Country Day Academy 521 Orangeburg Road, Summerville, SC 29483

"We were so hesitant to have to put our 3 month old in daycare, and honestly we just went with Country Day Academy because they were able to get us off the waitlist the fastest. They have been amazing since day 1. I love the app they use to update you on your baby's day, and the Willow Room teachers are the absolute best! They make me feel comfortable having my son there knowing that they take such good care of him and all the other babies. I also appreciate that they work with me breastfeeding him. I get updated when he eats, and how much. I've been asked to bring more, or provide more ounces if needed, and am just grateful my breastfeeding journey hasn't ended too early, something I was worried about when starting daycare! He has been sick a lot since coming, but that's to be expected of a young child in a new daycare setting, and if he's ever absent for more than a day, I always get a Procare message asking how he's doing! I can't speak to the other age group classes, but hands down the Willow Room teachers have been amazing."

"They close the school all the time and still make you pay"

"BLUF: If your child is not the model of perfect on-time development, this place may not be for you. If you want to breastfeed your child past 12 months, this place may not be for you. I wanted to love this center. On the surface it seems ideal, but our time at this facility was very stressful and problematic. That we are still employed is a miracle with how much time we had to take off for rampant illness, inconsistent sick exclusion policies, or calling us to come get our children for XYZ issue. We had 3 under 3 in this daycare, one of whom was speech delayed. He became frustrated when he couldn’t communicate his needs because he didn’t have the language. He is a movement seeker and at 2 years old was unable to sit still for circle time, stories, or nap time. Instead of providing alternative activities, he was forced to comply which resulted in meltdowns. We were constantly called to pick him up for tantrums. The curriculum is very rigid and the staff is not adequately trained or sufficient in number to support children with special needs. The caregivers are well-intentioned and try their best, but it is evident that they are out of their depth with any child in their room that does not fit the milestone mold. One teacher went out of her way to work with him, but they are discouraged from giving one child too much attention because “the other parents are also paying for X number of teachers.” If ever there was a problem they could no longer tolerate, there was no collaboration. The director or caregivers would devise a solution without our input and impose it on us under threat of being kicked out and forfeiting our deposits rather than involving us in the solution. Caregivers shifted from room to room on a daily basis to cover ratios, which can be very confusing and difficult for a young child when the stand-in adult is unfamiliar with the children in the room. They looked for every reason to send our kids home for as long as possible while still being able to charge us because they lack the staff to comply with state ratios. I was called one morning to come get my son because he had thrown up. DHEC only requires exclusion for vomiting twice in 24 hours or accompanied by fever. When I checked his Procare feed, they fed him 30 min after he vomited. When I asked the assistant director to review the video to confirm he had thrown up, she hung up on me. They made me keep him out for 2 days. They sent home a flyer stating it was a DSS requirement to keep children home after receiving vaccines. This is untrue. I had to stop breastfeeding my twin infants because we were pressured to switch from a bottle to a straw cup and requiring us to thaw the breastmilk at home. They didn’t monitor the breastmilk being provided. I burned through a 400oz freezer stash in a month, much of which went to waste, and I couldn’t keep up my supply. My twins were premature and not cleared to start cow’s milk. Communication was difficult. We were told to use Procare or call to get a hold of them in the classroom if it is urgent. Most times I would not receive a reply until days later if at all. Staff would implement random short-lived methods of communication (newsletters/journals/folders/app announcements/signs posted on the door) that we were required to use, but then the caregivers would not follow through on their end and keep the information flowing. Rather than address parents who are not following protocol directly, staff would send out passive-aggressive messages to all parents and make you question if you had done something wrong. This was our first experience with a daycare, so there were a lot of warning signs I explained away - like overhearing the assistant director offering another parent a credit on their account for a positive Google review (and that parent didn’t take her up on it). As we settle in at our new daycare it is evident how much this facility took advantage of us and preyed on our naïveté. Daycare is expensive and hard to come by, especially for 3 kids, and they used that to their advantage."

"We love the team here at Country Day. Not only do they have amazing curriculum, but they constantly have fun and engaging activities planned. The directors, Kristen and Denora, are responsive, and quick to address any questions we may have. I think that staff turnover can be the norm in this industry, but the directors work hard at finding the best fit for each classroom and to provide consistently for the kids. We have been apart of the center for a little over 3 years now and are thankful to have a safe and fun environment for our little to spend his time away from home in."

"The owners have been wonderful to work with. They do a great job working with our kids. They have a curriculum they use to help our kids early development. This is very important to me. I trust them with my children and definitely recommend them."