Waukee KinderCare

Extremely Disappointed with Care – Multiple Issues, Including Injury Left Unattended Our experience with Waukee Kindercare was deeply troubling and concerning. Over the last 6 months, we encountered several issues that left us feeling uneasy and ultimately led to our decision to immediately withdraw them from care. 1. Prolonged periods between diaper changes: On multiple occasions, we noticed that our son’s diaper was not changed for 4-6 hours. This caused discomfort and, at times, led to severe diaper rash and broken skin. The lack of attention to basic hygiene was concerning. 2. No diaper at all at pick up: Our son was left without a diaper entirely for an unknown amount of time, as we noticed at pickup he didn’t have one on. This not only seemed like a lapse in care but a concern for his and his peers’ health and well-being. 3. Lack of communication: Communication from the daycare was poor. We often received little to no information about how our son’s day went, what he was learning, or even when there were issues such as a dirty diaper or fussiness. As parents, we felt disconnected and uninformed. 4. No apparent curriculum: Despite the daycare’s claims of offering an educational environment, we noticed no structured learning or activities. Our son seemed to spend his days in complete chaos with no apparent structure. 5. Unpleasant odor: The daycare facility consistently had a foul odor. They assured us that they were doing a deep clean of all classrooms, but we saw no improvement. It is shocking that cleaning wasn’t happening on a regular basis. It was off-putting and made us question the overall cleanliness and upkeep of the environment. 6. Incident resulting in ER visit: The most alarming issue was an incident in which our son suffered an injury that was left unnoticed for more than eight hours. We only learned about it after we picked him up. The injury was severe enough to require an emergency room visit, and the lack of attention and response from the staff was unacceptable. No one took responsibility for the incident, and it was clear that the staff did not provide the appropriate care or supervision. Given these serious issues, we cannot recommend Waukee Kindercare. We strongly believe that our children deserve better care, attention, and safety than what was provided. We hope the daycare can address these problems for the sake of future children, but for us, the experience was a significant disappointment.

*BEWARE* I've been wrestling with the decision of whether to share our less-than-ideal experience with Waukee Kindercare through a review. After reflecting on it for a while, I've concluded that it's important to share our story in the hopes that other families looking for a safe childcare option can learn from our experience and make informed decisions for their own families. If I could give this facility zero stars I would. Our time at Waukee Kindercare was marked by several concerning incidents that raised red flags for us. One of the significant issues we faced was the frustrating lack of communication from the director. It was incredibly difficult to reach her, and when we did, responses were often delayed. For example, I reached out on a Tuesday to arrange a tour before our child's first day the following Monday, but didn't hear back until Friday at 3pm. Needless to say, this didn't leave us feeling confident about starting our child there. Additionally, we encountered problems with billing as we had a discount voucher, despite the director's repeated assurances that they would be resolved before our first payment - it was not. When we arrived for our child's first day, his name wasn't marked on any of his belongings, unlike the other children's items. This lack of attention to detail persisted throughout our time there and he never received a name tag on his crib or cubby which didn't make us feel welcomed. One of the biggest concerns for us was the constant turnover of teachers in the infant room. We rarely saw the same teacher, which made it difficult for any meaningful relationship to form between them and our child. Despite our repeated requests, simple instructions about our child's care, such as serving cold milk instead of warming it, were consistently ignored. Safety issues also arose during our brief time at Waukee Kindercare. There was a day when a malfunctioning door code left the building unlocked all day, posing a serious safety risk. On another occasion, my husband witnessed a crawling child accidentally run into by a rocking chair because the teacher wasn't paying attention. These incidents, along with others like a baby left unattended with their leg stuck in a crib slat, deeply concerned us. Promises of receiving photos of our child throughout the day went unfulfilled on multiple occasions. However, the final straw came when I walked in to pick up our 14 week old child and found him lying on the carpet, unattended, with his face rubbing against the rough carpet. This resulted in rug burn that lasted for a week. When I asked the teacher about it, she attributed it to tummy time, even though their policy clearly states that children should be closely supervised during this activity. It was incredibly disheartening and upsetting for me, especially as a first-time parent, to see that the staff at Waukee Kindercare didn't take basic precautions during my son's tummy time. They didn't even ask if he was ready for tummy time, failed to place him on a soft mat, and didn't stay within reach while he was doing it. When I arrived and found my son in distress, with his caregivers' backs turned towards him, it was truly distressing. What made matters worse was that when I confronted them about his irritated face, they didn't even apologize. This lack of care and attention to my child's well-being left me feeling deeply disappointed and frustrated. This incident prompted us to immediately withdraw our child from the facility, leaving us without childcare. As first-time parents already navigating the challenges of parenthood, this decision put us in an incredibly difficult situation. However, we feared for our child's safety. In conclusion, our experience with Waukee Kindercare was far from satisfactory, and I wouldn't recommend this facility to anyone. The safety and well-being of our children should always be the top priority, and unfortunately, that wasn't the case here.

We are really happy with our experience at Waukee Kindercare. Martha truly loves the children and understands developmental needs. I'm always seeing her help her staff which I'm sure translates to a feeling of support. There are activities constantly, pictures often throughout the day, and great areas for them to get their energy out in winter and summer.

2025 UPDATE: Sadly, we had to change daycares in Nov 2024 because of serious issues we were facing with this center. We had a great experience up until June 2024, when our daughter's teacher left. After moving to a 3-yr old classroom, we found a concerning lack of communication and high teacher turnover. We never knew who would be in our kid's classroom when we pick her up. She regressed in potty training and had accidents over nap every single day (vs. none with her old teacher). She's been with her new daycare for a over a month now and has 0. The worst experience was over the summer when a new teacher was taking kids from outside playground back to their classroom through one of the empty rooms. Our daughter was forgotten in the empty room until her main teacher noticed she was missing. She still cries when she talks about that incident 6 months after. ORIGINAL POST: Our family absolutely loves Waukee Kindercare! Teachers are sweet and caring, the Director does a great job in keeping everything organized and welcoming, and our toddler is learning a ton. Communication is easy and seamless, and I like that they post photos and videos of activities our little girl participates in every day. I feel like she is very well taken care of. Recommend!

Hands down the best Directors, Teachers, and Staff at Waukee KinderCare. We transitioned our toddler here as soon as they opened and in the past year have seen drastic growth in her learning, social skills, and nutrition from her previous center. Now we have an infant enrolled as well and couldn’t be happier with her care and growth. This a center where everyone is treated like family and our kids are loved.