Cititots Preschool and After School Care

Reviews (4)

• Review from the Fall 2024 Early Education Survey

  December 2024

  Review: This is our perspective as a parent of a toddler who attends this location. We love the in-home feel of this location. The providers are so loving and you feel like part of the family. They go outside everyday and it’s close to the playground so they go there and to the Pratt grounds. They also go for walks to explore their neighborhood. Parents are provided photos and updates throughout the day but wouldn’t say it’s the most thorough recount. I’d rather have them interacting with my child than updating the app every time they do something. Granted my child is 2 so I don’t need to know the details the way I might have when he was younger. They have community events where they invite families to celebrate different holidays and they are easy to talk to at pickup or via their app where all the photos and updates are provided. I appreciate that they serve all meals and a PM snack which means I only have to pack an AM snack and a water bottle. All in all, I’ve been so pleased with my experience so far. I feel like my toddler has really grown in his language development and social interactions which I attribute largely to his experience at daycare. He loves his teachers and tells me everyday about each of his friends at Cititots.; Amenities: Provides meals; What would you change? Wish they had a 3k option closer. Their other location in bed-stuy offers but harder for us to get to.

• Review from the Spring 2022 Early Childhood Education Survey

  July 2022

  Location: Layfayette Type of facility: Daycare, Preschool Review: Overall we are happy with Cititots. It’s convenient, and they are very flexible. The staff is enthusiastic and kind. I like that it feels small and somewhat cozy, like a worn-in home setting. I wish the communication was better and that they were a little more organized. What amenities does the facility have? Has after-school options, Provides meals What would you change about the program, if anything? Is there anything you would like to add about how the school is handling the pandemic? They seem flexible and reasonable about mask policies.

• 2019-2020 Year Review

  January 2020

  Review: Our experience was less than stellar to say the least! The teacher was strong instructionally - working to do full lessons and always welcoming kids kindly each morning. The owner was the main issue. She was not willing to budge at all on the leave policy and literally held us there in order to get our deposit another full month after we had given notice. Also she offered classes in the early afternoon after base hours end at 3:30pm. This meant either your child was sitting out in the after school, or you had to pay for your child to do a class from 3:30-4:00. Also the space is very small and my son was told not to run inside and to be very quiet - which both are difficult for him as a two year old. One time we even came to pick him up and he was separated from the students in a pack n play as a punishment for running. I would never recommend this daycare to anyone I know. It ended up not at all feeling like a family environment to send my son to - seeing that it felt like we were being nitpicked for payments for extra things left and right. … About the facility: Provides meals … What would you change? Not having it feel like I was constantly being asked about payments and money focused from the director in every interaction. Being a developmentally appropriate place where young kids can move and yell and be kids - telling a two year old boy not to run as soon as he comes into the daycare feels off.

• 2019 Review

  November 2019

  We chose CitiTots for daycare after a long search because we had some specific scheduling needs. Glenda, the director, was accommodating, friendly, open-minded, attentive, and responsive from the very start. I was impressed at how quickly she responded to our questions before we enrolled. She had just started this new location on Marcy in Bed-Stuy, and so we lucked out joining early when there were just a few kids. Our child (9 months old when started) has been extremely happy there. The caregivers are friendly, well-trained, creative, and thoughtful. We got lots of pictures and updates as to how the day went. They were good with our EBF baby in regards to feeding and schedule, and also completely open to cloth diapers (rare in the daycare world). They always do lots of fun activities including art. While they don't make food for the kids, it hasn't been an issue for us. Glenda and the other caregivers were attentive to developmental milestones, and when our daughter was a little slow to walk, they were very encouraging and helpful. I feel like we have learned from them as parents. The only reason we moved on is because our child "graduated" to their other location. Now that we're at the older kid location on Lafayette, we're impressed again. Ms. Jessica (the head teacher) is enthusiastic, creative, and kind. They are always doing fun new activities (learning about seeds and plants, riding the bus and learning about vehicles), and it's been great to watch our kid thrive there. They serve meals at the Lafayette location, and our child gobbles it right up. We love the daily reports and pictures. The space isn't huge but they are outside a lot, both for neighborhood walks and at the playground right across the street. Once in a while we have needed to adjust our schedule (add a day), and they have been accommodating of that.