Hi. My family and I are moving to to the wayzata area and are looking for a great daycare to send our 13 month old son. This is our first time putting him in daycare, and any help would be appreciated. Has anyone heard anything about Kinderberry Hill? Is it worth the price? What about New Horizons or Kindercare? As you can see, I really don't know where to start.
Thanks for your help,
J.
Hi J.,
I have heard wonderful things about Kinderberry Hill from School administrators and a friend who takes her son there. I have heard it's worth the expense, however do not know much about the other centers either.
Hi! I just read your request about needing child care. I just wanted to reccomend my roommate as a childcare porvider. She is a mother of nine and grandmother to many. I teach kindergarten and last year she was the educational assistant in my classroom. She is wonderful with children and has been looking for a job and thought she might be interested in working with children. Feel free to give her a call if you have anymore questions. Here is her info. Polly ###-###-####
I hope this helps,
Lynette
Hi I moved to Plymouth a year ago with a 4 and 3 year old and 9 month baby so I spent a fair deal of time looking at places. I think it comes down to what you think is most important for you/your child as some of the places I didn't like other parents clearly did as there were plenty of kids there! What worked for me was just to go visit every place I could find so I could learn from each one what I liked and didn't like. Time consuming but... made me feel good about my choice. I looked breifly into in-home daycares too - but it's hard to find them - I found a couple of websites, visited only one and I just wasn't overwhelmed.
Kinderberry is owned by the same company that owns one of the other big chains (I forget which now, maybe it was Children's World) and I couldnt see what the extra money they charge would bring me/my children.
I liked the Step by Step montesorri school in Plymouth (I didn' t like another of their locations), and I liked the Children's World on Fernbrook for their infant and toddler program. I love the Little Flowers Montesorri in Plymouth (but it begins only at 16 months) and likewise really like hte Childrens Workshop Montesorri -but it only begin at 33 months. I'm not a Montesorri 'die-hard' but I like a school which has a philosophy -any is fine almost - and demostrates respect for the child. I found the montesorri schools do that best. i visted one La Petite acamedy and thought there baby/toddler was Ok. Both my older boys went/attend to Childrens Workshop - and we all love it. And my baby went to the Childrens World on Fernbrook until her reflux got too bad and she will begin at Little Flowers once we get her reflux controlled. Hope this help.
I would be careful of the chain childcare centers (new horizons, kinderberry). I am currently looking for care, and I have avoided most chains due to their high turn over rates and requirements for staff. I don't know of any options in Wayzata, but I would look at Montessori options or nonprofit options. Good Luck!
J., I would try with a Home Daycare first. They are much cheaper and I believe they spend more time one-on-one with the kids. I do daycare in my home, however I am in Brooklyn Center, alittle too far for you I believe. Here is a good site for you:
http://www.gmdca.nonprofitoffice.com/index.asp
Good Luck....
I used to take my son to Step By Step Montesorri in Wayzata. It is a wonderful daycare. We were very happy with it and my son loved it there. The website for more info is http://stepbystepmontessori.com/.
I hope this helps, R.
My daughter attended the New Horizon in Wayzata off of Hwy 12. She loved it there. The staff was very caring and the toddler room is large with lots of room to play. I don't think Kinderberry Hill is worth the price. We moved here from Dallas, TX and my daughter went to Primrose School. It was fabulous and Kinderberry Hill does not even compare.
My boss sends her two children to the New Horizons in Wayzata. She seems to like it a lot. She hasn't been there long, but has used New Horizons in other locations. They even have someone come in to cut the children's hair while you're at work if you sign up for it.
In response to your question about Kinderberry Hill. We send our 8mo old son to the center in downtown Minneapolis and feel it is definitely worth the price. Of all the other centers I toured, nothing else compared to the quality and organization at Kinderberry Hill. But, I think the main factor for us are the teachers in my sons classroom. If I didn't feel as good about the teachers he has, I don't know that I would feel as good about the price. I obviously can speak about the center near you (I'm assuming the Plymouth one). I would say that if the price isn't completely out of your budget that it is worth touring.
Hi,
I run a small home based childcare in the plymouth/minnetonka area, just minutes from Wayzata. If you would be interseted in chatting let me know.
Hi. I used to work in daycare centers. I worked at Kinderberry Hill and it a VERY good center. I worked at New Horizon and it was not as good. They are both owned by the same company, though. So, yes, Kinderberry Hill IS worth it. When my son was 2-5 years old, he went to Kinder Care part time. One center was great, then we moved and switched him to a different one and that one was not a good fit for him. So it can really vary. Look into them, visit them, ask questions. Good luck!
