UPDATE I'm taking a moment to update this review because I had a concerning and odd interaction yesterday with Monica Ryan the owner of Strawberry Childcare whose license was revoked by the ECC. I fear that she will someday be able to renew her childcare license and open under another business name. In my opinion she is not emotionally or professionally fit to operate a childcare program. Monica felt it was appropriate to approach me while at a local nail salon and confront/scold me (inches from my face) about a poor review I made about her on Yelp from 2/2018. This was unprovoked. We made initial eye contact but I did not exchange any words with her or look in her direction a second time. For context, I posted the initial review on yelp when we chose to leave Strawbery Childcare due to several unprofessional and negative interactions with Monica herself. I found it difficult to engage Monica in constructive or helpful conversations. It was as if you had to walk on eggshells if you had a concern or question. We saw a change in my child's behavior and an increasing resistance to attend school which he previously loved. She often discouraged parent interaction and would send whole group emails saying she would end contracts for gossip. Monica also stated to me that she would often hide under her office desk and cry. Monica: "Hi hello how are you, I wanted to say hello and let you know I know about the post you made about me. You could have included your name, I know it was you saying those things, did you think I wouldn't know." Me "honestly I am a bit shocked you are actually confronting me about this right now" Monica: "Why because of what happened with the baby?!" Then she had the audacity to reference the letter sent to her from the parents who lost their child in her care. This has nothing to do with my review which was made months prior to the child's death. This is incredibly disrespectful to a family who has faced an unimaginable level of pain and loss. Me: No because I was a former customer of yours and I have the right to...(couldn't finish she cut me off) Monica: "So just because you paid for a service makes you think you can say whatever you want? My lawyers have seen the posts as well. Monica Ryan....my name is Lisa Johnson-Bechtel, which you know. I stand behind my post which was made on a public site. I know many families who had children at Strawberry who share my concerns. This interaction further confirms my opinion of your lack of professionalism. It's been almost two years. I am not only a social worker, I have worked in early childhood education and currently work in a school. Any comments I have made about you were examples of my personal interactions with you as a mother who's child was in YOUR care. read more

I complete love this childcare! My daughter have been attending Strawberry since she was 3 months old and she is 2.6 years old. The price is normal and in range for what day cares change these days. The centers and rooms are always clean and organize. Every morning when you come in, you are welcome with a clean and fresh smell that tells me that the center was tediously clean the night before. The teachers/caregivers are amazing! they are loving, gentle, friendly and respectful! You can see that they really love the kids and treat them very well. The program is a bilingual education and not a Spanish immersion program. My daughter lives in a bilingual home where my husband only speaks english and me (mom) speak spanish. However, my daughter speaks mainly in english and I have seen most of the teachers communicate to her in both languages. If for any reason, one of the teacher have difficulty expressing herself in english, there is always other teachers around that are able to speak to you in english. Teachers rotate throughout the classrooms, practice that I have found its actually good, since it gives the children the opportunity to know them and be comfortable with them. They do not rotate everyday. They are in the classrooms for a consistent amount of time. Another thing to know is that the children do a lot of activities outside the center. They go for walks, go to the park, the library and fire house. I found this amazing! Great exposure and experience for the children. I know about other centers that they don't take the kids outside. The management staff is very professional, respectful and dedicated. The director is a great person that is dedicated to provide the best care for the children. I dont have anything negative to say about this center. Its a great place, the children are save and loved! And most importantly, I can see that my daughter is happy there and she loves it! read more

I very much resonate with Margot's review. Everything she wrote is accurate to our experience. We moved our daughter out of Strawberry after 6 months. And I will echo with emphasis: the director is indeed defensive. I went to her hoping she could help us troubleshoot our daughter's sleep problems. She was not sleeping well there and would often be tired and cranky. She took my request for help and suggestions as criticism. read more

Pros: - Reasonably priced infant care - Bright & clean classrooms - Hours of operation 8:00AM - 6:00PM are good for working parents - Caregivers are warm and seem to truly care about the children Cons: - The program is billed as bilingual Spanish education, however, I found it to be a Spanish immersion program. As someone who does not speak Spanish, the inability to communicate with the majority of my child's caregivers at a very basic level (e.g. "did you go for a walk today?") did not put me at ease and made it very hard to address issues. - I found the director to be extremely defensive and difficult to work with. Any question posed was treated as a direct affront that was answered in a combative and dismissive manner. I was frequently chided for not being respectful enough while being harangued by the director. - Caregivers are not assigned to a particular classroom and are rotated throughout the center in an effort to ensure no child develops a strong bond with a particular caregiver. I wish I had understood this practice prior to sending my child to Strawberry, as this runs counter to my understanding of early child development best practices. It is a regular occurrence to walk in and find my child being held by someone I have never seen before. No effort is made to introduce parents to new caregivers, nor do the new caregivers themselves introduce themselves to parents. - Policies and procedures - the fact that the handbook is 37 pages long speaks volumes. The handbook treated as gospel but is changed on the whim of the director. Parents are given 24 hours to agree to a new policy or find another source of childcare. The deposit of 4 weeks tuition is usually high. 60 days' notice is required for schedule changes or withdrawal from the program. The center is closed for 2 full weeks each year (in addition to every holiday possible), but the handbook gives them the option to go back to 3 full weeks of vacation. The list goes on and on. - If you are seriously considering sending your child to Strawberry, please contact the Northeast MA office of the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) for a full reconciliation of reports filed against Strawberry. The report from January 2018 resonates with my experience with Strawberry. read more

We were fortunate to find this daycare for our 10 month old daughter. The teachers are so caring and so professional and the staff is extremely well prepared. Everything done at strawberry childcare is so thoughtful. I read a few reviews of people saying that they don't like that a single teacher is not assigned to each baby, but rather a number of teachers. In our case, Sophia is now familiarized with all her teachers(total of 5), which makes drop off easier as there is always a teacher that she recognizes. If she were only assigned to one, and if the teacher was on vacation or left, the transition to a new teacher would be hard. There is also very little attrition with teachers at the center, so my daughter had developed very strong relationships with them. We couldn't be happier with Strawberry Childcare! read more

The classrooms and playrooms are bright and clean. The teachers are also very nice. Unfortunately the morning drop-off period starts at 8am, which is difficult for those who, like my wife and me, generally need to be at work by then. Also the vacation schedule (2 weeks paid per year) is odd to me. When comparing a daycare facility to a nanny or a home-based daycare, shouldn't the facility have an advantage because it has a larger staff, does not rely on one or a few people, and therefore does not need to shut down entirely for two weeks every year (that you still have to pay for, on top of having to find alternative care)? Otherwise, why pay the extra money that goes to the facility's administrative costs and other overhead? read more

We've been at Strawberry for a year and are ecstatic about our experience. We are pleased with our son's development. The teachers are friendly, the classrooms are great, and the children always seem to be having a lot of fun. I used to work at a daycare for years, and Strawberry is top notch in my opinion. read more

If you love your child, please do not send them to Strawberry childcare in Watertown. Our experience was similar if not worse to Margot and L.J. below. I am surprised the childcare is still around given the terrible practices, the temperamental director and the ever changing contract. I had been taking my child there for three weeks, where every other day they told me she was sick which she wasn't and that she was happy, which she wasn't. We became concerned as we were noticing changes in her behavior, she cried in her sleep and was suddenly getting scared. As a toddler she loved the park, but she would cry every time we went to the park next to the childcare even after we pulled her from there. I took my daughter off immediately when one day the director specifically told me that my daughter was too attached to one of the teachers, and children shouldn't bond with a particular teacher, and that they cant expect to be hugged and soothed. I dint realize i was taking my daughter to an tyrant camp. Again do yourself a favor and do not send your child there, and for those that have experienced the same please spread the word. Parents need to know this. read more

I felt motivated to write this because I am very surprised by some of these reviews, and would like to share my positive experience. My son (almost 14 months) has attended Strawberry since he was 6 months old. He started in Brookline but switched to Watertown when we moved closer to the Watertown center. He LOVES it (I think he would tell me so, if he could talk...). He gets a big smile on his face when we walk in the door. His teachers are very loving, responsible and competent, and put my mind at ease. They are good at what they do. My son beams when I hand him off to his teachers in the morning, which means I can leave for work feeling confident. I have had very positive interactions with the director. When I asked to switch my son's schedule (multiple times) due to our changing work commitments, the director worked with me to make it a painless experience. I personally appreciate direct communication and the tight-ship operation on the administrative side--especially when it comes to my son's safety--which is what we get at Strawberry. Most importantly, my son is happy, safe, healthy and growing, and always seems to be having a blast when I pick him up. I am very happy that I chose Strawberry for my baby. read more

Amazing daycare!!! I am extremely happy and satisfied with care given to my daughter at Strawberry Childcare!!! My daughter has been going there since she was 4 months old and she will be turning 2 years in another week. The center is always clean and tidy, the teachers are always very respectful and friendly. The Director and Assistant Director are always available to answer any questions and are extremely understanding. I appreciate the written progress reports and updates on my daughter's development. I also love that it is bilingual (Spanish and English). My daughter comes home counting and saying words and phrases in both languages. The teachers constantly have the children engaged from outdoor activities, to painting, learning to draw and write (scribbles at this point). They even offer yoga - which is fantastic. I would recommend this daycare to anyone!!! Keep up the good work Strawberry!!! read more

Poor oversight of children. Language barrier where teachers cannot fully understand parents and need directors to translate.