Kiwi's Clubhouse, Upper Arlington

This is a great place for childcare, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience. Cat, Leona, and all of the employees are very caring, upbeat, and professional. They know our baby very well, and give us thorough updates on what they did and what her day was like. Our daughter’s face lights up with joy when we take her there in the morning, and that alone tells us what a great job they do here.

So grateful for this place. Being new parents, they couldn’t have helped make the transition of going back to work easier. The flexible hours. The affordable rates. The amazing staff. We absolutely love all of the staff. When your six month old gets excited before you take her in you know it’s all good. Again, we are sooooo grateful for you! All parents deserve the peace of mind you give knowing that our child is safe and loved. Thank you, Kiwi Clubhouse!

My son attended Kiwi's Clubhouse from infancy to 3 years. In the beginning, everything seemed fine, but over time, there was a significant decline in quality, though I may have been blind to the problems from the start. Every few months, the daycare and preschool had new caregivers, teachers, front desk staff and even directors. To my knowledge, no one who was there when we started was still there when we left, other than the owner.nnOnce my son moved to the toddler room, and then the juniors room, the staff stopped regularly filling out care sheets, so I rarely knew when diapers were changed, potty training attempted, snacks or meals eaten, etc., despite my repeated pleas. It was common for my son's bag to come home with the same number of diapers I sent him with, which means he sometimes went a whole day without being changed, which is unacceptable. My son was unusually unresponsive to potty training and this was huge a factor (he trained almost immediately after leaving). On many occasions, I would arrive to find his cup completely empty of water. The juniors room, and to an extent, the toddler room, was a madhouse at drop-off most days, with children running around, screaming and throwing things, with little interaction from staff. My son stopped napping entirely in the toddler room and that is certainly a result of the volume of the juniors room is at most hours of the day (he now naps often at his new preschool). Also, the juniors room is mixed ages 3-10, which is somehow legal, but an awful idea.nnAdministratively, it was a revolving door. It was not uncommon to hear a loud and angry phone call taking place in the office. The billing system has never informed us how our money was being spent, and in the last months, they stopped sending invoices and required us to make a separate request for them every month. The staff even forgot to inform preschool parents of their conferences, so we found out weeks later that we missed ours. My son was eventually expelled from the center for occasional, age-appropriate misbehavior, but the staff did not follow our agreed-upon plan for this and when he was kicked out, it came with no warning and left us scrambling to find a new provider, just two months before he was to start at another, more well-established center where he has since never exhibited the bad behavior.nnThe only thing Kiwi's had going for it was that they were flexible in terms of hours, and that care was cheap for infants, but their rates don't decline as children age, which is unusual for daycare centers. They rope you in with competitive rates, but you will eventually pay way more than you need to for a place that doesn't provide diapers and isn't even licensed to serve their own meals or even refrigerate or reheat yours. And maybe it's to be expected for a daycare running out of a strip mall, but the playground outside is a joke, so most of the exercise your kids are going to get is in room with a high metal ceiling and hard floors, which sounds like an aircraft hangar full of screaming kids of all ages.nnIn hindsight, it was a huge mistake to leave him here for so long, as it's clear that children need better care than they are willing to provide. Even worse, we've been told by friends who still attend, that since we've left, it has become increasingly dirty and filled with trash, that soap and toilet paper are not refilled properly, there are recurring incidents of adults screaming in front of kids, and that preschoolers are being given candy and sat in front of a television. They have also repeatedly failed state inspections. Please do not send your children here. Unfortunately, we waited too long to leave and this is no place for a child to thrive. My only hope is that his new care provider can undo some of the damage. They are already doing a phenomenally better job than Kiwi's. Please look elsewhere.nnAlso, Elissa, who left the five star review below is the former director. That is so unethical and violates the rules.

One of the best child care centers I have sent my child to. She was safe, happy, and content when leaving. Staff provides excellent communication and updates. Retta, the owner, is very involved and attentive. She takes pride in the center and it is apparent.

We have been bringing our daughter to Kiwi's for 2 years now. We are happy to have such a caring, affordable, and flexible place to bring our child. They have been so understanding when it comes to our family's ever-changing scheduling needs, and are good at accommodating our daughter when she has gone through different (and sometimes challenging) developmental stages. Whether you're looking for regular daycare, preschool, or a Saturday off, I'd recommend Kiwi's.