Childtime of Delmar

I used to like this daycare when they were still North Country. Some of the staff come across pretty lazy but most were good. Since the change over to Child Time, my son was randomly unenrolled without my knowledge or consent. He was part-time and hadn’t been there in a couple week so they just decided that’s what they were going to do. We did nothing to deserve that. I was told by staff there that my son was one of the best behaved. They didn’t even call to check in with me about anything. I depended on those days to get things done by myself. Now I’m scrambling to find babysitters so I can go places without children. Today, my husband went to pick up the remainder of my son’s belongings that were still st the daycare. He was told they don’t know where they are. So first you unenroll him and then you lose all his stuff? Just unbelievable. I’ve never dealt with such unprofessional behavior.

The staff at North Country Academy of Delmar is great! This was our first experience with a child care facility and, as first time parents, we were nervous and not sure what to expect. I have to say that this team knocked it out of the park! They greet everyone with a smile, know us by name, and you can tell that they really care about our babies. The cost is reasonable. Overall, we had a great experience. If we weren't moving out of state, we'd definitely stay with this awesome group of people. We really cannot recommend them enough!

At the beginning of my daughter's care at North Country, in the infant room, I was mortified by the teacher for that classroom. She was unable to make my daughter feel safe enough to even drink anything. My daughter refused fluids ALL DAY, 8 hours, no water, or breastmilk. That person doesn't work there anymore. When I brought my concerns to the director she addressed them compassionately and meaningfully. I felt heard and I believe action was taken. I went on to have a great experience at North Country. I really loved all her other teachers and teacher assistants after that. Yes ,the location leaves something to be desired, but overall it's a small compromise.

My husband and I unfortunately did not have a pleasant experience with North Country Academy in Delmar. The Management was extremely difficult to communicate with and dismissive of any concerns we brought to their attention. A few of our concerns had been: The appearance of the center and staff, professionalism and attentiveness within the infant program and the bookkeeping of the center for tuition. The center itself was uninviting and posed several security issues being at the back of a plaza by an Off Track Betting. The cleanliness often seemed insufficient (allow staff and family to walk into the infant rooms with shoes on with no booties) and to cut costs they used harsh chemicals that we preferred our daughter not be exposed to on a regular basis. The staff often dressed like they had rolled out of bed and were covered in piercings, tattoos and loose jewelry. The staff was required to fill out daily sheets to inform parents of the activities and mood of their child but the forms were often hard to read as they were hand written and incomplete. I often questioned the attentiveness of the staff that cared for our daughter as each day when we walked into the classroom to drop her off the same teacher was always sitting on the floor not engaged with the children. I had come back a few hours later to pick our daughter up and bring her to a doctor appointment and the teacher was in the same position while two separate babies were in dangerous positions within the classroom (one underneath the cribs in the corner and the other trying to climb onto one of the rocking chairs). Our daughter got seriously hurt while in their care after she was not properly watched. Our daughter who had been crawling, pulling herself up and attempting to walk for months was not being watched (teacher sitting on the floor had her back to our mobile baby) and crawled over to a shelf that was not secured to the wall and pulled a toy that the center admitted was approximately 5-10 pounds (nearly half our baby's weight) and it fell on her head leaving a dark bruise and large welt. We called a family friend that night who is a pediatrician in another state as we were concerned with her behavior and sleepiness and had to monitor her all night for signs of a concussion! There was a revolving door of teachers coming in and out of the classroom that made it difficult for our daughter to make a connection or feel safe with. The pricing was reasonable but we did go through one price hike while we were there (midway through the calendar year). It wasn't anything unmanageable for our family but I could imagine with the timing of it that it could be hard for other families to budget. The center displayed everyone's past due tuition for all to see as they drop off and pick up their children at the front reception. It must have been mortifying for some families who were doing all they could to get by. We had issues with them trying to make us pay for days our daughter was not at the center even though she was setup on a per diem tuition schedule as our work schedule are not the normal Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. We urge you to find other childcare. However, if you're planning to enroll your child I would advise you to stay on top of the staff and management as they get very relaxed with policies and overall care.

Happy with my experience. My 7-month old has attended for four months. Teachers are qualified and engaged. When I have concerns, they listen, make suggestions and provide updates. Infants are well cared for. When I drop-in midday, the older children in other classrooms are often reading as a class. Reasonable pricing for the area. Only drawback is that the building looks sketchy around the back of the plaza, but I've had no security concerns.