Berkley KinderCare

"***If you take anything from this review, know that I pulled both my toddler (who had been with the center since opening day in 2021) and my infant with NO future care set up. With infant waitlists YEARS long in the area, I opted for no childcare, that is how unsafe things are here.*** ALSO OF NOTE: THIS CENTER IS ON A PROVISIONAL LICENSE WITH THE STATE OF MICHIGAN FOR NUMEROUS CONFIRMED CHILDCARE VIOLATIONS. That essentially means a suspended license. These reports are available for public access via LARA. We started with our oldest immediately when the center opened. We absolutely loved it and with little local family support, the management, teachers, and families were truly our village. In February 2023, new center management, Sarah (LaQuante) and Pam, took over and things rapidly went downhill. Both of my children have severe food allergies. My youngest had multiple exposures to his food allergens requiring medication administration (contact and being fed them) and my oldest son was fed one of his anaphylactic allergens at lunch. He was fed this in the center lunch right before naptime and THANK GOD only reacted with vomiting and diarrhea. If he would have stopped breathing or gone into further anaphylactic shock during naptime, my child could have been dead. After all of the incidents with their allergies, the center was then found in violation for improper medication storage of their lifesaving epipens and antihistamines. I went to double check my sons emergency pack and they had removed and split his medications with ZERO communication. My husband and I also witnessed a new staff member forcefully grab and pull a student in my sons class. After an “internal investigation” was done by the District Manager, Aubree, we were told the staff member “showed promise” and would not be left in single ratio scenarios with students. I then personally witnessed this individual in single ratio situations with students. I reported this to Aubree and received no response from her. Staff and other parents have also reported issues with ratio at this center MULTIPLE times over safety concerns. There was also a violation for students being left unattended in my sons classroom when one of the parents discovered 4 students left with no teacher when he was dropping off his son. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. The staff turnover at the center was also unreal. Classroom closures had been mandated weekly due to staffing issues. So not only was there inconsistency in care for working parents, but also a concerning inconsistency in who was caring for the children. The way we have since found out staff members were being treated is upsetting. But, was senior management aware of this you may ask? The number of times myself and other parents were in contact with the District Leader, Aubree Marino, and Regional Manager, Dada London, regarding safety concerns are too numerous to count. At this point, even if center management was no longer there, I would STILL tell you to avoid this place at all costs. Senior management is FULLY aware of all of these dangerous events and violations with no visible recourse or changes. My son has since started a new facility that is phenomenal. I kid you not when I say nearly HALF of his previous class of 20 kids from Berkley KinderCare are at the new center in his class, plus many of the amazing teachers who left. This is not counting the numerous other former students/parents who were not in his class that we run into on a daily basis at his new daycare. Believe me when I say that the negative reviews on this center are not from “disgruntled staff” but parents like myself trying to warn others. If you value your child’s safety and well-being, do yourself a favor and look at other facilities. You and your children deserve so much better."

"A majority of the reviews are posted by ex-staff (using fake names and accounts - I would be weary to hire those involved, so check resumes!) in an attempt to sabotage the center. We are incredibly disappointed in the individuals looking to defame, discredit the daycare and they should be ashamed of themselves for retaliating in such an immature way versus staying at the center and being a part of the change. We support our teachers and the center staff! Our daughter is now attending and we are impressed by the staff in the infant rooms. Each child has a separate crib cubby, the teachers are wonderful with her care, drop offs are easy since we are not required to bring diapers, wipes, etc. Our son LOVES Berkley KinderCare! We have had such a great experience with the teachers, staff, and love that the new facility has a gym for the kids to run around on rainy / cold days, the rooms are equipped with kid size toilets awesome for potty training, the app gives me assurance to throughout the day to see what my son and his friends are up to - and the facility literally provides everything (wipes, diapers, food, sheets, etc). We love KinderCare!"

"We have been attending since the center opened! Great daycare for our children...we have loved our time there. The indoor gym, astroturf playground and the water days are great! The staff is welcoming, they are always very happy when they see us, they give us feedback daily using the app. Our kids are always excited to see their teachers and our toddler talks about things he is learning quite often. While management has changed since it opened, the staff seems to have now gotten on a great rhythm. We love Ms. Sarah, Ms. Gabbi, Ms. Payton, Ms. Jada, Ms. Chelsea, Ms. Brecia, Ms. Audry, and so many others!!"

"KinderCare Berkley is a wonderful daycare. My son has aged out but had a wonderful experience and is excelling in elementary school now. My daughter is in preK now and has THE BEST teacher who is welcoming and really cares about each and every one of her students. The director is kind and caring and we are very happy with care we have received."

"Please for the healthy and safety of your child, do not bring them here. Neither the center director, Sarah, nor her assistant, Pam, should have careers working with children. You’d never be able to guess that they are both mothers, as they lack essential qualities of empathy and overall humanity. I do not feel comfortable leaving my child somewhere management does not bother to introduce herself to me or take the time to learn my child’s name. Clearly I am not the only one feeling this way as I scroll through the numerous 1 star reviews. It truly baffles me that KinderCare has not addressed the elephant in the room of new management. Yikes!"