Crocodile Kids Preschool

My daughter (2 yo) started going to Crocodile preschool few weeks ago and in the beginning it was really hard for her as she has never been in daycare before she turned 2. Erika and Charisse have been very patient with her and I can see improvement each day. But what struck me the most in this short amount of time is how the kids are so behaved, polite and very sweet. This morning when I dropped my daughter off, teacher C who was in the kitchen didn’t see us right away so she asked the kids who it was and one of the boys told her, «oh it was the girl who loves her mom a lot». My heart just melted. With a loving environment coming from the caregivers and the kids, it’s more than enough you can ask for a preschool for your children. Kudos to Erika and Charisse for doing a great job.

Crocodile kids is the best preschool! I have two girls age 3 and 5 and when we moved to Beaverton I needed full time care for them. We were used to having a nanny but not knowing anyone in the area I didn’t have a choice but to look for preschool.
When I went to visit a few different childcare places I saved crocodile kids for last. I brought my, at the time, 4 year old with me. Her reaction to the other places we visited was not good. Her body language and demeanor was closed and standoffish, I was also very discouraged. When I got to crocodile kids and walked in I was shocked at how fun the place looked! I loved the lay out and all the different areas and activities. My 4 year old instantly was excited and engaged in checking the place out. She even wanted to stay and play!
Needless to say I had my girls start the following Monday in March 2015. both my girls attended full time from then until our move out of state in October 2015. They never complained about going to «school». They enjoys the small group of kids and we all loved the instructors. Ms. Erika is hands down the best teacher I have had the pleasure of knowing. She truly loves the children and has control of the group while being fun and comforting.
Some activities the girls were involved in were play time with a variety of different toys, out door playing with objects or on a play set, crafts (the girls always had something new to bring home), and educational games. I would come by at the end of the day and had to wait until the activity was done before we could leave. I even thought I would surprise them and pick them up early one day and I was greeted with tears and «why are you here so early» because they didn’t want to miss the rest of the day’s activities.
I was astounded by how much they learned too! My four year old was writing her name and constantly surprising me with random things they learned at school.
I was always kept in the loop of the day’s events and how the girls did. If there was anything I needed to work on at home the recommendation was always delivered in a caring and supportive manor. I found myself asking Ms. Erika for advise often.
I wish I could have taken that place with me when we moved. I strongly recommend sending your children to crocodile kids, you will love it too!

I’m a new teacher here and I love it! The classes I have taken and the training I still receive makes me realize how amazing and adapt children are and how much I love teaching them how to be loving, kind, and intelligent children. I want to address any concerns regarding our structure of education. In the morning we wait until all children have arrived which is typically at 8:45 AM and we serve breakfast while letting them watch educational lakeshore videos before that time. We do not want to start class before everyone else arrives, each child has a weekly curriculum and must have activities and worksheets finished at the same time each day unless child is out ill so we can learn all together. Children also need time to eat before class time, not sit in a boring empty room while eating breakfast. We go by a prepped schedule and at the end of the day the children are aloud to play outside with sunscreen and water for the final hour of the day. There is ALWAYS supervision outside while someone else cleans. We are here to open the imagination of children’s minds and teach them that love and kindness will bring them happiness in life, we want to prep them for kindergarten and we have all of the tools to do so. We bring education into a fun and loving realm. I absolutely love the environment Miss Erika has created, she is a very unique and inspiring teacher, role model and lady. Crocodile Kids Preschool rocks the socks off tiny little toes! :)

I’ve been approached about Crocodile Kids several times by local moms and friends b/​c I left a review within 2 weeks of my daughter attending. She is no longer attending and really not sure I would recommend this daycare for the following reasons without really having an in depth conversation with the parents about my experience and figuring out whether their child is confident, secure, independent and happy enough to attend. Here are some of my issues I experienced while my daughter attended:
#1 — Miss Erika is not a morning person so the kids arrive to a dark house. Very little interaction and rarely is there more than a basic «good morning» followed by silence as the kids sit in front of a tv and she sits in front of the computer.
#2 — The tv is turned on in the morning but I do not know how long, when class/​instructio or play/​talk actually occurs.
#3 — On a couple of occasions, I arrived to pick up my daughter to find her and the other children playing unsupervised in the backyard while the adults were busy cleaning. I never saw one adult outside supervising while one cleaned, if 2 adults were present then both were inside.
#4 — I would not recommend children under the age of 3 attend this daycare. I feel older kids will thrive in this environment. Kids who are strong, independent and confident could do well in this daycare. If your child needs more emotional and nurturing care, you may need to look elsewhere.
#5 — I saw a lot of children crying in the mornings and although people can chalk that up to being uncomfortable, missing parents, etc… the above experiences made me feel different about their personal reasons for crying. It would make me cringe to see these kids crying in this dark daycare after their parents dropped them off without anyone really reaching out to them to talk/​guide them through the issues. This included my own daughter. Even though I was told that she stopped crying after awhile, the crying didn’t really stop while we were there in the mornings and just didn’t have a good feeling. (I’m now in a different daycare and rarely see the crying I saw at this daycare every morning)
#5 — Even though, I was told that my 18 month old could attend I sent an email expressing my concern for the care of my daughter due to the age difference in the kids that attend — 3yrs and up. My daughter still ate in a high chair, was not potty trained, was teething, had a binkie/​blankie and was technically in my mind still in the baby stages but transitioning into the toddler stage. I reached out to someone that I had thought I built somewhat of relationship with & trusted to give me some confidence that she would be taken care of but received no email response. I then decided to call, reiterated the same issues I mentioned in the email without quoting specific words/​response, «I was told… if you’re concerned, I’m concerned and there’s not much we can do to make you feel comfortable.»
On a positive note, I will say that the Love & Logic method of discipline was something that I absolutely LOVED about this daycare. In addition, I do feel that Erika is very capable & talented in teaching young children. The crafts and art projects were the best I’ve seen in the 4 day care centers that we have been to. In addition, when I would show up during the day or at the end of the day, Erika did seem more alert, engaged and happy to be with the kids. During pick up time, she would acknowledge each child, give them hugs or kisses… and often say «love you» and they would respond with big smiles.

This has been a great school for our son. He has begun trying new foods and speaking more since beginning here.

My daughter was here for about 6 months January through June of last year. We absolutely loved it. Erika was the first person we trusted our daughter with and I could not be more appreciative for everything she did. She had just turned two and we were very nervous because we had heard horror stories about other daycares. After just two weeks, my daughter came home and counted to ten at the dinner table. We’d been trying to past three for months before she started with Erika! During her time there she learned her ABC’s, counted to twenty, and started learning to write. She completely mastered a few letters. You can tell Erika truly loves every child that comes into her home and the children love her. I couldn’t recommend Crocodile Kids enough. We only left because we had to move back to Washington. I’ve searched high and low for someone as good here but nobody even comes close so we’ve opted just to adjust our schedules and keep our daughter home. Seriously, once you go Erika, you can never go back!

I am a speech-​language pathologist that comes into this preschool to see a private client. I have never been so impressed with the attention that all of these children get, the care from the providers… and the things they are learning!!! Crocodile Preschool is teaching these children fun lessons way beyond their years, and the kids LOVE it!
I am so impressed by this preschool, and I travel to many with my job.
If you are looking into where to have your child spend their day and learn with lots of attention and love, I would highly highly recommend Crocodile Preschool!
Lisa Melady, MS, CCC-​SLP

Our son was with Ms. Erika for about 1 ½ years. He loved going there, and she runs a fantastic program. They do amazing art projects along with kindergarten readiness. She has age appropriate rules and consequences that work well. He still talks about it and misses her. He is doing fantastic in kindergarten and we know she was a big part of getting him prepared. Thank you Ms. Erika!

My daughter has special needs and so she generally ends up not having a great experience at day cares. The most troubling thing that usually happens is the day care will ask all of the kids if they are hungry and my daughter has communication problems so she won’t usually just say «yes» and then by the time I pick her up she’s starving. The ladies here are great and there was none of the usual crying when I came to pick her up. In fact the first thing she said was «Mom I ate. They gave me food!» She also and talked about how excited she was to go back. Have been to the more trendy/​expensive day cares and you really won’t get the same level of care. Besides these ladies have something the other places don’t, kindness.

Oh do we love Ms. Erika! I’ve involved my son in a variety of settings; private academy, private daycare, in-​home nanny. She tops it all! She is such a kid at heart, and its been wonderful experience with her since day one! She is always passionate about what she does, reasonable in every situation, selfless, and has always been there for us every step of the way with our son. To see how much my son has grown with his letters, spelling, math, and language skills is a rewarding feeling for a parent!

Crocodile Kids Preschool is AMAZING! As a first time mom I was very nervous leaving my daughter in the care of someone else. Miss Erika and Miss Jalena made me feel completely at ease. I thought I would never be able to potty train my 3 year old but thanks in HUGE part to Crocodiles she is almost there! In addition she has learned so much from class time there! I love the fact that while at work I can know that she is being completely and totally cared for and loved! Erika definitely has a gift! Can’t recommend Crocodile Kids Preschool enough!

Almost a year later, and at a different location, with a new assistant, I still can’t say enough good things. Erika takes each kid and each parent as they are, and works with them while setting appropriate limits that keep everyone healthy and happy. My son is a picky eater with an enormous list of food sensitivities, along with environmental allergies, and Erika continues to work with us to keep him healthy. A few months ago I started bringing him earlier, and he catches «school time», after which we’ve seen an explosion in his speech and other skills. She understands his personality and helps troubleshoot everything that comes up. My son is fastidious about cleaning up his toys at home, and he puts on his own pull-​ups, pants, socks, and shoes — I’m not embarrassed to admit he didn’t learn any of that at home.
When we started daycare I felt that at least Crocodile Kids was the next best thing to having him home with me all day — now I feel that it’s even better.

Don’t let the name intimidate you: the only danger here is that your child may not want to leave! Miss Ericka and her assistant, Miss Nicole, are incredibly talented, dedicated and loving professionals. I can’t tell you how amazing they are without mentioning that my 3 year old was potty trained in the first three months. Can write his name, knows his birthday and can count to twenty in two languages. Amazing!
Your child deserves the education and care Crocodile Kids provides every day.

I’m extremely pleased with the level of care provided by Crocodile Kids. My daughter has been attending now for almost a year and I would recommend this facility to any parent wishing to have very personalized childcare services.
My family and I moved to Portland from Houston, TX in Aug of last year where my daughter has only been in two care facilities since she was 6 wks old. When we first visited with Ms. Erika I was thought it was a home child care service — which it is with a twist. the school is totally isolated and is set up just like a school. She has a great teaching method, as my daughter has learned so much and is very prepared for kinder now.
I’m extremely impressed and thankful for Ms. Erika’s kind heart and compassion, she loves the kids and it shows… and the kids love her. It’s hard to find a place where you feel totally at ease when you drop your kids off and you rush off to work each day, I was thankful to have found Crocodile Kids.

Ms Erika and Ms Nicole run one of the best daycares I’ve seen. Their program is truly is a preschool, as their curriculum prepares kids to excel in kindergarten. More importantly for me, Ms Erika and Ms Nicole had no problem incorporating my son’s IEP — he has mild autism — into their teaching methods and curriculum for the entire class. Since starting at Crocodile Kids last year, my son’s speech and language skills have measurably increased, in much part thanks to their willingness to incorporate my son’s speech therapy goals into their program. My daughter, who is neurotypical, just turned three and can already count to 40, write her alphabet, and is reading about 25 words on sight. She knows her colors, shapes, and has developed social and emotional skills. Ms. Erika and Ms Nicole are incredible teachers!

Best daycare we ever had!!!
We have moved quite a bit in the past, so had our child in 3 different daycares. Crocodile Kids by far is the best daycare we could have found for our two year old little boy. It is a home daycare so it has the home atmosphere, yet Erica and Nicole do a great job in organizing the schedule and focusing on teaching, behavior and play in the way public daycares do. Our child is usually one of those that tends to cry when we drop him off. Well, not anymore. He is happy to go to daycare and tells me all he did when I pick him up. Erica is great about communicating his day to me everytime I pick him up so I know what’s going on. He comes home DAILY with little projects he did. The location of the daycare changed a couple of months ago so it is a little further from my house, but it’s so great I don’t mind the commute. I know my son is in great hands, my mind is at ease, he learned A LOT and is happy to go to daycare. Way to go Erica and Nicole. We love you!

We have been dealing with Miss Erika for about 8 months now, we dont have one bad thing to say about her and the business she runs. This was our first run at daycare with our little girl, even though we were nervous as most parents are, it was a great fit.
Miss Erika handles kids in a way I really haven’t seen. She actually gets down face to face with them and tells them how she feels… and it WORKS! I recall hearing her once say, «it hurts my feelings when you dont listen.» She’s assertive when she speaks, yet in a way that translates well with the little ones.
Her style of teaching seems to be pretty great also. I can’t speak on behalf of the other parents, but our little girl is picking up the schooling VERY well. She’s 3, yet participating with the 4 and 5 year olds. I know our girl is pretty smart for her age, but I feel the material she’s learning is only accelorating her ahead that much more.
She comes home singing songs they had been learning that day, and she’s always got some type of project or painting that she’s thrilled to show us.
Even though Im not the one who primarily picks her up and drops her off, I do swing by on the rare occasion. I see enough to know my daughter is safe, in a good environment, and well taken care of. I couldn’t ask more from a Daycare/​Preschool.