Complaint Review: Kindercare - Knowledge Learning Centers

I don't know your circumstances, perhaps your life is in a situation that demands you work. But much too much I see very young children put out of the parents' care, and I wonder, "Why do people have children if they don't want to/can't care for them?" As I say, that is a question, not a damning. Young children really need their parents.

Unfortunately what I have read here is the standard, the NORM, which is why either:

1. stay at home is best

2. find a PRIVATE pre-school or

3. a mother in your area that only has her own child.

Chain "pre-schools" lol if you want to call them that pay MIMIMUM WAGE. I worked for one many years ago. I left shortly and went to a PRIVATELY owned. What a difference! The only ones making money at Kindercare are the supervivsors and CORPORATE, not the hard working people at the center. Find another place for your child, it WILL NOT get any better!

I cannot believe this company remains in business. I am truly amazed at how people can spend more time researching their next TV purchase than the building, company and people they will place their with for most of their waking hours.

I have worked in the Daycare field for almost 20 years and I have never seen anything as disgusting as the practices of Kindercare. I am now a current employee (KLC bought the center I was employed with and since changed our name to Kindercare) and I have worked at my current center for 10+ years, and honestly the only thing that is keeping me there is that I truly care for the children in our building and I shudder to think what would happen to them if I or the handfull of like-minded staff should leave. Although KLC is making it very hard for us to stay.

In the couple of years since we changed to KLC/Kindercare these are some of the, in Corporates words, "exciting changes" we have experienced;

* All part time benefits for employees disappeared. No Med, Dental, Paid time off, Holiday Pay, etc. True I do qualify for a discount on tuition. Which is nice, but considering I used to get tuition free, not very beneficial. And, some unscrupulous directors will and are encouraged to ONLY hire PT people to keep costs down. Hows that for classroom consistency?

* Our nightly custodial crew was fired. This might explain why you hear a lot of comments about how filthy the building are. Teachers are now required to clean their own classrooms. I can't tell you the last time our floors were professionally done.

* The Menu. I am ashamed to serve the crap corporate calls food. KLC prepared a new menu, promising name brand products and healthy meals. Everything has to be ordered through a food delivery company. Our bread is always stale and we rarely get anything "fresh". Not too mention some of the recipes are just plain crap. Forget about name brands too, that disappeared shortly after it started because it was killing the budget. Now I wouldn't feed the chicken nuggets to my pet, because I really don't think there is any chicken in them. And my absolute favorite is the shelf milk. Some corporate genius decided that we no longer needed fresh milk and that shelf milk is better. Uh-huh. Well, let me tell you why corporate thinks shelf milk is better for you child, because they refuse to drink it so it cuts milk consumption and therefore saves them more money. NOBODY DRINKS THE MILK.

* We have started all the "extra" classes; Phonics, Music and Spanish. I can't believe how stupid these parents are paying extra money for these things. For the money you pay in tuition you should be demanding these things be included.

* Our preschool program is the same for 2, 3, and Pre-Kindergarten. I can't wait for someone to figure this out. I feel bad for the 4 yr. old's this year, they are going to be bored stiff.

*We have not been able to repair or replace broken equipment and toys. We have no shade on our barren playground and this summer our water day consisted of a hose. That's it. We rarely have the supplies we need to properly teach our curriculum, but boy did we get a big ol' box of shiny, pretty marketing materials. Wake up people. Your high tuition dollars are not going for the care, education and feeding of your child. It is going to all the slick marketing materials Kindercare uses.

This is just a few examples of what I have seen, and this is only just a few of many. As I said before, I don't know how much longer I will be able to stand working there especially since my Dir. just told me the other day that I make too much $ ($9.36/hr after 10 yrs) and I hurt their bottom line. But that's okay, I can be replaced by two 19 yr. olds who will work for minimum wage.

I cannot recommend Kindercare for anyone. Don't be fooled by the marketing. They will tell you what you want to hear to get you to enroll. But the truth is, your child IS NOT the most important thing to them, your money is.

To compare YOUR center to mine:


*Lack of educational activities/books in class
ME: Most times kids are let loose, to get into everything and have total chaos until it is feeding time.

*No Assistant teacher for kindergarten class of eleven
ME: BINGO, and one or two kids usually ruin it every singe day while the teacher yells and tries to control situation. She does her best but NEEDS assistance.

*Graded test are given to kindergartners (not age appropriate)
ME: See above, they learn so little. I have seen half of them them exit kindergarten not even knowing their alphabet.

*Kindergartners taught by putting in a CD instead of the teacher TEACHING them
ME: Watch this happen all of the time with their new and costly "Kelsey" classes. Teacher puts kids to sleep while tapes play most of the time.

*Children watching movies instead of having outside time
ME: If you only heard the profanity from movies being watch in faculty lounge...while 4 year olds are ten feet away, supposedly napping, but they are listening.

*High turn over rate in front office staff (Directors)
ME: The good one who try to make changes are let go, not "team player" material and not as money-grubbing.

*High turn over rate in teachers (kindergarten teacher quit three weeks into school year and it took another three weeks to replace her)
ME: High turn over and most teachers are in a constant search to move as soon as possible. Not one teacher WANTS to stay due to horrible rules and the way the centers are run, not to mention low pay

*No one in the front office morning or evening
ME: BINGO!

*Lack of activities (toys/games) for children in afternoon)
ME: Or else too tight a restriction on kids making them conform to boring tasks. The yelling that happens always stops each time a parent comes in. If they only KNEW how much condescending screaming is done at their children.

*Lunch not monitored to insure children eat well or at all
ME: No one cares what the kids eat, just as long as it is "offered". Kids are often taken from table for bad manners or if a 1, 2 or 3 year old get up from the table, they are take to a nap mat and their food taken away. Kids are just LEANING these table manners! Food is thrown out routinely and kids are left hungry. And better watch out for spoiled food, moldy bread is a standard.

*Field trips (none)
ME: Very VERY few. Only in the summer programs and then the parents get an ADDED cost for these trips. If they didn't pay, they kids have no one left at the center to watch them and so there is no daycare for them. Hmm, why isn't this INCLUDED in the cost to being with? They trap the parents with what "appears" to be a lower cost, getting the kids hyped up and then the parents have no choice!

*Lack of response unless Corporate Office is notified (and then it's just a Customer Service Rep that knows nothing about children/education)
ME: They don't care, we have TRIED!

*Not having properly equipped buses to transport four year olds
ME: Not a problem everywhere since 4 year olds don't really GO anywhere, no field trips.

*Cleanliness of center
ME: The filth and mold and lack of true sanitizing is unbelievable.

*Sick children allowed back into class to wait for parents
ME: And if it is EMPLOYEE'S child, the sickest child has to stay so the parent doesn't have to leave. We have seen many respiratory infections spread as well as infectious diarrhea because of this. Not to mention MRSA scares that no one was allowed to talk ab out. Forget sterilizing anything, they don't want to spend the money for a professional to protect babies.

*Child with diarrhea that had an accident left unchanged for at least 2-3 hours until parent arrived at 6:30 PM
ME: Lack of sufficient staff leads to large cracks in the care of all children and their safety is at risk all of the time.

*No one aware of my child's SEVERE food allergies or null
ME: Regardless of the list that IS posted and usually up to date, I have seen children given foods they were allergic to numerous times.

*No interaction from front office staff with children
ME: We do no null often care about this due to the lack of compassion from the front office in the first place.

*Children with MAJOR discipline problems (hitting/biting/running off) in center
ME: As long as the parents are paying, the office cares not. If and when we comment to parent, we are threatened with dismissal.
Bottom line, our secret motto at KLC was: AnyWHERE but KinderCARE!