123abc Little Learners' Academy - Manassas Park VA Licensed Child Day Center

After an almost 5 year relationship, we are leaving Little Learner's Academy. Here's why...
On Aug 26, 2016 6:37 PM, "L Newton" wrote:
I was informed by the office at the end of May and in to June that your family was growing increasingly unhappy with the quality of education provided at the daycare. Literally that is what I was told. I was also informed that you and Olga could not reach an agreement on the increase in tuition after Blake left and terms changed and the price rose. We are full in the baby room. I am sorry, but I did not hold your children's spots,because I thought they were not returning.

Lisa A. Newton

Our response:
On Aug 27, 2016 7:35 AM, "Tasheia Watkins" wrote:
Lisa,
I'm not sure where you "heard" this information, but it was neither directly from myself nor my husband. Not at anytime were we asked our opinion of care, by any staff member. Anytime we have been unhappy or concerned with happenings at the center, we have been upfront and forthright in voicing our concerns. We have met with you personally, in the past, and would have done so again had we had any major concerns. Yes, there were instances, directly related to our children, where we spoke with Daila, Tobie and Olga, as needed, but situations were handled mostly to our satisfaction.
Not at any time did Olga speak with me about an increase in tuition nor change in terms/price. She did ask me to sign a summer contract however, after I informed her that the kids would only be there one day, she resigned the need to sign one. Above all, in an email dated December 17, 2014 you stated the following: (copied for your remembrance)

On Dec 17, 2014 10:18 AM, "Lisa Newton" wrote:

I heard! I have a good rate for just this situation: $ 212 per week per baby until through 3 year room. Blake will freeze at his current rate until he graduates. and it will not go up if the rate changes. Keep this email please for your records.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Given your word, in writing, there was no need for me to anticipate a change in terms/nor price.

Having had a decent working partnership with you over almost 5 years, it is very disheartening to be treated so unprofessionally. I'd heard of other parents' mistreatment and unprofessional misgivings about you and/or your business acumen but always supported you, in asking them, to contact you directly. That would have been the least that I would have expected from you, in return...to contact me directly! Especially from one educator to another, having found out that my twin babies have no childcare exactly one week before school beginning and not hearing from you that the contract had been terminated, regardless of your ability to terminate without notice. It would have been the courteous & professional approach.
Tasheia Watkins

So grateful we found such a wonderful daycare/school for our son. We've been there two years now and they've been so wonderful to him and us. Some days I don't know what we would do without them. They truly love their kids as much as the parents.

This daycare has, for the most part, wonderful staff who really care about my child.  However, the director is extremely unethical and often covers up incidents as she doesn't want parents to remove their kids.  Her staff is the most underpaid in the area and that would explain why their is such turnover except for those who don't know where else to go.  The kids have such behavioral issues that are never addressed and some staff are so undertrained and inexperienced in how to properly take care of the kids.  If I didn't love the staff so much this review would be worse.  I would not recommend this place to anyone and I hope the dear staff there look for another job at a place that would appreciate their efforts, train them and pay them fairly.

I never expected that 124abc Little Learner’s Academy would do such a great job of taking care of our child! I am really impressed with the positive changes that have been instilled in my daughter.   Words cannot express how grateful we are to those who have been taking care of our daughter. We think that 123 ABC Little Learners Academy is an excellent preschool.

I enrolled my son here because of its proximity to the VRE, which I take everyday.  I have not regretted making that decision ever since.  My son loves this school, loves his teachers and couldn’t wait to go to school everyday.  I have seen how he has transformed from a shy boy into an independent child.  And their webcam where I can check on my kid anytime is really a big plus.  I highly recommend this daycare.  Thank you Lisa and the team for taking good care of my baby.

I highly recommend this center.  It does not only cater to the individual needs of the children, but it is like a second home where you can be sure your child is well taken care of.  The staff are very professional and the camera that allows you to remotely check on your child online is a big plus. 

Although this is a fairly new facility (opened in Sept 09) that could potentially be a good day care center, the director/owner does NOT know how to run a child care center, and it has been gradually disintegrating over the past year since its opening last year. Her background is in education, but this center is often not run according to guidelines and regulations of the state of VA that child care centers must follow. I personally have called licensing to report problems that were found valid complaints. Children are frequently left out of ratio while staff leaves the room to do things, staff is constantly changing and I don’t think they are qualified or trained correctly when hired. There is a webcam, but not all areas of the center are viewable. In fact, I happened to be looking at the webcam one day and witnessed my child (under 2) being left unattended on top of the changing table while the staff walked several feet away (at least 10ft) to get diapers and wipes! Also, several times my child has had a wet diaper or poop in diaper when I came to pick him up. It appears that some staff are young and not knowledgeable in caring for children. There are times when the diaper wasn’t even put on correctly and was half falling off! Incident reports are not always used (for injuries). Communication is lacking between AM and PM staff and parents. The rooms are constantly being shifted around (at least 4 or 5 times this year), and staff changes occur almost weekly. The only reason I kept my child here so long was because it was close to home and the cheapest part-time rate.

A few months ago, I walked into the toddler room to drop my child off and stopped at the doorway as I clearly witnessed the center director/owner (Lisa) hitting/striking a toddler on the head after that child hit another child on the head!  She did not know I was standing there when she did it, and when confronted, she tried to deny hitting the child and stated she "tapped" him on the head, and was instructed by the child's mother (the toddler room teacher) to discipline in this way! She then called my husband crying and worrying about what such an accusation would do to her career! I was done with this place after this. It’s funny how fake the director and assistant (Carolyn) are to your face but when it comes time they will try to stab you in the back. I have wanted to yank my son from this place for months, but we had a part-time contract that fit our scheduling needs until it terminated. Interestingly, the director decided to NOT extend us another contract for full-time care, stating in a letter “the center does not meet our needs due to us consistently making complaints over the past few months” and refused to speak to us face-to-face like a coward when we asked her why?…My complaints that were always valid and true! There was nothing special or different about my child’s care versus any other child.

Bottom line: if you’re looking for QUALITY child care, this is NOT the place. Pay a little more and go somewhere they have been in business for awhile, where they follow state licensing guidelines, and where there are qualified and knowledgeable staff (there are a few in the same 3 mile radius as this place).