HIGHLANDS ACADEMY

I am writing this review based on my personal experience as a parent. During my child’s enrollment, there were multiple incidents involving my child that caused me serious concern. These concerns were based on written incident reports provided by the center, information shared with me by staff, and my own observations as a parent. In one incident documented by the center, my child was in the infant classroom and had access to broken glass, which he put in his mouth, and he also sustained a knee injury. This information was included in the incident report I received. When I discussed this incident with the director at the time, I was told there was nothing further that could be done. On another occasion, my child came home with his shoes taped on. When I asked his teacher about this, I was told it was done because she was tired of repeatedly putting them back on. I brought this concern to the director, but I did not feel it was meaningfully addressed. Later that same year, I was notified that my child had been left unattended on a playground designated for an older age group. I was told this lasted only a short period of time and that it would be reported to licensing. To my knowledge, this incident was not reported. I was also informed that my child was sometimes placed in a bathroom to calm down, which raised concerns for me regarding supervision practices and age-appropriate responses to behavior. In a subsequent incident, my child required an emergency room visit following an event that occurred in the same bathroom area. During a discussion afterward, a staff member acknowledged that physical contact occurred during a moment of frustration. I chose not to involve law enforcement at the time because I trusted the situation would be documented and reported appropriately. An external investigation did take place, and while no violations were substantiated due to lack of evidence the situation left me extremely uncomfortable and lacked clarity and resolution for me as a parent. I ultimately made the decision to remove my child because I no longer felt confident that his safety and supervision needs were being consistently met. I encourage parents to ask detailed questions about supervision, staffing support, and how incidents are documented and communicated.