Edit for response to reply: Thankyou for the disingenuous reply, and for attempting to discredit my review by insinuating that I abused your staff or that I contributed to an unsafe environment for the children.
You are well aware of the source for my dissatisfaction, just as you are aware of the money that you owe me. Contrived ignorance is no excuse for delivering poor quality childcare, and theft.
I feel compelled to write this review, despite the risk of reprisal that is faced by anyone who paints Kinda Kapers in a negative light. You may have noticed that almost every negative review of these centers is met with a reply of "we have not had a family by this name at our centre", which adequately displays the utter lack of accountability that the owners possess.
My child attended the Toronto centre for a lengthy period of time, years, and I urge others to proceed with caution if considering enrollment.
Initially, I wasn't concerned about the quality of care and felt that despite the pressures of the job and evident understaffing, that the educators were doing their best. I felt that the job was a challenging one in general and that the chaos was normal. I was hesitant to ever question or criticise practices that I now know to be the product of a poorly run operation. As time went on, I noticed the staff turnover rate was high, and that most new-hires were very young trainees, many straight out of school, and lacking in experience and/or confidence.
As a first time mother without any prior knowledge of the industry/early childhood education, I assumed that the increasing difficulty I was facing in getting my child there in the mornings was normal. The staff would need to pry my child off me, screaming, at drop off, even after 18 months of attending.
When I finally became aware of what was happening at the centre, I communicated my concerns to the director and general manager. I was met with deflection, blame-shifting, dishonest excuses, and attempts to discredit my character and complaints. They refused to waive the 2 week notice period for withdrawal, and despite having then proceeded to follow the policy requirements to have my exorbitant bond returned, 3 months later, I still have not received the $1000+ owed to me. My repeated attempts to discuss this with the general manager have been met with refusal to even discuss the matter, intertwined with false allegations of defamation.
I feel saddened that I left my child in the care of people with misaligned values, and disheartened by the lack of industry regulation and available avenues for resolution.
My advice to other parents - avoid for-profit childcare providers, trust your maternal instincts when something feels off, and look beyond the surface when considering who you are leaving your children with. They are arguably the most vulnerable, defenseless and important population in our community - every single child is uniquely special and should be treated as such.
My advice to staff - inaction makes you just as culpable as action in regards to perpetrating poor quality care. If you are not supported by management or the executive to perform your role to an adequate standard, or you feel morally/ethically conflicted, leave. Do not continue to enable sub-par service that can result in irreparable damage to child development.
My child is now in a safe and supported daycare that they love going to each day. The stark behavioural change was almost immediately evident.