Children's Discovery Center

02/25/2008 Posted by StevenBlaisdell

CDC was our choice after looking at literally dozens of sites around town. Our daughter went there from under 1 yr up to pre-K and the social, emotional, and personal development she gained at CDC was phenomenal. Yes, if you show up at almost any time of day the kids might be playing in the mud, and there is often someone crying but these are kids, not soldiers, and the developmentally appropriate care the kids get is second to none. If you're looking for baby boot camp or developmentally inappropriate (and damaging) pre-academics then look elsewhere; if you're looking for highly sensitive caregivers in a child-centered environment that encourages developmentally appropriate social and emotional growth then this is the place for you. The long wait list really says it all; this is one of the two or three premium child care centers in town so think ahead if you're seriously interested.

Pros: Best child care available

Cons: Long wait list to get in

01/07/2008 Posted by jtellez

My daughter went here for almost a year. If they went up to older than five, she would still be there! This might not be the place for neat freaks, but this was the place for our family. I picked her up every day, and when I got there, she was HAPPY. She was usually filthy from hair to toe with glitter, paint and sometimes mud it it was raining out there. The best memory that I have of that place was the day I picked her up when she had stripped down to her skivies (sp?) passed out in Kaylin's lap (one of the teachers) with another friend of hers, covered in mud from "playing in the warm rain". Last summer was a wet one and the kids were making the most out of it. Every morning I saw several parents hanging out playing with all of the kids, tons of smiles and VERY involved teachers. The same people were there every morning. The same people were there in the afternoon. THE SAME PEOPLE!!! Consistency in that. Also a great thing. One guy had dreads, another has alot of tattoos, another has great glasses and sideburns, a lady has a great haircut, these people are not your average daycare employees. They are there because they want to. The family is required to do hours of volunteer time so the daycare and families are close and involved. To say in a sentence how i feel about this place couldn't be done. I do hair in central Austin and I refer everyone I meet that has kids to this place. WE LOVED IT!!!

08/03/2006 Posted by alexisalena

I went by the Children's Discovery Center on August 2, 2006 to look at the three-year-old classroom. My first impression was that the facility is generally dirty. The classroom I saw and the playground are good sized, but they show practically no signs of organization or anybody cleaning them, ever. We went upstairs to the office; the rooms up there are filled with boxes and papers and thoroughly disorganized. When we went into the three-year-old classroom, things were slightly less messy. However, children were in various states of undress; all of them seemed dirty. The toys and other materials seemed old and unengaging. In fact, most of the children were playing with a pile of two-by-fours and other assorted boards on the floor. The teachers were sitting on the other side of the room from the children with the boards, and one or two of the children nearly banged the others with the boards in the two minutes I was inside. There was no labeling system to help the children learn reading; the room was dark and, again, dirty; and three of the children cried while I was there about separate things. The lead teacher did seem enthusiastic and engaging, but with such a complete lack of cleanliness and organization I can imagine his job is difficult.