Leaps N Bounds

We love Leaps N Bounds! I waited a year to write this in order to have a truely thorough perspective.
We interviewed at 2 other day cares in our neighborhood. One was «fancier» — fancy place and rooms and toys, etc, but the kids and the teachers really looked unhappy. Another place was pretty good, but I did not like the location so close to the railroad tracks. We were very happy the moment we stepped into LnB. It felt… cozy. I remember the staff member who was in babies room and she is still there, so the turnover is not that high.
I suppose I’m writing this review because I disagree with some comments mentioned below. Yes, there is turnover of teachers, but I expect that in this business. There are teachers that I still see often, so not sure what constitutes «high.» More importantly, there is very little child turnover. I see the same kids again and again as they get older. My baby started in the 1^st baby class and I see almost all the same children still there (I mean, almost all; I can think 1 who stopped attending and 1 other boy who stopped because his family moved). This kids (in all classes) seem happy, and that is what I observe.
My baby has wet herself with no extra clothes and they seemed to have extra dry clothes for her to borrow. Same for when she ran out of milk and I forgot to bring some, they had «emergency» milk for her. Ditto for diaper creams, diapers (they call you first).
Kids are dirty and germy — get over it. This will actually strengthen their immune system in later life. I figure they don’t take the babies outside because of liability reasons — I know they want the baby/​toddler to be able to walk on their own before going outside.
Uhm, this is not a Montessori program. They do have a schedule — they have painting/​arts and crafts time, they must have a set singing time because my daughter knows all sorts of songs that I haven’t taught her, and they have story telling time. Kids do need some free for all time, though.
My daughter is over 1 year old and I placed her there at 3 months. We have been very happy and she is very happy going daily. Yes, some teachers are better than others, but nothing that concerns me.
I do agree that since the expansion, it’s been more hectic and disorganized, although I have never seen «new moms walking around lost with nobody to greet them» ??? Also, I was pleasantly surprised when staff who were not her teachers, knew her name. So the place is still small enough. (Baby room had 8 children; there were 2 baby rooms. Older kids rooms have more, but still only 10 or 12 I think)
Again, my decision to choose this daycare and keep her in this daycare is the overall feeling of happiness I get when I see my daughter, the teachers and all the other kids. I feel happy when I’m there too!

We have been in the LNBs family for 3 years now… two kiddos each starting around 6 months. My oldest/​son is now 3.5 years and completely enjoys his weekdays which include various activities focused on skills and learning while having fun with friends. My baby girl (18 months) is equally entertained and obviously loved at Leaps. We experienced the «growing pains» of the school this year/​2015 as they worked diligently to improve the space for the classrooms including a new building, but knowing the before and after, I can confidently state this is a family oriented, learning focused, flexible schedule option for young ones to grow. Their focus is always on what is most important… you little ones!

This place isn’t horrible, but there are better places in the NW Hills Area.
The Good:
— They have a handful of very nice, caring teachers
— They keep the facility clean and use gloves with every diaper change
The Bad:
— The fridges where your baby keeps her bottles/​lunch are often dirty
— To save money, they «combine» classrooms in the early morning and late afternoon. This means your kid is exposed to about 15 kids’ germs instead of the 8 in her class. Hello Hand Foot and Mouth Disease!
— They don’t take the infant room kids outside ever. My kids love to be outside.
— For the prices they are charging, the playground is pretty sad
— They used to be a small facility where everyone knows your kid. this changed recently with the expansion. I’ve seen new moms walking around lost with nobody to greet them
— Unlike a Montessori Program, there isn’t really a schedule. It us more of a «free for all»
— They seem to have high teacher turnover
After my experience, I researched alternatives and ended up pulling my kids.

I won’t give them just 1 star because nothing really awful happened, but I really dislike this place and I am taking my kids (1 and 2) out. Just to be clear, I am not one of those obsessive parents, and this is the 3^rd daycare my kids have attended (we’ve moved house), so I feel I have a reasonable perspective.
Let’s start with the good things:
–Convenient place
–Reasonably clean
–Pleasant teachers. Some are awesome!
–Reasonably priced
Not so good:
–Small, pretty dreary playground
–Large ratios
–Lots of turnover or somewhat erratic schedules. I feel like my kid sees at least one new carer every day.
–Really strict dietary restrictions (no nuts, no seafood or fish, no egg and no strawberries). What are the kids supposed to eat, mac and cheese and sausages? Unfortunately this was not in the parent package we were given. We only saw the restrictions on our first day. Other places manage to have no or very limited restrictions, why not LnB?
–TV
–Chaotic, but not in a happy kids way. It is more like kids are often left to fend for themselves with little direction and encouragement.
–Generally zero flexibility. If your kid gets wet and you forgot to bring an extra change of clothes, they will not have a random set of spares they can loan. You need to come over with a replacement. Same if you ever forget a sippy cup for an infant or if they run out of diapers. Any other place my kids attended they had some loan clothes and some bank of diapers that one could borrow from … because occasionally this happens to everyone and it is not reasonable to have to rush out of work to bring a replacement for such an item.
–Very little feedback from the teachers on pretty much anything. They seem overwhelmed and discouraged.
–Just overall not a good vive.
I really wanted LnB to work because it is perfectly located for us, but I just can’t overlook its problems any more. I cringe every time I pick the kids up. As usual, some of the teachers are great, but the overall feeling is not good.

I’ve had my son at Leaps N Bounds for about two months now and so far, it has been the best decision! We decided on Leaps N Bounds for several reasons, firstly, the price, it was the most affordable of any of the places we got quotes from. Secondly, Annette was the person who did our tour back when I was pregnant and she just made me feel very comfortable about having my child there. I liked her personality and she remembered parents’ names and such. Customer service is very important to me and she had great customer service. Thirdly, and most importantly, the infant room teachers. Kathy and Jocelyn are amazing and I felt that from the time I toured. They were both there when I toured and were both so friendly and caring. I saw them interacting with the babies and they seemed to truly enjoy being there, not just to collect a paycheck. Another thing that was important to me is that almost every single parent we encountered on the tour told us how much they loved the place. We toured at 5:00 pm so it was pick up time. It was important to me that these people genuinely enjoyed their own experiences so much that they told me I just had to send my child there. This was all just from the tour! Our experience since has been even better.
The girls in the infant room are just amazing. They’re so loving towards my son, they are excited to see him every morning, told me they missed him while we were on vacation, and really work with me on his schedule. I feel like I can’t even say enough good things about them. I love each one of them and feel so comfortable dropping Deacon off every morning. I’m already thinking about how sad I’ll be when he has to move up to the next room because I love the teachers so much but I know that the next room will have great teachers too.
Leaps N Bounds is well worth every cent we pay. I am so grateful that I feel so comfortable with leaving my kid with them. As a working mom, it’s hard enough to leave your kid each morning in the hands of someone else. It makes it so much easier when you truly trust the people that are taking care of your child.

I am a first time mom and I’ll admit that I’d prefer to spend every minute with my baby… but it was time to go back to work. I visited several day cares, but found them all to be «clinical» feeling, and I got the impression they had a lot of employee turnover. I knew on the tour of Leaps N Bounds that this was the place for my baby.
I am so appreciative and grateful for the ladies in the infant room. They are truly excited to see my baby every morning (which helps w my working mom guilt). They really care about each baby and want to learn what makes him/​her happy. My baby had a difficult time napping at school (didn’t want to miss anything). The ladies took turns trying every trick in the book for several weeks and were so excited to tell me that my sweet pea had finally taken a nap!
As a first time mom, I also appreciate that the ladies tell me when my baby needs something. For example, when it was time to try cereal, or that she needed more tummy time. I’m learning a lot from them.
Your little one will be in good hands here!

Being a new mom I really didn’t know what to expect, and I am so thankful so have our son at LNB! There was a bit of a waiting list to get in, but I am so glad we held out. Our son began attending at 4 mo old, and has been there about two months now (3 days/​week). The teachers, and office staff are consistently warm, friendly and sincere. I never thought I would feel so comfortable and confident dropping him off each day! I also appreciate the «drop off» option for his non-​scheduled days, which I have found to be a convenient additional service. Most importantly, my son seems SO happy while he is there, as do all of the other children I see coming and going.

I am thankful everyday that we found Leaps N Bounds. My son started here around 4 months and I was terrified to leave him. We did lots of research on our options and felt very confidant in our choice. They have exceeded our expectations by far! The teachers are all so nice and seem to really care for our son. I visit on my lunch break and always feel welcomed. He’s almost a year now and I feel he’s learned so much from being in this environment.

So, I am «that» mom. The over-​concerned, freakishly scared and possibly a tad over-​bearing. I researched and researched MULTIPLE daycare centers when I was still pregnant! I knew our little girl would have to go into daycare at around 4 months. Unfortunately, my job just wouldn’t allow me to be home all day with my little sweetie. I researched LNB initially through Unilocal,DCF, and every other state agency rating system you can think of. Once that was satisfactory to me, I went ahead and scheduled a tour. I LOVED LOVED LOVED this place. My husband and I both did as a matter of fact. The ladies up front are so nice and down to earth. The teachers are fabulous… so fabulous. The kicker is… you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg. They have a security system in place (each parent has their own door code) and I feel safe leaving my little girl here. The teachers even call me twice a day to tell me how she is doing. Every time I speak to them, they have her in their arms or I can hear her babbling away. The kids are always so happy and my little girl is always fed and dry. They even give me updates on her day. I just feel so blessed that I was able to find this gem of a place for my little one to go to. It just makes leaving her a tad easier knowing she is in wonderful and loving hands :)

I’ve had my 8 month old at Leaps N Bounds for 5 months now and I am extremely happy there. Like all new moms I was extremely nervous dropping off my baby at a daycare but the infant room teachers, Kathy and Shirley, did a wonderful job of making me feel comfortable. I know my baby is in great care. They provide lots of details about his day, do wonderful «crafts» with him, and I always feel updated and like I know what is going on. I especially love how Annette, the owner, is almost always at the daycare. She is extremely supportive of teachers spending their summers with their children and being able to keep my son at home for the summer and still returning to Leaps N Bounds is HUGE for us.

Love them! Our son is 10 months old and started at Leaps when he was just 2 months. My husband and I have unusual work schedules, so our son is only there 3 days a week and that is no problem for them (many daycares won’t take PT, or will charge FT even if they aren’t there all week). The price is reasonable and I agree that Annette is wonderful. There are also times when they can fit him in an extra day if we are busy for a one day fee.
One thing I really loved was that, as a new client, they give you 2 – 3 partial days for free as «transition days», so you and your child can get used to the environment before they are there full days. They understand how hard it can be on the parent and child so they try to ease the move.
Each day they give us a «report card» listing his naps, diaper changes, feedings, moods, etc. There have been several times I’ll visit him on my lunch hour and he is always happy and being well taken care of. He loves the ladies there and smiles and giggles with them a lot. There are many times I wish I could take any of the ladies home to help us!
They work with the kids a lot doing exercises to help them develop as they get older, so they are not just being looked after, but getting some education as well. Great place!

I am a stay at home mom and didn’t want to hire a nanny but i wanted someone to watch my kids a few hours here and there to get some stuff done. I found Leaps N Bounds. I was so pleased with this place. The staff was warm and full of kind people. They were wonderful!!!
They treated us (my 2 and ½ year old, my 10 month old, and me, the mom) like we were VIP’s even though we were only short term customers.
Ok, so I dropped my crying tantrum kids off (the poor staff :)) and when i came back to pick them up they were both happy and enjoying themselves. This happened each time. I also picked them up at different times of the day.(i felt like i could «surprise» check in on them to see if they were doing their jobs and they were!!! They knew my kids and described what they did and really paid attention to them. I couldn’t be happier for my first experience with daycare.
I recommend this place for mom’s that want a place that cares about the needs and happiness for you the mom and your kids. You are not just another number there.

This review is long overdue. My daughter was in the first Leaps N Bounds class back in 2004 when Annette opened it first in her home. She grew up at Leaps and it has been a wonderful experience for both her and us. Now, between 1^st and 2^nd grade, I gave her several options for summer camps this summer. She picked one in June and I put her in another in late August. The rest of the summer, she wanted to go back to Leaps. Choosing a daycare can be scary for parents. Leaps N Bounds has been great for my daughter for seven years now. I can highly recommend it.

This is a reasonably affordable day care center that, from my experience bringing my son there, is pretty on top of things and well organized. Annette, the director, is very nice and will always take a minute to talk to you about whatever issues might come up.
There hasn’t been a lot of turnover among the teachers, but there’s been some. One thing I didn’t really like about this place is that their teachers seem to be young women of a student age, and while that can be totally fine, I didn’t sense a great deal of expertise and experience among some of the teachers.
They seem to put a big emphasis on trying to get the kids to sit and work on letters and numbers and writing and stuff like that. This is probably good for kindergarten preparation, but our son ended up in a class with kids that were mostly older than him and mostly girls, and he’s a pretty rambunctious, active, low attention span boy. I often felt like he was getting left behind and needed a different enviornment.
To me, it’s a little ‘far westy’ and I’m a little more towards the crunchy hippy spectrum, so, while it’s a perfectly fine and safe and well-​run place, for me it’s not the ideal, though it may be for you!

I love Leaps N Bounds, I think they have a wonderful group of women working there, their new facility is spacious and nice and Annette (the owner) is very willing to work with folks on flexibility in schedules (I work a 4 day week so finding a place that offers rates for that is hard!). It is conveniently located and while the class size is a little larger than I envisioned for my 16 month old, he is happy and well cared for and gets attention. The price is very reasonable and they have great hours. I think the women work hard to give great care to your child AND keep details on what is happening all day for a load of children (food/​naps/​bathroom wettings/​etc).
I don’t think this is the daycare for you if you want a very small class or room size (good luck in this town), but realize also that you have to pay and/​or be on waiting lists for those smaller daycares/​schools. I give these women a lot of credit for managing so many kids and doing a much better job than I would if I were in their shoes!
To the reviewer that said their kid didn’t have their diaper changed all day with drop in care, that is surprising! I know that one time they used another diaper accidently with my son but only because he was in a different room so they just used extras they keep on hand (I was more worried I hadn’t left enough but they assured me I had). Also, to the reviewer that complained that the care was impersonal, I cannot believe that at all, no offense but my experience has been completely opposite! My son still cries a little when he gets dropped off, he is 16 months old and loves being with his mommy and daddy so of course it is hard, but he stops crying as soon as we are out of room and is even getting to the point where he sometimes just dives right into playing with one of the workers. The girls are so sweet and always tell me the funny things he has done and what has been going on. I’m sorry that some folks have that experience because I went from thinking that Leaps n Bounds would be an interim place until I could find a smaller daycare with less kids to realizing that I love the ladies taking care of my son and not wanting to confuse him with a move to a different place. In fact, with a new one on the way, I do not have any issues about putting her in the daycare (although like most mommas, it is hard to imagine taking a little baby and sticking them in daycare, but we do what we gotta do!!).

I took my sweet kiddo to this facility for drop in care. Nothing catastrophic happened, yet I was left with a bad impression at the end of the day. Leaps N Bounds has indeed moved to a bigger facility that is practically across the street from their old location. The classrooms are roomy and bright with plenty of toys and puzzles. The owner was personable and willing to answer questions and work with us in scheduling drop-​in dates.
However, what first annoyed me was that my kid was handed over to me with a very full wet diaper. I found this out when helping him into his carseat. I thought «no big deal» at the time since there was only one young (and seemingly inexperienced) worker in a classroom full of energetic kids. I figured I would change my little guy at home since we were minutes from home. However, when I got home and looked into his day bag to get a diaper, I found an unpleasant surprise! The same number of diapers I sent with him in the morning returned home! He likely had been wearing his wet diaper for quite some time! Needless to say, I am cancelling my next drop in day and not returning to this place. It’s too bad, because I really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt after reading the previous review. :-(Hope other families have better experience than ours.

Leaps and Bounds has moved to a larger location across the street. Even before the move I felt that the teacher student ratio was reasonable.
Leaps N Bounds offers flexible childcare and a lot of love at prices that are generally lower than the alternatives. The owner cares a lot about the children and she has made numerous upgrades every year since I started taking my daughter there three years ago, including the aforementioned move. They are not a pre-​school per se, and more expensive childcare options probably offer a more rigorous education. Nevertheless, Leaps N Bounds staff prepared my daughter for Kinder by teaching her the ABC’s, how to count, how to write her own name and a fair amount of Spanish. I recently enrolled my 1 year old son at Leaps N Bounds.

I’m really happy with Leaps and Bounds. My son has attended for 8 months now and we are pleased. He is 2 years old. The center is really big. The tuition is very reasonable. My son has never had a heavy diaper nor thirsty when I picked him up… a big +…The staff is very friendly and very good with my son. The school keeps me informed… I like the fact that we bring his luch. Our family is not big on processed food, so we make a fresh lunch and pack it daily… that was a deal signer for us!!! You will be happy with the center!!! We are! I wished they had a website though… that would be nice!!! But not a big deal… good luck! Give um a try!