Imagine Early Learning Centers @ Brooklyn Bridge Child Development Center

- Downtown Brooklyn
101 Willoughby Street, New York 11201, New York, Kings County
See Map | Get Directions - www.imagineelc.com
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Reviews (3)
Review from the Spring 2024 Early Education Survey
Review: We chose this program primarily based on its location, since there were very few reviews. Pros: Spacious classrooms, some friendly staff, nice families/community. Our child’s lead teacher (for most of the year) was wonderful. Cons: Seemed to have pretty major staffing issues, which meant constant changes in staff, often without notifying families. It also took almost daily phone calls and emails to make contact with anyone at the program before it started (that improved). We ultimately pulled our child from this program in December because she continued to dread going each day. At times when I’d drop off, no one would stand up to greet her or say good morning, and I’d hear nothing all day so it was really hard to gauge how things were going. That said, plenty of children and families seemed happy, and our child is admittedly not easy going, so it’s possible it just wasn’t the right program for us. Based on emails it did seem like some of this may have been growing pains and they were able to offer more consistency by the end of the year, so may be better next year! Amenities: Has after-school options, Has early morning hours, Provides meals What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? Staffing, but I do know lots of programs had issues with DOE funding, etc., so not entirely their fault.Review from the Spring 2023 Early Education Survey
Review: The teachers clearly care a LOT and our child adapted well (started ~8 mo old). They do different enrichment activities like bringing in a musician or a puppeteer, and have had a couple of sweet opportunities for parents to visit the classroom. Our child seems pretty happy, and has definitely made some other baby friends which is nice to see. Arrival and departure times are pretty regimented (you have to choose and then stick to a schedule), and we provide all meals/snacks/bottles/drinks. They also do 3k/4k with the city, so if you choose to stay you may be able to get a spot and have some consistency for multiple years. The assistant director Tashana is a gem - incredibly responsive, helpful, and wonderful with the kids. Our sense is that the quality of care is good to great, but they are consistently short-staffed which means we often arrive to a different person in the classroom with no notice. Updates in Brightwheel are consistent, but communication is otherwise spotty - it's really hard to get ahold of the director, parent-teacher conferences were canceled twice day-of, and most of the time there's no one there in the morning to watch the door and greet the kids. Since this is a government site, the spaces are significantly larger than other daycares we saw and teachers have to pass rigorous background checks - that's super comforting, but also makes hiring pretty difficult. Given the choice we might have tried elsewhere, but after 12+ months of trying to land a spot, it was the only opening. Amenities: What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? Communication with parents. It would be nice to get consistent updates on classroom activities, understand how often they're going outside, and to have the opportunity to discuss growth and development milestones.Review from the Spring 2022 Early Childhood Education Survey
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Child Development Center, 101 Willoughby St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Type of facility: Daycare, Preschool, 3K Review: We have only been here for about 2 weeks but it has been a good experience so far. Staff and teachers are very communicative, our daughter seems to be engaged in fun activities, and we feel safe sending her each day. What amenities does the facility have? Has after-school options, Very close to local parks and makes good use of them! What would you change about the program, if anything? More updates DURING the day. They take lots of lovely pictures and give a comprehensive update about what our child eats, when she sleeps, diapers etc. But I would love an interface that gave us more information during the day. Is there anything you would like to add about how the school is handling the pandemic? The school has had very strict rules around the pandemic, and parents are still not allowed beyond the front door.