Little Sponges Day Care

More than a daycare. More than a school. More like Family!

I'm sad as I write this review because this is my son's last week at Little Sponges. Both he and my daughter attended this wonderful school. Now that we've moved and he will be attending another daycare, I realize how special Little Sponges is and how much we will miss it.

When my daughter was born 7 years ago we looked at many daycare places. Most were chains and many were run by young people that didn't have kids themselves. When we came to see Little Sponges I immediately liked the fact that it was family owned and run. The director has her own kids at the school, as well as the owner's grandkids. Linda the owner gave us her cell phone number the first day and has always been available to take our call anytime we needed to speak with her.

Safety and security were our top concern. I liked that the building had high windows in each classroom, but also there was cinder block all around the building. We saw many daycares that had all glass walls right next to the parking lot, and I was concerned that a car could jump the curb and go through the glass. Not the case at Little Sponges. There's a double set of locked doors, one as you enter the lobby and then another to access the main daycare area. Also Little Sponges has security cameras everywhere with recording. If there's any sort of incident its recorded and the parents can view it. There's a fingerprint computer check in and check out. If someone else has to pick up your child you can call in advance and they have to show proper ID.

The classrooms are all very large and very clean. There's a large gym and a very big indoor play area. I can't tell you how many times its been raining outside but my kids had a great time running around and playing in the indoor play area which includes multiple slides and play areas.

Little Sponges serves breakfast, lunch, and snacks which is very convenient for the days when we're running late and didn't have time for breakfast at home. Also they're open from 6:30am to 6:30pm so the extended care hours are very convenient for the days that my wife and I have to work either early or late.

The classes all follow an age-focused curriculum. From the infants room where they are learning to crawl and walk, to the twoddlers and creative nursery classes where they are learning shapes, colors, numbers, etc. The Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 curriculum is outstanding. When my daughter went into public school Kindergarten, she was actually bored with the school work because she was so well prepared and so advanced from her learning at Little Sponges.

Besides the academic curriculum, Little Sponges also has lots of amazing arts. In the classroom the children make beautiful crafts that you will actually want to hang in your home. There's an amazing dance program as well. My daughter started dance with ballet, jazz, and hip-hop. They also do father-daughter and mother-son dances with a recital at the end of the year. I did two father-daughter group dances with my daughter, and I'm so glad I did. It was an amazing experience and I'll never forget it as long as I live.

There are exceptional teachers and staff members I would like to recognize as well. Roberto is an amazing teacher and an all-around great guy. Cher is also an amazing teacher and cares so much for her kids. She's pretty much family to us now! Carmen, Marcos, and Yury are also great and we love them!

I'm not sure what else I can say about Little Sponges. They're not perfect but then again nobody is. My wife and I could have sent our children anywhere, and we chose Little Sponges. I have recommended Little Sponges many times and would do so again without hesitation.

My son Austin started going here and he absolutely loves it! The school is always clean and well organized. They keep me posted with pictures and all of his activities throughout the day. So happy I found them! I love everyone there!

I love this place! Comparing to our prior experience at a different place, everyone at Little Sponges are so willing to work with your child and very loving and caring. The facility is always very clean and the teachers, director and owner are so knowledgeable about your child.

I love Little Sponges! They are so good to my little guy. He started there at 6 weeks and is now a year and a half. Every single person who works there knows us and cares about my son. I love dropping him off each day and knowing he is being cared for. Plus, he is learning so much. They sing, do art projects, play in the gym, and read lots of books. I know because I get pictures every single day.

This school is a great place. It's more like a family. I look forward to watching my son continue to grow each day at Little Sponges!

Edited to add: I read the reviews below and want to talk about the security. It is true that they bring your child out to you. They also buzz people in and use a fingerprint based computerized check in and out process. I love this safety element. I know that only the people that I played can get to and pick up my child. And I'm so thankful for this security.

This place is a disgrace and completely dishonest. I paid my daughters enrollment in full plus the deposit. I called to let them know that she would not be able to attend and would like my money back, the receptionist assured me I'd receive my money back. I asked to speak to the owner of the daycare and was told she was not there but that she'd call me back and she never did. I called in multiple occasions asking to speak to the owner as I never received my money back (this was back in July) after 7 months of calling the owner's husband picked up and with a very nasty attitude basically told me that I was not getting my money back (2,000+ dollars) because I never wrote a letter despite the fact that I had been calling and asking to speak to the owner about the issue.

When I first put my children here I loved it. The lady that owns the daycare is wonderful, the teachers are wonderful, the bus driver is awesome, and so are some of the staff and teachers. Due to a few of the staff there and other issues, I have grown to strongly dislike little sponges. A few years ago one of the staff members "Yakira Smith" threatened me via facebook apparently she couldn't keep whatever personal issue she had with me separate from her job. One staff member reported me to cps for giving my kid a freaking slurpee, the current assistant director is very rude and at times extremely unprofessional, as well as the previous assistant director that worked there. There is a guy that works there who is extremely unreliable. He got my school bus service suspended for about three months because he forgot to relay a message. When I got to the school they explained to me that the school bus service had to be suspended because I didn't let them know my child wasn't getting on the bus. I explained to them that I called the school HOURS before and spoke to the man who was the only one available when I called (he denied ever speaking to me BTW) because everyone was "in a meeting". I even showed them my call log to prove that I called. Of course they took his side, they're all family there. I didn't have a car at the time so I eventually had to take my child out. There is way more that goes on at this school, from reporting phony things to child services to an overly nosey secretary, I can't get into it right now because it's way too much to type. Every time I go to little sponges I feel like I'm being set up or something. I hate coming to little sponges so much. I can't wait until the day my son finishes. I am very happy I took my daughter out.

This place is an absolute JOKE. They treat their employees extremely poorly. The owners, Kirk and Linda have no idea what they're doing with running this business or handling their money. They're extremely shady and cover up their issues. Good reviews out of this place only comes from the owners' friends and family. They couldn't pay ME to let my children stay here, heck, they can't even pay their own employees! The owners are very lucky that the teacheran they hire care about the young children staying there because the owners do not! They do not care about their customers or their workers. It is surprising that they're still open...

If you're looking for a day care that will treat you and your kids like family look no further. Linda Castro is truly amazing at what she does. This is not work for her it's her family. Athena is efficient and on top of everything. She is there to guide and help you every step of the way to make the transition easy for you and your loved one. So blessed to have found this extended family

I really tried to like this place but a few things really bothered me. First off, my daughter was only there for 3 days in the twoddler program, she had to get pulled out due to health issued unrelated to the daycare. The daycare seems very clean and the inside is very nice, my daughter did not want to leave indoor playground on our tour. My main issue there is lack of communication. Before we enrolled our daughter, our contact person, Athena Castro answered our emails within hours regarding enrolling and paying. Once we were in, it was hard to get hold of anyone. I emailed Athena various times with questions, once we paid she never answered another one of my emails. Another issue I had was I never met my daughter's teacher. The few times I dropped her off/picked her up, I was never allowed to go past the door. I understand child safety but I would like to know who is watching my child all day.

Like I said before, we were there for a very short time so I can't say the place is horrible and maybe I would have liked it if we stayed longer but me personally, I wouldn't take my child back.

This place is an absolute disgrace calling themselves a business. When you call to get any kind of information you are put on hold for at least 10-15 minutes, it's extremely unprofessional. Many of your questions go unanswered and many things are overlooked They don't give prices over the phone when inquiring about rates they ask you to schedule a tour first. For 5 full days it's about $1051 for a toddler and a lil over $1200 for an infant. The deposit ranges from $400 to $570. Most daycare centers usually provide you with a rate over the phone. Additionally, you can't pick up or drop your child off they are taken from you and brought to you, very impersonal. They do not have an open door policy which I find very strange. The website lacks up to date pictures as well as a breakfast and lunch menu. Not sure how they handle food sensitives and allergies without providing a menu to the parent. That was a major concern for me since they also do not allow any outside food. The facility is beautiful especially the indoor play space however the lack of professionalism and inability to bring my kid into her classroom and see the teacher have proven to be unacceptable for me.