East Cedar Rapids KinderCare 5351 North Park Place Northeast, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

"This is a fairly new center for my daughter and we have loved it here. She is always excited and happy to go to daycare and always comes home with stories about her day. Staff is also always so easy to talk with."

"Beyond frustrated with this center. I feel like the kids are not being watched properly. There are half walls between each room. I have continuously watched staff on the tablet, on the counter with back to the kids...a room full of 2 year olds. More than once at drop off I stood and wait to see staff...they EVENTUALLY come out of bathroom with a kid. There needs to be a better way to CONTINUOUSLY watch the kids. THEY ARE 2 My child has been bit more times than I can count and many of those have been serious bites. I feel like it is the same few kids and it never gets addressed properly. So many times I dred dropping mine off as I don't feel she is safe. Next week we start a different location. I am scared that the same practices will take place. I have watched the staff socializing with one another instead of giving children their full attention. Sitting outside with backs to the kids, etc. I have addressed my concerns with staff and the center director. Not once have I felt like any changes were implemented. There recently have been new staff and some of those have been great. Hopefully they don't pick up the bad habits of older staff. If you want to feel like your kids are safe and properly supervised this is not the center for you. Highlight of this center would definitely be the baby room. Those staff are exceptional and that is why I gave 3 stars and not 2"

"My son and daughter just started here at the beginning of the month. My daughter who is almost 3 has never been in a structured center like this and loves it. Shes making friends and learning so much. each morning she asks me "I go to school mommy?" which tells me how much she enjoys it. And my son whos now 7 months loves it as well. we walk into the infant part and hes see his teachers and reaches for them. hes made connections and its good for them and they learn so much. The staff is friendly and caring people. you can tell they enjoy what they do."

"I started taking my daughter to this Kindercare when she was about 6 months old. She is now 17 months and I love the decision that I made! The staff are wonderful and they are all so kind! I can tell my daughter has a great time because she likes going in and I always see her sitting in the teacher's lap when I'm picking her up. She only does that with people she really likes. I'm always getting artwork and pictures from the center and they always tell me what she does everyday. At 17 months, she already knows so many words and can easily communicate with me what she wants. She also has been taught some sign language, they are working on teaching Spanish, and many other things that I don't think I could have taught her on my own! It's nice knowing that I can work full time and feel comforted that she is both being watched in great hands and is learning so many things. Another wonderful thing that meant a lot to me is the advice they have given me! I am a first time mother with no experience with babies and when she had bad rashes or felt upset, the caretakers would give me advice on things I could try at home. It was nice knowing that I could get help with questions that I had right from her caretakers. East side Kindercare is a wonderful place. Laura and the staff are all so kind and caring, I wouldn't switch child cares for anything."

"We love KinderCare! My kids having been going since they were around 12 weeks old. My oldest is in Discovery Preschool and has learned so much. She loves staying busy all day with fun and educational activities and looks forward to going every day. My youngest is in the infant room and I am already being sent home with artwork that she has made. They also go through the effort to take the babies outside to get some fresh air in the shade, which I love. The communication between the staff and parents is great. When I pick my kids up they tell me if they had a good day then I get a daily sheet of all the activities, food, nap and diaper/potty times. Also, each week I get an email about specific activities they did relating to the unit they are in. The best part about KinderCare are their teachers. They truly care about my kids. Almost every teacher has had years of experience in child care. It means so much to me that I can trust these people with the care of my children while I am away from them. I also love that they support my parenting choices and the needs of my child. Not all centers are supportive or understanding of breastfeeding and cloth diapering so it really means a lot to me that accommodate our needs. I could go on all day about how much I love KinderCare!"