First Steps - Rainbow City, Alabama

Alison M.

My son goes to First Steps and he loves it. If it weren’t for Mrs. Renee and Mrs. Kelly who are his absolute favorites he would never let me leave him. On his birthday he ran in the building yelling it’s my birthday and Mrs. Renee ran out of her office so excited with her camera in hand taking pictures of him in front of a birthday sign. You could tell he just felt so special. They really took the time to learn his personality, what he likes and dislikes. He has learned so much from them. When he starts kindergarten he will be well prepared.

Lindsay S.

This was our first daycare experience and our last. We pulled our daughter due to some things being said about the daycare and being able to now keep her home FT instead. There was enough being said that it wasn't worth the risk to continue sending our daughter there, in combination with our own personal experiences. There should never be a question, concern, or doubt when it comes to the people caring for your child.

My daughter only went from Nov 2024 - March 2025. During this time, I was told they somehow never had a case of COVID until my daughter got it within four days of attending, and it doesn't appear they alerted any of the other parents to the case, and she also developed RSV and flu right after COVID. Parents were only notified of illness in the daycare when it was diarrhea or when there was like 5 things going around at once.

I took a paci for her to have at nap time and when I asked for it back two months later, as we took it away from her at home, I was told they had no idea she had one there and had never seen her with one.

They did tell us the 2 times she was injured but it wasn't until we picked her up at the end of the day (someone bit her and someone hit her in the head with a toy by accident).

It was also frustrating that when she would get low on diapers/wipes, they waited until she was completely out to tell us. No one ever told us either that they would put a piece of paper sometimes on the box that held her things; I happened to find that by accident. And 2 of the folks up there would sure throw some attitude if you didn't keep her things stocked, but they wouldn't proactively tell you or at least tell you how they would alert you. There was inconsistent notification about things as well. Sometimes, we knew when they were closing early and sometimes we didn't know until they called asking where we were. But heaven forbid something unexpected cause you to be 2 minutes late for the first and only time ever; Renee was full of attitude over this when the delay was outside of our control, demanding we pay on the spot the late pick up fee to the teacher, who wasn't even there, and then saying she can let it slide because the teacher wasn't there. The policies/dates they take off also didn't match the packet they gave us when we registered her.

Before she was pulled, she got a nasty diaper rash. I took rash cream and asked they put it on her every day while she was there, even filled out a form. They did not do so; within 2 days of her being home and not in daycare, we were able to finally and fully clear the rash because she was getting cream consistently applied. There were also a few times when I picked her up and her diaper was full/bottoms a little wet as well. There was once an older lady was watching her and 2 kids a little younger and I could've sworn she was asleep while she was holding a baby.

On top of all of this, when we went to pull her and retrieve her things, her wipes and spare set of clothes were nowhere to be found and I've yet to get a call saying they've been located for me to pick them up.

While we loved the teacher my daughter was with, we did not care for Renee during our few interactions with her; she was honestly the nicest when she was trying to see if we were about to pull her or not, and then when we did pull her. I also did not care for the way she handled the allegations with her Facebook posts. True or not, whether Renee can actually speak about them or not, it left a sour taste. Like I said, with the statements floating around (surprised we even saw them considering we're new to AL) and all the little things about our experiences, we didn't feel comfortable sending her here any longer. I can't say we'd recommend the daycare.

Rachel W.

My son Damien Loves his pre school at First Steps. He is always excited to go see his teachers. He has improved greatly in both is vocabulary and speech. The teachers work hard to get every child the care they need. They have fun activities where they can get hands on learning skills. When my son first started he disliked loud noises, now at home he loves vacuuming and helping outside around the house even with all the noise. The teachers are also patient, kind and listen to all the exciting stories the children tell, what they did over the weekend. No one is judged on background or past experience just cared for and loved. They are a Christian run and take Jesus teaching to heart when he said "love the little children"
Thank you First Steps for all you do!!!!!!!

kelseydoesnailz

All my children have went here! I’ve never had an issue with the center. They are happy to go to their favorite teachers in the mornings 🙂

Kendall H.

My sweet boy has been going here for going on 2 years and we absolutely love it! All the teachers are great, the director is always available whenever I need her or have questions. I have never had a bad experience with anyone who works here and my son has never came home upset or hurt. Overall we are happy with this daycare and would highly recommend.

Courtney S.

This school has been nothing but the best to my son! He comes everyday and tells me what he learned, that he played with his friends, comes home happy in general!!💗 Sad he won’t be there this upcoming year but definitely will be missed!

Alexis A.

I used to have a high opinion of this school; my oldest nephew attended, and it was wonderful. However, times have changed. My little ones suffer from severe allergies. They're not ill, yet they're sent home frequently, while the school continues to collect fees for their absence. I was told outright that allergies don't exist! Moreover, my littles are often warm to the touch, which is mistaken for a fever. But when I arrive to pick them up, they're perfectly fine—no illness, no fever, nothing. On Friday, we received a call to pick him up from school, but I couldn't leave work, and their mother was unable to go. They were picked up as soon as possible. There was no mention of needing to see a doctor, and since it was the weekend, we assumed they could return to school if they felt well, which they did. This morning, when I went to drop them off at school, Renae informed me that they were not allowed to be there today and inquired about the doctor's opinion. We don't visit the doctor for every cough or sneeze; that's unreasonable. She began yelling at me, explaining that they have teachers and others absent due to illness. I understand that, but my children are not sick. I believe that no owner should ever yell at anyone, definitely not in front of children.

Michaela M.

My nephew Easton loves going to "school" here! He absolutely loves this place and has learned so much!