La Petite Academy on S. Village Drive, Tampa | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I only experienced the infant room but wouldn’t leave my child here. When I first visited Sarah and Thania were both very friendly but only 1 infant teachers even smiled at us. All the children shared mouthed toys and were left alone to play for the 3 hours I visited and there was no time for the teacher to engage with my child. There was an almost 1 year old that would have been switching classes the following week but almost fell on my 4 month old several times and rolled the cribs around the room for most of the time I was there. There should be brakes on the cribs. They use tap water for formula bottles. The teacher told me a lot of the time she’s busy and doesn’t get to send pictures, which I could see as the entire time I was there she was busy feeding babies or changing diapers so there was really no engagement with them besides the 5 minutes she took to read part of a book. I could tell she was frustrated with one baby that kept crying because she was tired. The teacher seemed very overwhelmed with 4 babies. I wasn’t a fan of them suggesting the cry it out method when I told them my 4 month old doesn’t sleep well in a crib with the lights on so bright but I understand they need to do what they need to do, it just doesn’t seem fair to me so I wouldn’t put my child through that only to be woken up by a crib being pushed into his. The discovery day was just me taking care of my baby in a different setting. I would have liked to see how the he’d be treated when I wasn’t there but I wasn’t comfortable bringing him back.

I would give it a zero stars. The two year old teacher, Nina Campbell was rude and disrespectful to me and my child. She never smiled or greeted me or my child at drop-off or pick-up. I found out she was putting my daughter in the “naughty spot,” at the playground and didn’t allow her to play. She was forced to stand in a dirt pile and watch the other kids. She also deprived her of food and water. I zoomed into the classroom camera one day, and noticed all the students except mine, were sitting and eating lunch. My child was put in time-out. She also kept my daughter water bottles on the top of a cabinet so she couldn’t reach it. The final straw, we caught her at pick-up hitting our daughter. We informed the director, Amanda. However, we found out their relatives so Amanda started covering up for Nina. She even accused another employee of doing it to upper management. I don’t recommend you take your chances with your child’s safety at this place.

My kids have been attending this daycare since they were babies! All the teachers are attentive to my children and the director Amanda and assistant director Tresha are personable and make this center feel family centered. The teachers treat my kids as their own. I drop my kids off everyday without any doubt in my mind. Any and all concerns that I have are swiftly handled in a professional manner. I am extremely grateful for the care at this center. I couldn’t ask for better care when it come to my children. I would recommend this center to anyone who is looking for persistent, family centered care.

—The King Family