Building Blocks University

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this daycare. While the facility looks nice at first, the classrooms are over crowded and often short staffed.
Things are quite disorganized, and this can leave teachers frequently shouting at each other in front of parents and kids. I also noticed feeding schedules were not always properly followed or documented, and personal medical records were lost.
It’s hard to find a place with longer hours, especially for NYC commuters… But it wasn’t worth it.
We gave this place a good run, and many of the staff seem to be wonderful people, but that’s not enough to run a day care. The organization needs a full overhaul.

I can’t speak too much about the place because I didn’t get past scheduling a tour however I must say the administrative staff was enough of a bad experience for me to not go further. I had called the facility several times earlier in the week and received a voicemail. After calling multiple times I did get a very nice woman on the phone who stated I could tour either before noon or after 3 due to the nap schedule. I scheduled an appt for 2 days later at 10. Upon arrival I was impressed with the facility. It had parking, the building was very attractive inside and out so I was optimistic for the tour. Unfortunately, I was greeted by a gentleman on the phone who appeared to be very distracted (which was not bad given the work with little ones). When I asked for Michelle he told me I needed to meet the director who would not be in until 3. I explained I was asked to come at 10 by Michelle. He then told me he was on the phone with her and to hold on. After a few moments he came back and said you’re going to have to come back. In those few moments it seemed like alot of confusion was occurring and it was hard to tell who was managing it. That being said I have no idea about the staff, I truly only met the administrative end and it was enough for me to make a decision that I would not have someone to speak to if I did need assistance while my child was there. Given the location and the pristine appearance of the facility it is disappointing there is not someone to better manage the facility and meet with parents in a more organized manner. I hope they figure out the rest soon!

These are my first impressions – I’ll update as time goes by.
So, our son is about to start after care here and they couldn’t have made the process more welcoming or easy for us. We both work full time and needed to find something that could accommodate the space between preschool ending and after work pick up. After rounds of calls and failed inquiries (some were so very discouraging), some of our trusted contacts suggested Building Blocks – WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
Observations:
The place is absolutely gorgeous. It’s clean as a whistle, the kids look genuinely engaged and happy and the staff is warmer than the Caribbean feels to an East Coaster’s thirsty skin in January. It’s not just a drop off into the abyss till pick up time, these kids are hard at work and play in a beautiful environment with engaged staff.
There is a yoga studio – a yoga.studio. for the kids!
In addition to being greeted by warm staff members, the school plays cheery music over a loudspeaker.
The stairway the children use is designed to look like a magic forest. A magic forest!
The schedule and family expectations are nicely laid out and the school has themes (cultural day is coming up) and community art days.
Parents are encouraged to volunteer time/​expertise and visit the classrooms.
Final pick up is 7pm (for parents who work later). They offer Saturday care if parents book in advance and they’re open on some of the days schools are closed (that varies).
I could go on and on but here’s the best part of all: the cost of after care isn’t killing our budget.
When I collected my packet after filling out the volumes of paperwork for our son, the staff welcomed me to the family.
We look forward to our adventure with Building Blocks and hope it’s a good fit for our kiddo!