Southwood Child Care Center LLC

We are very happy with our daughter who attends Southwood! She loves the teachers, and we feel like they have challenged her to learn so much. We have been with Southwood for almost a year, and love how personable the staff is. I think they treat the kids very well, and my daughter is always excited to go, and that means a lot to us. She is always coming home with fun crafts that they have done.

We enrolled our son at 4 months old. It's been 14 months since that first day and we've been very happy. Our son does really well there, we feel lots of love from the entire staff and feel he's getting lots of interaction throughout the day. While the staff does change (nature of a "center"), he has forged a deep bond with a couple teachers who have known him since day 1. We also appreciate the open door policy. I have showed up at many different times of the day unannounced and always found the teachers engaged with the children. I would say the only minor complaint I have is the quality of food some days. Processed chicken nuggets and hot dogs are not on my list of ideal food for a toddler, but they do seem to provide a balanced meal with veggies and fruit as well. If the cook is in they do have homecooked meals, which is nice. Overall we are satisfied with our experience. It's not your high priced Montessori school, but seems to be a good quality daycare center.

I chose Southwood because after walking by their playground several times to "check" things out, I found the teachers to always talk to the kids in a nurturing and respectful manner. They had no idea that I was a potential client, unlike the many preschools I had checked out before that would quickly change attitudes when I arrived for my tour. Both of my children have attended Southwood for the last three years and I have been extremely happy with their experience.

I have to say that I am questioning as to why this facility has a waiting list. I am sure it is because of the shortage of infant daycare providers in this town and not their reputation for providing an "infant program". When I dropped off my son for the first day, the daycare owner walked right by me, neglecting to offer a hello or how are you? Upon observation, I felt that the employees I met were just there to collect a paycheck. My son experienced two "head bumps" that day alone. When I picked my son up, I walked into the room, stated my name and took my son. The care provider in the room was different than when I had dropped him off. I wondered how she even knew that I was his mom. I simply walked out the door with him. An assistant even walked by me, knowing it was my first day and did not even inquire as to how his first day went. I just wonder what is more important to this facility; the child or the monthly check? Will post more later.

We have a preschool aged child and an infant. We have tried out a few daycare facilities (home and center) and with the shortage of quality care for infants in the Bozeman area, were very pleased to find openings for both children with Southwood. The teachers are excellent at communicating concerns and asking for input. I see the same faces on a regular basis and my kids are happy and content when I drop them off and when I "pop in" to pick them up at odd times on occasion. My very vocal preschooler told me that he "likes this school the best." So far, so good!