This is a long review. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, then just know that Miss…read moreJanie is amazing! My son loves going to Noah's Ark and has blossomed under her care. I cannot say enough good things about her and highly recommend her if you are looking for exceptional child care. Keep reading for a more detailed review... I started taking my son to Noah's Ark almost a year ago. He was struggling at his previous daycare and we thought a facility with fewer children might be a better fit. When I first met with Janie, I could tell how much she loved what she did. I was immediately impressed by her setup, particularly that she had a permanent dedicated space for the children, rather than using baby gates to block off areas of her home. She's also taken great care to create a safe, functional and fun outdoor space for the kids. In our initial meeting, I was up front about some behavioral issues that we were seeing. She assured me that it wasn't a problem, that it was typical for the age and that she'd cared for children with similar behaviors before. Another thing we talked about was meals. My son has always been big for his age and eats accordingly. (He was 28 months old, 35" tall and weighed about 34 lbs at the time.) Like most people, he gets hangry when he's underfed and that was contributing to the problem behaviors. She told me that she would feed him breakfast, lunch and snacks and that food would be available if he was still hungry. She gave me an idea of the types of food that she serves and it all sounded healthy and child-friendly. I knew we'd found the right place within a few days. Janie (and her helpers, who are also wonderful!) were able to identify my son's triggers, anticipate what he was about to do, and redirect him before he did it. Within a month, my son was talking more and learning how to play with other children. Meals have not been an issue. Janie knows what the kids like, but also gets them involved in the meals by having them help or taking suggestions or requests from the kids. Janie has taken the time to learn what interests my son and used it to pique his interest in other things, inspire him and reward him. She encourages problem solving and independence, which fosters self-confidence. On the days my son doesn't want to go, Janie has a gentle way of coaxing him in. No matter how the morning started, when I pick him up he always tells me what a fun day he had. From the outset, my relationship with Janie has been a partnership. When I drop my son off, I'll let her know anything that will make the day smoother. (i.e. He slept poorly, he's really hungry, or I need to pick him up early) It's generally a quick exchange because it's easier for the kids to transition to daycare if the parents don't linger. When I pick him up, Janie lets me know how the day has gone, whether it was a good day or if there were any issues or odd behaviors. We celebrate his successes, work together to figure out ways to support one another and provide consistency between home and daycare. My son recently turned 3. He already speaks in sentences, knows his colors, letters and numbers. He's learned how to interact with other children and communicate his needs and feelings with words instead of actions (most of the time). Miss Janie has played a huge part in this. I could not have chosen a better person to care for and teach my son.

As parents you are always concerned and want what is best for your child. When we met Ms Janie she…read moremade us feel very comfortable and we were mentally assured that she is probably the best space for our child to learn and grow. Two days of us sending our daughter and few things that made us end our contact immediately were : 1. My child went to Noahs Ark for two days & all we heard was complaints about a two year old during pickup. Her complaints were that she never mixes up with other students, she just wants to grab food from their plates. She doesn't know how to sit on the table chair and she is running around while others say excuse me before getting up. Point here is my child has recently turned two and she doesn't clearly understand the table etiquettes. Yes she uses high chair still & that was made aware to Ms Janie prior to my child joining daycare. She is new to a school environment & other kids there were older and may have older siblings at home to learn share & care. Firstly you cannot compare kids. Every child is different and special. Secondly there is a way to put things forward to the parents such as we will work together in teaching her. First two days you just cannot expect a two year old and a new parent to come prepared to meet your expectations. The message that came across from this was probably Ms Janie is not willing to take kids that need little more grooming or are less independent than kids who are able to express themselves more independently and clearly. 2. Second day she had a bruise on her forehead. We were told that she lost her balance and ran into a wall. Sure we understand that she is a toddler and any child can run into accidents anywhere and anytime of the day. But what I could not understand was Ms Janie's statement. She said to be prepared for more accidents like these in future. Sorry as a parent, it would be pleasant & better to hear that in future we will be extra careful so she doesn't run into more accidents like these. 3. We were made to sign the contract and pay $350 for the first week. Due to unpleasant experience , we had to terminate the contract within two days. We were not given the remainder of the contract money even though her contract clearly states either party can terminate contract within first week as this falls under trial period. She refused to send contract copy even after several reminders. Had to go in person. 4. We understand managing so many kids is a challenge but we do not understand that there was no mode of communication except email & landline which she never responded to. We do not expect a busy teacher to message me every few minutes updating us but we do expect some form of communication sometime in the day just once at least to let us know if the child is ok during first week. It was extremely difficult to convey our message across at many occasions as we were interrupted during a conversation & were not let to finish off on the message. We were not allowed to stay for more than a minute apart during drop off & at the time of pick up the only communication we had for first two days were just complaints . 5. I was told not to send any food from home due to cross contamination. We ended up dropping a sealed store bought yogurt & coconut water as a backup. My child was fed only peanut butter & crackers for two days during her stay. We were told she did not eat yogurt or drink coconut water that we gave her. Apparently thats the only two things she would eat anytime of the day so it is difficult for us as parents to understand why the child refused. On the second day I told Ms Janie to not give her snacks in the evening as she was constipated. During pickup, to my surprise Ms Janie clearly ignored parent instructions as I saw my daughter eating crackers. We wanted to give more time before terminating our contract but when you are unable to communicate your message with the teacher, clearly express your thoughts or even make someone understand your concerns, instead were portrayed in a negative way on your parenting. Very disappointing.