La Petite Academy on North Oak Trafficway

"LP There is a review before mine that is spot on. I will try to add to it because not much has changed… in fact I would say things got worse. Price: Our first daughter was at La Petite for almost 2 years. When we toured LP, I was 16 weeks pregnant and tuition at that time was $307 a week. Near the end of our time at La Petite… our daughters new weekly tuition was up to $370 a week! She did turn two which made it drop a little, but then we also had our second daughter attending as well. We wanted to pull the girls out of La Petite because of reasons listed below, but with me being a teacher we just had to make it until May! We had two children in this daycare for less than 3 months. LP was so expensive and unreliable, the last price increase solidified my decision to stay home. Unreliable: -There were 3 different directors while we were at LP and the last one quit right before our last day. The inconsistency of leadership made it difficult to relay important information. -Teachers were quitting like crazy! There were new teachers in and out of rooms all the time and that is so unsettling for a parent. Consistency and routine is very important for children, especially at the early childhood level. -Due to teachers quitting, there was always a staffing shortage. There were weeks where LP would send out daily messages asking for volunteers to keep kids home. If not enough parents volunteered they would close the daycare room! It was so often that I had to worry almost weekly about if I could go to work the next day, or if I needed to make sub plans for my own job. Teachers: Most of the teachers were AMAZING! The teachers are the ONLY reason we stayed as long as we did. There were some teachers that only stayed at LP until their group of kids went on to the next room before quitting. They loved our children so much that they stuck it out for them. I am still in contact with some La Petite teachers, and I am FOREVER grateful that they were a part of my children’s lives. Communication: La Petite switched to the SproutAbout app. The cameras and constant communication is one of the main reasons why our family chose LP. The SproutAbout app was pushed out before it was ready. The app wouldn’t open, the messages wouldn’t send, the cameras wouldn’t work, the details about your child’s day wouldn’t load. There were some moments it worked great and then others it didn’t work all day. The teachers and parents were frustrated. It did start getting somewhat better at the end of our time at La Petite, but was still slow. Safety: For the price of La Petite I was not pleased with some of their safety measures. Examples will not be given for safety reasons. However, I did voice concerns while my children finished out their time at LP. This review was very difficult for me to write. I genuinely adore the staff at La Petite. I hope this review will help make a change! Thank you for your time!"

"Here’s the thing…I struggled with leaving a review but ultimately knew that had I read honest reviews before choosing them, I probably wouldn’t have. I am conflicted because there were positives, but the negatives overshadowed everything. Pros: 1. The teachers are so sweet. There are a couple who will always receive texts and updates. They mattered that much to our family. 2. They have cameras so you can check in on your kiddos. Our son was young when we started and that was pretty important for me. Now that he’s older, I don’t need that, but when he was really young, that made it bearable. Not out of an untrusting space, but for peace of mind and getting to see my kiddo when I was missing him. 3. They communicate well throughout the day and answer your questions and post photos of your kiddo. Now the cons: 1. They were closed SO OFTEN. In the span of being there for only 10 months, I kid you not, our son’s class was canceled upwards of 20 times. That is not an exaggeration. I feel I counted it once and it was at 26. My husband and I both work full time, the cancellations were always last minute and so unpredictable (it was due to weather maybe once; the rest was understaffing, call outs, turnover, or illness without any plan in place for subs). It was highly stressful never knowing if I could take my son or not. Having to scramble last minute for alternate childcare which was not always successful. 2. Unstable staffing. The Director changed 3 times in those 10 months. The teachers were leaving at an alarming rate and while they were discreet, I was told by the two I loved dearly who cared for my son throughout his time, that it was just a toxic workplace. I never needed or was told details, but I could see the sadness on their face. They had reached their limit. I would also try calling and many times no one ever picked up (this was because everyone was trying to cover absent staff). I just lost trust quickly. 3. Cost. It is astronomical. The second highest rate in the region. When that is combined with unpredictability of classes, turnover, internal conflict - it feels even more ridiculous to be charged that price. We had gone into debt by being there, when before entering childcare, we had none. $326 per week. That is inexplicable. (To give you a comparison, we are at a STEM school now that has never canceled classes in years except twice for weather. Twice in YEARS! That school is $245 per week. For a phenomenal curriculum, wonderful facilities, amazing staff, little turnover and subs always standing by.) I just cannot justify the price of La Petite for the lack of stability. 3. Corporate leadership. While I wasn’t told specifics, the alarming turnover was solely because of leadership. Lack of respect or fair treatment for teachers and staff. Overworking with minimal breaks or relief. Inability to retain credible employees, covering their backs, repeatedly saying “we are training more teachers and it will get better” but in 10 months, it only got worse. Asking around, I would learn that similar stories were at all locations. That says something. I sympathized with the staff. Even on-site leadership. They were respectful to parents, kind, tried to be informative but were also “touting party lines they had to”. They were so burnt out, I feel for them and still think of the staff there. I just can’t ignore all the red flags. I believe the only thing that will turn this school as a whole around, is different corporate presence. An overhaul of how they do business, how they treat and train their staff, choosing transparency instead of shady and empty promises. This is not an easy review to write. I am thankful for the teachers and staff who loved on my boy so well. I still speak with two of his who left before we did. They get photos of him and updates and they are part of our lives. I just couldn’t keep my head above water with their cost, their lack of dependability, and the stress of never knowing what would happen in a given day. Please use caution. I hope things have changed already. (We left August, 2022)"

"My son loves this place. He considers the teachers and his friends family. We've been here for almost 2.5 years and I can't imagine him being anywhere else. He's well taken care of and is more than ready for kindergarten (technically he's doing a ton of first grade learning) because of the amazing teachers here. He's had Ms. Becky, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Olivia and Ms. Candace and you just can't get better than that. All of the other teachers that he interacts with are just as fantastic. I recommend this school as often as I can!!"

"Our children attended La Petite from 2012-2015. The only reason our children aren't still attending is because we moved. The management is VERY attentive and willing to hear what you have to say and work with you to resolve any issues. They go above and beyond to help out when they can! The teachers are so caring and really show an interest in each child. Our children bonded with each of their teachers (as did we). The curriculum is great and our girls have benefited greatly from attending. We will miss each and every person! I highly recommend enrolling your kid(s) here!"

"We placed our 17 month old only child at La Petite Academy when I reluctantly went back to work after being a stay at home mom since birth. The location of La Petite worked out excellent for us as we live right behind the facility swaying our decision of day care placement slightly based on convenience alone. But our most important concern, to the best of our ability of course, was to find a daycare that would care for our child as carefully and lovingly as I had been providing her for her whole life. This is hard to access a daycare on these standards by just speaking with the staff but I have to say that of the multiple places that I called I got a warm feeling from La Petite. I trusted my instincts, and although La Petite was the most expensive by far of all of the daycares that I called near our house, we placed her at La Petite. We continue daily to have positive experiences at La Petite two months later through the whole process from the question phase to the reluctant start day for mom as well as through our child's month long illness the staff has continued to impress us with friendliness, kindness, caring, knowledgeable, helpfulness, and overall great attitudes! We are always greeted kindly and hear various stories about our child through all of the teachers there, not just our own. I have not seen one teacher in a bad mood or attitude, and hey I know they all have them too as we are all human, so the fact they can put on a happy face for the children really impresses me. It is very obvious on our child's face how much she enjoys her time there, she smiles from ear to ear when she knows we are pulling into the parking lot in the morning. She is happy to see us at the end of the day, but we can tell that she is still very excited and happy which shows us that she enjoyed herself that day. My mommy nerves settled very quickly after placement knowing my baby, my only baby, is in the best hands possible and that we made the best choice for her. We hope to continue having her at La Petite and look forward to our future relationship! Thank you so much!"