La Petite Academy of Grafton

"I wish I could give this daycare a good review, but I really can’t. The director is great, but the staff is simply too inexperienced to handle children that are not perfect. Over the time that our son was there, we had to speak to staff about not picking up our child and dropping him on the mats when they were trying to get him to nap. He came home often with bruises and bumps from interactions with other children. Because our son was late potty training, he ended up under intervention, despite the fact his pediatrician said that it was developmentally appropriate for him to not be ready potty train at three years old. We got our son potty trained but, after he moved from twos to preschool, he ended up disenrolled. He came home even more often with injuries, including being bitten and would say that other children hurt him. He would struggle with social situations and, when we requested that the teachers coach him on how to interact with other children since he was an only child, we were told that they didn’t have time to do this. I watched on the cameras as a child kicked three children including my son. When one of the children said something to the assistant director, she did nothing. When I said something to her at pickup, she said that the child who was kicked last just liked to cause trouble. Another time I saw a boy put my son in an headlock and drag him to the ground. After a while, our son began hitting the teachers, at which point, he was put on intervention again. His behavior changed significantly and he became very resistant to school. He would cry every day when we got him up because he didn’t want to go. We took our son to a therapist who diagnosed him with ADHD/autism. We provided a letter from the therapist stating that he was under her care for a disability. The daycare continued the intervention and I even called their corporate office. The district manager refused to stop the disenrollment. Our son is at a new daycare now and his behavior has changed dramatically. While we do still have some challenges with his disability, our son’s behavior is much better and he is much happier. Looking back, I would not have sent my son to La Petite. They do not spend enough time focusing on children’s emotional and social development. The staff is also inexperienced at dealing with children with disabilities. They focus too much on making sure that children meet the prescribed milestones, instead of focusing on helping each child work on their individual weaknesses and working with their strengths. They have a very relaxed mentality on children hurting each other, which is extremely toxic."

"The teachers at this facility are lazy and have no true interest with these precious little lives. You see them on camera and they will not even go to a child if there is an issue. It appears they just want a pay check and the day to be over. They have no concept of how to manage or to communicate with pre k children. Why children do things and their curiosity with objects. They do not take the time to listen to what a child is saying. You see them sit on a chair and not get up, or will enter that the child has finished a meal or task. You look on the camera and the child is not finished. Do not send you precious child here. They are not trained for child care. I know there is a shortage of daycares out there. But weigh this decision carefully before sending your child"

"I am very disappointed with my experience with La Petite Academy. I called the customer service line and spoke with Walley who was very friendly. I explained what I am looking for (drop-in care) he suggested locations that offer this service as well as have space available. He proceeded to make me a virtual appointment for 10am (Aug 15th) the following day. When my appointment came no one showed up for the virtual appointment. This location is 2 minutes from my home so I stopped by and informed the worker (possibly Courtney or Jessica) that I had a virtual appointment that no one showed up for. She expressed little empathy and explained she can't do a tour now because she is doing employee training. She did not offer to schedule another tour for a different time. Her energy was rushed (as she did not have 5min to spare), therefore I quickly explained what I was told over the phone. She informed me they do not offer drop in care. They do not have space right now until the end of the month and its first come first serve for full-time care only. I grabbed my own brochure and she handed me a bag and said it has cool shades in it. The "national customer service line" is misinformed and clearly not connected to the locations themselves. The specials Walley offered were not really applicable for this location. She informed me the waived registration fee offer is not waived (you still pay) and it is applied to your account. She also informed me the free day is not offered either. This establishment and their sister daycares do not have good reviews. I tried La Petite in Hampton many years ago for my first born and had a terrible experience with how they did not provide quality care for my 2 year old. I thought I would try them once more in a different location but I am left disappointed again (fool me once, twice, I am done). I will not leave my child, give my business, or my time to this company ever again. Good luck and prayers to whoever else chooses to."

"Love this school!! We've had a fantastic experience so far. Our daughter is so happy here :)"

"A little disappointed with a call I just received from the school. Honestly I get that you’ve just opened and have been trying to reach us, but in no way is it appropriate to lead the conversation with “we just want to know so we can take him off our waitlist there’s other kids who need to come in.” No questions to the effect of - is everything ok, baby ok? We noticed we didn’t hear from you (and you paid your $135 waitlist fee). Wow! For the record, my baby hasn’t been feeling well, I have had Covid and was quarantining, so my apologies for now not bringing him to your facility or not being able to return calls when I had Covid and had lost my voice. Still trying to catch up. Clearly customer service skills are definitely needed. Disappointing."