Holly Springs child care options... need some advice from parents! (Holly Ridge: daycare, public school)

[airsiri]

Hi there! My husband and I are expecting our first child in March and I plan on returning to work so we are investigating our child care options to start in June 09. I'm looking for full-time, 5 days/week care.

I made the rounds today of several daycare/early childhood ed places in Holly Springs and would appreciate feedback from parents of children that are (or have been) enrolled at these facilities. I've been trying to search online for a website that has comprehensive reviews of child care options, but have been unsuccessful so far.

Please let me know your opinion on how friendly the teachers and administrators are, how clean the place was and anything else you think may be pertinent in making a selection. (On a side note, I can't believe how expensive this is going to be!!!)

These are the places I checked out today:

Kiddie Academy
150 Rosewood Centre Drive

The Goddard School
801 Earp Street

The Learning Experience
801 Holly Springs Road

Holly Springs School for Early Education
101 Arbor Creek Drive

Holly Springs Learning Center
1180 Holly Springs Road
(...while I was at The Learning Experience, I overheard a dad on the tour saying that he was pulling his kid out of this facility which is why he was looking for a new place, but didn't hear the specifics on why his kid was unhappy there...)

The Carolina School at Holly Ridge
10308 Holly Springs Road

Thanks in advance for any advice you seasoned parents out there can provide to a soon-to-be mom!

[BRR2AHH]

I actually only have experience with Holly Springs Learning Center. My daughter was there for 6 days when I pulled her out of there. One of her teachers was not very welcoming/friendly ever,the other was really nice. My daughter was 3 and was allowed in the bathroom with a boy. It was a bathroom with 2 toilets without anything seperating them from watching eachother use the toilet. I thought that was strange. I thought the director was very unprofessional as well. Out of the other 3 places we toured they all had seperate 1 toilet bathrooms. We are currently at Primrose at West Lake and could not be happier!! Good Luck with your search.

[boocake]

My sister put her son in the Holly Springs Learning Center when he was a newborn, and he just left to start kindergarten, so he was there almost 5 years - she LOVES it. Her daughter who turned 2 in June has also been there since she was a few months old. She recommended it to me highly when I was considering moving back to the triangle.

[import07]

We had our child in the The Learning Experience on holly Springs rd for a couple of weeks but we took him out. Price was high and they charged extra for drop-off before 8am and extra if they were not fully potty trained. Also not very flexible about times/price, either 5 full days a week or just part time (half days). All in all it was not a bad place, no bad comments about the staff or the quality of the staff/activities for the kids. Moved to the Goddard school across the street and got a much better deal, charges by the day can be set up (my wife and I both work funny schedules) so we can have our child in 3 days a week and not pay for 5. Also no extra charge for pre 8am drop off or not being fully potty trained. My wife also thinks the staffs are better with the kids there, a little more disciplined and experienced. And our kid loves it there!

[Babytarheelz]

I visited the Carolina School and couldn't run out of there fast enough. I wouldn't have left my child there if they paid me!

One that you didn't check out was New School Montessori. It's on Sunset Lake Rd. past Harris Teeter going towards Fuquay. I can't say enough good things about them. I really wanted to keep my son there for Kindergarten, but I just couldn't pass up FREE public school!

[airsiri]

I agree about The Carolina School, the building didn't seem to be set up properly for a school or child care center! The people were nice enough, but the infant room basically looked like a bedroom and the toddler room was downstairs (you had to walk outside to get there). Plus there was not a nice fenced-in outdoor play space.

Thanks for the tip about the New School Montessori. Unfortunately they don't provide extended care hours for infants (only until 4:30 PM) and neither my husband nor I could be there in time for pick up.

So far it seems as if the top 3 choices for us would be: Kiddie Academy, The Learning Experience (though they do charge extra for early/late care per month) and the Goddard School.

Kiddie Academy has cameras so you can log in and check your child on the web throughout the day, which none of the other places do. I think that would help with my piece of mind, since I can't just drop in during the day. Anyone have any pro's/con's for this place?

Thank you to all the members that have replied so far! Picking child care is pretty overwhelming!

[hsmom1]

I wouldn't be so quick to discount Holly Springs Learning Center. My daughter has been there for 15 months and loves it. The teachers are caring. They just got a new director last month - she is very professional and is making a lot of improvements already.

[B-Dette]

My husband and I moved to Holly Springs from Michigan. Our daughter is two and we loved the center she was in back home. When we moved here we had very high standards when choosing her new center. We went to almost every center in Holly Springs and we fell in love with The Learning Experience. We felt as if we were at home. The staff is wonderful. The rooms were so spacious and colorful. Another plus was I didn't have to worry about packing lunch every day. They just received 5 stars which I'm not surprised. They were priced the same as Kiddie Academy but cheaper than Goddard. I personally didn't need the early care but some things you can't put a price on. Hope this helps.

[mer-y-sol]

Check out Holly Springs School For Early Education. It is the only school that is privately owned and operated by someone who has a degree in Early Childhood, K-6 certification and Early Childhood masters degree which I think means a lot as a parent. Her staff is very friendly and you have that "homey" kind of feeling with a ton of events going on and that extra personalization and warmth you need. They have been in Holly Springs for 10 years and my kids went there (all three) and I've loved it!

[Kate308]

We were recommended by our friends to the Goddard School in Holly Springs. We fell in love with the school, and have been there for almost 6 months now. We have 2 children there, and have no complaints at all. The teachers are wonderful, and truly care for the children. There is open communication with the faculty and administrators. Everyone is just so welcoming there! I feel like I have known them my whole life. They are truly family to my 2 children, and I trust my children being in their care.