My oldest daughter has been at Bright Horizons for over 2 years -- she started in the infant room and is now in the 2s. And now our youngest daughter is now in the infant room. \r
\r
When I was first searching for daycares when I was pregnant with my first baby, I would almost immediately burst into tears just thinking about having to leave my baby. (As I'm sure most first time moms can relate.) But after visiting Bright Horizons, I felt good. While I knew it would be hard to leave her, my gut feeling was that this was the place. The caregivers were really interested in her and what she liked, didn't like, how to help calm her when she cried, etc. And the environment is really warm -- with big cushy chairs and couches and lamps and ""uplighting"" rather than the harsh flourecent overheads everywhere. They have a fishtank and a pet bird that all of the kids love. And each of the rooms is built with windows close to the floor so that the little ones can see out. It doesn't smell institutional (like a school cafeteria or a hospital) like so many other places did. It was a place that I wouldn't mind spending 8+ hours of my day. \r
\r
So, we enrolled our oldest child when she was 5 months old and we've been very happy ever since. Her baby sister is following in the same classrooms with the same teachers. \r
\r
Most of the staff, even the ones who aren't in the rooms with my girls, know their and our names and greet us each day. The teachers call us and let us know if anything isn't quite right and I greatly appreciate that. They can tell me that my daughter is ""just not acting like herself"" even if she's not running a fever, etc. While I may not pull her out of daycare that day, I know to keep an eye on her, and that makes a huge difference to a parent stuck at work most of the day. \r
\r
My only complaint, and it's a big one, is the cost. They are easily one of the most expensive daycares in the RDU area. And, they don't offer a sibling discount, which I find particularly outrageous. But not enough to take my children somewhere else. \r
\r
If you care about the star system published by DHHS, Bright Horizons is only a 4-star center. However, after doing significant research and many site visits to 5-star daycares in the area -- many of which I would never allow to keep my children -- I have placed much less importance on the star system. While is a good system to help weed out some poor daycare choices, it should not constrain your search to only the highest rated places because it will not give you a completely accurate overview of all that some centers have to offer. \r
\r
Would definitely urge parents to visit Bright Horizons when they are doing the daycare search. \r
\r
Pros: Wonderful caring teachers, warm pleasant environment
Cons: The cost
more