Polly Panda Preschool

We tried this daycare for a few months, and it ultimately wasn’t the right fit for us. Our son began crying about going to school the night before and was consistently upset at drop-off, which was very out of character compared to previous daycare experiences. That alone made it clear something wasn’t working for him. One of the biggest challenges for us was the lack of communication. We rarely received updates during the day, and while there is a Facebook group for photos, posts were infrequent. It was difficult not knowing how he was doing, especially on harder drop-off days. There were also a few instances where events were happening that we weren’t aware of, and our son was placed in a different room rather than participating, which added to the disconnect. Food was another concern, as he often didn’t eat much during the day. Additionally, I did overhear a teacher speaking to children in a tone that felt overly harsh for this age group. While I understand that working with toddlers is challenging and requires structure, the approach didn’t feel like the right fit for our child. On the positive side, the hours are convenient, the cost is in line with other centers, and there are nice outdoor play areas. I also know families who are happy here, so it may work well for others. For us, though, we were looking for more consistent communication and a different overall environment They are also a paths to quality 1 right now where they used to be a 4. Just a side note that I was unaware of when we started.

Our daughter's experience at Polly Panda has been excellent. We chose "Polly" in part because we had several close friends whose children loved their time here. We also appreciated the flexible pickup and dropoff schedule when needed (early mornings and pickup by 6pm). For a preschool, an industry with a ton of turnover, we really like how experienced and committed the staff is. The result is a no nonsense, well-established preschool that is very smoothly run with a 39 year history. Shannon and Tammy do a good job of communicating important information and are quick to answer questions. Days are reasonably structured with plenty of open playtime, but also regular arts & crafts activities, playground time, group reading times, optional martial arts, etc. Most importantly, our daughter looks forward to going to Polly to see her teachers Ms. Carmen and Ms. April and her friends. We feel comfortable knowing that she is in a safe and nurturing environment.

Both Polly Panda and Bridgeford Kindergarten were the safe and comfortable home of learning that became the foundation for my very successful sons. They look back twenty-five years ago and remember the cozy home environment, the fantastic back deck, front yard play ground, the Little 500 tradition, the alphabet wedding of Q and U, and ohhh so many story books that became favorites that had to be read over and over... Our family cannot thank Marsha and her staff family for giving us all such wonderful, loving, caring, positive memories!!!

We have sent both of our kids to Polly Panda, one from 2 years old onward, and the other from 12 weeks till the present. The staff is friendly and responsive, and many of them have been there for a very long time. I really feel like there is good oversight over the entire daycare: they've made the effort to be part of the Paths to Quality program, and get audited each year. We are proud to be part of the Polly Panda family.

Everything was fine with this daycare until covid started in March last year. They sent an email asking if you can keep your child at home the better, but they still want to charge you when your child is not going there at all! How is that possible? We try to work with them and even offer to pay a fee to save our daughter's spot in the daycare, but that wasn't enough. Unfortunately if you want a money hungry daycare for your kid this is the place to go.