Kiddie Academy of Ellicott City

"My daughter was enrolled at Kiddie Academy from ~20 months until ~3 years old. There are some great things about it and also some things that really need some work/attention. Pros: -very loving and committed main teachers- we had really great experiences with several teachers that my daughter had- they were loving and caring and seemed really committed to the kids -all the main teachers in the school and the admin staff knew my daughter and most knew us even if they hadn't directly cared for her -the food was really wonderful and a huge burden off of us as parents -they arranged some really nice activities for the kids/parents for things like Christmas, Mother's Day, etc -nice facility- was generally clean and nicely kept, cute decorations/crafts around Cons: -cost is significantly higher now than surrounding centers and the bump in cost happened without much of a heads up -the activities/curriculum were less creative than I would have liked- they did a TON of worksheets each day in the 2-2.5yo classroom which felt repetitive and a little unnecessary to me -the main issue we had was a total lack of transparency with parents- examples: they decided to change the opening/closing times of the school with 2 weeks notice to parents and the reasons for doing so were extremely unclear and frankly dishonest at times (they ended up rescinding this decision after parental pushback), admin refused to provide/post names of the helping teachers/aides that were in my daughter's classroom stating that it was for the privacy of the teachers/aides (in my opinion, that level of privacy is not appropriate when you're caring for my child- I only asked for first names to go with faces), the sudden increase in cost with very little notice, moving kids to other classes during the day without informing parents and telling teachers not to photograph them during those times -I'm a Pediatrician and felt that there were a few times that I noted safety concerns that I thought reflected overall poor judgement- examples: whole grapes fed to 2 and 3 year olds, loose tiny magnets in the classrooms with young toddlers, babies propped on boppy pillows or with bottles propped in their mouths Overall, we loved several of our daughter's teachers so much that I'm sad to write this review but want to provide honesty to other parents looking at this center and others in the area. At the end of our time there, I unfortunately couldn't trust the owners/management and that was a deal-breaker for me and my family. I also was bothered by the fact that there were occasional incentives for leaving reviews which I think is why there are so many 5 star reviews personally."

"Could not be happier with our decision to go with Kiddie Academy of Ellicott City! The staff is incredible! the teachers are so sweet, energetic and very patient with the kids. They follow the education curriculum and our little one is learning so much there. Lots! of updates throughout the day through the app. Special thank you for the 2's class teachers, they are exceptional! Management is very kind and communicates very well. The facility is extremely clean and the weekly food options are excellent and healthy! Overall, we feel like we were accepted to the KAEC family and cant thank everyone enough for what they do every day with so much care and love!"

"Could not have imagined a better place to send our child! The teachers and staff are the most caring, genuine, loving people and treat all of the children like their own. It’s more of a local community family type feel compared to many of the other daycare providers I’ve seen which feels more corporate. Every morning and afternoon the staff welcomes us into the doors with a smile and friendly face. They knew all of our names on day 1. Just one small example of how they make us feel special and comfortable."

"My son Kevin has been in KA Ellicott City since 2019. He enjoyed every day there with the teachers and all his friends. Everyone in the facility is nice and friendly. He learned so many things to be ready for his coming kindergarten school. We would like to thank all of the teachers and staff at KA Ellicott City for their efforts and supports during the pandemic!"

"I am a children’s performer (ventrilloquist/songwriter/comedian) and I visit at least 40 pre-schools each year. The teachers at Kiddie Academy of Ellicott City are well educated, caring, organized, polite, and gentle. How do I know? Because the children in the audience were excellent listeners and singers, and happily took part in every song or dance without getting out of hand at all. Also, the teachers listened to the program and did not talk during my presentation. They were excellent role models for the children. Your children are in good hands!"