Ages In Stages Daycare Center

[jaimejac]

I originally contacted Ages in Stages because they had good reviews on the West Seattle blog and their Infant and Toddler Center is in my neighborhood. I scheduled a tour and met with the Director and liked what I saw initially and got a good vibe from her.

However, the problems started when I began doing a little more digging. As a new mom, I’m nervous about leaving my baby with strangers. I feel it is my job as the parent to thoroughly vet any childcare facility I choose to leave my daughter with.

I asked the Director for parent references and it took her a month to get them to me. In fact, I only got them because I had followed up. It turned out she had forgotten. Then what I got from her were three typed letters. Granted, they were excellent references, however, there was no contact information for the parents and I had no way to verify them. I asked the Director if any of these parents would be willing to talk to me directly either via phone or email and she refused stating it is the privacy policy to not give out parents’ information. I understand the need for privacy, however, I was not asking her to give out anyone’s information without their permission- I was asking if any of the parents would be WILLING to talk to me directly.

At the initial tour, I learned that the earliest a spot was available was December. After I received the references, I asked to be put on the waiting list while I continued my research. But the Director informed me that spot had been taken, and now there wasn’t any availability until February. I am extremely upset at this because had the Director not taken a month to get me the references in the first place, I might have been able to take that December spot.

Additionally, I asked about background checks for the staff. I was directed to the state website, which I checked and did see a list of staff who had passed the state background check. However, I have no way of knowing if that is a current and complete list of staff. I asked for a current list that I could compare against the state list, and she refused, again, stating privacy. How am I supposed to feel comfortable leaving my child someplace where they can’t verify the background checks?

When I interviewed another daycare provider, I was given the names and phone numbers of three parent references on the spot. The fact that this center is not willing to be held to such scrutiny speaks volumes.

I did take my concerns to the owner. Instead of being empathetic about the experience of a new mom trying to find quality childcare, all I got was a defensive attitude. To be fair, the owner did offer to send a list of staff first names to compare against a state website, which I said would be fine, but she didn’t send it.

And in regards to the parent references, she told me that the parents who wrote the references I was given were not willing to give out their contact information. That’s fine, I respect their right. I think it’s suspicious that parents would be willing to write reference letters and not talk to another parent directly, (how do I know the staff or the owner didn’t just write those letters??) but I respect their right. If the Director had informed me of that initially I would have asked for references from parents who were willing to talk to me directly. I was also willing to give out my information if the parents were more comfortable with that. But the owner made no effort to help connect me with the references.

And lastly, the owner completely ignored the issue of the spot in December being taken because the Director “forgot” to follow up on the references. And her parting comment was that she didn’t think anything would make me happy. Well, certainly not after this experience.

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[kayo]

I have heard positive personal reviews of them as well so am surprised you had so much trouble getting information/references. You have to go with your gut in the end though (even after all the research which it sounds like you are very wisely doing.). It is really hard leaving your infant and requires a big leap of faith and a lot of trust. Hope you find a great place for your baby. Best of luck to you. It is hard, but it will work out.

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[jaimejac]

Thanks Kayo- they do have great reviews and in fact, I have a friend who places her son there and likes it a lot. I understand people get busy and things happen, I guess I was just the one who fell through the cracks this time.

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[ericak]

If you decide to look elsewhere and Bright Horizons ends up on your list, I am a parent that would be happy to speak with you and give a recommendation. I had the same fears and concerns leaving my son in the care of others and did a lot of research and spent time in the classroom observing before I decided on what I felt most comfortable with.

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[SarahScoot]

Your experience raises all sorts of red flags. I would definitely proceed with caution. Ditto Erica; if you are considering Bright Horizons in West Seattle or at Starbucks, I would be happy to talk to you about my family’s experience. :-)

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[Marcel]

Hi Jaime,

I have been parent at Ages in Stages since 2005. Both of my children have been under their care since infancy. I have never had a negative experience with any of the staff and I am certain my children are in safe and nurturing environment. With my second child, I was also put on the waiting list. However, knowing Ages in Stages is one of the best in the city, I knew the demand to get into the childcare was high. As a parent I understand your concern with the staff and background checks. Ages in Stages is a licensed childcare, therefore the reliability of the background checks should not be a concern, which is why I chose a licensed childcare in the first place. I would not discount this center because of one negative incident. They are a wonderful childcare and I would recommend their services to ANYONE. If you would like to contact me, I would be happy to talk to you.

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[birdygirl]

My story is similar to Marcel’s.

I first placed our first son at AIS at 2 months in early 2010. And later my second son at 6 weeks in earlier this year. I’m meticulous and anal retentive and expect high quality of care for my children. While no Childcare is perfect, we are very happy with the level of care provided by AIS and would not consider going anywhere else.

I am curious if Jaime paid the $100 deposit to secure her spot on the wait list -I see no mention of this on her post.

As for Jaime’s concern regarding background checks. The information regarding any licensed Childcare facility can be found on the Washington State Department of Early Learning.

Any issues that may be a concern would be public information.

For anyone considering Ages in Stages for Childcare, I would point out that there are 2 sides to every story.

I know that it is a stressful time to be searching for daycare for your new infant. I wish Jaime luck on finding her perfect childcare. I know that we found ours…

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[lohoho]

Our family enjoyed Ages in Stages Childcare. Stacey really was a life saver for us as we needed to place our infant son in some care because we were leaving our other day care facility. She was able to shuffle the waitlist to get us in. Our son stayed there from 2008 when he was only a few months old to 2012 when we moved him to the same school his older brother goes to. I found their care to be top notch. They do a great job at engaging the families and offered sleep overs for parents to have date nights. Our son was always happy there.

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