La Petite Academy of Citrus Hts - Citrus Heights, California

Kelly Phillips

Just a warning to other parents… choose another daycare. We were only here for 2 months and that was too long. I debated writing a review but I just don’t want other families to experience what we did.

My main concerns: lack of safety, cleanliness, disorganization, and an overall apathetic attitude of the staff.

In our short time in the toddler class, my son endured 3 biting incidents, 7 other injury incident reports, numerous unexplained scrapes on his neck, arms, and back, and frequent illnesses due to subpar sanitation standards… Worst of all, my son got pink eye from here and his MEDICATION GOT LOST because they do not have proper protocols! Absolutely unacceptable, especially when the director didn’t seem to take this seriously. I barely received a verbal apology.

Other annoyances: Nap conditions are awful with bright lights, no curtains, and teachers talking over sleeping children to each other. Because of this, my son would only nap for 40 min/day. He would be put in the infant room only to be ignored for hours, and I’m watching him on the live feed where he’s clearly exhausted and lying on the floor! This wasn’t a one time occurrence. This was a frequent situation I would witness. Watching the live feed is brutal when you see your child continuously passed by unfazed teachers who don’t spend the time consoling, comforting, or checking on them. The food quality is questionable, we had several billing issues being charged the wrong amount, the director is difficult to get a hold of… The list of cons is longer than you can comfortably reason with. My observation is there are just way too many kids, the teachers/staff are clearly unhappy, and the facility itself is completely unorganized.

PROS of this place: there are a couple teachers who are absolutely wonderful. They are the reason we stayed as long as we did. But unfortunately this did not make up for the lack of care and safety for our son from the entire facility.

GO ELSEWHERE! It does not have to be like this! We have been enrolled in another daycare for two months where our son has remained healthy, naps for 2.5 hours every day, and does not cry at drop off. He loves his teachers and the other kids. And we are paying LESS.

Spencer

We were extremely disappointed with La Petite Academy, particularly their Infant room, where our child was enrolled for a mere two months. During this time, it became abundantly clear that the quality of care provided fell far below acceptable standards.

Firstly, the most basic necessity for infants—nap time—was consistently mishandled. Despite assurances, they rarely managed to put our child down regularly for a nap. And when they did, it was for 15 to 30 minutes, hardly sufficient for their developmental needs. It was distressing to observe that the caregivers would wait until a child collapsed on the carpet from sheer exhaustion before finally deciding to put them in a crib for a nap.

Even then, there were instances where not even this level of care was provided. It was not uncommon to witness on the live feed children being stepped over by caregivers instead of being promptly and gently picked up and placed in a crib. This lack of attention to the children's needs and well-being is deeply troubling and indicative of a systemic failure in the center's caregiving practices.

The fact that children were allowed to reach such a state of exhaustion before any action was taken speaks volumes about the negligence and disregard for the children's comfort and safety.

Moreover, the caregivers were more engrossed in their own conversations than attending to the needs of the babies entrusted to them. It was disheartening to witness our child being neglected in favor of casual chit-chat amongst the staff.

On multiple occasions, we provided three bottles daily only to have two cold ones returned at the end of the day, leaving our child hungry and deprived. It's unacceptable for a daycare center to fail in such a fundamental aspect of childcare.

One incident that was particularly troubling is watching our child left unattended in a highchair for a staggering 40 minutes after finishing her meal, while the caregivers idly conversed amongst themselves on the floor nearby. This lack of attention is not only neglectful but dangerous.

When we brought our concerns to the attention of both the caregivers and the director, there was a brief period of improvement, but it was short-lived. Unfortunately, lasting changes did not occur. Additionally, while the facility allows parents to watch their children via a live feed, the footage is not recorded. When speaking to the facility director about the issues, we asked her to watch the footage to observe the staff and she stated she couldn’t as they don’t save footage. There is no accountability for the staff or proof if a child is mishandled.

When we made the decision to withdraw our child from the facility due to these ongoing issues, the director's response was shockingly dismissive. She appeared to be more concerned with absolving herself of responsibility, citing her imminent departure from the facility.

Overall, our experience with La Petite Academy was deeply disappointing and distressing. The lack of adequate care, professionalism, and accountability exhibited by both the caregivers and the management is unacceptable. I would strongly advise against entrusting your child's well-being to this establishment.
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EDIT
Another instance demonstrating La Petite's exceptional customer service is their response to this review. Rather than simply looking us up and reaching out directly, they shifted the responsibility onto us to provide additional feedback.

Jennifer Bredau

I have two children that attend LA Petite Academy. My first has attended since she was five months old and my second since he was 12 weeks. My daughter is now 11 going to middle school and is aging out. When I first brought my daughter, I was a new mother with concerns which they listened to and acommodated my requests, which may or may have not been extreme. I have seen new employees come in and out but they always hire kind individuals to attend to our children. This daycare has helped me raise my children. They act and show concern as if they're their own children. They accomidate well and listened to my thoughts and concerns throughout the years. Nothing is perfect when handling children. I recommend this facility to all moms and dads!

Danielle Lee

This school is amazing. I can't say enough good words about Julie and Kristen, the director and assistant director of the school. They accommodated my schedule with ease and never made me feel like a burden when it came to asking questions. My son started going here when he was 3 (he's now almost 6) and if it weren't for a move out of the area he would stay here through age 12. Because of this school, I chose to find another "sister company" of La Petite in the area I'm moving because I've had such a good experience.
My son was always happy there, and loved all of the teachers he made contact with. Thank you again for taking such good care of my son!

Diana Crow

This center is amazing! My oldest son has attended for over 4 years. My youngest has attended since my maternity leave was over. They are caring teachers, they have an excellent education program, and amazing hours. They also have an app to keep parents updated during the day. They are more expensive than in home day cares, but you get what you pay for, and nothing is more important to me than ensuring the best care for my kids.

Vanessa Whitaker

My daughter goes to school here and I cant believe how great they all are with her and the other children! Ms. Nicole is by far the best teacher I have ever encountered and I never expected myself to be this comfortable leaving the love of my life in the arms of another person, she made it possible. My daughter comes home everyday with a big smile and tells me about all the amazing things shes learning and through the weekend she tells me she misses her teacher. All around great people and very loving I highly recommend this school!

Sarah Sadri Motamedi

They are awful people, Bad management hires inexperienced staff! My baby granddaughter 10 months old was thirsty and hungry for five hours and no one cares to give her bottle to her , she keep crying till she developed temperature from exhaustion and thirst! they called her dad to come pick her up! They she’s upset she has fever and when we get there found out since 7:30 in the morning the baby had nothing to drink or eat! All her bottles was untouched! This is plain child abuse! I feel responsible to say something for parents to know what is going on before they trust their precious baby with them!

Riley Wilkin

They are very excellent at their services and the flexibility of hours are amazing!