Quest for a New Daycare Has Ended! — Review of Malena's Mini School

Update, August 28, 2012:  Our happy time at Malena's was cut unexpectedly short.  While I still believe that Malena's is an exceptional daycare facility, especially within Pensacola, it is no longer one I would recommend to those looking for daycare for children over 3 years of age.  For an updated review, click here.

Today marks one month that Kaleb has been attending Malena's Mini School on Pine Forest Road in Pensacola.  I am extremely happy with the school, and with Kaleb's progress since he has been attending!

In the first couple of weeks, Kaleb had some behavior incidents.  They were well-documented to provide the information to me.  Both times were incidences of the same type that he had begun to exhibit shortly before we left his previous daycare, things he had learned over time by watching his peers at that previous daycare.  And each of them was Kaleb's learned response to feeling a bit defensive with another child.  But as he has been there longer, he is learning that he doesn't need to be on the defense all the time at Malena's as he was at the "old school," and his teachers are helping him learn more positive ways to work out problems between himself and other students or problems with situations he cannot control.  It's a big step for my little boy, and one that is being handled in a loving-but-firm manner by his teachers, Ms. Amanda and Ms. Richelle.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day, and Kaleb got to hand out Valentines to his classmates for the first time.  We hand-made ours, and they were really adorable.  Before I had even left work on Tuesday, the folks at Malena's had posted Valentine's Party pics on their Facebook page for the parents to see!  It's nice to be able to get a glimpse of the special events Kaleb participates in while I'm away at work during the days!

Pros:

• Convenient location.  I can use the Interstate to get to work from daycare in the morning and to get back to daycare from work in the afternoons.
• Reasonable prices.  I'm only paying $5 per week more than our previous daycare, and it is very much worth it!
• Excellent staff!  Every staff member I have met so far has been kind, courteous, and capable—from the kitchen workers to the office staff, and from the great teachers to Malena herself!  I couldn't imagine a group of people better suited to taking care of my child (and those other kids, too, I suppose) while I'm away at work.  And it doesn't hurt that Kaleb's Aunt Tonya works there too!
• Age-appropriate daily schedule and structure.  Each class follows a daily routine, which helps the kids learn what to expect next.  Their days are structured, so that the children know what they should be doing, whether it be playtime or story time or time to eat.
• High-achieving curriculum.  Kaleb has had a noticeable increase in knowledge since starting at Malena's a month ago.  Of course part of this is just because he is getting older, but I attribute a big portion of it to patient, consistent teachers.  He is learning to count higher.  He's getting better at reciting the alphabet accurately.  He's rarely confusing his colors anymore.  His speech is growing by leaps and bounds.  I'm excited to see all the things he will learn here!
• Effective discipline.  Kaleb, like any 3-year-old, has had a couple of discipline incidents.  And on a couple of occasions, I've seen other kids "in trouble" when I was picking up or dropping off Kaleb.  The discipline strategies at Malena's are fair and consistent and firm, yet compassionate.
• High expectations.  Malena's sets the bar high for the children in their care.  They expect good from every child, and then they work hard to help the child achieve those results!
• Efficient, professional communication with parents.  Whether it has been a note from a teacher, a letter sent home with the children, or a quick chat with a staff member, I've been provided with any and all necessary information concerning Kaleb in a polite and timely manner.
• Clean, safe facility.  Everyplace I've been within this facility, things are visibly clean and organized.  That can't possibly be easy with a building full of young children, but it's obviously important to them, so they make it happen!  Malena's may not have all the luxury bells and whistles, but it's clean and everything there is safe for my child.
• Diverse play activities.  Kaleb comes home talking about a new type of "school toy" every day!  Some days it's plastic dinosaurs.  Some days it's the play kitchen and vacuum.  But every day it's something, which means he is being exposed to a variety of toys to spark his imagination.
• Great playground.  Their playground, like the inside of the facility, may not be done up with all the latest luxury playground equipment, but what is there is fun and safe and leave lots of room for little imaginations to explore and go wild.  The playground is fully fenced-in and has a fair amount of shade.

Cons:

• Actually, I haven't found any yet!  How cool is that?!

While reading reviews online for Malena's Mini School, I have seen some less-than-great reviews.  However, the complaints those people had against the school all sounded like they were upset because they wanted special treatment and didn't get it.  Anyhow, if you're in the market for a great new daycare, Malena's Mini School is definitely someplace you should consider!

[This review expresses only the thoughts and opinions of the blog author.  It was not paid for nor solicited by the company/product/entity being reviewed, nor do they offer any endorsement of the opinions contained herein.]