Description: Frequently called “downtown Jacksonville’s best-kept secretâ€, The Salvation Army Child Development Center has been providing excellent care and school-readiness programming for children from six weeks to 12 years of age since 1998. Located at the corner of Ocean and Monroe Streets in revitalized downtown Jacksonville, our modern two-story facility boasts a sunny-but-safe outdoor playground, specialized classroom spaces for children of different ages, and well-trained, fun-loving teachers who take seriously your decision to entrust your children to our care. Our well-rounded program includes a developmentally appropriate Christian learning curriculum, creative opportunities in music and art, monthly field trips and nutritious meals and snacks. The Salvation Army Child Development Center is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families and has the prestigious 5-star facility rating, awarded by the Guiding Stars program. One of just a handful of 5-star facilities in Northeast Florida, our Center is devoted to excellence in all aspects of its programs, from cleanliness to esteem-building to a strong emphasis on school readiness. The Center features a “print-rich†environment, reinforcing literacy skills both passively and with compelling, colorful activities.The teachers and assistants in our Center hold credentials in childcare, and we have some on staff with four year degrees. Since the safety of your children is paramount to us, our staff is certified in First Aid and CPR.
Where possible, ChildcareCenter provides inspection reports as a service to families. This information is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed. We encourage families to contact the daycare provider directly with any questions or concerns, as the provider may have already addressed some or all issues. Reports can also be verified with your local daycare licensing office.
| Report Date |
|---|
| 2020-02-12 |
| 2019-10-21 |
| 2019-07-01 |
| 2019-02-04 |
| 2018-10-22 |
| 2018-06-05 |
| 2018-06-01 |
| 2018-02-23 |
| 2018-02-08 |
| 2017-10-18 |
| 2017-05-31 |
| 2017-01-25 |
If you are a provider and you believe any information is incorrect, please contact us. We will research your concern and make corrections accordingly.
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Here's an honest review, you should really think twice about signing up your kids here. Honestly, the Guild 5 stars had us, plus the name recognition of the Salavation Army had us sold. After, our initial visit we placed both our daughters there. Very quickly it went downhill. For one, our 3 year old who's never been in daycare ever, had been potty trained at home and had 2 accidents at daycare her first 3 days. Without consulting me or my wife at all, a letter was sent home to us stating that our 3 year old will be in a 2 year old class to better serve her. We expressed our displeasure for not being notified and asked to give our 3year old a second chance because she's probably was nervous,we were only met with no. When asked how long she would be with two year olds we were told as short as a week, which was also not true. When we picked her up the next day, we asked the teacher if she had any accidents the teacher replied she hadn't went to the bathroom all day. We dropped our daughter off at 8am and picked her up at 6pm and the teacher stated she hadn't gone to the bathroom all day, yet my daughter smelled with a heavy odor of urine.
Secondly, one day my wife was running a few minutes behind and dropped our daughter at 9:05am, the director told her the child will not be accepted because she's 5mins late. Please keep in mind, when we did the tour the director stated the children needed to be here by 9am for head count so the cook knows how much food to serve. It was never stated specifically to us that if we're not inside by 9am the child won't enter, not even a warning for our first time. She was turned away.
Also, the teaching staff is not very inviting or kind "after" you've signed up with them at all. After my daughter smelled like heavy urine we decided to make multiple daily visits to check on them and found that in the 3 year old class there was mostly only one teacher, yet they stated there's always two. The always had a classic excuse why they were a teacher short.
After these issues we started looking elsewhere in the area because of our needs, the two best we found were Chappelle School at Fscj and First Baptist Academy, both 5 star day cares. After touring both of them the thing that stood out to us "immediately" was how happy the kids were at the other schools. Not to say that weren't happy at the Salvation Army, but it was convincingly clear the kids were happier at the others. We felt First Baptist Academy was the best between the two but they didn't have any room left so we gladly settled with the Chappelle School downtown where it feels like we're leaving the kids at their grandmas house. The curriculum is up to par, it's a 5 star program and we're all on the same page together. I'm only leaving this review because I know how scary and difficult it is to blindly leave your child with a stranger, it's very scary, but I can vouch the Chappelle School is awesome. I hope this reaches someone and you can take it for what it's worth. Lastly, WHOEVER you choose, and I know it's difficult, but go unexpectedly and visit your child care provider numerous times within a week or two and that'll tell you all you need to know. It doesn't take a lot to find out what's really going on and your child will thank you for it.
Take care