The Learning Experience – Heathrow, Lake Mary | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

We are very very unsatisfied with the attitude of the director of center, Sheila (Lake Mary, Florida). I personally had a couple of bad communication experiences with her. This is the main reason we lost trust in the care provided to our child at TLE and were forced to pull him out. The experiences are as follows:
1. The teacher in my toddler’s class had put in reminders on the app to refill the diaper supply for him. Due to glitches in app and facing issues signing in, I had paused the use of app. The teachers were using other kid’s diapers for my kid for that week (my child was only present in class 3 out of 5 days that week). They could have reminded me in person also when I met them every morning and evening. Instead they decided to let the center of director know. I got Sheela’s call regarding the issue at 2:30pm when I was in the middle of an important meeting. I told her I wasn’t aware of the issue and I will bring in more diapers when I pick my child up. She replied RUDELY, “So do you want us to keep using other people’s diapers?”. I think that was very inappropriate for a centers’s director to talk to a parent that way. She should have understood that if we can pay $1300 per month and afford to put our child in daycare, we can also supply diapers and she should have known that the issue could have been miscommunication or lack of communication to the parent. I was forced to get out of the meeting because of the way she spoke to me. I took the diapers to TLE by 3pm and picked up my child. I was very upset with her behavior. Diaper supply is not an emergency issue for which a parent is forced to come immediately.

2.
We came across an incident of negligence by the class teachers. My child was bitten twice quite badly by one of his classmates. Being a mother of 2 boys under 5 years old, I understand that toddlers can do such things and the teachers cannot keep an eye all the time. But the issue was about reporting the incident and following up with the other child’s parent so that he would not bite again. When this happened the first time, they told me about it but did not document it. When it happened the second time only about 2-3 weeks later and the bite was pretty bad, I brought it to the teachers’ notice that it had happened before. They had already forgotten about it and did not even know which child had done it. How can we expect our child to be safe in such a situation? When I brought this issue to the attention of the director of center, Sheela, instead of confirming the issue and showing a willingness to take care of it, she started defending the teachers. She said “I cannot keep an eye on 36 toddlers”. To which I replied that the 2 teachers in the class were supposed to take care of 12 students as opposed toe 36 and they should have known about the incident. She retorted ” You are welcome to come and try to take care of 12 kids”. This was atrocious and absolutely unexpected. It was downright rude and inappropriate. When we leave our kids at TLE, we trust the teachers and the environment and most of all the person who runs the show, which would be the director in this case. TLE does not have live cameras but we still chose to keep our child there with trust and expectation of utmost care at least from the teachers in class who are the first-hand providers in absence of parents. Toddlers cannot defend themselves, so we expect that our child is safe under the care of teachers.

We did not find TLE doing anything extra than the other daycares around at least for the toddler program. We were extremely unsatisfied with the customer service especially by the center director. Her attitude makes us question the culture of the TLE. The girls at the reception were nice and prompt but our overall experience turned sour and we would not recommend TLE to anyone. We had high expectations due to recommendations of the parents of past students but we left let down. My child is much happier at his new daycare where the teachers are quite comforting in his adjustment phase.

We have been with The Learning Experience – Heathrow for over SIX years (wow!) across both of our daughters and have been absolutely thrilled with the professionalism, service, care and love shown to both of our daughters. This place is an extension of our family. In our experience the turn-over has been extremely low – our two year-old daughter has had almost all of the same teachers that our six year-old daughter had when she was going through the same infant, toddler, twaddler and prepper classes. These teachers love these children, their passion for their job is apparent. I don’t know how they do it, I wouldn’t have the patience! The center director, Sheelah, has created a fantastic environment and workplace for these teachers and an amazing school for these sweet little learners. Her dedication to her job, professionalism and compassion for children and the parents/families is amazing. I have and will continue to recommend TLE Heathrow to anyone I know (or don’t know!) looking for a loving environment for their child where they can thrive and learn. Picking a daycare is really hard and it’s a tough decision, TLE has been such a great choice for our family and I’m so thankful they were recommended to us almost 7 years ago. Our children haven’t just been “watched” during the hours they have spent at TLE, they have been loved, cared for, made long-lasting friendships and learned. I’m constantly amazed at what our two year-old comes home and shares. TLE has allowed both my husband and I to grow and thrive in our professional careers all while knowing our daughters are receiving the absolute best care available. Thank you TLE!

I have been a family attending TLE for the past 11 years. During that time, I have had the pleasure of working with some great, tenured teachers who have taught and cared for for my two boys like their own. During my time at TLE I have entrusted my children to the leadership of Sheela Doyle who has been nothing short of supportive, communicative, and open with our family. No childcare facility is perfect and no child or teacher is perfect, but what’s important to me is that if I have an issue that I need to address I can communicate those things, feel heard and come to a resolution collectively. Working with Sheela has offered me what I have asked for. I have toured many childcare facilities in the area and they all appear great at first, however, it’s not until you send your child there until you discover if it’s truly the place for you. The only reasons I have continued to have my children attend TLE for over 10 years is because of the quality education and trust I have in Sheela in knowing that my boys are cared for while my husband and I work. To me, that means the world. The reason there are multiple childcare facilities is because we have the freedom of choice and we should choose what’s best for our families, period.