Daycares in Fort Mill

[jenn02674]

Ya know my son went to Fort Mill Prep his 4 year old year and he did really well. They get alot of flack because they aren't in this brand new multi million dollar building but the curriculum is great and I don't particularly care about looks. And yes, they are working diligently on their NAEYC rating which is a great program. This is the same accreditation that York Tech has and the York Tech daycare is pretty much the premiere top notch rated daycare in the area. Lots of people drive there from Fort Mill but there is a 2 year waiting list. The old director is now at Field of Dreams, but they are not accredited.

[ald]

Originally Posted by Clemson girl

I'm new to Fort Mill so I don't have a lot of knowledge on the daycares. Has anyone had any positive or negative experiences with Fort Mill Prep? My daughter is in K at Fort Mill Elementary and attending Appleseed aftercare; she is unhappy at Appleseed. The older children pick on her. Fort Mill Prep separates the Kindergarteners out so I thought that might be a better option. Someone mentioned that Carolina Kids does this also- are they separated out within one big room or something else? I would appreciate any feedback- thanks.

Clemson Girl:

My daughter just started K too at Riverview. She started at the flyers program and HATED it she came home crying every day. The kids were in one huge room on top of one another.

Yes, Carolina Kids separates the children; however there are times when the children are together on the playground. The program is very well supervised so I never worry about the older kids picking on the younger kids. There are two HUGE rooms for the kids to play in and a very large playground. The program is very well supervised by three teachers. In fact, now is the perfect time to enroll as they are not near capacity. If you can check out the Fort Mill TImes there was an article last week on the facilty.

I know its a tough decision to select an aftercare or day care program and I am VERY, VERY selective so if you would like more information you can PM me and I"d be happy to give you my cell number.

I would recommend you check out the facility.

[Clemson girl]

Thanks for the additional information on Carolina Kids. My husband was leaning towards that daycare because they do seem to be so well managed. I appreciate the input.

[plotzonit]

This looks like an old post, but if anyone does a search and finds this, I hope they find the information helpful. My daughter started going to Field of Dreams when they first opened in 2005. There were a few hic-ups. She made it outside of their gates into a parking lot in the freeway side when she was four. A teacher completely ignored her when she got sunscreen in her eyes (I watched this on a camera monitor while I was at work and had to call to find out what was going on). She also had a wooden see-saw fall on her head (they had it leaning up against a wall and had to write an accident report to me about the incident). After talks and assurances, things went very well until recently. They just opened their new After School Adventure in a different location from the Baxter location. It is a complete CRAP facility! There's no security whatsoever, they took away lunches, there's no cameras (as they advertise all over their website) and their idea of security is to have three of their staff stand in the middle of the room to see into the other rooms so that children can't walk out of the 4 doors on either side of the building. I kid you not! This is exactly what the director told me! It also sits in the middle of a business plaza. They had a parent orientation for this new facility (where my child along with all the other kids older than 6 got moved to) and other parents as well as myself voiced their concerns. No one looked thrilled or happy with the new program (especially since they upped the price!). I emailed the owner and the director my concerns regarding security (and the taking away of services) after I expressed my concerns at the orientation. Without warning, I was called and told that my child is no longer welcome there "because I am a bad apple" for expressing concern about the new place. Other parents expressed their concerns as well BEFORE ME, but I guess my child is being penalized as a show of "Don't complain or your child can't come here.". Other than for the instances I've mentioned, I have NEVER complained about anything before and was completely shocked that they would kick my daughter out of place she spent almost 4 years of her life! There was no regard for her or the effect on her with them literally giving her the boot for something that wasn't even her fault. I was told it was a GOOD "business decision" and that I had 30 days to find another afterschool care program for my girl. I must also mention that when I spoke with the director, she said she "can't be concerned with what door a parent leaves from with their child" when I expressed that I saw a parent leave out a different door than what they were supposed to. Interestingly enough, when I picked my daughter up (the day she got the boot), they had a desk placed in front of the door I mention (nice fire hazard!) and the director was personally pointing people to the sign-out sheet (that some people didn't even know about and NO ONE AT Field of Dreams was checking!). If you take your child there, you'll have no right to express a concern about anything! Beware! And for the record, the final week of summer camp, Field of Dreams held a picnic at the director's house on Lake Wateree. The only mention of this was a weekly newsletter that said "Field Trip to Lake". I didn't say WHAT lake, so I called and asked. They wanted parents to sign a permission slip for the kids to ride a pontoon boat. I didn't sign it, but asked if there'd be swimming. The director (who looked completely annoyed with me when I asked) said that "yes" there'd be swimming (my daughter cannot swim, so of course I'd ask that!). I asked about life guards and she said that NINE DADS of kids at Field of Dreams would be there to help out. Hmmm... were these dads CPR certified? Did I know them? It IS a crazy world we live in. Needless to say, I didn't stick out the 30 days. I took my daughter out the day she got the cold boot. Nice way for them to be "caring and nurturing".

[PrecociousJewel]

Just wanted to put in a quick little note.. my daughter has been going to Carolina Kids at their new location on US 21 and we LOVE it! The director and owners are friendly and very supportive - the place is very well run. I looked a lot before settling on Carolina Kids because it was our first time putting our child in daycare. I was a SAHM till she was a little over 18 months so it took us a while.. Carolina Kids just gave me a good vibe when I went there.. let me know if you have any specific questions.