Wow and Flutterville

My words cannot even express my frustration with Wow and Flutterville. My son attended this preschool for 4 months and it was the worst 4 months of my life.
I could write a novel but I think I will just go over the highlights… I mean lowlights. The advertisement on Craigslist says that they serve organic meals, take the kids on walks, go on field trips, and have a day filled with activities. I learned that this wasn’t true. At the Hazelnut Hollow location, they do not provide meals and for the entire 4 months that my son was there, they never took the kids on a walk.
I was 100% upfront with Deanna about my child’s issues. He recently was diagnosed with Autism. She said that her teacher had experience with Autism and had special skills to help him. I was impressed with the small ratio and HONESTLY, I read the reviews on Unilocal! and thought, wow this place sounds great.
We were told that he would be placed with other kids who were his age (there are 3 locations) and when we dropped him off on the first day the first red flag to me was that the place was filled with babies and children who were obviously younger than him.
My son did great on his first 3 days but on day 4, Deanna was ready to kick him out. She called me up, told me to come get him and said he was violent.
I convinced her to let him go to the location with the older children and she agreed. On day 5 he went to the Hazelnut Hollow location. He was still the oldest child there by 8 months. On day 7, Deanna called again and said he was too rough with the teacher. She was ready to kick him out again. She said he could only go back to her school if a «one on one» aid was with him at all times.
I was by some miracle, able to get the insurance to cover a therapist to go to the preschool with my son.
I lost countless days of work because of all of the hoops Deanna made me jump through to take my son to her school. There were many times when I would have to leave work early to pick him up or the therapist was sick and I wasn’t allowed to drop him off at school. I never could go to work with the confidence that he would be allowed to stay a full day of preschool (which I had paid for).
The last straw was a couple months ago when we had a severe wind storm. It was nap time at the preschool and my son didn’t want to sleep. I received a call from the therapist. She said that she and my son were forced outside during nap time and they weren’t allowed back inside until the rest of the kids had woken up. It was a very cold day and I remember seeing on the news that several trees had fallen down and killed people on that day. I had to call the preschool and demand that they let my son back into the school. I finally got a hold of Deanna (and its true, she is not easy to get a hold of) She told me that the kids go outside two times a day whether it was rain or shine. I had to explain to her that there was a storm outside and forcing my child outside (the only child outside) was not appropriate. The therapist told me that he was crying because he was cold and was begging to be let back into the school and they wouldn’t allow him.
Deanna told me that she did not allow positive reenforcement (which Autistic children thrive off of), and she wanted me to fire one of the therapists because she didn’t like her. It was very clear to me that she did not want him there.
Like I said, I could write a book. In conclusion, the communication with the teachers and the owner is terrible, you are not getting what you are paying for, and get prepared to receive emails from the owner frequently asking for donations to buy stuff for her preschool.
I thought the teachers were nice people and were loving towards the kids. But if your child isn’t easy, has a disability or you expect good communication with the staff, good luck.

This review is a little late to be posted, but relevant nonetheless.
In June 2014, my husband and I visited Wow & Flutterville and loved the location, how cozy and homelike the space felt and enjoyed meeting Deanna and other staff. We quickly felt that this was the space for our daughter who at that point hadn’t born yet (she wasn’t due until September and we didn’t need childcare until January 2015). We were told that there was ONE spot left for infant care at that location but not until February. We quickly filled out an application and paid the necessary fee in order for our spot to be held. I expressed that we needed care full-​time and that February was fine although we would have to find care for January until the spot opened up. She said that was totally fine and asked that I contact her in November to finalize which day in February a spot would be open, as she couldn’t finalize it right there in June. On September 30^th I emailed her to follow up and got no response. On October 9^th I emailed her again to follow up and got a response that my enrollment package was on it’s way. On October 22^nd I had no enrollment package and no response on when the opening in February would be for my daughter. On October 28^th she finally responded asking for my phone number (which was on the application I filled out and gave to her along with my deposit) and told me she would call me that day. I responded right away and never heard from her via telephone. She emailed me at nearly 11pm that night saying that she was trying to juggle some things around to fit my daughter in but she didn’t forsee having availability in February. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I secured her spot in June!?! Being that you are a childcare provider, you know how difficult it is to find childcare in Portland that a) is affordable b) is conveniently located and c) you are comfortable sending your infant to! Such a poorly run business. On top of all of this, they NEVER refunded the application fee to my husband and I.
I would never recommend this business, largely in part due to their lack of communication. If you can’t respond to my emails or phone calls in a timely fashion, how can I be confident in the way you care for my child or your ability to respond to me in an emergency?
If you’re seeing this Deanna, please send me my refund. It’s been over a year now.

Our 7 month old son went to Wow & Flutterville for a total of three days before they decided his needs were more than they could manage. His needs are that he does not take a bottle, and despite the fact that I was willing to come and nurse him every three hours, they were unwilling to work with us. Miss Nicole was wonderful and had great interaction with us, our baby, and the other children in her care. My concern is with Miss Deanna and her poor communication skills. From the very beginning she was difficult to reach to even find out where we were on the waiting list. I left her several emails and voicemail messages, and only heard back after getting in touch with Miss Nicole, who was able to reach her. Miss Deanna also offered to come to our home to see if she could help with the bottle feeding there, which seemed like a very nice gesture, but she did not show and did not even call to cancel until three hours after she had said she would be there. I wish I could give a higher rating, and I agree with the stated values of Wow & Flutterville, but I have serious concerns about the lack of communication and ability to comfort children. If you have an easy baby or older child, you may consider them, but be wary of the poor communication and lack of ability to comfort infants in ways other than giving a bottle.

Our 2.5yr old daughter has been in Miss Deanna’s care for almost a year. First at the Playopolis location and now at Wow & Flutterville. There are so many things that I love about the care she receives there, I can’t list them all but I’ll try.
First is that they go outside come rain or shine. They go on little outings to places like the park, the library or the shops, they have Spanish classes, musicians come in, they do baby yoga. There is good vegetarian food available (now at extra daily cost) — they get my daughter to eat stuff she never eats at home so I can relax a bit! They also involve the kids in things like laundry folding and emptying the dishwasher. The younger babies and sometimes toddlers are worn which I think is wonderful. I like that age groups are mixed so it’s good experience for the older kids to ‘look after’ the babies. They respect the children but are firm in a loving way when necessary.
Basically I like it because it feels like my daughter gets to experience a similar life to the one she would have at home with me. I definitely recommend both Playopolis and Wow & Flutterville.

Our 2.5 year old son has been attending Wow & Flutterville for over a year. We have been amazed at the variety of activities offered (walks, music, yoga, making play dough) and have definitely watched him learn and grow within this environment. We were won over when Deanna mentioned that the focus in the school is teaching empathy and kindness and have seen the fruits of that message flourish in our sons interactions within our family and community.

This is more than a daycare — it’s a second home filled with all kinds of goodness. My two-​year old daughter has been going for a couple days a week for the last year. Her start was rocky, as she’s spirited and attached to being home, but Deanna and the other staff supported her through the transition lovingly. She now asks about going with excitement the night before and talks about all her friends she will see. The focus on play, finding wonder in each day, and building healthy relationships with others is perfect for this age (and any age really). It’s also very affordable, as I have compared prices to other locations that don’t seem to have the same heart and soul.

Our daughter has been at Playopolis (the school’s other location, which is on NE Haight) since she was 4 months old. We chose the school because they wear the babies, which was super important to us, are play-​based, and just the right size. All the staff we’ve met have been warm and wonderful, and our daughter is thriving there.

Thank you to Wow and Flutterville for such a great experience! Deanna Cohen has a special knack for finding amazing staff– well-​trained and very loving people who have been very attentive and generous with my now 3 ½ year old son. We love that they have lots of music time and make sure the kiddos get outside time everyday, rain or shine! I love the philosophy of the school as well– teaching kindness and love which makes for a wonderful atmosphere for babies and toddlers.

Both of my daughters have attended Wow & Flutterville, the first for two years, and my younger daughter still attends three full days a week. My older daughter was a part of the original cohort when the day care first opened.
My family has had nothing but fabulous experiences with Wow & Flutterville. Since we’ve been with them from the beginning, we’ve gotten to see Deanna grow her business with intention, love, care, and true joy in her work. She puts a lot of time and care into hiring superior staff members who all tend to fall in love with our children, and she’s put into place more structure over time to increase learning opportunities. The children have weekly themes, such as Bug Week or Dinosaur Week; they have musicians and storytellers come in regularly; they visit the library and the park all the time; they garden and plant.
Regarding the parent who gave a negative review… my younger daughter cried every day for her first three weeks at Wow & Flutterville. Deanna told me usually this issue resolves at about two weeks, but my daughter pushed it longer. It was heartbreaking for me and my husband, and I am certain it impacted the other staff and children. Deanna, however, was loving and supportive the whole time. Staff members took other children to the park so that my daughter could have quiet snuggles with one caregiver sometimes. At other times, they could see what offered some comfort for my daughter and worked to integrate those activities. Never once were we told that baby M, who was 12 months at the time, couldn’t stay or was a burden. And Deanna, who knew I was hurting almost as much as my daughter, was compassionate and sweet to me as well.
Overall, I think this is a wonderful place for children under three. Deanna and her staff treat the children with respect and compassion, encouraging them to use their voices appropriately, supporting their interests, and gently and lovingly addressing their needs. It truly is like a second home for our little ones.

Our 18 month-​old daughter has been at W&F for about 6 months. To sum it up, we are very happy with our experience and the care our daughter receives there. We knew it’d be hard to transition her to childcare at 12 months, a totally new environment, and in the peak of her separation anxiety. But Deanna (the proprietor) and her crew were very supportive, reassuring, and nurturing through this period, which admittedly lasted a while. Our daughter is now very comfortable there and is excited about seeing her friends and teachers when we drop her off!
What I like most about this childcare is the intentional nature about everything, from the kids’ environment, food, the language they use, to the activities. They are very centered around the development of empathy and letting the kids have imagination and experience nature. I know when my daughter’s there that she’ll have an enriching day. She’s gotten so much in 6 months in the way of socializing, learning sign language, communicating, etc.
As other’s have stated, I also like that Deanna has a true passion for parenting and raising conscientious, healthy kids. She offers information in a non-​prostheletizing manner that is helpful and insightful.
Overall, I feel confident that my daughter’s safe, nurtured, and happy when she’s at W&F.

Boy, reviewing my kid’s daycare makes all the sandwich, sushi, etc reviews seem pretty trivial. Really can’t think of a more important business in our lives. We put our kid in W+F right after a big move from out of state. Lot’s of transitions at once. Deanna, and her veteran staff really helped smooth it out, and create a loving, welcoming place for our kid (including a pretty great welcome song).
A few things jump out at me about W+F.
1) Our kid has learned a ton there. Empathy, sharing, kindness, but also numbers, letters, words. W+F’s emphasis on talking about feelings has really helped us ride a two year olds emotional ups and downs better.
2) Flutterville’s a good place for parents too. Deanna has been a real parenting consultant for us during challenging times, and we’ve teamed up during key development moments to help our kid have a consistent experience at home and daycare.
I tell new parents I know to get on the W+F waitlist ASAP for their kids good and theirs.

While it is unfortunate that other parents have had difficult experiences at W&F, our experience has been completely the opposite. On a caregiving level, Deanna and her team have always been diligent, attentive and loving, far more than we expected and also far more than one might experience at a larger, more structured day care center. Similarly, the smaller, more personal nature of W&F has been obvious in the accommodations Deanna has made as our family’s needs and expenses have evolved over the two plus years we have sent our child there. Everyone’s experience is different, but I did feel it important to say that the negative experience the other reviewer had is not representative of the care or service our family has received from Wow & Flutterville.