Korporate Kids Learning Center - Cedar Grove, NJ

Would not recommend.

• OVERALL School Rating: 2
• Health and Safety: 1
• Environments: 2
• Teaching Staff: 1
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 2
• Curriculum: 2

I agree with the comments. The employees at this daycare are very unprofessional. I don’t know who let those “teachers” be role models to our kids. I agree with the comment of the staff’s inexpierence and to think we should let our children be with these people? I have witnessed on several occasions the yelling at kids when they were simply in need of help. Some of the family members kids are outrageous and it is not tolerated to let them around other kids who at least act their own age. The owner is lucky she hasn’t had a law suit yet. I don’t know how this staff was raised but it sure is not a place to send a child… who you want to grow and learn respectively.

• OVERALL School Rating: 1
• Health and Safety: 1
• Environments: 1
• Teaching Staff: 1
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 2
• Curriculum: 2

I have to greatly diasagree with the above comments. My child has been attending Korporate Kids for two years. I pick him up after 5:00 and see the staff cleaning each room, steralizing toys, etc. Granted not all the staff is as friendly as they should, but by 5:00 they have had a long and tiring day with our children! If I was as unhappy with my child’s school I would not waste time writing about it, I would just pull them out and let the director know why!

• OVERALL School Rating: 5
• Health and Safety: 5
• Environments: 5
• Teaching Staff: 5
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 5
• Curriculum: 5

I’ve read the above comments and decided that it was time for me to write one as well. My child attended Korporate Kids for a short time. I personally was not happy with the way management handled many situations there. I think many things are taken for granted and brushed under the table because most of the employees are either related to or friends of management. Without being too specific, there were certain things done without my knowledge and without proper discussion. I find this to be unexceptable when it’s regarding your own child.
In response to the above comment, I did pull my child out and the director definitely knew why. By 5:00pm, everyone is tired because we all have worked all day, that is no excuse for being unresponsive when asked a question about your child. I don’t think writing this comment is a waste of my time, in fact I think it’s very valuable to other parents. Needless to say, I’ve found much better childcare and am very happy and satisfied.

• OVERALL School Rating: 1
• Health and Safety: 1
• Environments: 2
• Teaching Staff: 1
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 2
• Curriculum: 1

In reference to the April 8th, 2008 review… I don’t think it’s a “waste of time” writing honest reviews about this daycare or any other business establishment. Such reviews and comments are very helpful to parents seeking the best childcare available for their son or daughter. Sometimes, it’s difficult to make a daycare decision on just one visit or tour of a facility. I only wish there were more daycare rating web sites available. Can anyone refer me to other web sites such as this? CAUTION: Don’t let the gum chewing staff fool you! This is an indication that they are just kids themselves. Don’t let the bubbles hit you in the face!

• OVERALL School Rating: 1
• Health and Safety: 1
• Environments: 1
• Teaching Staff: 1
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 1
• Curriculum: 1

Whether you had a good experience or a negative one, I think it’s unfair to write about such a sensitive topic without signing your name to the comment. It’s borderline slanderous and can scare other mothers who leave their children in the care of this school. There are plenty of parents who have had great experiences with Korporate Kids-Cedar Grove. With your word against the schools, another parent cannot even verify what you are saying if you are not able to be contacted as a reference. So the only thing this type of coffee-clothch commentary does is make mothers such as myself upset and frightened that our children are not safe. My son had been at KK for 4 years and my daughter for 2. I am not a friend or relative of the staff, however I do keep open lines of communication to know my children are being well taken care of. Being a partner to your child’s daycare facility in the raising of our children is how any daycare experience should be handled and there is ALWAYS room for improvement in any facility.

We should not expect the staff to parent the way we parent, however if there is a safety issue or staff issue, it should not be brought up on a website such as this one. It should be taken up with authorties and it is their job to take action. This website not a legitimate source of information in my book, and should not be used to scare other parents who leave their children in the care of Korporate Kids.

• OVERALL School Rating: 4
• Health and Safety: 4
• Environments: 4
• Teaching Staff: 4
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 5
• Curriculum: 4

Hi there — my son has been going to Korporate Kids (formerly Executive Kids) for over 2 years now. Several times I have considered removing my child from there, my main gripes with Korp Kids are:
**Cleaning: All the room cleaning happens while the children all still present in the classrooms. That means that they are running the vacuum, mopping the floors, etc. when they should have their full attention on the kids. PLUS it creates a huge hazard with the kids running/falling on the wet floors. Several times I have walked in and seen the children pulling on the vacuum cord while it’s running, like it’s a game. I have toured other daycare facilities and they do all their cleaning AFTER THE FACILITY IS CLOSED. Seems the management staff is too cheap to pay a cleaning service or pay the staff an extra hour to do the clean-up later.
**There is only one diaper changing station that I’ve seen in the whole facility. That means all babies/toddlers are changed in one area. That would account for the numerous times my son has been sent home with stomach bugs.
**The age range for the Infant room is 6 wks to 18 mos. That is way too big an age range for the tiny room that they have. Splitting out the age range per room to a year apart would be much smarter (6 wks to 1 year, 1 year to 2 years, etc)
**They had a fundraiser for a new outdoor play set in the playground that cost 4 THOUSAND DOLLARS. Korp Kids is NOT a non-profit organization!
**I do love some of the teachers, but some spend way too much time chatting about their personal lives and not enough time spent focusing on the children. And it’s not just the teenagers

I will still continue to look elsewhere for daycare for my child; it’s certainly not the worst place to send your child (again, some of the teachers are wonderful) but I think management sabotages a lot of their business.

• OVERALL School Rating: 3
• Health and Safety: 1
• Environments: 2
• Teaching Staff: 2
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 3
• Curriculum: 3

This is a “daycare” stuffed into Sunday school class rooms. Let that set the tone. Secondly, a for-profit entity, but the owner does not put money back into the school. The majority of the staff are sophmoric at best. As another reviewer mentioned, a large percentage (maybe 80% or more) of the staff are related to or friends of the owner. This does not allow for a proper third party employer/employee relationship. My first child started at this school and no longer attends after several issues. The sad part is that this school came highly recommended. The recommendation couldn’t have been more inaccurate. One shouldn’t have to kiss up to the staff to have their child treated well. I saw and heard things while picking up my child that were just not right. I stumbled upon this website while searching for another school. I am only leaving a review since I saw other bad reviews were contested and removed. This school does not deserve a good review. Parents beware - a lot of injuries and children who have been pulled out to find another daycare. Who has time to look for daycare a second time while working? Pick the right one the first time, not this one.

• OVERALL School Rating: 1
• Health and Safety: 1
• Environments: 1
• Teaching Staff: 2
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 1
• Curriculum: 1

Kudos to Andi! It was great to read your honest , respectful, and fair review. Like Andi, I also have two children (ages 5 and 1) at Korporate Kids, Cedar Grove. KK has been an integral part of my life for the last five years and will be for at least another four more. It deeply saddens me to read these false postings. Of course everyone has different opinions, and its helpful to hear different experiences; however, it is simply disgraceful to post untrue and inaccurate information. Please take note of the following:
~Anonymous: 5-15-08 The staff consists of college students and mothers. The college girls are studying to be teachers. As a teacher myself, I know how important hands on experience is and it truly is the best way one can learn. Also, because this is their career choice, it shows that being involved with children is their passion. The five mothers who work there bring their children with them! They take pride in the safe and nurturing environment they provide for ALL the children.
~Anonymous: 5-15-08 Any concern that I have presented to management, has been handled quickly and efficiently. The owner and manager are readily available to communicate with the parents. Also, they do not hide in their office, but make their rounds visiting all the children. I think the fact that so many of the students call the owner, Ms. Joanne Nicastro, Aunt JoJo instead of Miss JoJo says a lot.
~ToddlerBoyMommy 6-27-08 There is a specific format that the staff must follow when cleaning the classrooms. One of them is that no child is to be present in that classroom. Did you know that the staff uses two mops to clean the floor? They mop with one labeled “wet mop” and then immediately use a second mop labeled “dry mop” to go over that area. Keep in mind, the staff doesn’t want to create a hazardous area for themselves either. On a side note, the management has tried outside facilities and prefers their staff to do the disinfecting and cleaning. Also, I urge you to be more observant. There are TWO changing areas in the school. One is for the babies, and the other is for the toddlers. The baby room is formatted to range to 18 months because of the different developmental stages of the children. For example, a toddler who is not walking yet would not be moved into the Toddler I room until he/she was ready. The children transition when they are ready, as in KK’s motto: “meeting the individual needs of each child.” I was one of the main people who volunteered to run the playground fundraiser. The state of NJ updated the requirements and Ms. Nicastro was forced to change equipment. The equipment she chose was appropriate, durable, and fun! If you have ever taken a trip to Toys R Us, you will see that even the simplest of toys aren‘t cheap anymore.
~Concerned Parent 7-20-08 The daycare is not stuffed into anything! It is attached to a church; however, is not affiliated with it. It is spacious, clean, bright, and welcoming. Also, this daycare facility is Ms. Nicastro’s livelihood, therefore, as expected, she puts in plenty and then some. Please check your calculations, the only family member working at the daycare center is the owner’s sister. She is well-respected for her teaching style and way with the children, not for the fact that she is related to Ms. Nicastro. Perhaps you thought that staff members are related to and/or friends with the owner because of the great atmosphere that they create together. Children thrive in a happy environment and it is obvious that the staff creates one. Your comment about the children and injuries wasn’t clear… But, injuries happen everywhere. The KK staff keeps record of all injuries and files them accordingly. The state monitors all records frequently. Also, if a parent questions any incident, he/she has the opportunity to review it via the camera. The cameras cover each and every classroom, both fenced in playgrounds, and the hallway.
~~~In closing, I encourage anyone interested in KK to call and schedule a tour and see for yourself why it has been in business for 15 years and counting.

• OVERALL School Rating: 5
• Health and Safety: 5
• Environments: 5
• Teaching Staff: 5
• Teacher/Child Ratios: 5
• Curriculum: 5