KinderCare of Mt. Lebanon

“ My son has been going to KinderCare in Mt. Lebanon since he was five months old (he is now two years old). My experience has been nothing but WONDERFUL! The teachers are so amazing. They genuinely care about my son and they teach him so much. I am always finding little art projects in his mailbox that he made- I hang them on his art wall at home. He goes to the music class that the center offers. He has just BLOSSOMED since he started the class. His vocabulary and social skills have greatly improved since starting the class. It's an extra fee each month-but to me it's totally worth it. He has 2 best friends that go to the class with him...and I know they have a blast together. Also, I am so impressed with how the teachers teach the kids to respect each other. I was able to witness on one occasion all of the ages playing together on the big playground at the center. The older kids were so mindful of the younger ones. There was no pushing or bullying. It made me feel so good about the environment that my son is in every day. I am just so thankful that we found KinderCare and that our center is as well run as the one in Mt Lebanon! Words cannot express how much it means to me to feel that my child is safe and secure and loved when I am at work!

“ Thank you for our amazing experience at the Mt. Lebanon KinderCare. We enrolled our daughter shortly after the center opened and always felt comfortable and confident about the care she was receiving. Our last day was in June 2013 because our little girl has grown up in to a BIG Kindergarten kid. We are certain you are aware of the talented and dedicated staff you have there. Erin, Jenn, and Melissa are your best marketing assets! We have always been kept informed of changes and changes never seemed to impact our daughter's learning and fun. You also have some really amazing teachers, that are without a doubt, some of the most remarkable teachers ever: Ms Kathy, Ms Kate, Ms Chris, Ms Katie, and Ms Christina. They are personally and professionally invested in each child that walk in to their classroom. We know our daughter has 13 more years of learning ahead of her, but a positive, healthy, and fun foundation has been established by the team of outstanding educators at KinderCare. We are so grateful for our experience and just thought you'd like to know. Thanks a million!

“ I wrote over a year and a half ago to let you know how utterly happy we were with our team at the Mt. Lebanon Center. I am happy to report that we are still in the same honeymoon phase with the team in Mt. Lebo. I have to start by saying, I realize how difficult it must be to work in the day care field. The teams must be there rain or shine in order for us to get to work. They do not have the luxury of calling off of work. I appreciate that. The visibility of the staff is amazing at the center. Either Erin Farrell or Kate Zeman are there to greet us parents when we arrive to pick up our children. Even though they are not classroom teachers, they know about my child's day at school and tell me a little snip-it of what occurred even before I get to her room. To me, that knowledge of my one child out of many in the center goes a long way in making me feel comfortable about my decision to be a working mom. Not only do they know about my child's day, but they do the same thing for many other families in the center. Erin and Kate never seem to have a bad day. They are always happy, smiling and cheerful. They are great leaders in the sense that they "never let us see them sweat." We are now pregnant with our second child and I am so comforted by the fact that I know our childcare plans for our second child. I see my little girl who is almost three and love the little person she has become. Sometimes I feel guilty thinking that what she has learned hasn't come from mom or home, but that is why KinderCare is great at what they do. You are the experts of childcare. Our little girl sat at the dinner table a few weeks ago and surprised me with the months of the year and days of the week. Not only that, but she counted to 10 in Spanish out of the blue! She learned it all at school. Ms. Claire has been her teacher in discovery preschool for almost a year now. Ms. Claire is amazing. I can't think of any other adjective to describe her.....amazing. Our little girl will be moving on soon and just as we were sad to leave Ms. Lauren's room when we moved up to discovery preschool, I know she will have another excellent teacher no matter what room she moves into. I can't forget to mention Melissa, our fabulous director. I need to acknowledge how amazing Melissa treated our family when we went though a hardship and my husband lost his job over a year ago. We were able to keep our child in school on a part-time basis and save her spot all thanks to Melissa. Even though we could not afford to send her full time, we were able to keep her engaged with the class in order to make an easy transition back to full-time once he regained employment.

“ I am fortunate enough to have my two-year-old son in your Mount Lebanon Center. Knowing that I sincerely don’t have to worry about my son throughout the day while I am working, makes my life so much easier because of the incredible care he receives. Melissa, Erin and Kate are wonderful leaders always pitching in, regardless of the task. They are also always available and so positive and friendly 100% of the time. My son’s teachers, Tawny and Jen in Discovery Preschool are amazing—as are all of the teachers my son interacts with. Tawny and Jenn are great teachers and really care about the curriculum and developing him. My son loves going to school each day because of them. Not sure you receive these notes often, but I have had my children in other daycare/schools before we moved back to Pittsburgh last year..so I have experienced the good and the not so good. This facility is fantastic. I hope you take time to recognize the folks I mentioned in my email as well as the staff at the center—with next week being Teacher Appreciation Week at the center, I thought It would be nice to drop you a note. I don’t know everyone…but I have enjoyed everyone that has taught my son.

“ In the two and a half years that our son has attended KinderCate Mt. Lebanon my husband and I have always been grateful for the remarkable care provided by the staff and teachers. We credit many of his teachers for encouraging him to grown into the bright, happy two and half year old he is today. Upon the birth of our second son this year, we had no hesitation about sending him into the same center where his brought has flourished. There are several teachers that have cared for our son that have earned our special love and respect. They include Ms. Amanda, Ms. Lauren and Ms. Andrea from the toddler class, and Ms. Tawny, Ms. Adrienne, Ms. Brianne and Ms. Jenn in the Discovery Preschool classroom. (Unfortunately I am certain I have missed some important names, everyone at this center deserves praise). And, while we appreciate them all, it is Ms. Tawny that holds a special place in our hearts. On my son's first full day in Discovery Preschool, I expressed to Ms. Tawny my concern about how he would handle the new daily schedule. That day at the office, I received a fax "from" him telling me that he was having a great day. The fact that Ms. Tawny went out of her way to send me that fax meant so much. She went above and beyond to take special care of not just a nervous child, but also a nervous mother. My son loves Ms. Tawny with all the full force of a two year old, and that is something Ms. Tawny earned by doing more than merely being present in the classroom every day. However, it is in the wake of Maddox D's tragic accident that I felt most compelled to go on record with my praise. Praise not just for Ms. Tawny and the teachers that have specifically touched my son's life, but for the center as a whole. I sincerely appreciate the constant communication provided to us, delivered not just via paper notifications, but personally, with respect for the fact that he was a classmate of our child. Time was spent with us by many KinderCare representatives, especially Melissa Fonda, holding hands, sharing the news, helping us with out grief, and talking us through what we could tell our son about his friend. We were given clear communications regarding what would be told to the children in Maddox's classroom, what would be said if any of the children asked specific questions and assured that a grief counselor would be made available to any children that may need additional counseling. Ms. Fonda also clearly communicated what teachers would/would not be available throughout the week while the teachers dealt with their loss. The center was managed with grace and dignity, maintaining a calm and nurturing atmosphere for children and parents struggling to accept what cannot be explained. As a parent, I could not let it go unnoticed: the efforts put forth by Ms. Fonda and the entire KinderCare family in that week gave us confidence and peace of mind that our sons would continue to be well cared for, both physically and emotionally, in the aftermath of this terrible accident. Their love and devotion for these children has never been so evident; KinderCare of Mt. Lebanon has proven themselves to be a true "KinderCare Family".

“ We have had the great fortune to find KinderCare after seeking a special place for our son. We will never forget the jumbo trampoline for the end of summer party. Sergio was so happy and did not want to leave! The playground is clean and very child friendly. The environment is so happy and has really helped him in his enrichment! The teachers as well as the management team take care of our son with kid gloves and are always thinking of what is in best interest. There is no better facility than KinderCare in this area!

“ We were very concerned that our children's last facility did not provide enough learning opportunities. At that time KinderCare of Mount Lebanon was being built so we inquired about the program. When the center opened we attended the Open House and we absolutely loved how beautiful and happy the space is. The teachers have backgrounds in early childhood education and development and that is very important to us. We love how much our kids love coming to school and their teachers. We are thrilled that they are learning so much and honestly couldn’t be happier!

“ Our kindergarten experience this year at KinderCare has been very fulfilling. Our daughter has been surprising us with her questions and knowledge about the world! With ongoing support from her teachers, she is learning how to read by word recognition as well as sounding out words utilizing phonics. She has had the opportunity to build a framework for her math skills while participating in learning adventures math. We are truly amazed by her academic growth this year and feel confident that her transition into the local school district next year will be a pleasant experience.

“ My daughter has been enrolled in many Learning Adventures classes at KinderCare with Ms. Chris over two years. No matter the subject, this is consistently a highlight of my daughter’s day. She enjoys the small group and individualized learning, and her skills and knowledge have increased dramatically! The take-home activities and detailed report cards from Ms. Chris enable us to really reinforce the concepts at home in a fun way. Ms. Chris’ encouragement and positive reinforcement gave my daughter the confidence to try to sound out and write words, tackle math problems and practice her Spanish! I would recommend enrollment in Learning Adventures classes at KinderCare without reservation – it is a wonderful complement to the curriculum and has helped my daughter blossom into an active and inquisitive learner!

“ The Learning Adventures Phonics program with Ms. Chris has been an invaluable addition to Lauren’s education and experience at Kinder Care Mt. Lebanon! Lauren has excelled in the program and at four-and-a-half years old is reading and writing at a first grade level – all of which I attribute to the dedication and teaching style Ms. Chris brings to the classroom. Lauren enjoys the small class size which affords her the opportunity to work closely with Ms. Chris on the subject matter at hand. My favorite days are when Lauren comes home after finishing a block! She is so proud of her accomplishments and loves to take her parents through her journal and workbooks. I’ll never forget the first time she brought one of the lesson books home and read the entire thing to us. I would recommend the program to anyone who is interested in giving their child a head start on learning our language – both verbal and written. The program and Ms. Chris have provided Lauren an environment where learning is fun and rewarding!

“ This letter is long overdue, but since February is the month of love, it’s quite fitting. We want to extend our sincere recognition and deep gratitude for the amazing, steadfast love, educational support, family partnership attitude, innovative approach to curriculum, and overall whole child philosophy that were creatively and critically delivered to us and our daughter during her time in Toddler A. We dearly miss these compassionate, hard working, sincere teachers and how meticulously structured they were and how truly exceptional they treated us and Kadena during all endeavors at KC.First, they cultivated a learning environment that was highly sensory-based, collaborative fun, child-centered, family friendly, cognitively stimulating, safe, and positive in terms of all behavioral and academic interventions. The multicultural scope of their teaching was also appreciated and highly evident. We felt like we were entering a family member’s home, not simply a classroom. In fact, our daughter still talks about you both everyday as if you are truly part of our family!Next, your communication with us was always timely, thorough, positive, professional, and cognizant of including each child in the daily narratives, newsletters, face to face entrance and exit mini chats, report cards, photos, and all types of discourse, which was critical to keeping us in the loop. Our daughter never felt like a simply number in your class; we felt like the instruction and care were highly individualized, organized, and also relevant, delivered in a way that not only addressed her developmental needs but also her emotional, physical, and social ones as well. She came home and exhibited positive the behaviors and practiced emergent skills that were modeled by these terrific teachers. In sum, we could write a novella about the outstanding experiences that we had from these two remarkable educators and people. They made a stellar impression on your overall institution as well. Our only regret is that they cannot loop with Kadena throughout her entire experience at KC! We thank them for being more than teachers but life and family “transformers” in their quest for love and education in Toddler A! Their efforts surpass the typical standards, and we want to give them a shout out for being rock stars in the classroom!