Submitted by Beaverdale Mom
This center was not for us. Granted, we are used to the superior care and attention of an in-home daycare provider who should be sainted. But this center was really devoid of anything resembling care and attention.
From the first day, I was uneasy when the care-givers in the infant room, none of whom I had ever met, failed to introduce themselves. Little did I know, that was the least of my worries, as it got much worse from there.
On our third day at the center, I went in to nurse my son. After 20 minutes of talking with the "teacher," she said, "Oh, I meant to tell you, your son had blood in his poop." I was shocked that the center had not called me over something this important. And at the very least, told me about it the minute I walked in the door, not 20 minutes into a very casual conversation.
The next incident came the following week when I told the care provider (yet another new person who didn't introduce themselves) that my son had last eaten at 4 a.m. and "would probably need a bottle soon." According to the sheet (which was a disgrace of discrepancies and bare-minimum info), he didn't eat until 10:30 a.m. Letting a 9-week-old go six hours between feedings is not appropriate, in my opinion.
The last straw came last night when I picked up my now 11-week-old at the center. He was lethargic and pale -- visibly ill. Even my 2-year-old said, "Mom, what's wrong with baby?" To top that off, his left ear was leaking yellow gunk. Long story short (and I mean long... think three hours at Urgent Care), my brand new baby had a double ear infection and had likely been suffering from it all day... yet no call from the center.
The mother bear in me is extremly upset. I'm anticipating a call from the director today to explain some of this (these are just a few of the instances that I could write about), so I'll report back if she gives me a satisfactory reason for the way her center (at least her infant room) is run.
Until then, I invite others to comment on their experience with Traditions because there may be otehr parents who are happy with the place.
UPDATE: I was very pleased with how my call went with the director of the center. Not only did she apologize profusely, she acknowledged that my complaints were legitimate and something that would bother her as a mom, too. She is working to correct some of the issues.
Comment to the post posted by Concerned Mom. If they validated the teacher would have been charged with child abuse and would have NOT been able to be employeed by the child care center. These are the facts of the law which tells me your accusation is false. If that part of your comment is incorrect it's hard for me to believe the rest of your comment. My children have attended Traditions for the past 6 years & I have no complaints, neither do my children!
Posted by: proud parent | September 17, 2009 at 10:13 AM
I have three children that have attended two of Traditions center's. They have fond memories of the teachers as well as time spent there.
I agree as a parent it's my responsibility to stop in unannounced and know who is caring for my children daily. When I have a question or concern, I ask.
I will continue to trust my decision, leaving my children in good hands at Traditions.
Posted by: momof3 | August 18, 2009 at 07:37 AM
In response to the comments posted about Traditions Children's Center, I have much the opposite reaction to the 2 centers I have encountered. We started at 1 center and were very happy with everything from the director, to the classroom teacher my children had down to the girls that helped from the high school. They all knew my children and myself and always greeted me when I walked by them. We moved and had to change locations but have had nothing but good things to say about our new experience with Traditions.
Posted by: Waukee Mom | August 17, 2009 at 07:45 PM
We took our children here for 3 years and in retrospect we should have removed them long ago.
Traditions Children’s Center claims to staff mature, caring and experienced staff and to have your child’s best interests as their main priority.
This has not been our experience. I can tell you that our children were not treated well. One of our children reported he had been hit and called names by his teacher. We reported this to the director who only offered to move him to another room. We agreed but also followed up with DHS and the state licensing agency and they validated our son’s claim.
Tradition’s response was to terminate our contract with them and keep the teacher on staff.
Do you research. Stop in unannounced. Observe from your car when the children are outside at play. Call the state and ask questions. And most of all follow your instincts. Our experience has been that children are not safe here.
Posted by: Concerned Mom | August 02, 2009 at 08:31 AM