Academy Of Little Explorers - Buxton ME Child Care Facility

I could not be more impressed with this center and the staff. I can tell how much each staff member truly cares for each child and their well being! Every day when I pick my child up from daycare they are happy and having fun! I am so thankful for the amazing communication and tips that the staff are able to give to the parents everyday! Thank you so much Academy Of Little Explorers!

This is not an easy review to write as I don't like downing locally owned businesses, however, something needs to be said. We transitioned to this daycare with high hopes but ended up staying less than a year. What drew us in was the prime location and security of the building. They had been open a short time and I believe they were still in the honeymoon period of operating a new business so of course, everything sounded really good! It kinda just went downhill after a few months. Here were our issues:

*There is a fairly high turnover rate of employees. Some are really nice but do appear to be frustrated and unhappy with how some things are handled. Others will barely talk to the parents. It was uncomfortable to walk in at times and the employees would immediately stop talking. Made me wonder if what they were talking about was appropriate for kids to hear.
*From what I saw was that there was very little to no play interaction from most of the employees with the kids. When I would drop off/pick up, more often than not, employees would be staring at their phones. I specifically asked what the cell phone policy was before enrolling and we were told that all employees were to keep their cell phones in the kitchen during work. This did not seem to happen at all.
*Rate change with poor notification in the middle of the year. And not just a little rate change... it jumped $25.00 a week! $100 a month! This was because they don't charge extra for days school is delayed or cancelled. ... see the next asterisk...
*When first interviewing the daycare, we asked about dependability during delays and school cancellations. We were told they would be open regardless as long as it was within the state requirements. This policy changed without warning and no notification we saw of. New policy: They are closed on days school is closed for the safety of their employees. I can understand the safety of employees... tell them to take their time getting there, pay them extra to be there early... Parents still have to work and need dependable childcare and are paying for such. Rates didn't drop when the policy changed so we were paying a high rate (one of, if not the highest in the area) for subpar dependability and then having to pay even more for a private sitter.
*The Asst. Director's kids also attend however it seemed they did not have the same rules as the other kids which is confusing and upsetting for them in some instances. They appear to lack discipline and respect for other children and adults with saying things like, "This is my mom's daycare! I can do what I want!" I stopped one of the Asst. Director's boys from running out the front door into the parking lot one day as I was leaving to which I was told, "You're not the boss of me!"
*There were several times after snowstorms, that the parking lot was not plowed making it difficult to get in and out. We complained as did a few other parents. The parking lot was a skating rink at one point for a couple of weeks before they finally sanded/salted. These are things that should have been taken care of and planned for prior to snow even flying.
*Lack of follow through surrounding updating the check-in process (despite numerous requests and reminders) and developing a better before/after care program for older kids.

If you are considering using their services as a daycare provider, I encourage you to do your research, ask questions, and document the answers. I really hope they can turn things around in time before it's too late.