Joy Central

Trying to make the best of a bad situation. Baby came a month early so this was really the only daycare we could get him in to. The infant room is in the interior of the building — no sunlight, no fresh air, no A/​C, and dimly lit (like a baby dungeon). This summer the room was very warm in the afternoon when I picked him up and there’s only one small fan for the whole room.
I do appreciate that it appears to be a very secure looking facility — electronic locks on the front door and you have to enter a passcode to enter — but it’s basically the honor system keeping people from tailgating into the interior.
The people working there seem very nice, but I’m not sure they all really have the child’s best interest in mind (and there appears to be quite a bit of turnover). Sometimes, a baby will need some help getting back to sleep if waking halfway through a nap — from what I can tell they don’t make the effort so most of my sons naps have been 30 minutes or less so he gets home tired and cranky. Also, babies need a lot of sleep. At his age, he should be getting 3 – 4 hours during the day — he’s been getting maybe half that here. My wife kept scolding them for not giving him enough sleep, but they never remedied the situation. Kept telling me that he «had a really good day today» and I look at his sheet and he’s slept for 90 minutes total, again.
Also, lately they seem to be just fine letting him cry and cry. Walked in a few times to him just sitting in a walker or lying in a crib, bawling, and no one seems to mind (one time they were scrambling to act like he had just woken up — he has never woken up in a crying fit). One time this happened, he had just woken from a nap, they put him on the floor to play, he wasn’t having any of it so they put him in the walker and just left him there — didn’t bother to think that it had been several hours since he had eaten and might be hungry. Normally he takes 3 bottles while he’s there, the last one normally an hour or so before I get there — the last one was still full in the fridge.
Once, someone had crashed into a power pole on Glisan right outside their building and knocked out the power. They were completely oblivious and made no attempt to contact us to let us know that the power was out and we needed to pick him up. When I arrived, the only apology was that they didn’t have enough battery powered lanterns.
If you CAN get your child in somewhere else, you would definitely be better off. I get that this place is inexpensive and one of the easiest to get into, but you get what you pay for.

My toddler has been going here since early infancy and she just loves it. It’s become her home away from home. I love the feeling of dropping her off knowing she’s safe and cared for. It’s so clean and organized. That area of Portland is lacking in childcare centers so get on the waiting list as soon as you can!

My son attended Joy Central for nearly 9 months. During that time he was diagnosed with high functioning mild autism and we had at least one therapist come into the school on a weekly basis to help the teachers. In spite of being offered even more help, we were brought in on a Tuesday, 2 weeks before christmas and told that the teachers could not accommodate his needs and the next day would be his last. We might have been okay with this, but the way it was presented was awful. We begged Tracy to allow him to at least finish out his last two weeks before Christmas, but we were told no with no explanation of why. We were incredibly disappointed that we were not asked for help with any of the ‘issues’ they had, despite giving them every opportunity to provide feedback and work as a team. The teachers were offered the additional help they were supposedly requesting, but they turned it down.
Just to be clear, Joy Central felt it was entirely appropriate to ‘fire’ my 4 year old autistic son two weeks before Christmas with less than 24 hours notice. It’s a terrible thing to do to a child.

My 4 y/​o daughter has been enrolled at Joy Central for close to a year and she loves going to school. Her teachers (Mr. Chris & Ms. Dana) are FANTASTIC and always pleasant with the students and parents. The curriculum seems to suit the kiddos well and every single time I walk into the class the kids are orderly and on task. I love how they reward the kids by moving them up on a color schemed behavior chart and everyday is a new day. My daughter gets really excited when she makes it to blue & purple (the top of the chart) and we reward her at home for her accomplishment. The care center has a diverse mix of students which was important to me. Additionally, it is affordable and worth every penny.
Pros:
Very affordable
Diverse
Extended hours (6a-​6p)
Great staff
VERY clean
Cons:
The outdoor playground is not much, but they are working on this and do take the kids for walks to the park up the street and on many field trips (cost included in monthly tuition)
My daughter (who is very picky) tends to come home very hungry everyday and does not enjoy the food– at all.

I was disappointed with the care at Joy Central. My son was in the small room for the two year olds. The space was too small for them and the teachers seemed depressed and weren’t communicative. I wasn’t confident in them at all. If your child is 3 or 4 you might have better luck since they’ve devoted much of the space, energy and creativity to them. Those classrooms are huge while the little 2 year olds trip over themselves. They seemed to go outside little, and they clearly didn’t stick to the schedule they told me about when I enrolled my son. Very little singing. My son always ran out as fast as he could when we left. Glad we were able to move on since it is pretty affordable.

I would highly recommend Joy Central. My 2 year old son has been going for 3 months now. We started with drop in to get familiar and make sure it would be a fit for our family. We now have him in 2 days a week. It has exceeded our expectations. The teachers are caring and have really made a connection with our son. He is learning, making friends and developing. I feel comfortable and safe leaving him at Joy Central. Sometimes he cries when he is dropped off and his teacher comforts him and makes it okay. She has even sent me a picture of him having fun later in the day to make me feel better. Thank you Joy Central! We are so glad we found you and look forward to many years with you.

As parents, we all know how exhausting and terrifying it can be trying to find a good place to send your little one (s) while you’re working. When I first became pregnant I searched and searched and then one day drove by Joy Central on my way home from work and our journey with them began…
My husband and I toured and got on the waitlist months before I was even due, I knew I wanted my baby boy to be in the best care and felt jC was the place. Plus i couldn’t believe that not only could we afford this great place, but they’d be teaching our son the same values we teach at home.
We got a call 1 month before my maternity leave was up that a spot was available immediately and we most definitely took it. Carrie, my son’s teacher was amazing! She was the first «stranger» my son ever took to immediatly and loved seeing her in the mornings. I believe she’s now in the wobbler or toddler room. The rest of the girls who worked with the infants were all great, unfortunately I didn’t get to know them as well.
My husband and I had to withdraw our son from care only 6wk after registration due to an increase in tuition. I was heart broken and a bit upset about the rate at which tuition was increased. The person who assured us the increase would not be a significant amount I’ve heard is no longer there.
Today, after almost a year now of dealing with unreliable providers we’re getting back on the wait list! We’ve missed the care we received from them, the reliability of the staff and most of all the peace JC gave us knowing our son was being cared for by woman who treasure and value what we do — our Creator!
So wish us luck, send us prayers, we can’t wait to get back in!

My daughter Syd has been going here for a few months now and we absolutely love it. It was hard for me to pick a day care for 3 days a week as I was lucky enough to stay home with her for a 11 months. I interviewed several schools and I my gut instinct with this one was right on.
I can’t say enough good things! The staff is amazing. I genuinely feel that she is loved and very well taken care of. The facility is safe, clean, and affordable. It was recommended to me from some mom’s from my baby mom’s group and I’m so thankful. The first two weeks she had to adjust to her new surroundings but now when I drop her off she is off and playing happily. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a daycare in the area. I am lucky to live close by but I would drive way out of my way to get her to this school. We look forward to many happy years here. It has made me feel better about going back to work knowing how well cared for she is here. She loves her teachers here and I can’t thank them enough!

Joy Central has been a wonderful place for our daughter! She has been there ever since it opened in October 2012 when she was 2, and she absolutely LOVES going to «school.» We feel very confident leaving our daughter with her very caring teachers. The administration has been very understanding, flexible and accommodating. We love the security systems that are in place and the «big room» to play in when it is raining outside. I would recommend Joy Central to any family!

We LOVE Joy Central! Our daughter has been attending here since February and we are glad to know she is in such loving care while we are at work. The teachers are kind and very experienced with children. The building has excellent systems for safety and security, and the teachers give us a detailed report of our daughter’s day when we pick her up. Reasonable cost and flexible hours are two other reasons why Joy Central works well for our family. But the teachers are the most important reason I am compelled to write this review; we know our daughter is well-​loved and well-​cared for throughout the day. What great peace of mind for working parents!