, one of the teachers, not from her classroom, came and offered help - "can i help take you into class?" Immediately, the tears dried and my little girl was off with her new friend. They have video cameras where you can observe what's going on in each classroom live. Another plus is, we have our son in Tae Kwan Do @ Dae Han Martial Arts and they come pick him up for his class from Childtime! We feel totally safe with our children here and feel so fortunate to have Childtime as a part of our lives. To address some of the complaints others have leveled: The same teachers have been in both of our children's classrooms all year. Stephanie Weinmann, the school director, has been there for 20-something years. I searched for violations mentioned and came up empty. Here's the Department of SOCIAL SERVICES Community Care Licensing for this Childtime location. All the reports look great. https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch/FacDetail/073401398We read more

My nephew went there and every time I picked him up teachers were lovely. Whole family loved the school. What is Mr. Andrew talking about?!? Maybe he should've have a personal nanny watching his kid, if he was so unhappy. SMH anyhow, love the school and the staff there! read more

I've taken both of my children there. All the teachers are very kind and very professional. Unlike what Mr.Andrew P said. He is a total lier. He is a freak show him and his maniac wife. I had a issue with that woman before. read more

Both my kids were raised in Child time from 3 months until they started school. All the teachers are awesome, we have so many memories and are thankful for all the great memories. I recommend this school to your kids! Enjoy! read more

When public schools closed last year, we had to come up with an alternative in person Kindergarten plan for my son and we ended up sending him to Childtime. He had the MOST wonderful kindergarten year!!! Not only did he have so much fun and love going to school every day, but he learned so much as well. His teachers have been phenomenal and plan so many creative activities. Ending up at Childtime was definitely one of the silver linings of Covid for our family and we are so grateful for all they have done for our son this past year. read more

Great staff.... Lots of activities and only caring people work here! They have structure and protocols to help handle tough situations (like COVID) read more

Packed classrooms and very aggressive behavior from a "teacher" to our daughter. We have only been there for two weeks and our daughter has never had an issue with a school. She has cried herself to sleep because she dreaded it. Will be calling licensing and seeking legal help. They are staying they will not refund any money. Ok, well if that's the case then legal and licensing will be involved. read more

My husband and I came for a "walk-through" appointment and I was very upset and disturbed at the things I saw when they were supposed to be on their best behavior i.e. let's get more business. The initial person was very nice and friendly and led us to the baby room, we had to put hospital booties over our shoes which I thought showed a concerted effort for the children to have a clean environment. That was where the positivity ended. When we entered the room there was a baby about 5 months old laying on the ground sobbing his little heart out and the man who was in charge of the room was sitting on the ground off to the side doing nothing. As soon as we walked in he got up and picked the boy and did a half-ass job trying to console him. Another little boy was crawling around with a huge green booger mustache that was dripping into his mouth. Me personally if my son is screaming his head off I want to know that whomever is in charge of his care is concerned about this and attempting to meet his needs. Additionally, if the little boy is crawling around with a booger mustache and no one has attempted to wipe it off I am concerned how long they are sitting in dirty diapers. The icing on the cake for me was that the man in charge was not a teacher. He was the freaking bus driver. The regular teacher was on break. EXCUSE ME?! Is this man qualified to be watching 6 babies by himself? Did not look to me like he cared at all. I would never ever consider leaving my son in the care of this facility. read more

Your children deserve better. I put my toddler son in their care for just a total of 6 days before we pulled him out. The "teachers" seemed just too burnt out or jaded to give the children any real warmth. When I'd drop my son off, if he started crying (which was every single time we even approached the building after his first day there), the teacher would simply take him from my arms facing outward without saying anything to him. When I hung around one morning to watch a teacher read a story to the toddlers, she blurted out "The End", tossed the book into a basket and literally rolled her eyes at the end of the story. Furthermore, the two teachers who were most often there in my son's room were rather out of shape. When I stayed to observe the kids during outdoor play, if a child fell down, the teachers would simply yell out "you're ok" from wherever they were sitting without getting up to check on them closely. I think their physical conditions made them a little lazy in the care they gave the kids. I was also told that if it's over 95 degrees outside, they keep the children indoors. Really? This is Contra Costa County. There are more than just a handful of hot days throughout the year. They should put some shade up so the children are allowed the opportunity to play outside EVERY day . After 5:30 pm, they move the toddlers into the infants room, I guess to save on the costs of paying their caregivers. However, the infant caregivers maybe aren't the best choice for looking after toddlers. When my friend went to pick up her own child in the infant room, she reported to me that she found my son crying with no staffer trying to comfort him. She said she felt she had to stay with him herself until I arrived. When I complained about this incident, the center director dismissed my complaint by saying my son was so upset he didn't want to be comforted (so therefore it was ok for the caregiver in the room to give up on him and just let him keep crying?) The food they feed the children each day is probably standard processed fare, which is unfortunate. I actually did see the milk they offer, and it's the "shelf-stable" kind, meaning that it is stored in boxes not refrigerators. The center has a fancy security system in place, where each parent gets a security code to enter the building. Still, I'm pretty certain I could have walked out of there with someone else's kid if I wanted to. The caregivers are just so lax about keeping an eye on the kids and perhaps depend too heavily on the system they have in place. One night, I was able to walk into the toddler room, collect my son's things, leave with my son, and neither the caregiver nor anyone at the front desk took notice of me the whole time, in fact there was no one at the front desk that night. If it were my center, I would have someone stationed at the exit to keep an eye on every child being removed from the center. We have since brought our son back to his former part-time daycare and the difference is like night and day. He loves the caregivers there, and they genuinely seem to like him. The teachers seem truly engaged in their play with the kids. Honestly, I'll always feel a little guilty about the time I left my son in the care of this Childtime center. read more

My daughter has been going to Childtime for over 2 years. She started at 4 months and is 2.5 now. Childtime has what we wanted as parents. A flexible schedule. I work part-time. I don't have to pay for a full week I pay for a partial week. That was a big thing for me. Their hours are 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Not everyone out there can get off at 4:00 or 5:00 PM. This was really important for us too. My child didn't need to be potty trained. The list goes on. Then there is the safety plan. Does your daycare have monthly fire drills? Do you know how to contact your facility or how they will contact you in the case of an emergency? I do with Childtime Martinez. Does the facility have turnover? Yes. They have lost a couple of really great teachers in the last year. But this is the nature of childcare. Personally, I can't afford a nanny and I want my child to learn to interact with others. That is going to include change. Have I had my conflicts? Sure, but they have been minor and as long as I am communicating daily/weekly with the teachers and director, I do usually get things resolved to my satisfaction. Is it expensive? More than some small home care facilities, but we were looking for something that was more structured, in that it was a business and had some processes in place. Many daycare centers are just one offs and don't go through the inspection process to the level this site does. Also comparatively speaking I found the price VERY COMPETITIVE. Putting my child in daycare is brutal. I wish I didn't have to. But at Childtime I know she is safe, she has friends, there are teachers she really likes, and if I am involved I will get what I need and my child will too. read more

My husband and I couldn't be happier with the folks at Childtime! We think the staff is exceptional and our son has been going to the infant room for four months and we have noticed he is developing into a bright and happy boy. He plays with his friends, he loves his teachers...it's a very nurturing, loving enviornment. Compared to other places we had gone to before finding Childtime, Childtime gives us a sense of peace. We know he is safe and that he is in good hands all day. The infant room has plenty of space for the infants, there are no safety hazards, there are lots of toys and books (and they read to him), and there is also a lot of natural light in the room all day. Not to mention, it's ALWAYS clean and there is a "no shoes" policy when you go into the room, which I love! I think what's most impressive is that even though he was only 6 months when he started going there, every month they have the infants create their own art. Fingerpainting has become one of his favorite things to do and while I can't be with my son during the day, nothing makes me feel better than picking him up and seeing his cute murals of paint that I can take home. Everyday I take home a sheet of paper that the teachers fill out for my son. It tells me all the things I miss throughout the day; when he ate, what he ate, how much he ate, his diaper changes, his nap schedule, things he learned that day, things he did and enjoyed. I think this place really goes above and beyond. This place is great and I highly recommend it for your child. From what I can see of the children in the other classrooms (the older children), they are always looking happy and they, too, appear to have creative outlets and be learning a lot. read more

My wife and I could not be more pleased with this staff. In fact, I make a point to express my gratitude to this group on an ongoing basis because they exceed my expectations. Stephanie and her team are professional and passionate caregivers I highly recommend. Our daughter began with the infant group at 3 months of age. She is now just over a year old and has consistently received top quality supervision, leaving me fully confident that we have made the right decision. As we can agree, leaving your child in the hands of others is the most difficult of decisions. Childtime employs experienced, committed individuals that provide a nurturing, safe environment. They understand the value of providing meaningful daily feedback, and an appropriate level of communication - delivering both positive and negative information, which I appreciate. My questions are always met with immediate, straight answers. If I solicit an opinion, I get one. To me, this is crucial and largely absent elsewhere. I observe happy children that get personalized attention, and calm, hard working, non-pretentious parents that are actively engaged in ensuring their children get a good start in life. In short, I cannot at all relate to the negative comments shared below. "Thank you" to the teachers I trust to raise my most cherished treasure. I urge others who agree to share their experiences, and support this location. read more

This child care center is the best in the area. My daughter attended since she was 2 years old and it really shows, I honestly should have taken her there sooner. My daughter is in first grade now and it doesn't take much to see that she had a great foundation all thanks for Childtime. Before I could blink my daughter was reading and solving math problems beyond her age. From the director on down to the cleaners one can easily see the staffs dedication, friendliness, openness, and kindness. I tip my hat to the entire faculty and staff. Needless to say I have no reservation recommending this fine institution to anyone. I give Childtime two thumbs way up...BRAVO read more

Been taking my 2.5 year old here for 1 year and the experience so far has been good. The teachers are caring, my daughter has learned a lot (potty training, songs, clean-up, art, gymnastics), and the schedule is the best you will find for working parents (6:30am-6:30pm). They always have fun activities for the kids like theme days, water play in the summer, and events around holidays. I think the kid/teacher ratio is on the top end but that's honestly what I expected at a more "commercial" day care. But with a more commercial day care you also get the benefits like great hours, easy online payments, online video access, Brightwheel (app) updates, picture days, etc. It really depends on your needs but we've had a positive experience for our year here and intend to keep our child here. read more

After noticing that the same director is still there, I feel it is important to bring this to everyone's attention. When I was employed at Childtime I observed a teacher on several different occasions pick up a non verbal 3 year old by the collar of his shirt, choking him. I reported this to both the director and child services. After nothing was done by the director I went to corporate at which time nothing was done. I was removed and placed into another classroom because the director didn't want me telling the family and tried to hide what had happened. I have worked in childcare for over 20 years and have never seen so many things covered up behind closed doors as I did while employed at Childtime. I wish I could give them zero stars but it's not possible on this site. read more

I read through the other reviews and am surprised by some of them. My sons attended for two years, in the TK class, Private Kindergarten and after school care. I recommend it wholeheartedly. My kids and I have had a very good experience with Childtime. First off, Ms. Stephanie is an outstanding Director. She has always been polite and professional with every interaction I've ever had with her. Some reviewers said she was not friendly and didn't greet them. I agree that she doesn't always appear friendly, but I completely understand, she has dozens of children under her care. If she's too preoccupied with running the school, I'm okay if she doesn't say hi to me every time I walk in the door. She's always approachable and friendly if I do reach out to her with a question or concern. More importantly, she or the other teachers are happy to greet my son when they see him. A couple of times, I saw a "stranger" knocking on the front door. Ms. Stephanie was on it, she asked other nearby teachers if anyone recognized them before she opened the door. Plenty of times, I've seen her check ID for uncles, aunts, and grandparents picking up their child for the first time. This type of safety is a must-have and I like that she runs her school like a tight ship. My first experience was with the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class. I have mixed feelings about Ms. Denise. She is a great teacher, is very orderly, but demands strict obedience from all the kids in her class. When my son first started, I noticed this and was worried. He told me much later he cried a lot that first week. Over time, I realized that her system works. It's effective and the ones who figure out that they need to behave and do as they're told, will have great success in her class. My son did fine and learned how to function in the environment. He and the kids learned there are rewards for good behavior and consequences for not following the rules. At such a young age, this can be difficult for some kids, and the curriculum seems closer to Kindergarten, suited for 5 year olds. Nonetheless, my son did fine and I could see he was very fond of his teacher and the feelings were mutual. With the private Kindergarten, Ms. Courtney was stellar. Her curriculum is on par with public schools and I could see in his work folder every week, they cover a lot of material, but have fun and do plenty of art and crafts as well. My one complaint was that in Kinder, I'd expect teachers to teach proper directional printing of each letter. I rarely saw this in the classwork or homework, so my son left still not knowing how to print letters in the correct direction so they wouldn't be backwards. We had to work on it over the summer to get ready for first grade, and he still struggles with that. My older son was picked up by the Childtime bus in afterschool care. These kids play together in the larger room (with option to do homework) and play outside later in the afternoon. While I think the cost is a little steep, the convenience of getting picked up and safely transported is worth it. Their early open and later close than most centers also helped when we were in a pinch. Extra kudos to Ms. Kimberly, Ms. Wendy, and Mr. Thor, those I remember going above and beyond for the kids. Overall, I did not have any issues with the school, and both my kids loved it there. They miss all their teachers with fond memories. read more

Childtime has so much to offer the little ones, an excellent structured preschool program, hot meals, potty training, variety of crafts, and the teachers interact at the child's level with them. On the awesome play yard their is usually a story time corner and another teacher playing a game or doing bubbles. As a Nurse I like that they have kid friendly hand washing stations. It does run on the pricey side but for a child's learning years they are a good foundation to have. And Bonus, they have a private Kindergarten and before and after school care with transportation to local schools. read more

During my research, there were other preschools that I preferred over Childtime, but they did not have full-time availability for my 3-year-old son. The options that remained weren't extraordinary, nor was there anything completely negative. I narrowed it down to Childtime because of the physical appearance of the facility (clean, not worn down) and convenience (close to home). And Ms. Stephanie seemed nice enough. I had just taken my son out of an at-home daycare, where my son and I had a great relationship with the caretaker. She was almost as good as having a family member watch my son and that was reassuring. But it was time for my son to go to preschool and I was nervous about taking him out of such a secure place, for the both of us. However, I embraced this transition and was looking forward to his very first day. That very first day started it all. I walked in with all smiles, excited for this next phase for my son and I. However, Ms. Stephanie just buzzed us in, head down, shuffling papers and didn't even make eye contact when she mechanically responded, "hello." I went over to the computers to clock my son in and was confused by what she had wrote on our paperwork. When I asked her to clarify, she just pointed from behind the desk and answered in a condescending tone. As I kindly asked a reminder as to which classroom my son would be attending; again, she responded in an impatient, condescending tone. I was taken back by how rude, the director was. I thought her 20 years of experience would have taught her how some interpersonal skills. How important the first day of preschool was for a parent. How important it meant that my child was going to be spending 10 hours a day for five days a week there. How important I needed to trust them and know that he was going to be cared for. I brushed it off, thinking maybe she was having a bad day or I was hypersensitive because it was my son's first day of preschool. I let my son stay at that center for about 2 months. In those 2 months, Ms. Stephanie proved to a drone, constantly typing away or shuffling papers. Never warm and never made an effort to have my son or myself feel connected. I feel like she's jaded and is just riding it out until retirement. A worker ant for the corporation that is Childtime, just collecting checks until her time is up. And that's scary, the director sets the tone for her staff. My son did manage to make somewhat of a connection with his teacher Ms. Catalina. Who is sweet and patient (the only positive experience we had there). Ms. Kimberly, the other teacher, is nice enough, but I'm afraid lacks some judgment. I watched her let the kids (including my son) sit on top of a drum and let it roll side to side, playing a game, where she would just stop the drum before the kids fell off. Mind you, they were playing this game on pavement...with sharp, random rocks on it. I thought, not all of these kids have the coordination to balance themselves on that drum. And if they fall and hit their head on the pavement, that might not be good. Of course, my son went, fell off and landed on a rock. Ended up bleeding. When he got up, she barely paid him any attention and brushed him off. He went off to the side by himself, holding his bleeding arm. She finally went up to him and brought him in to clean up, but demeaned the pain he felt. I also witnessed a few times kids shoving and hitting each other, while the teachers didn't notice because they were too busy filling out paperwork (they fill out a lot of paperwork...must be because it's a corporation). Eventually, I got a notice from the school about how hitting was becoming an issue in their class (no shit, glad you finally figured it out). On his second week of school, my son came home with a random bruise on his back and what looked like a pinch mark on his chest. He also brought home bad behavior, saying "shut-up." He cried every morning, like I was sending him to the torture chamber. And towards the end, when I picked him up he was often sitting to the side by himself, as if he was just waiting for me to get him. Childtime made me feel like they didn't care and he wasn't safe. We are now in a new preschool and it's amazing how different he is. read more

Looking for childcare can be a challenging task for any parent. We had high hopes for the center entering into what they said and saw at our tour. My step son attended from the time he was 3-5 . Each year moving to a new room with new teachers. Shortly after there were many teacher turnovers, the director Stephanie is not at all friendly she wouldn't say a word when we walked by. Not very good customer service. Being a childcare professional myself I never would have put him there but of course it wasn't my decision, however his care wasn't to our expectation. He said that he was embarrassed by teachers for not listening.. Remind you he was 3 . I could go on and on about different things but long story short was very dissatisfied and wished we wouldn't have put him in this center..;0 read more

After much research in child care facilities for our baby, we decided on ChildTime based on convinence/location, price and care. The baby room employs Ms. Maria who has been in the school for many years and was great to our baby from the beginning and always gave us suggestions if we asked. The next room was employed by many different teachers throughout our stay. This room was subpar as I think our child outgrew it sooner than we expected, along with all the other kids as well. The "Two's" room was decorated nice by the teachers and photos of the kids are placed all around the room. The teacher is "hard of hearing" (at least that's what the Asst. Director told us). I think she spends more time decorating the classroom than teaching and changing diapers. About 2-3 times per week I'd pick up my child at 5pm and they had a poopy diaper. (No joke) As I changed them, the teacher would just hand me a diaper and wipes. Isn't this what I pay the large tuition for? The reason for the 2 out of 5 stars is based on the facility and its' Headquarters in a whole. The Director splits her time supervising La Petite in Concord and ChildTime, but once she started this split time, we saw her about once per week in Martinez. The Assistant Director is lacking experience in her position which really hurts the facitlity since this is a large school with many kids and parents in and out. Answers to questions were either very vague or over broad. Many times the Asst. Director would see us checking in and race down the hallway to beat us to the room to either make up the ratio, make sure something is taken care of in front of us or other odd things she does..you'll know what I mean when you meet her. The teacher turnover rate is very frequent at this Martinez location, with the exception of Ms. Maria. I'd send my baby there again, but once walking, I'd prefer to move to a different school. I pretty much only recommend the baby room. read more

If your looking for childcare in Martinez, CA and your African American this is not a good choice. The Executive director Cassandra Campbell is very unprofessional and racist. Campbell wouldn't give me any information regarding enrollment. She slid me a piece of paper that was already written on and told me to write down my name and phone number. Her demeanor and attitude was very offensive. As I walked out she said very rudely, "Have a nice day." I wouldn't recommend anyone to this childcare. read more

Now that we have been at this school for over two years, I am still amazed at how much my daughter has thrived here. Every day (Saturdays and Sundays included), she asks if she gets to go to school. Each teacher she has had as she has progressed through the classes has been a pleasure to work with. I am looking forward to what the next year brings us. - Oh and as a bonus, they have a full time summer program, which I have found out that most preschool do not have. read more

This school is amazing. The director is warm and friendly. She knows all the kids by their name and is such a sweet person! The teachers are amazing and my kids are always super excited to go there. Don't listen to these bad reviews just bitter parents who probably got disenrolled. read more

I have been taking my daughter there for two years and my son started a few months ago. I love the teachers and have always felt comfortable about bringing my children to Childtime. they always have made my child feel welcome and loved. I have never doubted them. they always are very open and give me every detail of their day. read more