I worked for Prater Lane under two Directors while my children were young. I must say, I am not a disgruntled employee like the lad below. I have always found the Director's, Colleen and Lisa and most employees at Prater as devoted, kind, loving and doing their best to care for each child in a professional and safe manner. Did I mention I have two Master's Degrees in Early Childhood and Secondary School Education and Community Counseling, I only share as I want you to understand, I am a professional who understands child care and education. I had both of my children attend Prater and to this day, they still go back and visit their teachers, who loved and cared for them daily until they reached school age. I have worked with children and families for over 25 years, my knowledge base of children and developmental needs is well established. Everytime I go into Prater, children are happy, parents feel comfortable and staff are doing an excellent job with the children. Lisa is approachable for feedback from staff and parents. A parent is invited in to see how their child is doing, this is a very transparent child care center. Prater offers Vail Resort staff a reduced rate on childcare, but as we all understand, in business you can not give things away to be relevant. Prater has ongoing trainings to improve knowledge and be on the cutting edge of childcare, they are innovative and use their budget wisely. They have received numerous child care awards and grants and are a great referral source for the Vail Valley community. We all know childcare can be difficult, at times, children can be difficult or have stress that takes additional care. I know Prater does their best to sooth and care for each child and their needs. Is Prater perfect, no, but it is so dang close you can not count it out. I believe the young man, who knows everything in his rantings has much to learn. I wish him well in his future endeavors, as I am grateful he is no longer at Prater (One bad apple can taint the whole bunch) and he can pursue becoming a parent, rather than a critic, and learn the complexities of managing child(ren) or being a working parent wanting the best and safest childcare available. Take it from a expert, Prater is the place you want to be if you are a child (my boys were in the Beaver Creek ski and snowboard schools that Prater participates in, loving it) and it provides me, the parent and staff the peace of mind so I may be productive in my work. In closing, call other centers, go visit and see what is out there. I assure you, you will return to Prater and be thankful for such a great place to care and educate your child, I am and always will be. Sincerely, Penny Frank read more

As a former employee I felt compelled to give this place its first real review. School should be about the children, school should be about making change and making the future bright for young minds. I have worked in the field for a few years and went to school for such work. Working in a few other childcare institutions I felt comfortable taking upon Prater Lane for my next personal adventure. This school is uncomfortable for everyone involved. There is no chemistry between the staff members, no direction from the 'director' Lisa, and the consistency of moving the teachers from class to class gives no sense of security to the children, the parents, or the staff. The overall pay to the staff is completely ridiculous from such a dynamic powerhouse, that being Vail Resorts. Employees that have worked there for years and years have only seen their pay increase minimally, in terms or actual raises. Myselfjust being hired in and having a degree I was offered 15$/hr, compared to someone who has worked there for almost a century... not making anywhere near what they paid me. Favoritism and lackluster management skills from the 'director' Lisa has lead to the absolutely tremendous turnover rate at Prater Lane, I was no exception. I understand the parents enrolling their children in Prater Lane are doing so because as Vail Resorts employees they claim to offer 'discounts' to their employees. I myself heard it from many parents... how ridiculously expensive it is for the actual quality of what you're getting... mediocre. With the exception of a few staff members... I would never recommend their staff or Prater Lane to anyone that is looking for quality and attentive love in the field of childcare read more