Here is a collection of reviews from parents on the Park Slope Parents website:
The Staff Genuinely Cares for All of the Kids
by amyfuh
on December 4, 2008
My son has been going to Eladia’s on Flatbush since he was only 7 mo. and loved going there ever since day one. We really look forward every night to reading the blog through which allowed us the ability to enjoy his day. Every evening before I picked him up, I always tried to watch him through the window. He always seems so entertained and happily playing with the kids and teachers around him. There are a lot of kids at Eladia’s kids, which is really a good sign that parents are happy with the facility. Although I was initially hesitant with the ratio, however, I am really happy to see how much he’s grown for the short amount of time he’s there. The staff genuinely cares for all of the kids and notices every sign and progress with each child. My mind is really at ease every morning when I drop him off knowing that he is well cared for, secured, and happy. 
They now have a bigger facility opening up on Flatbush for older children and my son will soon be promoted out of the Jr. Nursery. There will be more changes no doubt, but that is life. I am just glad that he is learning to adapt in a safe and happy environment.
Recommend
by Daycare Review 2008
on July 2, 2008
There are many things we have liked about Eladia’s Kids. Among these I would include excellent communication with the parents (daily info sheets, parent meetings w/ head of school, email updates to whole school or the room, availability for quick conversations at pick-up); roomy and modern facilities with decent-but-not-stunning materials; and a sense of enthusiasm about our child’s ongoing development. Diana, the head of the school, is very good to deal with–straightforward, approachable, listens to concerns, seems to know the kids well. Also, the business aspects of the school are well-run and organized. That said, I think some of the daycare staff are more engaged than others and during our time here there have been long periods when the head teacher was gone for extended periods with no explanation and (what’s new?) too much turnover. I do not think I could articulate what the center’s “philosophy” is (despite having read their materials repeatedly) but for a 12-24 month old, I’m not terribly worried about that. I think my child is safe, her relationships with other children are being facilitated, she is learning rudimentary ideas around how to behave in social groups and institutions and along the way they focus on some letters and colors and paint things. I do not worry about her while I am at work: she truly enjoys going every day, loves her “friends,” and is thriving in every way. At the same time, we have decided not to have her return next year because for her later years we want our daughter someplace with a recognizable, coherent educational philosophy and less staff turnover. It was something that was in motion before we began at Eladias and sometimes I regret it but mostly I think the change will be a positive one.
Recommend
by Daycare Review 2008
on June 22, 2008
really well run and structured even for a young infant. The transition to enroll an infant is great and absolutely loved the daily log of the child. It allows me to participate in my baby’s day life a lot. Start looking for daycare early and be persistent with daycare hunting. Visit the facility and talk to parents who have sent their kids to the daycare to find a good fit.
Highly recommend
by Daycare Review 2008
on June 22, 2008
Eladia’s Kids – 5th Avenue is a new branch of the long established (20+ yrs) Eladia’s Kids facility on Flatbush and Prospect. The 5th Avenue location has only been open a year. It has a brand new, beautiful facility and is run very capably and smoothly by Eladia’s daughter, Diana. The teachers are very nice, young and energetic. It offers full time (5 days) and part time (4 days) programs for three age groups: a 6 months to 1 yr old class, a 2 yr old class, and a 3 and 4 yr old class. The kids from different classes can play with each other at the end of the day and siblings can visit each other during the day as well. School opens at 8am and closes at 6 pm; parents can drop off their children anytime before 9:30am and pick them up anytime after 4pm. It is a flat fee per month, so you don’t have to calculate different bills based on drop off or pick up time. The daycare balances lots of free play time (both inside and on their very nice deck outside) along with special times every day for reading, singing, and art projects. There are also exciting lessons in nature: the kids in my 2 yr old’s class have watched a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, have planted seeds and watched them grow, and have had a special visit from a live bunny rabbit around Easter! When we started there, my son had some difficulties with transitions, i.e. our leaving him there in the morning. The staff dealt with it wonderfully by picking him up, cuddling him, and distracting him with toys. They also asked other children in the class to bring him trucks and toys and distracted him that way – and taught them a wonderful lesson, too! I was proud to see my son help a new student this way some months after we began there. Discipline issues are handled by having the kids who are acting out sit on the wall – along with a teacher who talks with them about why they are sitting on the wall and how their actions effect other people. It’s very well done. Every day I get a written report that says how much he ate at morning and afternoon snack, and at lunch, how long he napped, what special lesson they worked on that day and any other news that is deemed relevant. Diana and the teachers are always available to talk to at the beginning or end of the day if I want more feedback or to make them aware of other issues. My son enjoys his time there so much that for several months, when we approached in the morning, he would yell, “Yay, school!” – no joke! That eventually stopped, but he still has a great time there and happily tells me about his day when I pick him up – and usually, he doesn’t want to leave, but instead wants me to play blocks with him, read with him, or to join him at the tool bench or in the play kitchen. I think Eladia’s Kids – 5th Avenue is great and highly recommend it.
Eladia’s is great.
by kbradfield
on May 29, 2008
My daughter has been at Eladia’s Kids since September, 2006 and our experience has been wonderful. The teachers truly care about the children and not only does my daughter feel safe and loved, but she learns new things every day. Eladia and Diana went out of their way to support my family when we moved to Brooklyn from Canada and I will be forever grateful to them for going above and beyond for us.
Highly recommend…
by PSPmemberreview2007
on December 4, 2007
The teachers really care. They always know what’s going on with my son. If he’s out even one day, they seem genuinely excited when he returns. I didn’t really think of daycare as a place to learn a lot (though getting along with others and learning to talk and being comfortable would be all we needed) but he is learning lots and lots and having fun too. They are very patient with transition. My son took a long time to stop crying at drop off, and then started cry again after a two month stop. I know he only cries for a few seconds after I’ve gone, but they have been super nice about it.
Highly recommend…
by PSPmemberreview2007
on December 4, 2007
I like the variety of things that the kids do during the day – singing songs, art projects, reading books, learning their letters, shapes and numbers, outdoor play time, indoor play time, etc. Diana, the person who runs the daycare is absolutely wonderful. Many of the other teachers are great too, but she is the best. When my son had separation anxiety upon starting school, Diana dealt with it really well by hugging him and distracting him – and by asking the other children to help distract and welcome him, for example by bringing him a toy to play with. It worked well for him, and what a wonderful thing to teach the kids empathy and care-giving for others! I really like the school.
They Offer Some Genuine Learning Experience
by PSPmemberreview2007
on December 4, 2007
We have only been attending for a month but my daughter has settled in very well here, much better than I had expected. The big plus here is how warm and kind the people are, they emphasize being nice to the other children, and they offer some genuine learning experience (my daughter is now counting up to 10 in Spanish!). The only downside is that the facility is a bit small, with no outside space.
Highly, highly Recommend
by jbianchi
on November 16, 2007
Eladia’s Kids is without a doubt a first rate childcare facility. Two of my children are currently enrolled – one for more than a year. And my 8 month old recently joined the Eladia’s Kids family. And I do mean family. Two of Eladia’s own children, Diana and George, help run and operate Eladia’s two facilities. Proof that families can work together. The rest of the staff is really terrific. The head teachers are excellent. They’re all creative, caring professionals who truly love what they do. In fact, I recently discovered at this years parent meet-and-greet that more than half a dozen of the other parents are educators by profession. Several are teachers, and a few others are even principals or directors of well-respected HS in NYC. Another thing worth mentioning is that I’m one of 5 other families that have two children attending Eladia’s Kids, which I think speaks volumes about the quality of care and education Eladia’s Kids provides. My oldest one speaks almost as much Spanish as she does English and not because we’re bilingual. But because Eladia’s Kids translates most of the lesson plans into Spanish in real time.
Their Flatbush location did have some issues regarding turnovers with their TA’s last year. But not because Eladia had failed to provide them with resources. In fact, Eladia and her kids George and Diana often went out of their way to see that their staff got what they needed. What caused the turnover, in my opinion, is the high standards Eladia and her children set for the school. I myself have trouble sometimes keeping up with all the daily reports, projects, and trips they’re always doing. But my kids love going, and they’re learning a lot. In a way, I feel like Eladia’s Kids is not only preparing my kids for the years ahead, but also preparing me as a parent to handle their education in the future.
Great experience with Eladia’s Kids
by LizRichardson
on September 11, 2007
We have had a great experience with Eladia’s. Our son has gone to her Flatbush Avenue location for a year now – he started when he turned one in the junior nursery (6 months – 2 years olds) and now he has “graduated” to the senior nursery (2 – 4 year olds). Eladia is actively involved in running the Flatbush Avenue location and her daughter, Diana, runs the 5th Avenue location. They and their head teachers (certified pre-school teachers) are great with us and our son. They give us the time we need at drop-off and pick-up to communicate anything about our son, his needs or the things he did each day. The caregivers have been great too. Some of them work part-time because they are also in early childhood development college programs. Others are high school graduates working there full time. They are all very hands-on with the kids; there’s no sitting back in a chair talking on cell phones. Though Eladia struggled with staff turnover at Flatbush this Spring, and some families chose to leave, we have always felt confident that our son is getting the very best care.They have a schedule for the day – free play, circle time, snack, activities, lunch, nap, afternoon activity, snack and then free play. They do lots of crafts, coloring, books, singing, tumbling – and they get to the park 2-3 days per week weather permitting. In both the junior and senior nursery they have had themes for a month or week (colors, letters, seasons) and they run activities around that theme. Regularly, our son comes home saying new words he’s learned there or singing new songs – most recently singing the whole alphabet at the top of his lungs to anyone who will listen. Eladia and her staff do a great job of creating a safe, caring and fun environment for our son – where he is learning so much every day. We’re really pleased to have found them!
The Team is Very Professional and Takes Great Care of the Children
by Sylvie Al Hajji
on June 19, 2007
We relocated from France in December 2006, with our two daughters, Juliette (3 years at that time) and Zoe (3 months). At that time, Juliette did not understand a word of English and we were looking for a “family” type daycare where we would feel happy and confident to bring her every morning. This is what we found at Eladia’s kids. The team is very professional and takes great care of the children, with copious amounts of patience and evidently lots of pleasure. Being herself a mother of 4, Eladia understands very well the needs and constraints of working parents. The children do lots of activities including paintings, educative games and outdoor activities whenever the weather allows. A very good indicator that Juliette is happy, is that she never ever refuses to go to school! She even started singing tunes and her alphabet in English. Zoe is going to start in September and we know they will take great care of her. I will conclude by quoting Juliette: “they are very nice at school” !
“In addition, I’d like to say that personally, I find them very flexible: For example, Juliette does not put any diapers during the nap but…there are some accidents, and sometimes there can be several accidents a week ! I was very embarrassed, but they told me that they understood we wanted to go forward and I really appreciated their attention to childs growth. Considering all this, we are very happy to have found Eladia’s kids for Juliette and soon now for Zoe.”
Good Experience with Eladia’s Kids
by Michele Perry
on May 15, 2007
My 27 month old son has been attending EK’s Flatbush location for 4 months and loves it. We visited other daycare centers prior (including one recommended on this site) and found EK’s to be a much happier, safer, more loving environment– thanks in large part to the participation of Eladia’s own kids, George and Diana, in running the centers. The kids adore them.
While admittedly, the strict 6:00pm pick-up time and the long holidays are difficult on working parents, the positives far outweighs these inconveniences. The educational director, Edena, places a heavy emphasis on
learning and often involves the parents including take-home projects, daily reports and parent/teacher meetings. They take them on field trips, invite people to come do presentations and are always making improvements to their program. My son has learned a tremendous amount in a short time (he can count to 20 in Spanish!) and really developed emotionally. I consider it more as a pre-school than a daycare center.
To the parent who complained about their strict schedule, it sounds like it was just not a good match for you and your child. I actually appreciate their emphasis on structure. I never imagined my 2 year old would be able to take a 2 hour nap with other kids around but he snuggles in his cot every day and sleeps surrounded by his friends.
EK’s is not without its issues, but in general it’s exceeded my expectations. We recently had the opportunity to change schools for our son and decided to stay put. Above all, I get the sense that they genuinely care about the children.
They are Very Sweet with the Children
by Caroline Green
on March 30, 2007
My 13 month old daughter has been attending the new Eladia’s Kids location on 5th avenue for one month now, and she loves it. And so do we! They are very sweet with the children (especially Eladia’s daughter, Diana, who runs this location) and have a lot of activities to keep them engaged. The one downside is their policy of closing with the NYC school system (Spring break, etc) and their closing hour of 6pm (sometimes hard for a working parent traveling from Manhattan.) The Fifth Ave location has an outdoor space.
