The Tot's Playhouse

Reviews (4)

• Upcoming openings at a PLG/Flatbush daycare

  September 2023

  For parents near PLG/Flatbush. I wanted to share that there are a couple of infant/toddler spots coming up at Tots Playhouse (on Fenimore street). Tots took care of my kiddo since he was 4 months old (J is now 1.5!) and I couldn’t imagine leaving him with any other care team. We’re moving to Boston from PLG and will miss the teachers here very much—they are such a warm and friendly group. The babies and toddlers eat home-cooked meals around a table for breakfast and lunch with a menu that’s more creative than I'm able to put together. The space is a 1st floor apartment with a ramp entrance—lots of natural light and clean with a private backyard. They are buggied to a nearby playground too when the weather is nice.

• Review from the Fall 2021 Early Childhood Education Survey

  December 2021

  Type of facility: Daycare Review: All of the caretakers truly love the kids. They do lots of activities – crafts, music, walks outside and special days for holidays and birthdays. Hygiene and sanitation is top-notch and (I believe) has kept our kids healthy. Communication around testing protocols with travel could be better and more consistent. What amenities does the facility provide? Has outdoor space, Provides meals What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? Clear and consistent communication around testing protocols around returning to daycare. Is there anything you would like to add about how the school handled the pandemic? All workers are vaccinated and wear masks. It is a small operation that feels VERY safe.

• Daycare Recommendations

  November 2021

  Our son also goes to Tots and started there when he was 6.5 month old in January 2020. He was the youngest child but I always say his fast development is due to this! And at no time did I feel like it worked against him. I echo all of the pros. The care is unbeatable! They love the children, give lots of detailed updates, always have activities planned including lots of outdoor time, make well-rounded fresh meals, and are very strict about safety protocols. The sheet is very out-of-date especially as it pertains to cost. We pay $625/week. I will say that though the care is amazing and the people who work with our children day-to-day are THE BEST, the owner of the daycare is extremely difficult to work with. We have been paying for full time for almost a year and had to fight very hard after vaccines were available to extend hours and days. Even now, they won’t open to the full time hours which were in our contract. And the reason is unclear. In addition, there’s been a lack of consistency with the holiday schedule (again, based on our original contract) and lack of clear communication around protocols to return to daycare after time away. We 100% understand and want there to be precautions/testing but it’s been difficult to understand the testing requirements, which has sent us in a panic many times after coming back from a holiday weekend not knowing if our child could return to daycare and us to work. All of this has unfortunately resulted in some unpleasant interactions with the daycare owner. I don’t regret sending our son to Tots because his care is the biggest priority, but there have been times when I’ve wondered why I haven’t seen any reviews from other parents giving a heads up about difficulties with the owner. Just wanted to provide our true experience there! We still love it.

• Daycare Recommendations

  November 2021

  We have our daughter in a nearby daycare, Tot's Playhouse and I couldn't be happier with it. I enrolled her around 13 months, and also straddled the nanny/daycare fence for a bit, but as she got older I saw how daycare could benefit her. Additionally, we live in a small 2 bedroom apartment and the idea of having another adult and my daughter around all day seemed really challenging while I WFH. In only a few months, she'll be walking around wanting to get into everything! I'm happy to chat more if you have questions about it, but some pros and cons: It's very small (which I think of as a plus for personalized care, exposure to illness, and camaraderie among the kids & parents). They cap at 7 kids. All of the kids are truly friends and really love enjoy going. My daughter is 19 months and the other children are similarly aged. When she started there were 2 4-year-olds, and while they weren't in a separate room they seemed to have more "responsibility" and age-appropriate activities. They cook meals for them, which are WONDERFUL! As I've gotten busier, and she eats more – this is a huge time saver (and sanity saver)! I feel like my daughter is truly loved. This has been huge. We don't have family help so it's been great to have other adult caretakers who are very clearly making an impact in my daughter's life. The cons would be that it is one of the more expensive spots in the neighborhood. This can be a hard pill to swallow at first, but now that we're use to it I can not imagine having her somewhere else. I truly do think it's worth every penny, and I believe that all of the caretakers enjoy working there as well. The hours are a bit shorter right now (8-5; M-TR and 8-3 on F)… this can sometimes be challenging, but at the end of the day, I don't want to pick her up much later than 5 any way. However, it can be stressful sometimes with work pressures.