Daycare in Mechanicsburg Hampden area (Carlisle, Camp Hill: credit, day cares, preschool)

[lelerelo]

Can anyone reccomend fulltime day cares in the area and aproximate costs? We will be relocating tot he area in a few months.

[suburbanite1]

We used and highly recommend the Goddard School. Full time will cost you about $800 per month I believe, maybe a bit more if you have a very young one.

[orrmobl]

Check out naeyc.org and pakeys.org...these are accrediting bodies who check out the schools and only approve the best in terms of facilities, cleanliness, programs and student/teacher ratios. I would go with Messiah College and the Cumberland and Carlisle Education Centers over Goddard and Goddard over Kindercare. You will pay the most for Goddard and I mostly like the one my son is in but it is definitely run like a business which is good and bad. Good: they follow the rules. Bad: not warm and fuzzy/inflexible regarding policies and they want your money more than for you to like/love them. Visit several and pick the one you like best; you can't really go wrong with the accreditation on your side...Good Luck!

Naeyc is national and the gold standard but these are the only ones within 10 miles:

KinderCare #732 Learning Center
3715 Kohler Place
Camp Hill, PA 17011 Phone: 717 761-4934 Email: cshultz@klcorp.com

KinderCare Learning Center #301716
730 Wertzville Road
Enola, PA 17025 Phone: 717 728-1720 Email: 301716@klcorp.com

Messiah College Early Learning Center
One College Avenue Hostetter Chapel
Grantham, PA 17027 Phone: 717 796-5043

Here's some Keystone STARS 3 and 4 Star places (PA accredited or on their way):

STAR 3 Carlisle Early Education Center
100 E Pomfret Street
Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: 717-243-1528

STAR 4 Cumberland County Learning Center
1000 Claremont Road
Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: 717-245-2431

STAR 3 The Goddard School of Enola
4955 Woodland Drive
Enola, PA 17025 Phone: 717-728-3070

[suburbanite1]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Check out naeyc.org and pakeys.org...these are accrediting bodies who check out the schools and only approve the best in terms of facilities, cleanliness, programs and student/teacher ratios. I would go with Messiah College and the Cumberland and Carlisle Education Centers over Goddard and Goddard over Kindercare. You will pay the most for Goddard and I mostly like the one my son is in but it is definitely run like a business which is good and bad. Good: they follow the rules. Bad: not warm and fuzzy/inflexible regarding policies and they want your money more than for you to like/love them. Visit several and pick the one you like best; you can't really go wrong with the accreditation on your side...Good Luck!

Naeyc is national and the gold standard but these are the only ones within 10 miles:

KinderCare #732 Learning Center
3715 Kohler Place
Camp Hill, PA 17011 Phone: 717 761-4934 Email: cshultz@klcorp.com

KinderCare Learning Center #301716
730 Wertzville Road
Enola, PA 17025 Phone: 717 728-1720 Email: 301716@klcorp.com

Messiah College Early Learning Center
One College Avenue Hostetter Chapel
Grantham, PA 17027 Phone: 717 796-5043

Here's some Keystone STARS 3 and 4 Star places (PA accredited or on their way):

STAR 3 Carlisle Early Education Center
100 E Pomfret Street
Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: 717-243-1528

STAR 4 Cumberland County Learning Center
1000 Claremont Road
Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: 717-245-2431

STAR 3 The Goddard School of Enola
4955 Woodland Drive
Enola, PA 17025 Phone: 717-728-3070

I have to disagree with these conclusions. We are very picky about where our kid goes and visited all of these places. You just don't know until you are face to face. I was and know different than what their ratings are.

Personally though I like consistency and a well run establishment.
That doesn't necessarily mean they aren't "warm and fuzzy". Also certain policies help everyone. They have them for a reason not to just be difficult.

[orrmobl]

While I agree that some accredited places are better than others (which is why I chose Goddard over another school nearby). I would also say that an older facility with warm caring instructors that provides a hot lunch for your $800 a month certainly looks better than what Goddard offers. My son was registered to go to a church preschool that would've cost us a whopping $200 a month for up to 4 half days, hot meal included. And the administrator and teachers were all lovely mature women who loved kids. At Goddard I pay $535 for 3 half days, no swapping for holiday weeks, bring your own lunch and have 20-something fashion plate administrators with 1 trophy child apiece and even younger teachers covered in tattoos, most of them ambivalent about kids and their job. There is one teacher that stands out, and even she is covered in tatts, but everyone can tell she truly loves her job and the kids in her charge, which is why she won teacher of the month among her peers and will probably win the same award this month from the parents.