BRIGHT HORIZONS AT WATERTOWN PLANK

We’ve been with Bright horizons for about a year and a half and have been very happy. The infant room had no “baby containers” like bouncers which was really important to me when looking for a daycare because being in a bouncer for extended periods of time can cause motor delays. The teachers were very responsive to my daughter and seemed to really care about her. They did a lot of good sensory activities even in the infant room and they frequently updated the app with photos of her day (I really love that because it make me feel more connected to my daughter while I’m at work). Pretty much every time I went in the classroom the teachers were holding one of the babies and seemed engaged with them. We have also really loved the toddler room. They do all sorts of activities that are great for her motor skills and brain development and they read stories to the kids every day. They also have unstructured free play and outdoor (weather permitting) time every day. We do get lots of photos during the day but there are no screens at all for the kids (which I love)! The teachers all really seem to know my daughter and pay attention to her likes/dislikes and she’s excited to get there every day. Her language skills have also grown leaps and bounds over the last few months and I attribute a lot of that to daycare. Overall we are very happy with the center. I’ve got friends with kids at other centers in the area, and, based on what I’ve heard, I think bright horizons is one of the best in the area. It is unfortunately also one of the more expensive daycares in the area, but for our family it is worth it.

I am happy with my choice to have my daughter at BH. We love the teachers and the facility is clean and bright. The teachers are patient, kind and my daughter enjoys them. The downsides of this center are the unhealthy snacks (graham crackers, craisins, packaged muffins, fruit cups) and low priority to maximize outdoor play. They are working to fix the menu.

Recently I toured this daycare and was impressed with how clean, organized, and friendly it was. The teacher I met seemed caring and professional, and I initially felt confident about enrolling my child. During the visit, they mentioned that classes are sometimes combined or teachers are exchanged between rooms. I asked if, in such situations, only female staff could assist my child during potty time due to our family’s religious practice. The director refused and said that the center follows a policy of treating all staff equally regardless of gender and therefore couldn’t make that accommodation. While I understand and respect their policy, we left feeling disappointed that there wasn’t a way to consider our religious needs. The center refunded my payment promptly, which I appreciated. I would recommend that families with similar considerations ask about such policies in advance to ensure a good fit.

Toured facility and added ourselves to the waitlist. I submitted our employer and were told that we did not quality for the preferred waitlist. I later discussed with my coworkers who mentioned that they, being from the same employer as myself, were receiving the preferred waitlist (with waived application fee). When mentioning this to Bright Horizon, I received an impersonal corporate response that we did not quality. I would recommend those considering this facility consider the many other local, more reasonably priced, and higher rated options. In fact, if you look them up on YoungStar (Wisconsin's licensed daycare registry), you'll find Bright Horizon is a three star center (out of five) with multiple violations. You may notice that many other local daycares are five star centers with fewer violations. Update 1: We were reached out to by a regional manager (while she was driving her car interestingly enough). They gave the same corporate responses as the emails. They asked for specific names of my coworkers to "remedy the situation" (which we refused to provide). Interestingly, I spoke with other coworkers too who were misrepresented on the waitlist (their position continually being pushed back). People should know that (1) "preferred employers" get priority on the waitlist, and (2) siblings get priority on the waitlist (note you're paying $4,000+/month for two kids). Because of this, if you don't fall into one of the two above categories, you're unlikely to make it off the waitlist before you need it.

My son attended from about 1 year old to a little over 4 yrs old and transitioned this fall to K4 in Wauwatosa. He is our only child and I did not have a lot of experience with small children before having him. They teachers and director, Kati Z, were so patient and kind to our family. There were a few issues over time that we had to deal with and they took the time to look into it and talk to their staff. No place is perfect - there will always be issues. The curriculum is great - stem, art, play, etc. I felt very safe leaving my son there and am grateful for the time he spent there.