I couldn't put no star so I had to put one Do not take your children here. This is not a good facility. They put up a front but behind closed the doors. They are not who they say they are !!! I personally encounter to staff verbally, abusing and physically abusing children, which is why my children no longer reside at this facility. read more

The director is always on vacation. Teachers quit all the time. No organizations at all. This place is not a place i recommend for ANYONE'S CHILD! read more

Our children have been here from the infant room all the way through Pre-K. We have seen many teachers come and go throughout the years, most of whom we have loved and missed dearly (Ms Paulina, Ms. Holly, Ms Soshia to name a few!). This center has been through some changes, that's for sure! Covid as well as a few new directors with very different leadership styles. Since our time with the center and with the most recent change in leaders, my rating goes from a weak 4 to a strong 5. It has always been a solid, trustworthy center, but now they are the best. One of our children has graduated (*sniff*) and moved on to kindergarten, but he still returns for visits. He had fantastic teachers along the way, but his Pre-K teacher, Ms. Lola, has left such a mark. She set him up on his journey into kindergarten with a very solid grasp of reading and math. She also instilled a love for Spanish and thirst for learning and asking questions. My youngest now has her as his teacher and his letters and writing have come so far. He was not always interested in coloring or writing at home, but now he has no problems with it. She also does not put up with any of their nonsense. :) My youngest also needed a bit of help with potty training and cleaning up his toys when he was younger and they were so kind and encouraging. The director brought in a special toilet lid for him and Ms. Lauren would call or inform me when there were problems. Ms. Lauren provided a lot of insight and held him up to high standards which he needs. Ms. Daphne and Ms. Katrina are both leaders and teachers. They really do everything they can to make our children happy and develop true friendships as well as a second family her at Kindercare San Carlos. But one word of warning, this place is 3 Michelin star establishment as far as their meals go according to all the kids. My children have made many outside friends here at Kindercare and they all have the same opinion. Whenever these kids eat a dish, we hear "not as good as Kindercare"! Their menu is quite wholesome and their guidelines for from home food is healthy too. Special props to you, Ms. Jeannie. My cooking will never compare no matter how hard I try. ;) read more

My daughter attended KinderCare San Carlos from 6 months to 2 years old. She loved her teachers and learned so much. The center is transparent and communicative. Loved the app! Was able to check on my daughters activities during the day. Amazing teachers who were so caring. Would definitely recommend. We had a great experience. read more

We love San Carlos KinderCare. My child has been been here for 5 yrs and has come such a long away. We couldn't have done it without the love and support from all the wonderful staff at KC, who supported us through the years and got us through Covid. Forever grateful. Thank you San Carlos KinderCare for everything. We will miss you dearly. Send your kids here, you will love watching them grown and learn. read more

This center went through a tough patch for a while but has really come around again. The center management truly cares about the kids and the parents, the teachers all do a wonderful job with the children, and the support staff also do a great job. I would definitely recommend this center again. read more

My child has attended Kindercare since he was 4 months old. We enrolled him when the center was still re-organizing after a few years of poor management, and while we never directly interacted with staff prior to the leadership changes, we can tell the center has undergone tremendous growth since then! The director and assistant director are wonderful to work with - impressively engaged with all of the parents, children, and teachers. The staff plans fun spirit weeks, holiday events, and summer curriculum to bring the family community together. My son has absolutely thrived in his classes - Ms. Rosemary, Ms. Cherry, and Ms. Ledge truly care so much for their students and we can tell have played a significant role into shaping him to be the awesome kid he is. They aren't afraid to bring up issues when they arise, and are always willing to work with us to find ways to resolve them together. We are so happy to be a part of the Kindercare family. read more

My child has been attending San Carlos KinderCare for over a year now. She started in the infant room and is now with the toddlers. I have had nothing but postive interactions through this first year with both the teachers in each classroom she has been in and with the leadership team. The teachers have shown they genuinely care about my child and the best part is I can tell she enjoys going to school everyday. This makes for an easy drop-off, and I look forward to the pictures and activity updates I get throughout the day. I am happy to be a part of this community. read more

Amazing teachers and staff! We've been part of the Kindercare family since our child was 6 months old, and through our moves we've been to 5 different schools. However, the San Carlos Kindercare is the best of the bunch. The teachers and directors take such good care of our little one that we have no worries when they're under their care. No matter where we go in San Diego, San Carlos Kindercare is our child's second home when we're at work! read more

my kids attended Kindercare San Carlos and we absolutely loved it ! the teachers and staff were so sweet and caring you can see how much they truly care for these kids and it's not just not a job for them . my son started in the infants and finished in the 2s my daughter went from infant to toddlers and the growth I saw in them from the first day to the last was insane! only reason we are leaving KinderCare San Carlos is because we are military family and we are leaving San Diego but if we were to stay we would of kept them there in till they aged out ! we will truly miss everyone at KinderCare San Carlos read more

This center has become our second family. The management team is amazing and will keep you informed on everything. Their health and safety practices are top notch. My daughter loves coming to school everyday. This center has come such a long way and we can't recommend this center enough! Thank you! read more

Ms. Veronica and Ms. Soshia are amazing. They're attentive and really seem to care about the kids in their class. The office staff is nice enough in person, but we've literally never had an easy transaction with them that required them to do any kind of paperwork. To set up some information I needed I went in one day and gave them exactly what I needed, she wrote it on a sticky note and promised they would get to it. I went back 4 days later and at least they were able to finally find the sticky note, but gave me the same line. The situation was finally resolved after three weeks. In the end, because of their ineptitude and poor system, we got slammed with a $3000 bill after our child had already finished her last day and less than a month before our second child was due. Not a great place to put us in. I would give the world to Ms. Veronica, but I won't be returning to any Kindercare, because the price is way too steep for the lack of professionalism and efficiency, in addition to the investigations they went through for the absurdly high rates of biting in classrooms. read more

My son is in the 2 year old room with Ms. Liz and we absolutely love it. Ms. Liz is always so sweet and energetic. My son is always excited about what he did that day at school. The director Ms. Thelma and assistant director Ms. Sonya are very welcoming everytime we come in the door. The staff as a whole are kind and friendly. I feel comfortable leaving my son there every day while I go to work. I know that he is being well taken care of. read more

My son has attended daycare here for 1 year and I am extremely torn and distressed over what is going on at this San Carlos facility right now. I'll be as brief as possible it since time is precious but it'll be difficult to condense: 1. The teachers for the 1 and 2 year olds (in my experience) are wonderful. My 2-year old seems to learn something new everyday (a new song, colors, language, etc.). He doesn't come home with diaper rash and they always seem genuinely interested in him and give me a fairly detailed summary of his day at pickup The teachers are the only reason this facility gets any stars. 2. They are understaffed and overburdened - the administrative office cannot get the resources together for sufficient classroom supervision and drop off time is seriously scary. My just-turned 2 year old now gets dropped off in the room for 3 year olds, where supervision is 12-1 instead of 6-1 (because they never have enough teachers in the morning) which I am certain is not following the law. It's a CRAZY environment with seriously stressed out teachers and kids getting injured (witnessed a child falling off a table and landing on her back the other morning). My husband won't leave my son until it calms down - usually after 8:15am. 3. Social Services is visiting and violating them monthly. The last reports we got this week were about 15 or 20 pages in total! Some of the bigger offenses were administrative directors and teachers falsifying documents (staff was since fired), teachers verbally and physically abusing children in multiple classrooms, infants sleeping in unsafe conditions exposing them to a potential for SIDS risk, and improper/complete neglect of sanitizing toys, bedding and other unsanitary conditions, and unqualified supervision like teachers not meeting the minimum requirements, minimum staff to child ratio disporpotionate, staff members going unfingerprinted, etc. (Scary to think you're leaving your child with anyone who may or may not have a criminal record.) The saddest part perhaps is that most of the items are REPEAT each month (starting in March... I'm sure that prior to this, many more violations were just going unreported or withheld by prior staff) and that all of the claims forementioned have been witnessed and SUBSTANTIATED by Social Services. These are available for public record, in case you're interested. 4. This is a place I once held really high and now holds none of my trust. It makes my stomach turn to think that when my son came home with bruises or when I picked him up crying, that it could have been from an adult, or when he brought home a MRSA staph infection, it was from pure neglect. It has become clear to me that the fundamentals of Kindercare are $$$ and not child care and well-being. Safe to say my son will not be returning, and I wish the best for the good teachers that impacted his life positively. The 2 Stars rating is given for the following: - The lovely teachers (miss Veronica, miss Kathy, and others) who were so good to my son. - They have replaced the negligent management who were brewing a terrible practice from the top down, but they still seem to be having a lot of trouble. I know that fixing something often takes time, but I'm not willing to have my son pay the price for it. read more

I was fairly new to daycares but I'm glad I chose this one. Sadly my Job took me to another state. So I had to give credit when credit is do Ms.Melissa is the best Teacher I could ask for. She always sends updates and did all kinds of activities for holidays. I felt I didn't miss a moment with my child because she posted pictures of the kids all the time. I'm so grateful that she was there for my child. I felt relieved knowing he was in good hands thanks to Ms.Melissa. read more

I would not recommend this preschool to anyone. We took our 4 year old son here for about a year so we got a good look at how things were run and were thoroughly disappointed. Before going to the San Carlos Kindercare, he loved preschool and was always excited to go. Unfortunately we moved and had to change schools. Once we did, he no longer was excited to go, and every day would ask me not to take him. At first we thought it was the move, and he was getting acclimated to his new class and new friends, but over time it became apparent that wasn't the case. The only thing Kindercare cares about is profit, and many days I would find my son in a different room from the one he was supposed to be in, and I didn't find out until later that it's because they send teachers home and condense the classrooms to save money. This is terrible for the children and ruins continuity, on top of being a terrible way to run a preschool that is supposed to be about the kids. On top of this, they are the most expensive preschool we've seen in the area. Once we realized how bad it was, we pulled him out and put him in a different preschool, and once again he loves school and can't wait to go in the morning, and is always happy and smiling when I pick him up. On top of all of that, we were actually advised by one of the Kindercare teachers to hold my son back from Kindergarten for a year. He has a speech delay, and has been in speech therapy since he was 3, but he's never had any problem keeping up with the other children until this school. Magically, as soon as we switched him to his current school, he was thriving once again, and has not only done well, but is currently working on 1st grade work (he'll be starting Kindergarten this fall) and is well ahead of the game. I can't imagine if we'd listened and kept him at the school how far behind he would be now. I honestly feel terrible we let him attend this school as long as we did. Preschool isn't supposed to be a babysitting service, they're supposed to teach and that certainly wasn't the case for our son. Oh, and also, click the link below that says "5 other reviews that are not currently recommended", these reviews are from parents of the school as well. I don't know why they aren't shown. read more

Growing up in San Carlos I have friends that loved going to Kindercare when they were young and now I see why. The staff is always very friendly which is nice. But more importantly they are helpful and go the extra mile to make sure you are happy. read more

We had a unique situation needing care only 3 days a week, only in the summer, with two different payers, and not during two particular weeks. Jessica went above and beyond accommodating our needs and making sure we got the best rate possible (through an employer subsidy program). The kids enjoyed their teachers and their friends, and we had a solid experience with this facility. It als made a big difference that the staff seemed to love the kids and their jobs. Their excitement about upcoming field trips, for example, kept our oldest interested too. read more

Hands down the BEST preschool I could have ever sent my son to. This center focuses on the well-being of the child and really caters to their learning. I loved knowing that I could be at work all day and my son was not only taken care of but was learning so much! I definitely feel as though this center is to thank for my sons amazing development. He's two (almost three) and knows all of his ABC's, can carry a conversation and has been completely potty trained for an entire year.. I thank the center for all of that. Thank you so much to the entire staff at Kindercare San Carlos. Trent and the entire Brubaker family will always have a place for you in our hearts! read more

My baby girl (22 months) received excellent care here and she would have stayed if it were not for my new job being so far away. This daycare was here for me when all others were too full or only accepted two year olds. Thelma was also kind enough to help me out when I was in a bind when she didn't have to. I really appreciate all that the staff has done to ensure that my busy baby enjoyed her first experience in a day care facility. read more

Although I know turn around with staff is bound to happen at day care facilities, this facility seems to go through staff super fast. That appears to me as a slight concern! Young children should have some consistency. And of course Ms. Paulina is no longer there.. :( My granddaughter has had 4-5 different teachers in 7 months. read more

The staff here has taken excellent care of my daughter the last four months. They are bright and cheerful the moment we walk in the door. The floors and toys in the infant room are always clean and well maintained. What I find particularly reassuring is that my daughter will reach for her teachers with a smile when I drop her off--a huge relief considering she typically has separation anxiety. You get daily activity sheets with the times of feedings and diaper changes which is great for a mom adjusting to daycare for the first time. I also love that even the infants participate in cute art projects--every holiday, I've come home with a piece I'll treasure. I'd like to especially thank Miss Soshia, Miss Cathy, and Miss Melissa--you've all been amazing! read more

So far so great . My son is comfortable with the teachers and they tend his needs. Give me updates if anything is wrong and point out any concerns when necessary. read more

Mindy is an awesome center director and I especially love Delores in the infant room :)

My son started going here in 2016. At first it was okay. He had never been to a preschool before so I didn't have much to base his attitude off of. Early on we realized this place was a nightmare for my child. He cried everyday terrified to go there. He'd cry and say no school please no school. This is not normal for my usual happy, well behaved child. On multiple occasions we'd show up after 430 and the kids would be unsupervised and not had played outside all day. This isn't good for a toddler. My son would come home with diaper rashes and his daily log would say he hadn't been changed for 4-5 hours. When I addressed my concern on multiple occasions to the office they blew all of us off and acted like we were ridiculous. When his main teacher ms Liz was there he was always treated great but she can't do everything. They hired a lot of lazy people and their management is the worst. This is my child. And they don't think about that when watching after them everyday. I'm highly disappointed and happy my son will be going else where. read more

My daughter loved her time here. The staff was always accommodating, and with my schedule, it was a breath of fresh air. We will miss them!

I will give them 2 stars for two thing your child will experience there: they will be safe and they will be surrounded with children. I don't know if that is enough for you as a parent - maybe it is. For us, it was not something I want our daughter to experience. This is more like leaving your child at a big school, with too many kids to handle for one teacher, cold atmosphere, messy, not clean, kids are just all over the place.. My advice: find a smaller, more intimate place where your children will get the care they need, lots of one on one work, a place where they will feel safe and cosy, a place where they will do more then one art work a month... This place is a good example what happens when it becomes a corporation. read more

Kindercare used to be one of the better preschools in our area. It is very clean and updated looking (new toys and supplies). Due to the convenient location and the appearance of the school, we chose to send our son there. Within the few months our son attended Kindercare it appeared that about half of our son's class had moved to new schools. We weren't sure why, but after going to a few class birthday parties we found that many parents were unhappy with the staff. Since we had personally no problems with anyone working at the school, we continued to keep our son there. But unfortunately we eventually did end up experiencing what the other parents were talking about. The teachers seem to be more interested in chatting to each other and moving through the schedule of the day rather than teach anything. Our son was learning things at Kindercare like what objects sink and which swim, which is very cute but not a practical piece of knowledge. At my son's new school (which he has been at for 2 months only so far), he can already write his full name and knows his phone number (he is 3 years old). Basically look around and talk to other parents in the classroom if possible beforfe chosing this school. It's over priced and you certainly do not get what you pay for here. read more

Very great school and great Teachers. My son haider loves his teacher mrs.liz.she is a wonderful teacher .she loves her kids and always see her happy.thank you for all the hard work . read more

It seems like all of the good teachers and staff are leaving, not good for the kids. There is an overbearing district manager who has an office there that seems to be bringing a lot of negativity. My kids still go there.... but I will definitely be changing soon if things don't improve. Other than that, the office staff and teachers are great! (what is left of them) and, if it weren't for these changes, I would definitely recommend it read more

I would NOT recommend San Carlos Kindercare! This used to be a great school, but starting 2009 it went downhill. The director of the school is unresponsive to complains, unorganized and blames her problems on how "under staff" she is. It's the most expensive pre-school in the area so that's inexcusable. I give credit to few great teachers like Miss Gayleene or Miss Jeanine. They are strict but also loving and kids love them. The other older long term teachers need to go. They've been doing this for too long and forgotten why they gotten into the profession in the first place. They pick and choose who they want in their classrooms and "refuse" to have certain kids.... Just because a 2 or 3 year old is more active doesn't give them the right to treat the child bad or ignore them. I finally decided to give my two-week notice to pull my child out. As soon as I did, they removed his name from his cubby, and his blanket and backpack were on the dirty floor like he doesn't exist anymore and I never knew which classroom to find him at. I have a coworker who pulled her one year old son out because they were forgetting to feed him! Director's excuse? I'm "understaffed" funny we don't get a discount when they are. Our children deserve better. I say hire a new director who knows how to run a business and tell her employees it's not a choice, it's your job. You get the kids we enroll in your classroom and if you don't like it, take a filled trip down the unemployment office. I'm also still waiting for a refund I was promised. read more