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May 2025 by Ang Yanky
My son is going to toddler class and with new director managing the facility, care has elevated. Rooms are cleaner, safer and teachers are better engaged with kids. So grateful to see this positive change. As a mom, I feel much better bringing my child here.
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March 2025 by Rachel Liontas Thompson
We had a great experience here. Our daughter attended from 12-18m, and Ms. Afsaneh was always so sweet to her.
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October 2024 by Samantha Guebert
My son went here 12 weeks - 8 months. We ended up pulling him from the program due to inadequate care my son received. I witnessed teachers yelling at and mocking crying babies. I watched them ignore my son crying. A teacher was frustrated my son kept dropping his bottle so they dumped my BREASTMILK into the sink instead of offering it to him at a later time (saw this on the video camera). Do not recommend this location/company. The only reason they got 2 stars is because the infant A room teachers were wonderful. After that, it was a nightmare.
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June 2024 by Beth
We have been in a toddler class for about a month, and I only took away one star because in the grand scheme of childcare options, this place does not have a super strong focus on individual education. The care is kind and respectful, and the robust routine ensures each child is clean, well-fed, hydrated, joyful, and rested. The food is highly nutritious and plant-forward, served family style so if a child is having a growth spurt, they can get seconds or whatever they need, and staff give plenty of time for them to finish eating. The classroom staff are highly communicative, and we are able to monitor most of the day on the camera. I trust the staff to take excellent care of my precious miracle baby and to keep me well-informed. They are kind to the parents and strive to do things as you like. I never feel like we are just another number; we are treated like a valuable family member.
There are engaging activities each day, and I know my little one is having a great time experiencing new and interesting things. We don't have any lagging developmental milestones, but I do wish there could be more emphasis on learning to talk, learning to use dining utensils, etc. I know some schools are really milestone focused, and it may be too early to judge, but I'm not seeing a ton of that. However, I'm more than grateful to have found a loving, family-oriented environment where I know my child is treated with respect and like one of their own.
I'm not sure what the next classroom will be like as I believe we will 'graduate' in a few months, but I'm loving the classroom we've started with (12-18 months).
Lastly, it's more motivating for folks to write bad reviews; most of us don't take the time to write the good ones. I was concerned about the reviews when we enrolled, but I can attest this is a happy place, and I am fortunate enough to have the option to leave if we saw any reason to. Having a safe, caring place for my little one is such a blessing!
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May 2024 by Ashley Harris
After sending in a request for information, I was contacted by the information department. I was told that even though my child was not fully potty trained, that she could still be accommodated. I was also told that because my work days vary, that I could pay the one time registration fee and purchase a 5-day pack, then use them as needed as long as the location had 48 hours notice to ensure availability. It sounded like the perfect fit, especially considering their hours and location so I agreed to set up a tour at the location.I arrived for my 3pm tour and was greeted by what I am assuming was the director. She was very judgmental after asking if my child was potty trained and told not completely. She went on to inform me that little girls are "normally" potty trained by 3 years old so the fact that my little one was almost 4 and not potty trained, she would have to be in a different department. We went on to walk the department where she showed me the two classrooms where kids were sitting at tables looking downright depressed. My little girl got excited when she saw the library at the end of the hall open and ran towards it. When we got to the library, my little one had taken off her sandals and was playing in the tent like bed in the corner. The director told her to put her shoes back on because there are fire ants and they bite. I personally didn't see any ants so I can't confirm the claim but I can say that regardless, if you are promoting a safe setting where kids can have fun, that shouldn't be your leading line. I decided to overlook it and asked her to put her sandals back on and when she didn't do it fast enough, the director started making comments about "hoping she listens better to the teachers than she does to me". Now as if that wasn't red flag enough, my 30 minute tour was basically ended right there so she could show me the prices, at that time the tour had lasted maybe 10 minutes tops. She started explaining the 3 and 5 day options when I stopped her and told her what I was told on the phone. She then said that they did not have any offers like that and they only had 3 or 5 day options. She stated that the registration fee was a one time payment of $195, then is was $265 a week for the 3 day program. Then she went on to say that with Summer starting, there would be additional costs of $120 for the entire Summer and a fee for their "Summer activities". In between every sentence she was staring at her phone complaining about the number of calls she was getting regarding kids getting out of school and needing to be picked up. She handed me a ridiculously thick registration packet and informed me she would send me an email with the link for their payment page and the code for their door and basically insisted I leave.I already knew I wasn't going to send my child here after all that but then about an hour later I received a voicemail from the director stating that she had spoken to the head of their location and that they would not be able to accommodate my child because she wasn't potty trained.In my opinion, this place is pure trash. Apparently their director gets her kicks by belittling and scaring kids. If you can't offer certain accommodations, don't advertise them. If you can't honor prices and schedules, don't promote them. If you can't offer a safe, fun environment for children, don't portray yourself as one. And most of all, if you aren't going to honor your original words, don't waste a parent's time.Save your time, energy and money, don't bring yourself to this pathetic excuse for a Child CARE that would better be described as a bootcamp.
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April 2024 by Anita Elizabeth
Do not send your child here. My niece attends this facility and she has been met with constant bullying and physical attacks from other children. When brought to the attention of the staff there, they dismiss our concerns. This is NOT okay. A child should feel safe at their daycare or their school. Please do yourself a favor and protect your babies by NOT sending them here.
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April 2024 by Jay Houghtling
My niece has been bullied and physically abused by other children at this facility. Despite bringing this to the attention of staff, this has continued to transpire. The staff members are more interested in playing on their phones and sitting on benches than they are in ensuring the safety of the children in their care. They claim it is due to being “short staffed”. While I understand being short staffed is difficult, this should NEVER interfere with the safety of the children in their care. If you value your child’s safety, as I’m sure all parents and guardians do, do NOT bring your child to CCY.
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February 2024 by Elizabeth Buttino
The Children’s Courtyard @ Spicewood was a great choice for our first ever daycare experience! Our toddler has been attending since he was 8 months old he goes 5 days a week and is so happy when we walk in. His teachers greet him with excitement and urgency so we can get to work. The arts & crafts they do are so fun for him and the communication to us throughout the day is comforting. We love seeing the daily pictures they send us! Furthermore, they consistently keep me well-informed about any concerns or the need to replenish supplies. Most importantly, it's evident that the toddlers are genuinely content and happy in this environment. While the occasional toddler meltdown is inevitable, the staff handles these situations with professionalism and a perpetual smile.The school is a safe, clean, fun environment for the children. They have provided an excellent experience for us so far!
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February 2024 by Amanda Whitlock
I'm writing this review as I sought out reviews as I was searching for daycares. Children's Courtyard had decent reviews so I thought my child and our family would have a decent experience. Unfortunately, we withdrew our 1-year-old after about 8 months of care because we felt a lack of concern from leadership and saw several negative interactions between infants and teachers. In particular, I overheard a teacher (Katia) raise her voice at my son and other infants in her classroom to "be quiet!," even though they were under a year old and have no idea what that means / how to do so.I raised this to leadership and they were unphased and actually didn't respond to my message for a few days. Eventually we were told, "that teacher isn't from here" (?!?) and that she is loud in general. In essence, we were told to get over it. Most of the teachers seem to want to clock in and out and there's not a lot of communication with parents. Looking at Texas Dept. of Family and Protective Services' site, I see that they had a violation for a teacher yelling at students in August 2023 as well.In another instance, I watched three children open the front door and walk out into the parking lot completely unsupervised. It wasn't until I looked back at the front desk to say, "where is their parent?" that anyone noticed.I frequently saw babies fall asleep on the playroom floor due to overtiredness.Note - some of the infant teachers (Leti, Afsaneh) actually engaged with the babies but overall we were very anxious having our son at this facility.Our new daycare is already showing a night and day difference - responsive, caring, and engaging with the babies regularly throughout the day.
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January 2024 by Angela Hoffman
Send your child here as a last resort. I was given hope upon touring the facility after a horrible experience at a previous out of state daycare. To my dismay, I had to relocate my son after about 5 months. The promised teaching style and assurances regarding cognitive development were not realized at all. This facility seems to underpay, understaff, and over pack the classrooms. The director does not seem to take action when concerns are brought up, and the second in command will patronize and talk over you when you try to ask about anything going on with your child. I had to specifically request that one of the staff members never interact with my child again after seeing him yell at and pull on the children as he was getting them ready to go outside when I was watching the cameras. I started watching him with this teacher more often when he began to act terrified to be left with him. He does not work there any longer, but his parting with the daycare was not related to this incident, somehow. I was also told that they could not go back and review any footage, but that they did hear him yelling earlier that day and maybe was having a rough morning…My almost 4 year old son told me that his teacher would tell him that he is bad and I watched her ignore him on the cameras when it looked like he needed help or attention. My son had visible marks on him 3 separate times recently that were given to him by the same classmate. The same classmate that my son has gotten written up for “hitting while unprovoked.” I was actually watching the cameras when one of these incidents occurred and my son was acting in defense of himself. I’m not the kind of person who believes my child is a saint, but I will advocate for him. No idea if the other child was ever written up for leaving marks, I’m talking deep scratches, on my son, but we never heard anyone explain my son’s marks.Requests to meet with the director and his teacher were ignored and my son started acting uneasy around certain staff members. I already had one foot out the door when I had a medical emergency and my son’s father and step-mother had to take over, which lead them to moving him to another facility closer to them. I’m honestly glad we had to act sooner rather than later. I hated leaving my son in the care of this facility. Only one of the teachers that interacted with us would I let my son ever be around again, a sweet woman by the name of Zainab.To the director: I could see your face change when you saw me. You made me feel like I was a burden to you, that it was a chore to speak with me about my son. Not all of us have the luxury of having our kid right down the hall while we work and their caretakers as our employees.
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May 2022 by Natalie W.
Caring, wonderful staff. Our daughter is so happy at Childrens Courtyard. She has been in multiple rooms from 3 months to now over 3 years. Love the app (including live cameras) and updates throughout the day. Staff is quick to respond to any questions or concerns. Always fun activities and our daughter has learned so much. Highly recommend!
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December 2021 by Liz Meyer
In the past, I’ve used a nanny, babysitter, drop in care and many different daycares around Austin. The children’s Courtyard has been the best experience for my daughter and I so far!! They offer WatchMeGrow, where you get a livestream of your child’s classroom during the day. They provide all meals/ snacks. They have a huge playground and a very nice and clean facility. They are taking temperatures and all staff are wearing masks due to covid. Parents are not allowed in the school due to covid, but they offered a virtual tour which is so nice! Overall, they are worth every Penny. This is the first place I’ve ever been that makes me feel like my child is safe and cared for.
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December 2021 by Lauren Opperman
We absolutely love Children's Courtyard of Austin! The care and attention that each staff member and teacher provides to our kids exceeds our expectations. We know that our children are loved and cared for every single day. The protocols they have in place have keep our kids safe during COVID. The communication between teachers and parents is so easy with the system they use. We have been going to CCY for over 5 years now and would not think about going anywhere else!
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May 2021 by Jamie G.
My son has been with CCY Spicewood Spring for 5.5 years. He is in kinder now and attends the after school program. The team at CCY has worked with me through so much: mommy frustrations at development milestones, teacher personalities that conflicted with mine (only once or twice in 5 years) and, most recently, a global pandemic. No long term relationship is perfect but, man, this place is close. The daycare is modeled like a school, with kiddos 'graduating' to a new room and teacher every year. The curriculum is age appropriate and, now that my kiddo is at a 'real school', it is clear how much CCY did to prep him for that experience. He picked up reading so fast and, as far as I can tell, so did the rest of his friends - most of whom have been with him since they were 6 months old. The school itself is well lit and secure. Not the trusting type? They use a service called Brightwheel that allows you to view live streams of your kiddo's classroom. The app isn't perfect but it is a great way to keep current with goings on. They have a creative food menu, 4 different play areas that keep age appropriate groups together, and regular guests to their library or big floors (pre-pandemic). This summer will likely be his last with CCY and I am sad that I won't get to see those friendly faces anymore. They have been a gift to my family and we will always look back on his time here with fondness.
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December 2020 by ATX Seamless Gutters
Great with the kids and flexible.
