YMCA Early Childhood Learning Center - University of Minnesota

tl;dr We love the University Y daycare. Great location, great facility, great teachers. As first time parents, we were incredibly nervous about choosing the right daycare for our son. The University Y has been such a great experience for us. They are incredibly clear about your child's progression through the center, from baby room to toddler and so on. They take what can be such an overwhelming, overly-complicated scenario and they simplify it to the genuine basics. "Here's the daily schedule. Here's your kid's next step/stage. Here's our updates." They're also very flexible about food/dietary restrictions. (They provide standard formula, snacks, lunches, etc. all for free. FREE! And they'll provide milk alternatives for free if you provide a doctor's note.) The teachers here also truly seem to care about our son. They clearly love him so much and are always so happy to see him. Our son actively reaches for his teachers when we get to his room, which is a great sign. Most days when I arrive for pick-up, one of his teachers excitedly tells me about something funny/cute that happened that day. Our son has become besties with a teacher's grandson, and they've become little chaos gremlins. Another great feature - the app. I can log in at any time of day and see exactly what he's been up to. They update the app throughout the day with meal notes, nap times, diapers, and even an occasional photo. Again, for first time parents, it was reassuring to get to check up on him so easily. And as other reviewers have said - the facility is gorgeous. Brand new (barely a few years old), bright, spacious, excellent security. They have a large play area in the back, tucked away from the main road, with plenty of gym equipment and shades. Everyone goes outside when it's nice, even the babies, which my son loved. When the weather isn't agreeing, they have a massive indoor playroom for the kids to burn off some steam. The location itself is right off 35W. Yes, you have to venture onto campus, but it's a quick shot down University or 4th. We were hesitant about the campus location and worried about noise and traffic, but our son has been attending for about a year now and we haven't had any issues. Fun side notes: There are lots of fun all-center activities. Dress up days, reading challenges, tailgate trick-or-treating. We even got to participate in the UMN homecoming parade!
Apr 7th, 2024

Mar 8th, 2024

I love the Y!
Mar 4th, 2024

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Feb 24th, 2024