My experience with this daycare was extremely unprofessional, disorganized, and concerning from start to finish.
The director Bernadette Nisbeth is consistently rude and unapproachable. A money hungry scammer. There were multiple days where the center opened late with no apology. The director even refused to come downstairs to open the daycare—despite living on-site—when staff arrived late. Yet parents are still expected to pick up on time or face fees.
My daughter’s teacher, Ms. Elaine, regularly wrote on daily sheets that my child ate all her food, but told her father in person that she hadn’t eaten breakfast for days. When I asked for daily reports (which should be standard, especially for a one-year-old in daycare for the first time), I was met with attitude. She also said she “doesn’t do daily reports after age two.” My child is one, and they still made me provide my OWN daily sheet.
Twice, my daughter came home with fingernail imprints that were open cuts. The director claimed she was present but “didn’t see or hear anything,” and no accident report was provided until I pushed for one. Even then, it was just a sloppy handwritten note—nothing official. The teacher’s daughter, who works there, is rough, impatient, and wears long fingernails. I literally saw her with my own eyes manhandle them kids! That alone should have been a red flag. But yet they told me that the infants and toddlers were combined with the pre-school kids and playing rough and that's where it came from?? LOL was I born yesterday?? Didn't even let me know. I found the scars while giving my child a bath.
Receipts were inconsistent—I had to request them at least five different times.
The daycare provides no meals, snacks, or even beverages, and still asks parents to bring in extra items, like cooked dishes for staff and kids on Thanksgiving.
They also marked my daughter present on a day she didn’t attend.
Regarding billing, I gave a proper two-week notice but had to pull my daughter out sooner due to an emergency. Even though the initial deposit was supposed to cover the last week of care, I was told I wouldn’t receive my prepaid copay back because I didn’t attend an “exit interview,” which is not stated anywhere in their handbook.
The only positives were the cleanliness of the building and one staff member, Ms. Shawtes, who was genuinely kind. I really liked her and wanted my daughter in her class. She was cool and I could tell she really cared for my kid.
My daughter attended for only two months, and I was relieved to pull her out. The communication, professionalism, and safety practices here are not acceptable for any child care facility. I would not recommend this daycare to any parent. There are far safer, more reliable, and more nurturing environments out there.
I also forgot to add that Children's Den charges scholarship voucher recipients more tuition than kids without the scholarship.