Play & Grow Learning Center

Warning to Prospective Families: Proceed with Caution Our family has had children enrolled at this daycare center since March 2020, and we also attended when it was previously operated as Little Hearts. Over the years, we stayed for a few reasons: the close proximity to our home and, most importantly, several wonderful, caring teachers who made a positive impact on our kids. Unfortunately, the quality of care and stability has declined significantly in recent years. For the past three years, staffing has been increasingly inconsistent. Teachers have come and gone at an alarming rate, including many of the exceptional ones who helped make the center feel like a safe and nurturing place. This constant turnover meant our children were frequently shuffled between classrooms with little to no notice. Communication from leadership was poor—we often didn’t know which room our children would be in or who would be caring for them. Classrooms were combined regularly, and changes in classroom assignments or teachers were rarely communicated ahead of time. It felt chaotic and disorganized, which greatly impacted our children’s sense of safety and stability. We would have left years ago, but like many families in the area, we were stuck on waitlists at other centers for over two years. More concerning than the instability are the safety and structural issues. Our then-3-year-old lost a tooth after being pushed by another child into a table. Only later did we find out there was no teacher in the room at the time. Leadership withheld this information from us until we pressed for clarity. The way this incident was handled completely broke our trust. If you’re considering this center, I strongly recommend looking up their licensing violations on YoungStar. There are also serious concerns about the physical space: • The 3/4-year-old classroom is located in a basement room with minimal natural light and only an egress window. • That classroom is directly under the kitchen, and the dishwasher has leaked into the classroom ceiling on multiple occasions. • During rainy or cold weather, the kids are often placed in a makeshift space next to the kitchen, which disrupts the rest of the center and is not an appropriate learning or play environment. • We’ve observed repeated flooding in the basement classroom during storms, yet the room continues to be used. The staff are visibly burnt out, and with the high turnover, the ability to support children’s social and emotional development has suffered. Where teachers once modeled and taught emotional regulation and safe play, many now appear too overwhelmed to do more than manage basic supervision. There have also been concerning behavioral incidents that our children witnessed, including aggressive behavior from older children toward younger ones, and even a teacher injury caused by a child throwing a chair. Leadership’s response has often been to downplay these incidents, delay accountability, or show blatant favoritism. Sadly, it has become clear to us that the owners prioritize business operations over child development and family trust. After paying nearly $100,000 in tuition over the years, we’ve seen firsthand how families are treated more like revenue than partners. Leadership has even threatened expulsion for children without consulting teachers or working collaboratively with parents to support individual needs. As a final note: be cautious of the sudden influx of positive reviews that may follow this one. It’s not uncommon for the owners to solicit glowing feedback from current families to counterbalance critical reviews. We’re relieved to be moving on and deeply hope that sharing our experience helps other families make a more informed decision.

Our two boys have been at the Darboy Play and Grow since it opened. We love having them there, and our boys love being there! All of the teachers are fantastic and we know our kids are being well taken care of. They do so many fun projects with the kids and plan extra events throughout the year. They really go above and beyond, and we are so thankful we can trust them with our children.

Both my boys have attended Play and Grow and have loved it. The teachers and staff take time to get know the children they are working with and plan great learning opportunities to help them grow. Staff host fun opportunities for families outside center hours (breakfast with Santa, Trunk or Treat, date night, etc). I am very happy with my experience with this center.

We have had the amazing privilege to have our son attend the Darboy play & grow childcare center. When we moved to the neighborhood we were nervous about transitioning our son from his previous daycare facility…he was 2 years old at the time and quite attached to his teacher but we took a leap of faith. I’m so glad we did because he quickly fell in love with his teachers & classmates in the 2 year old room (Hippo) he has learned so much in the almost 2years he has been there. He’s almost 4 now and he still regularly visits his past teachers and hugs them. We are continually amazed at the rapid learning occurring, the thought his teachers put into each day & activity, the warmth and patience they show etc. Shout out to Ms Beth, Ms Erin and director Ms Kayla for making ours and our son’s experience such a positive one! Highly recommend.

We were nervous at first going to a daycare setting, but we have truly been blessed by play and grow learning center-Darboy. They really work hard and try their best to help all children develop and grow. Our kids love going and seeing everyone. We have been with them now for over 2 years and I couldn’t be happier.