My Friend’s House Child Development Center

My daughter (who is 20 months at the time of this review) has been at MFH since she was three months old.
The Good:
— The teachers have a genuine love for the kids and really nurture them. I see it in every teacher who has watched over my daughter, and for me, that kind of genuine affection was the deciding factor when I did my (exhaustive) childcare search.
— I find a non-​profit childcare setting to be a more positive, personal experience as compared with the for-​profit centers I toured.
— The majority of the teachers have been at the center for years — many have put their own children through MFH. They’re treated well by the administration and repay it with loyalty. The only comings and goings my daughter has experienced have been due to chronic illnesses or someone moving away to be closer to family.
— The typical ratios are actually a bit lower than the state mandate, and the center is diligent about maintaining them.
— There’s a strong sense of community. There is a fall festival, class parties for major holidays, and the kids get little events like a pony rides and fire truck visits there at the church which they really enjoy. There are school-​wide work days where parents and teachers alike pitch in to spruce up the center, and it feels good to be a part of that kind of cooperation.
The Not So Good:
— The administration is terrible at communication. If you want to know something, you have to bug them repeatedly and proactively seek information. Twice now my daughter has been bumped up to the next age group classroom and I was lucky to get a week’s notice that it was happening. Not cool. Likewise, I have had several times that I’ve had to get personal contact information for my child’s caretakers because the administration wasn’t bothering to tell them what was going on when I called in sick.
— The menu could be greatly improved from a nutrition perspective. Granted, I’m a bit of a nut on that point, and technically their food program meets federal nutritional guidelines. But the canned veggies and fruits and the pervasive eggos/​french toast sticks/​hot dogs/​quesadillas bug me. I feel that the «give ‘em what they’ll eat» approach has really hampered my efforts at home to expose the munchkin to a wider variety of foods. They also basically require the kids to be on the meal plan, and there’s not a storage option for bringing your own food. I had to get a DOCTOR’S NOTE just to request that my daughter not be served juice. It’s quite silly.
Overall, I’d recommend MFH. I’ve been happy with my experience there despite the occasional frustrations!