Kids Village-Sanford/ Lake Mary

"Awesome school with great curriculum! Dedicated teachers & an amazing Director and Assistant Director who love and care for the kids! Best school around the area!"

"To the Owner of Kid’s Village – Lake Mary: I am the father of two children who were enrolled at your daycare from August until December 2022. Neither will return to your establishment, nor will the child of anyone who asks my opinion. I will explain my position. First though, let me praise Amber, who works in your 1-yr-old room. While I have no stellar opinion of the young ladies who assist in that room, Amber always came across as a compassionate and attentive teacher, and my son adored her. Kudos to you for that hire; Amber is wonderful. Much of our discomfort stemmed from the 3-yr-old class and teacher. There is an apparent lack of attention, compassion, patience, and accountability from this teacher. At various times my wife or I arrived to pick up the kids and found no teacher in the 3-yr-old class at all, found the teacher in the classroom but buried in her phone with ear buds in both ears, and have seen the teacher with children on the playground while she was at the back fence chatting with constructions workers in the adjacent lot. Earlier in their enrollment, the 3-yr-old would report having been in trouble for having a potty accident. Mind you, we sent pull-ups with her every day for nap time, but they were rarely if ever used for that. Instead, she would come home wearing a pull-up after having been scolded for having an accident, often at nap time. Later on, she reported that her teacher told her she could not go use the bathroom. Listen, I understand the frustration of taking a toddler to the bathroom 10 times in 15 minutes, but denying this only creates a compounded problem. Toward the end of her enrollment, we were either arriving to pick her up and discovering that she had had an accident that she had not reported for fear of being scolded, or she was having accidents on the way home because she had not asked to go the bathroom for fear of being told “no”. The lack of attention and compassion in the 3-yr-old class culminated twice in the form of physical injuries, neither of which were reported to us at the time. Twice, my child came home with bite marks on her arm. And twice, my child was the one who told us about it. The first time, the incident had been reported internally but we were not provided with an incident report to sign until the next day (after we asked about the bite mark and why was it was not reported). The second incident had not been reported, and when I asked the director about the incident I was dismissed immediately. I was told that she was not surprised; she said that one child “was on a rampage yesterday”. I still have not seen or signed an incident report for the second bite. At the root, there is a huge culture problem inside Kid’s Village – Lake Mary, starting at the top. Certain behaviors are either allowed or condoned that are both unprofessional and inconducive to maintaining a safe and positive learning environment. My wife and I have witnessed teachers yelling at each other in front of children on more than one occasion. We have also witnessed teachers yelling at children – not speaking sternly, but yelling inside the office so loudly that it was audible outside the building. This is unacceptable and a symptom of an incompetent culture. Considering these events, coupled with the flippant and dismissive attitude toward injuries, my wife and I have decided that it would be irresponsible of us to keep our children enrolled at Kid’s Village – Lake Mary. I am not communicating this as any kind of threat or ultimatum. Rest assured that I am not seeking any form of compensation for anguish or injuries. Although, I hope my words are not in vain. I hope, for all the other children’s sakes, that immediate steps are taken to improve the culture and accountability at Kid’s Village – Lake Mary. You are touching impressionable minds every day – and that needs to be the top priority, always."

"As long as you follow the rules and pay attention to the information that's printed and posted on their entrance you'll never have an issue. I have not had a problem with this company since my child has been going there since the beginning of 2022. Some stuff for okay, the director is very straight cut and honest with you"

"Thank you Kids Village. You have truly made a difference. From the beginning you welcomed my son in. Always engaging and keeping clear communication with our supporting family. Together we were able to improve and work on my son's behavior. Receiving today's compliment that my son has made a 360 change means so much. Thank you again to all teachers/staff. It really does take a village to help a child succeed and function accordingly. We will be back for the summer!"

"My child was enrolled here for 3 months, and in those 3 months she was bullied by the same 2 kids and no actions were taken by the facility. In the Procare app that they use, my messages were hardly ever addressed. The situations at school were never brought to my attention by the teachers or the director. I wouldn’t know something happened until my child told me once we got home. The staff never wears their masks above their noses. Every afternoon at pick up, the children were not being diligently watched by the teacher, they were usually texting or sweeping the other side of the room. In their tour they specified that all age groups would be separated to prevent the spreading of germs, but they were always together for breakfast, I assume lunch, and in the afternoon. I’ve submitted a complaint to DCF to further investigate the school. The only other review on here which was 5 stars was written by the director herself. The cheap price reflects the cheap care you’ll receive here. Pay better money to have your child taken care of by a more professional team."