We interviewed and toured a lot of daycare centers before bringing our newborn to DCEC. This school is by far the BEST! I second every kind thing throughout these reviews. From being able to watch your child while you're at work to the hand written notes that they leave about your child's day, to the incident reports to see how something was handled; they're INCREDIBLE. I email the staff at least once a week with a question or a food substitute for our son and receive an immediate response. Everyone who works there treats you with kindness and respect and you really feel like your child is part of a little family and our son truly loves his teachers! I would recommend this daycare without hesitation to ANYONE! read more

The negative post made earlier this week is truly upsetting, as someone who has two children that are and have gone through this center - and have loved every second of it. From eight weeks old, to five years old, my daughter thrived at Discovery. The same teachers that she had, my son now has. The daycare is as clean as any daycare is going to be. I can tell you, it is more sanitary than my house, with two kids, at the end of a (week) end day with them. SO, how they keep it as clean as they do, with more than two kids in each room - is truly something. As for potty training - I actually give them credit for potty training my kids. My husband always say, "we got lucky!" but really, the teachers did it for us. Positive reinforcement, continual reminders, sticker charts - they did it all to make sure their potty days were successful ones. The staff is hands down the best, and so many have been there for so long. Most who are Moms, also have their kids there in other rooms. That speaks volumes to me. IN addition to that - there are several who have left for college, and come back for summers, or who leave hoping to make more money (because everyone knows how underpaid child education is) and then come back! Everyday, we get a print out and a hand written note about what our kids did that day, if they were happy/sad/sensitive, what they played with, etc. They spend so much time outside, that at tub time every night, we could make our own sandbox :-) In the bigger room, just before Kindergarten, they spend less time outside, but that is because they are preparing them for what lies ahead in Kindergarten! At my daughter's first parent/teacher meeting in Kindergarten - we were told that she is excelling, and far above where she is expected to be at this point, one month into the school year!! Could not be more proud, and owe that thanks to Discovery. Any concern, though there be few, are always thoughtfully addressed by the owner and the staff. The comments that the ratio of children to teachers is high depends on what your opinion is, really. The state has regulations - and they have as many kids as possible to teachers, in order to run a profitable business. Otherwise, why run the business? Discovery - you keep doing you. I'd send my kids there again in a heartbeat, and hope that the "one person who is saved" by the negative post from earlier (jeesh) reads *this* post - and realizes that from a MOTHER, (not a disgruntled employee) you'd be doing your kids, and yourself a favor - to send them to such a great school. read more

Honestly, I don't know quite where to begin with this review - there is just that much wrong with this place. From the start, I was reluctant to even send my child to a daycare, but ultimately, we both decided that socialization coupled with our ability to work outweighed the negatives. I feel like a lot of parents struggle with this. The thing is, this place did have a good reputation and was at a higher price point, so we thought it might be worth a shot. From our initial inspection and meeting with the providers, I knew that something wasn't right about this place. The first thing that threw me off was the immediate and ubiquitous smell of feces wherever we went. I had never been inside of a facility before, but I didn't think that this was normal - it isn't. The building itself was old and unkempt, but again, I just blamed my apprehension on my initial reluctance to let my child out of my sight. The big selling point for me on this place were the cameras that you could stream from your browser at work or home. Well, they are a gimmick. There is about a 8-10 delay between frames, which is just enough time to have something happen to your child. As the months progressed, I became more and more disenchanted with this awful center. Each time I dropped my son off, I spent some time watching the staff while saying my lengthy goodbyes to our son (he is two) and was appalled by what I saw. Caregivers would handle the toddlers angrily and aggressively. Children often roamed the rooms unattended and often with soiled diapers. On about 12 different occasions, when I would return to retrieve my son, his diaper would be full of feces and of course, he would be left unattended, playing quietly by himself. Often, I would change his diaper myself at the facility before leaving. One of the worst things about this place was their apparent refusal to clean the noses of the children. I would come in for a visit between showings (I am a Realtor) and find almost every child in the room covered in mucus. My parental instincts drove me to want to clean the children myself, but no one wants to handle another's child. The potential for communicable diseases at this center are overwhelming and my son was not spared. About 8 weeks ago, after I found him playing with a boy covered in mucus, my son got sick. He still has not recovered from from a cough that is seizes his entire body and keeps the both of us up all night. Despite me constantly coming to his mother with complaints, she was adamant that this was all "normal", mostly because other women in her office sent their children (all in older rooms) to this place. So in order to keep the peace, I quietly acquiesced. Well, the worst had yet to come. This week my child was bitten on the hand by another child. Despite being worried, I realized that this was normal behavior and just put it into the back of my mind until I finished my workday and could go see him. When I got to the center, he immediately ran to me and without making a sound, he wrapped his arms around my neck. After inspecting a superficial U-shaped bite mark and a small puncture wound on his hand, I started dressing him to leave. At this point, one of the caregivers approached me and asked if I had heard about the incident. I replied that his mother had texted me, but that I had not heard the story. Well, she told me that my son and another child were "playing too close" and that somehow he was bitten. To say that the story lacked substance is something of an understatement and what it translated to was: "no one was watching, and your son was bitten". Since I had spent so much time in the room and knew all of the children, out curiosity I asked "which child bit him?" She replied that it was confidential and a state regulation to not divulge the identity of any child involved in an incident of that nature. This made perfect sense to me as there are a lot of parents out there that may get out of control in a situation like this. However, I became concerned that if it happened again with the same child, that a pattern of abuse may be developing and that I would have no recourse. I asked if the same child were to bite him again, if they would at least let me know if it was the same child. She again reiterated the "policy" and then presented me with an affidavit to sign. At this point, it really seemed an issue of questionable legality and I refused to sign the document. I then went to leave, but stopped and expressed my concerns about the incident to one of the directors. She too reiterated the same rehearsed reply, which was that they could not release any information about a child. Once again, I told her that I was not asking for the child's identity, but to be made aware if the same child bit my son again. Simple right? To be continued... read more

Wow! I cannot believe the negative review i just read. Everything written could not be further from my experience at DCEC. Both of my children attended and i can tell you that giving 5 stars is not nearly enough. Everything about them is top notch. From the management, to the teachers and entire staff. They are loving and caring and like leaving your child with a family member. My children started as infants and left just before kindergarten. When they did, they were both prepared for school so much so that their teachers commented on how much they already knew. i can honestly say that there was not one day over the 8 years one or both of my children attended that we were not 100% pleased with the care our children received. They both have such fond memories too. In fact, my daughter is constantly asking to visit. We stopped in a few months ago. I loved seeing the teachers and staff again. They all greeted me and my daughter with smiles and hugs and remembered everything about her. I mean it when i say, the team at DCEC is like family. read more

The teachers here are so wonderful! I personally know a few of them and I fully trust their skills in childcare and know my kids are in good hands. They get to learn so much at a young age but also experience being social with other kids. What more could you want?! I know when I'm leaving my kids here, I have absolutely nothing to worry about. read more

I have personally put two children through this daycare and I can tell you that the negative reviews on this page simply did not happen when my children attended and many many of my friends children. In my opinion, some people just need nannies. It is not a one to one ratio at ANY daycare and I would recommend switching shoes with a daycare teacher before you post a negative review. I visited a TON of daycares and this was superior to all of them. One of the saddest days for me was my last one. My children made and have kept friendships at this center. I have done the same, and I cherish them. If you are looking for a partner that will be a part of your child's life and enrich them- LOOK NO FURTHER. I wish there were more stars to give this center!!! read more

I had worked in daycare so i understood that it is one of the most demanding (and underpaid!) professions there is. That is why I was completely impressed that many of the teachers had been there for more than 10 years and loved what the did... this was one of the main reasons for choosing DCEC! I'm so glad we did! DCEC was our extended family for 5 years and they loved and nurtured our daughter's emotional, physical, social, and intellectual well being! We have been richly blessed by the life-long friends we made both in the teachers and other families. My advice to those considering daycare is that as soon as you learn you are pregnant, get on the waiting list! read more

I've sent both of my children through this daycare and I have had only minimal issues here(typical stuff that would happen anywhere or any school). My oldest son is now in kindergarten and with the help of the classes in this daycare, he is more than excelling! I think the other reviewer doesn't understand that in any social situation with kids things are going to happen no matter how many people are watching them. Kids fight, they bite, they have messy noses. It is just a fact of life. read more

We have worked with DCEC for several years now and they are always professional, helpful, and a pleasure to work and be associated with. Wonderful place and staff. read more

Both of our children went to Discovery and we don't know what we would have done without their teachers who loved and educated our children for over 6 years. We were always so thankful that Discovery had great hours, very friendly, happy, helpful and caring staff, strong leadership, lunch/snacks, great curriculum and more. The teachers became an extension of our family and many help our family still today - even after our youngest graduated in June! We did not see a lot of turnover (which I hear is unheard of in this competitive industry and is a testament to everyone at Discovery). And the facility is very clean! We see many family friends and have made many new friends through the Center. read more

I will never have enough space to adequately express my thoughts on our 8 year experience at DCEC. I will never forget driving out of the parking lot on my very last pick up when our littlest was leaving to enter Kindergarten. I felt as though a wonderful, magical chapter of our lives was ending. I truly attribute the positive, happy core foundation of our daughters lives to the time spent at DCEC with the most amazing, loving, caring, responsible ladies during each stage they passed through while being cared for there. I trusted them so much that we not only had several of them help us care for the girls outside the center as well and to this day consider them special people in our lives, still a part of our family. The staff on every level was always the most friendly and constantly understood the challenges of being a mother having to leave their children in the care of others. When the girls needed special attention with any issue they were struggling with or needed extra love, it was given. They were potty trained, taught their abc's, read to, had their backs rubs during nap time, given healthy snacks and given the type of care you would want if you, yourself can't be there to give it. I will never be able to express my gratitude for our time and more days than I can say, I wish those days were still here. I wish everyone who enters those doors to leave their little hearts there, the same experience that we were so blessed to have. read more