I am writing as a concerned parent to share my experience with Callahan Learning Center on Maple…read more My child has been attending for the past four months, and during that time, my child has been sick several times. This is not my child's first daycare experience, so my child has already been exposed to group settings before. Because of that, I have concerns about the cleanliness and overall condition of the facility.
I believe the center needs repairs and a much deeper cleaning routine at the end of each day. On several occasions, I have arrived in the morning, when my child was only the second child there, and noticed that the floors and tables were still dirty. I have seen crumbs underneath the tables and trash left behind, which is concerning for a childcare environment.
I also do not feel that this facility is a good fit for healthcare workers or parents with demanding schedules because of the strict 9-hour limit and the added charge for every minute after that. This policy can be very difficult for working families.
Another major concern is the K4 class. I personally do not feel that it is preparing children for kindergarten. I asked several times what curriculum or program they use and whether formal teaching is taking place. Through the app, I would mostly receive pictures of stretching or occasional activities, such as learning about plants or coloring ice with food dye. However, I never saw evidence of a structured daily educational program. I also asked about workbooks, and although workbooks were present in the classroom, nothing had been completed in them. Honestly, it often felt like the children were mainly being supervised and given paper to color rather than being actively taught. From what I have seen, my child has not learned much during this time.
I would often ask my child what they learned or what they did during the day, and I did not get the sense that there was consistent academic instruction. One positive is that students are allowed to bring snacks and drinks from home, which helped because my child did not always like the food served there. The center does document food intake, but there were several times when I questioned the accuracy because foods were marked as eaten that my child does not eat at all.
I also have concerns about hygiene practices. On one occasion, the children had been outside playing, and afterward there was a bowl of grapes on the table. The children were allowed to put their hands directly into the bowl without washing them first, even after playing outside. That was very concerning to me.
I do want to say that Ms. Kat, Jamiese, Ayede, Jessica, and Lexie were wonderful teachers and worked well with my child. I truly appreciate their efforts. However, I do not understand how Whitney became the supervisor. In my experience, she has had a nasty attitude and is often on the phone. I have also seen other reviews mentioning staff being on their personal phones, and from what I observed, that appears to be true.
Overall, I am sharing this because I believe parents should know both the positives and the concerns. My intention is not to tear anyone down, but to speak honestly about my experience and the areas where I believe serious improvement is needed
