La Petite Academy of Ellicott City, Ellicott City | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

UPDATE: Although my boys have not been going to La Petite for some time now, I feel it important to express the changes that occurred after the original post was put up. The center as a whole went downhill when a change in leadership occurred in 2019. It got perpetually worse until we could no longer tolerate the behaviors of the new leadership and new staff. To add insult to injury, I reached out to the Learning Care Group to address concerns, directly to their CEO, CFO and CHRO and was promptly ignored. Sadly, while our experience to start was fantastic when we left it was beyond appalling.

We arrived at La Petite in Ellicott City about 15 months ago and have been very happy with the care and attention that our boys have received.

In our time here we have seen many positive changes starting with a change in leadership. When Bethanie Faulkner (Center Director) came in she saw the potential for this center to be even greater than it was and made it her mission to see to that came to pass. She was able to secure funding to renovate the center in its entirety. Walls were painted, new floors were put in, new toys, books and equipment were purchased all within her first 3 months as Director. The changes she made were impressive and solidified the faith and confidence that we as parents need in order to feel good about leaving our kids in her and her staff’s care.

Once the center was renovated and up to her standards, she began focusing on the level of care and staffing needs. She added staffing where needed and promoted the existing staff that she had. Don’t get me wrong the care and nurturing was always there but as we all know we can always grow and improve in our work. Every effort has been made to ensure that the staff is well equipped and prepared to care for the kids in their charge each and every day. The team she has built is absolutely without a doubt OUTSTANDING! I have had the experience of having my two boys (4 years apart) in almost every class and age group that the center hosts. Each class has been a good experience and while there may have been challenges that arose (I’m not gonna pretend like there’s never been challenges) they were always handled with the utmost respect, attention and diligence. I never felt as though my questions or concerns were disregarded by any of the staff or management. They listened and took the appropriate action when necessary to address my concerns.

I’ll give a brief example of a challenging situation we encountered:
My youngest was 6 months old when the Learning Care Group (Parent Company of La Petite) implemented a program where they provide diapers, diaper cream and wipes for all infants. My son has extremely sensitive skin. I was a little uneasy and if I’m to be honest, ready for a battle to address this and get them to allow us to continue providing the diapers, cream and wipes we use at home, since these were all products we knew didn’t aggravate his skin. I approached Bethanie about this and she assured me that she would work it out on her end to allow us to do this, and that’s exactly what she did. We provided her with a Dr. note identifying my sons sensitive skin and the rest is history. I didn’t have to fight the fight I had been prepared for or even get concerned about resistance from her b/c she understood my position and did the rest for me.

I would absolutely recommend La Petite Academy in Ellicott City. My youngest still has 3 years until he starts school and I have no plans of bringing him anywhere else. My oldest is in school but he will be returning for Summer Camp at La Petite this coming Summer and the foreseeable future. Hope to meet you there!!!

We are so very thankful for this La Petite Academy. Our child started here just after his first birthday, after having been in the home with family since he was born. As new parents, we were nervous and anxious, and La Petite turned out to be the best place (both for our son, and for us). On the first day that we visited, we were struck by the amount of time we were able to spend talking with the teachers in the various rooms. Multiple teachers chatted with us, made us feel welcome, and their warmth really helped us feel comfortable. Our experience at this La Petite has been nothing short of excellent. This place is unique in many regards. The teachers are consistent and experienced, and have cared for our son with love and attention. We knew he would need some added hand holding through the transition from home to day care, and the teachers all provided him with the attention and support he needed. He has developed and learned so much in his time at La Petite. There are many we would like to thank, but particularly Ms. Anu and Ms Asha for helping him in the mornings, and Ms Cathy, Ms. Sara, and Ms Raji for all of their love throughout the day and through his transition from the infant to toddler room. Ms Claudette is an excellent director with lots of experience, and her consistency and leadership at this location really shows. Our son has really loved being at La Petite, and we highly recommend this day care as a safe,caring, fun environment.

I have been working with this company at this location since January of 2018. I love being here so much, I drive a hour away everyday to be here. I am also expecting my baby in February and definitely excited to start her here in the infant room. I know she will be very well taken care of by all the staff in the infant room.
Since being under new management (Bethanie Faulkner) this location has progressed tremendously with added changes. Families and friends are happy and that makes us happy =)