DayCare for a Family in Lake Grove (Smithtown, Holbrook: day care, school)

[LIhereIcome]

Hi, I'm considering moving to Lake Grove with my hubby and 2 kids (infant and toddler). Currently I have the kids in a top notch DayCare/School in Jersey City and am hoping to get a sense of who's the best, who's overrated, who's most expensive and worth it (or not worth it), etc. Feeling sure my kids are in good care while I'm working is so important that its a deal breaker on moving to Lake Grove area. For some chains like Tutor Time, or Kinder Care also, does it make a difference where they are (Smithtown vs Centereach, etc)?

Thanks in advance!

[villager-li]

I looked at a few places in the area, although my wife and I eventually decided not to go the day care route. The one place I would highly recommend you avoid is Tutor Time in Ronkonkoma (by the railroad station) - this place is not run well, I will leave it at that. We went to 2 Learning Experiences as well, one in Stony Brook (Hallock Road) and one in Centereach (Holbrook Road). We liked the one in Centereach, but it was not open for business yet (they are now). The people running the place seemed good and the prices were good (they were trying to attract new customers). While I can't vouch for how good the place is, I would recommend that you check it out.

[amoret68]

Chain daycare facilities are independently owned and operated and the quality does vary significantly.

After looking at a couple of places on the north shore, I decided that the only place I could leave my daughter was Stony Brook Childcare (it's a non-profit, so I'm putting in the link):

Stony Brook University Child Care Services, Inc.

The website doesn't do it justice. It has a top-notch physical facility, which was built in 2001 (they were previously in a much smaller facility). The rooms are mixed-age (8-weeks - 2 yrs, 10 months and 2 yrs, 10 months to kindergarten) and have spacious back yards. Best of all, however, is the highly professional staff. Besides being caring, they all have associate's or bachelor's degrees in child development, so there is theory to back up their teaching/care-giving. And, because they are professionals, they are treated professionally; thus there is little staff turnover. In fact, one of my daughter's teachers has been there for twelve years--and she hasn't been there the longest.

Because it's affiliated with the university, there is an interesting cultural mix of families. Also, to accomodate students, the center charges fees on a sliding scale. The downside is that if you are at the top of the scale, you're paying more money than you would at, say, Kiddie Academy.

It's worth checking out. I can say that my family is not looking forward to leaving it behind next year. (I can't say the same about the tuition, though.)

Good luck in finding a good fit for your family.

Amoret

[Arron]

Originally Posted by villager-li

The one place I would highly recommend you avoid is Tutor Time in Ronkonkoma (by the railroad station) - this place is not run well, I will leave it at that.

so unfortunate because it used to be terrific. It started going downhill a few years ago.

[Arron]

Also there's a place in ronkonkoma on Vets Highway (just past the airport) called 'Kid's Place' that I would NOT recommend..