LINKS TO LEARNING TWO

I want to start this review by saying I’m not writing this to attack anyone. I simply want to share our experience so other parents can make an informed decision. My daughter attended Links to Learning from December 2025 through June 2026. During my interview, I asked very specific questions about teacher consistency, ratios, behavior management, and TV time because my daughter struggled with transitions. I was assured she would have consistent teachers. Unfortunately, that wasn’t our experience. It seemed like every day there was a different reason someone wasn’t there. Someone was sick, had quit, or had been fired. I tried to be understanding because I know staffing happens, but it became a pattern. I also walked in multiple times to teachers on their phones, wearing headphones, and not interacting with the children. My daughter’s main teacher was wonderful, and I truly appreciated her. The issue was that there always seemed to be different staff in the room. At pickup I was often told, “I just got in here,” so no one could tell me how my daughter’s day had gone. Many afternoons I was greeted by someone I’d never met who would ask, “Who are you here to pick up?” It never felt like there was consistency. Communication was also frustrating. Calls were rarely answered, and I almost always had to leave a voicemail and wait for a call back. As a parent, that’s concerning if there’s ever an emergency. We also rarely received updates or pictures unless I messaged asking how my daughter was doing. One of my biggest concerns was safety. Several mornings I was asked to leave my daughter in the infant room because they were understaffed. One teacher was responsible for multiple infants and toddlers while also watching the front entrance. The infant room door was left open with direct access to a staircase leading to the basement. I brought this up more than once, but I never felt like the safety concern itself was addressed. Instead, it felt like my concerns were viewed as an inconvenience. Because I truly believed it was a safety issue, I reported it to DHS. (I have a video of this however it won’t allow me to add videos—no children in the video of course) The day we left confirmed we had made the right decision. I walked into the three year old classroom to pick up my eighteen month old daughter and saw a teacher I had never met holding her down in her chair by her shoulders while the children watched TV. Deneine later explained that the teacher was new, several employees had recently been fired, and it had been the hardest week they’d had. While I understand staffing challenges happen, children still deserve safe and appropriate care. When I calmly asked if my daughter could have toys instead of watching TV, Deneine began yelling at me in front of staff, children, and parents. She told me that if I didn’t like their daycare I should find another one and said I had cost them time and money because I reported them to DHS. When I asked for my daughter’s belongings, she walked through the building announcing they needed to collect everything I had ever donated to the classroom, including items purchased from their own wish list. I do want to mention that every interaction I had with Don was pleasant, and my daughter’s main teacher was wonderful. However, I also feel I was misled during my interview. I was told the center followed educational standards and was Christian based, but that wasn’t our experience. I know no daycare is perfect, and I wasn’t expecting perfection. My concern was never about staffing issues alone. It was that when legitimate safety concerns were raised, I never felt they were taken seriously. I hope sharing our experience helps another family make an informed decision.