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March 2024 by Meara Walraven
I literally can not say enough good things about La Petite. It looks like they struggled with previous management, but I can say in our month of attendance we have not experienced a single negative thing. School leadership, Alexis & Kiara are phenomenal. They are super responsive, kind & so pleasant in every interaction I have. The teachers, Marissa & Breanna (& all others) are AMAZING. My son is so well taken care of - He LOVES the teachers in his room. I love that I can check in on the cameras, & get updates & photos throughout the day. Every diaper change, nap, bottle, etc. is documented thoroughly & accurately. The facility is so clean & secure, which makes me feel so good. My baby has become more talkative & now hates tummy time a LOT less. I appreciate & adore the entire team at LPA & am so happy to be a part of the family. I truly cannot say enough good things here!
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February 2024 by Tiffany Nolz
Under the new management team, we have had wonderful care! The staff are very responsive to any needs/questions I have for my children and actually listen to my our needs. My 2 year old comes home showing the skills he has been learning everyday. They have been SO helpful in potty training. I also like being able to check the cameras to check in on my children. Overall very happy with the care my children receive.
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February 2024 by Andrea Vetos
Great facility. We transferred here about two months ago and it has been a great change for my almost 2 year old! The staff provides updates with photos through the app during the day, and the ability to check cameras to see what my little guy is up to is so reassuring! Would highly recommend.
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March 2023 by K H
We pulled our kids from this location due to lack of staffing, leadership concerns and the care and education my kids were receiving. Poor leadership has lead to increased turnover and stress. This all lead to the teachers being stressed out and taking it out on the kids. I would not recommend this location.
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March 2023 by Oakley Hendrix
My daughter has been going here for almost a year and it has been a great fit for her! The teachers do so well with her. She shows skills at home that I know she's been working on at daycare. She just turned two and she's already reciting her numbers up to ten! I've had good experiences with her teachers and management and feel like I can always come to them if I have any concerns. Overall, we've had a good experience and it makes me so happy to see my daughter doing so well with LPA!
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March 2023 by Katelyn Cox
I worked there and took my child with me. The amount of problems as a parent were ridiculous. I saw on camera my child crying for over 5 minutes while being ignored and then being grabbed by their leg and pulled onto their nap mat. We were told “they care about the children and well being” and was quickly hung up on. One day my daughter hadn’t been changed since 10:40 am…. We go home around 5 pm. The management doesn’t care about the kids and even after looking at the cameras they continued to leave a teacher in there that was VERY aggressive with the kids. I do NOT recommend this daycare to anyone.
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March 2023 by Mersadies Buderus
I worked here for 3 months, & it was hands down the WORST 3 months of my life.First, I know it’s a daycare, & children are so prone to spread germs, but I had NEVER spent so many days sick from a job before this! There were very strict rules on when we could send children home, which only spread whatever illness a sick child had to more children & the staff.Second, the management was terrible. The director was very immature with staff, & also made numerous racial comments to people of color. I put in a generous two week’s notice, & before I could notify the parents of the children I watched daily, I was notified a week early to not come back. This was heart wrenching for me, because I built such a strong bond with some of the kids & had hoped that I would be able to offer myself as a babysitter!Third, the paychecks were always off. I tracked my hours consistently, & they would be changed on the time card. There were numerous staff I became friends with at this job, & they also all agreed. They were SEVERELY understaffed when I worked there, so I would come early, stay late, & take short breaks. I was told that we were required to take AT LEAST 30 minutes of our one hour allotted break time. I would always comply with that, & somehow my time card always said I took an hour break. If I would come early, that time would also be changed if my time card would reach 40 hours for the week (which was almost always).Fourth, in the 3 months I worked there, I cannot even COUNT the amount of people who quit. This was never even questioned by the higher ups.Fifth, there were numerous instances where abuse was suspected by other staff & it was reported to management.There was one specific occurrence where another staff sent me & another staff member a picture of a child in nothing but a diaper half way pulled off. Management saw the picture, & confronted the staff who sent the photo, but nothing else happened.There was another instance where a child was upset, & a staff member brought the child to my room. The staff member told me the outburst was due to the child not taking a nap prior in the day. The child was dangling, as the staff member held nothing but the child’s wrist. The child screamed and kicked. I was able to calm the child enough to sit on my lap, but the child shook as the child watched the staff on the other side of the room.I have so many horror stories from this facility, & am sad to say that none of these parents are aware. The staff from these two stories still are employed there to this day, & have children of their own. Every occurrence I witnessed was reported to management, & also to CPS. La Petite on Cinnamon Ridge is NOT a good place, & Audra Shelton needs to be fired.
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March 2023 by Emily Smith
Horrible place to work and send your children. You can’t keep the children safe from the other kids and are expected to break up fights daily as opposed to progressing education or growth in general with children who regularly bite, hit, I’ve seen a child pick up a block and use it to bash another child’s face, and worse. I would give a 0/5 if I could.
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March 2023 by Tyler Puthoff
Our family relocated to South Dakota and were excited for our children to begin childcare at La Petite Academy, just blocks from where we planned to purchase a home. Due to an extremely competitive housing market, we were unable to locate a home in our desired area and purchased on the opposite side of town.We notified La Petite with generous notice that we, unfortunately, were forced to establish alternative childcare arrangements in closer proximity to our new residence and requested our $731 deposit be returned. Pursuant the apparent wait list we were on for our children’s initial placements, La Petite has ample backlog to fill our children’s openings without suffering damages (especially with generous notice). La Petite will not cooperate and refund our deposit for no apparent reason other than greed and proceeded to state “this is your PENALTY for not taking your commitment to La Petite seriously” implying malice, which certainly was never our intention.If you have alternate childcare options, I encourage you to avoid La Petite.
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March 2023 by Hannah Kleinjan
La Petite Academy is a large corporation that took over this previously family-run daycare less than a year ago. The center is now very obviously run only as a for-profit business rather than a community daycare that cares about the kids and families.Since the take-over, we have had problem after problem. They reduced their hours. They incorporated additional (non-optional) fees. They apparently don't change diapers/pull-ups after a certain time of day because my child is ALWAYS wet or soiled when I pick up in the evening.If you have a choice in daycare, please AVOID La Petite.
