Anonymous
map-marker Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Watch the Video Feed Carefully

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Just a warning to those looking for a daycare: do not send your child to Kiddie Academy North. We were disappointed to discover that the teacher and staff in the one-year old room were poorly trained and unable to meet the needs of the children there. After reading good reviews, we can only guess that others had experiences with different rooms and teachers. The final straw for us was our 20 month old child being made to sit on a chair in time out for 45 minutes, and being forcibly pulled back onto that chair when she tried to get up. We never observed a curriculum or set of activities ever being followed there. If you decide to enroll your child, be sure to watch the camera feed regularly in order to protect your child. #kiddieacademy #kiddieacademynorth #kiddieacademynorthpittsburgh
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Anonymous
map-marker Orlando, Florida

Lack luster

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In a world where there is chick fil a, kiddie Academy is churches chicken.
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Heather G Lah

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Alpharetta, Georgia

Avoid this place

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My son attended Kiddie Academy for nearly two years, in that time he had three different teachers in the 3 year old class and four different teachers in the 4 year old class. The school is poor at communicating as I was not informed of changes in teachers which makes it hard as the children do not get closure. My son went from having three incident reports in nearly two years (for minor injuries he experienced) to one daily for normal child activities like playing in puddles or pulling leaves off a tree. I was at a loss as to why my son was receiving daily reports and, on one occasion I was asked to pick my son up. At first I thought perhaps he was acting out for some reason, but then, upon reflection, realized this began when he was assigned he last teacher. While it is easy to blame the child and label them, this organization needs to look internally at the teacher to determine if perhaps they are not handling the children and/or situations correctly. He did not have these issues with his other teachers. For an organization whose primary purpose is the care of children, their inability (or worse, unwillingness) to self-assess and my belief that my child was no longer welcome caused me to pull my child and place him at another school, where he is thriving. I expressed my concerns to the director who chose not to respond, which tells me that they have no interest in improving their operations. I do want to recognize two of their employees – Ms. Eliza and Ms. Keish. These two ladies went above and beyond to connect with the children and parents. I cannot recommend Kiddie Academy based on my experience. If you have options, I would recommend you seek out another provider to care for your child.
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Pros:
  • Keish
  • Eliza
Cons:
  • Director
  • Lack of training for teachers
  • Owners
Anonymous
map-marker Simpsonville, South Carolina

Use the cameras if you use them

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infant son's first day at KA- He was placed on the floor crying on his back unable to even rollover. I waited and watched him cry. After some time my husband called me and told me to go and get him he had had enough. By the time I stopped working and drove all the way to KA my son was still in the same spot in the floor crying. We decided to let family keep him until he was a year. 2. Not long after he moved into class after infant room, I witnessed a teacher try to force him down on the cot since he was not sleeping and then proceeded to kick the cot out of anger to where his head was inches from hitting the table. Later the teacher continued to yank and jerk the arms of many toddlers including my son to get them to cooperate. 3. My son was left in the next room alone while the class went to the library. The owner told me that the teacher said she counted the kids in the library and went back to realize "it was just -my son's name-." 4. I picked my son up in library with diaper soaked in urine through this clothing. His socks and shoes were literally dripping. This is not an exaggeration. 5. Another teacher my son was left alone while she and the class went to another class to get supplies. 6. I had to call because he was placed with wrong class after leaving soccer shots and no one realized it as time passed. 7. I witnessed another teacher toss a sleeping girl out of her cot onto the floor, and then rip the blanket out from under her as she continued to sleep. 8. This is not even a complete list. There was more than one occasion I left my job early to come pick him up early. Once I was afraid he did not have snack and/or drink on a very hot day. It was confirmed by the teacher at the time as he was not yet use to open cups and the snack provided. 9. He has averaged 3-4 primary teachers (not floaters) in each room. There has been very little consistency in that regards. 10. He was again left alone a classroom while the rest of the K4 class was in the gym with the door closed. Fed up with the halfhearted apologies and denials I informed DSS. They were cited with 2 violations. Do your own research. Go to scchildcare org and search for Kiddie Academy. Google search kiddie academy five forks charged with child abuse. Read the indeed and glassdoor reviews of former employees. There is a systemic problem with the management of this daycare.
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Anonymous
map-marker North Wales, Pennsylvania

THREE year old, kicked out of school

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Let me start this by saying, I am not a person who normally gives reviews unless it is something I feel very strongly about. I struggled with writing this because I do not want to ruffle any feathers, but as a Mother and someone who works in the Educational System, I feel that I would be doing a disservice to not say something regarding Kiddie Academy-Montgomeryville, PA Today, my Three Year Old was “thrown out” of Kiddie Academy of Montgomeryville, PA. Why you ask? That is a wonderful question. The short of it, is that my husband disagreed with the Directors bullying of our child. Here is the long of it: We have had both of our boys at Kiddie Academy. We chose it because it was directly across the street from our home and made the morning commute, a little bit easier. At the time, our oldest, who is now 8, was 5 years old. We put him in the aftercare because our district is ½ day kindergarten and they would bus to and from his school.. There was a teacher in the class who was THE most miserable person, I have ever encountered. She would yell at all the kids and never had a happy word for a single parent who walked in there. I can say this because several of the other parents and myself, have had conversations about her. I was never happier when he began first grade, but was worried because we had another little one who would be eventually be joining her class. We had various discussions with the Directors about this teacher but the fact is, it is hard to find a certified teacher who will teach kindergarten at a daycare and accept the minimal wage, rather than in a district. Therefore, our kids were stuck with her, whether we liked it or not, unless we wanted to remove our kids from the school. My 8 year old, STILL talks about how mean this teacher was. Eventually, it was time for our littlest to start school. He was about a year and a half old when he began. I had witnessed teachers spending their time talking to one another, with their backs turned, while my son climbed on top of the table. I have seen teachers scream at little ones. I have seen them pay more attention for their cell phones, than the children. When he was moved to the twos, I was finally excited. His teacher, Doreen, was an absolute treasure. She was kind and so caring to the children. She really got to know them and their personalities. It was nice to see some consistency because the teachers were there and gone, before you could get to know them. When our youngest was around 3, he moved up. We had another teacher who was very sweet, but she was having some medical issues and was not there all the time. Something that is completely understandable and out of her control. Having various teachers in the classrooms, is difficult for children to understand. 3 is a critical age and when they don’t know who to turn to or who to listen to, it can present a problem. Around that time is when our son, along with the rest of the kids, became, what we like to call, “threenagers.” Some of them were removed from the room for 10 minutes or so,for throwing fits, at various times, including our son. That is where we really became bothered, but summer was coming up and as educators, we would have the summers off and time at home with our kids. Enter this year, he was moved into the 3 ½’s, essentially. They no longer do naps and I walked into the room on many occasions to see this kids sitting and watching an ipad with Peppa Pig on, which is definitely not in the curriculum. Peppa Pig does not demonstrate positive behavior, as it is. The teacher was very sweet, but, what the Director told us, is that she is also very inexperienced. Just what a parent wants to hear. In this class, apparently, our son began to act out. Throw little tantrums etc. He is truly extremely intelligent. I have stated several times that he is not being challenged enough in that class. The teacher told me that he would get upset when he wasn’t able to answer all the questions in class, because he knew them all. One time, I was told by her that she thinks he is too smart for the class, and in the same breath that he was throwing fits that “disrupt the class” and that isn’t fair to the other kids, and that we should take him to see a Doctor. Let me be VERY clear, no preschool worker, especially one who does not have their education or special education degree, has the right to say that to you. In the school system, if a regular teacher even suggested that to a parent, they would be reprimanded to the high heavens and could potentially be out of a job. That teacher is not longer at the school, due to personal circumstances. So, here we are again with shifts in the staff for the kids. Dwight, the director, and Nikki, the Assistant Director, pulled me into the office the one day and told me that they need to come up with a plan because having him walk with them, prevents them from doing the things that they have to do. I told them that I felt as though they were focusing solely on our child and making him out to be a problem child, and that I was not ok with that. Today my husband and I received an email, not a phone call, an email, about our son and the things he “apparently” did. Now, I am the first to ask our kids what they did and discipline them. I am under no false pretense that children do not do things wrong. However, this email was absolutely ridiculous. Saying a multitude of things that our THREE year old allegedly did. Things that he has never once displayed. If he has done something and I ask, he fully admits what happens and explains why he got upset. This time, my husband asked him in front of the Director, if he did these things. The kid had NO IDEA what he was talking about. The email also stated that they have a depletion of staff and, essentially, cannot spend their time with our son if he is upset and that while tantrums are normal, the frequency is not. While speaking with the Director, my husband got very upset because it has, for some time now, seemed like they were picking out or son and trying to make a case to get him to leave the school. I would like to reiterate this, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him, other than the fact that he is intelligent. He doesn’t have an emotional disability. He doesn’t have a learning disability. He is just a normal little boy, being judged by Directors who truly do not have the background to be speaking on such things, we know this because he has stated MANY times, that he does not have an Educational Background or Degree. So, because my husband disagreed with the Director, he told him that my son was not welcome back on Monday. If anyone has any questions, I would be more than happy to send them the emails we have received, displaying the nature of “tattle tailing” and berating a 3 year old. I have forwarded these emails to my coworkers at my district and my husbands district and they cannot believe the nature of what is in them and the way parents are spoken to. Aside from this, the learning program is an absolute joke. The things that are listed on the website, are not, at all, what is done. How they have a Keystone Star, is beyond me. I know the criteria and they do not meet the standards. Their food choices are appalling. Ritz crackers for breakfast? Absolutely not. There are many schools that adhere to the healthy food standards, and this school, does not. Once upon a time, there was Spanish Class. I have not heard my son mention in, in AT LEAST a month. I cannot tell you how many teachers have quit over the past few months. The turnover rate is unlike any I have ever seen in a daycare. Because of that, teachers are out of compliance with the ratios mandated by the state. I have walked into/past classes on several occasions where the two’s were 8 to 1 when they should be 6, or the 3’s were over, rather than 10 to 1. Unfortunately, they do not have certified teachers with 3 year olds. I understand how hard that can be, but the age really does require someone with a degree. It’s such a transitional age for children. Not a deal breaker, but rather a general observation. “Well you could have just found another daycare.” Yes, we could have. However, we are in the process of looking for a new house and did not want to disrupt our youngest, just to be moved again in a few months. Honestly, we were hoping that it would get better and that the issues would resolve themselves, however, they have only gotten worse. I am absolutely beside myself at the way we have been treated and that they threw out a 3 year old CHILD. In the long run, it will be for the best, because he is out of there, but in the short term, it is going to be very difficult. It is going to require days off from our jobs, to find the next place for our son. Doing ultimately the thing that we were hoping to avoid.
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Anonymous
map-marker Erie, Pennsylvania

Kiddie Academy Director Review

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Horrible owner, if you quit he wont pay you! Speaks abour staff with no respect, last doesn't pay the bill as the water was recently shut off hope your babies eat
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Anonymous

Kiddie Academy - North Brunswick

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My son is 4 yrs old.Due to negligence of the staff in this daycare he fell on a class room table and got injured in his forehead.He suffered 2 accidents within a month both in forehead.Please note that for 1st accident I was not informed in any mode until that evening I went to pick my son.When asked why I was not informed, they claimed it's NOT MAJOR! The surprising fact is the Director of the day care is not even aware of any of this accidents.She did not sign the 1st Incident report at all, meaning she is not even aware of the 1st accident, which is a violation of daycare procedure. This shows how the center is organized and responsible when such situations occur. The key highlight its post 3 30 PM (when 2 accidents happened) in the day care - The few staffs who were recently employed to take care of my kid in Pre-K are not experienced, also the staff assistant is a fresh school graduate with no proper training.When approached the management for the accident video, they denied and said there is NO VIDEO RECORDING available. Only Live video option is available. Due to the accident I took my son to his doctor to examine the injury and consultation. Next day after the accident we went in person and they inquired the staff in front of us, it was proven that the staff has violated the rule of classroom by showing some video that was not in schedule for that day. The staff missed to handle or control my kid and allowed the accident to happen. After realizing my kid is not safe in this daycare I wanted to withdraw him from their care. Now the day care is denying to refund 1 week security deposit (which i paid during his enrollment day). I spoke to the day care Director and asked for refund as I can't serve the notice period because the place and few staffs are not safe for my Kid. But they are denying to refund and forcing my kid to serve the notice Period which we are not willing to do. Already we have undergone pain seeing the injury in my kid's forehead, added stress, Personal and work life imbalance during these days by visiting Day Care and Doctor's Office. Its been more than 2 months now still the accident mark is visible in my kids forehead. Kiddie Academy is focusing to STEAL all the parents money to run a daycare business and 100% NOT ABOUT KIDS SAFETY. We parents are thinking that our kids will be safe in daycare and we spend so much for our kids safety and care. But the kids are actually in danger with such irresponsible people around in the name of owning and managing a Daycare.As Money is the motive behind this they can opt any other business which doesn't put any kids life in risk. 1.Child Safety is the lagging in Kiddie academy hence we are forced to take a decision to change the daycare for our Kid. 2.Management person is not being informed about the incidents on regular basis and the Signature is missing in the report. 3.Training nor experience is missing in few Teacher Assistant's in Pre K.It clearly shows that they are current year School graduates and don't have enough maturity to handle kids safely. 4.Teacher Assistant's lag in professionalism in taking care of Pre K Kids. 5.Pre K Teachers Assistants doesn't know the value of the Kid and the responsiblity which is mandatory to work in a Day care. 6.When requested for the Video about the incident it was not shown and was informed its not ususally stored. 7.It clearly shows the lack of communication between the Teacher Assistants and the Management. 8.For Continuous 2 months the kid is getting injured while the Teacher Assistant is present in the class. 9.Finally the kid is blamed for his injury if that's the case then the parent should be called and informed on the appropriate concerns before such accidents happen. 10. They are provoking to do child endangerment on our own kids.
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Gordonsville, Virginia

Kiddie Academy - Director Review from Gordonsville, Virginia

Kiddie Academy, Charlottesville, Virginia. Is poorly owned and directed. For the past three pay periods employee checks have bounced, owner had to come and pay employees in cash. Give checks and employees can't cash them. Why? You ask? Franchise can't meet the pay roll. Employees with direct deposit, accounts frozen. The franchisehas No money, to meet the pay roll. Check out the employee turn over in the past few months. Not good! Children not being properly fed. Portions cut short, watered down soups ect. They, Tom, owner and Pamela Barmore, director. Give Kiddie Academy in Charlottesville, Viginia a terrible Representation. Should not be in operation.
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Collegeville, Pennsylvania

Disappointed from the Beginning

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I was very disappointed from the beginning when I worked at the Kiddie Academy in Collegeville, Pa. I was left alone on my first day with children who have never met me, nor did I have any lesson plans or anything else to provide for the children. A few months down the road my co-worker also slapped one of the children, and rather investigate it, they "spoke" to her and sent her back to be my assistant. I reported the incident as I'm suppose to for a mandated reporter but unfortunately nothing could be done because the child was too young to tell what happened. So it was my word against hers, and even though they have cameras in the rooms, nothing was done about it. Their sanitizing routine was non existent since rooms at a time would be ill, including numerous accounts of pink eye, and hand, foot, and mouth disease. My daughter ended up getting Fifth's disease and was sick for a whole week because of it. Parents were allowed to bring their children in medicated and as soon as the medication would ware off another dosage was given to keep fevers down. As a child care provider you are suppose to be teaching as well protecting the children from any dangers including illnesses and diseases. The children at this center were also out of control, and the staff did nothing about it because they would rather chit chat in the hallway, or be too busy on their cell phones. Sorry but if my child is left in your care, you better be watching her!
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Cons:
  • Treatment of the children
Reason of review:
Bad quality
Anonymous
map-marker Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Kiddie Academy - Careless School Management Review from Port Saint Lucie, Florida

My son fell and broke his arm in 2 places! (Port St. Lucie, Florida) The teachers knew nothing about this event. Not even the director had no clue! I waited 5 days for a bogus incident report. We pulled him right out of that school. They never called us to even see how my son was doing. Never offered to pay any medical bills either, but had the nerve to say we still owed them tuition. We sued them and getting our just due! Did I mention that Kiddie Academy just filed for Chapter 11?
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Anonymous
map-marker Topeka, Kansas

Poor management

The owner has poor people skills. She speaks to employees with a very sarcastic tone. The owner and director tell the parents that if their child/ren need a special diet due to allergies or religious beliefs, then they need to supply the food for them. Kiddie Academy's employee training states that no outside food is to be brought in. The school is to supply all food. Kiddie Academy of North Phoenix allows nut products in the classroom showing that they do not take allergies seriously. The owner also orders food from Costco which includes cases of Coke and Diet Coke for herself and the director. The parents do not realize that this is included in the cost. Tuition fees help pay the bills. Parents should not have to pay for soda for the staff.
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Issaac Ptw
map-marker Buayan, General Santos

Under Staffed and the kids are paying the price!!!

RIPOFF Kiddie Academy of Warminster, PA; 260 Veterans Way, Warminster, PA 18974; my child has to wait for a TSS worker to return to school due to ""behavior issues"".... So i took a leave from work and joined the class he was in for about a month.... During this period the 5 year old room held the four and five, and sometimes had to be brought into the 3 year old room due to lack of staff... the kids are paying the price and not getting the proper care.... it is a shame and the only way it can be changed is if more parents are aware COMPLAIN.... please parents use the web cams and see what is really taking place..... example the ""bus driver"" mind you he has no teaching experience is watching the kids when the teachers call out and leave early.... and when employees call to ask if they come in they are told NO, they are not needed! Company Email Address: warminster@***.net
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Anonymous
map-marker Allentown, Pennsylvania

Kiddie academy in horsham

When I first came into this daycare it was clean , big and the staff seemed nice, I immediately enrolled my child and didn't even go to my other scheduled daycare's because I thought I knew this was the one. However, I noticed quite a few things that I would like to share with fellow parents. One being some of the teachers talk ride to the kids I heard one teacher tell another little girl, " Why is it so hard for you to listen do you understand now!" I was horrified and hear other sly comments to other kids that I didn't think was too appropriate. I would caring my face at this letting her know i can hear it and the teacher would not blink twice as if she did nothing wrong. Also one day I went to pick up my daughter and instead of saying bye the teacher reprimanded her about her behavior in class when i asked what she did she say she wasn't listening today- I wanted detail so I can punish or talk to my daughter effectively and instead the teacher felt it was her place to talk to my daughter when I go to pick her up instead of talk to me. Next this daycare has no regards or cares for bruises on the child my child had a bruise on her face when I asked about it they shrugged it off and said they don't know what happened they didn't see anything. They didn't care or apologize at all. Most parents as myself would like an explanation on why there's bruises on there child major ones anyway. Lastly this facility has a teacher in service day or day's, where the parent has to either call out of work or find a sitter for the day because this is not a holiday or any legal day where there is no work so inconveniently the parents have to find sitters or call out of work as myself had to. Day cares should be convenient and parents should not pay this much money just to have early day pickups on days before or after holidays, or days off that aren't calendar holidays for the teachers to prepare curriculum for toddlers and babies. I would NOT recommend this daycare to any parents. Yes the may seem high tech, provide lunch, and very in demand but there's other day cares with lower prices, just as much learning and more parent friendly. Weigh you options thoroughly!
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2 comments
Guest

I disagree with this poorly written review entirely. I've had 2 children through Kiddie Academy of Horsham and currently have my 3rd enrolled.

5-stars as far as I'm concerned.

I will admit the in-service days are inconvenient. The people are great and always professional.

Guest

I can't take a review that has major grammar and punctuation errors seriously.

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Anonymous
map-marker Rochester, New York

Things need to change at Kiddie Academy

Kiddie Academy of simpsonville sc bump children all day and are over ratio a lot of the time. The end of the day is the worst. The owners kids are allowed to do whatever they want. They call the office if they are told no to get their way. They also hurt other kids and nothing is done my mangement. They get awesome teachers to come in but they leave in just a few short months, because they can't handle the *** there. In 4 months I saw 8 teachers leave. Not an ideal place for a child to be taking care of.
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1 comment
Guest

Things haven't changed. My infant son's first day at KA- He was placed on the floor crying on his back unable to even rollover.

I waited and watched him cry. After some time my husband called me and told me to go and get him he had had enough. By the time I stopped working and drove all the way to KA my son was still in the same spot in the floor crying. We decided to let family keep him until he was a year.2.

Not long after he moved into class after infant room, I witnessed a teacher try to force him down on the cot since he was not sleeping and then proceeded to kick the cot out of anger to where his head was inches from hitting the table. Later the teacher continued to yank and jerk the arms of many toddlers including my son to get them to cooperate.3. My son was left in the next room alone while the class went to the library. The owner told me that the teacher said she counted the kids in the library and went back to realize "it was just -my son's name-."4.

I picked my son up in library with diaper soaked in urine through this clothing. His socks and shoes were literally dripping. This is not an exaggeration.5. Another teacher my son was left alone while she and the class went to another class to get supplies.6.

I had to call because he was placed with wrong class after leaving soccer shots and no one realized it as time passed.7. I witnessed another teacher toss a sleeping girl out of her cot onto the floor, and then rip the blanket out from under her as she continued to sleep.8. This is not even a complete list. There was more than one occasion I left my job early to come pick him up early.

Once I was afraid he did not have snack and/or drink on a very hot day. It was confirmed by the teacher at the time as he was not yet use to open cups and the snack provided.9. He has averaged 3-4 primary teachers (not floaters) in each room. There has been very little consistency in that regards.10.

He was again left alone a classroom while the rest of the K4 class was in the gym with the door closed. Fed up with the halfhearted apologies and denials I informed DSS. They were cited with 2 violations.Do your own research. Go to scchildcare org and search for Kiddie Academy.

Google search kiddie academy five forks charged with child abuse.

Read the employee reviews on indeed and glassdoor. There is a systemic problem with the management of this daycare.

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