Cosmopolitan Kids

Our son has been at Cosmopolitan Kids on McGraw for about a year. We have experienced several child care settings for our kids over the years (including large corporate daycare center, another smaller daycare, nanny share) and I would rank Cosmo Kids among the best. Our son loves going to «school» each day, loves his teachers and the other friends in class too. I’ve been impressed most by how the kids & teachers treat each other — it’s a very caring, fun, respectful environment… more so than other places we’ve been.
Pros:
— Teachers are fun and loving
— Atmosphere of respect among kids and teachers
— Kids play well together and my kid has made some good friends
— Playground areas are small but fun and (older) kids get out on field trips often — walks to the park, farmers market, grocery store, etc
— Fees are reasonable compared to other options
— My kid loves going there each day
Cons:
— Facilities are in 2 older houses and they feel a little worn down
— Teachers come and go, though honestly this seems to be par for the course in childcare. I don’t see teachers leaving more or less than other places we’ve been
— Food is typical «kid food» (Cheerios, cheese & saltines, Mac n cheese). This is the stuff I grew up on but different from other places my kids have been to in Seattle that employ chefs and serve organic, free-​range, always made from scratch meals

I waited a while to post this review because I was so incredibly upset with the way my daughter was treated, and didn’t want it to come off as a total slam on Cosmo Kids. Well it’s been quite a few months now since she was there, and it still really upsets me to think about the care (or lack there of) that she received.
The very first day we dropped her off at daycare, the staff was never notified she was starting, and had nothing set up for her. That should have been my first clue as to how terrible the place is. Here’s a few things to note:
— Our daughter would come home with the WORST diaper rashes I’ve ever seen… to the point where she was bleeding. We provided them Desitin, and requested that they put it on every time after changing her– obviously this wasn’t happening. In fact, there were multiple times she was still dirty after they’d change her, like they were too lazy to wipe everything.
— They overfed her like crazy. She would get an entire day’s food consumption in a 5 hour time span. Seriously, 30 oz in 5 hours, wtf?! I met with the director because I was so upset about it, and she said they have a «feed on demand» policy. I asked what that meant and was told it means, when they cry, they give them a bottle. Really? All babies cry… so your solution is to shove a bottle in their mouth to shut them up? Thanks to this, she was spitting up like crazy, which made her chin get a terrible rash.
— There was an endless rotation of «teachers» that would watch her. First, calling them teachers is a joke– they have zero certifications. When we’d pick her up, no one would ever tell us about her day. When I’d ask, I’d get the response of, «oh i’ve only been watching her for an hour, but I think it was good». I never got the impression that the «teachers» particularly loved their jobs, loved kids, and enjoyed being there. It just seemed like a job to them. I once walked in to a «teacher» holding my daughter on the rocking chair as she was looking through her phone.
— It’s not a secure building. Anyone can walk in– no lock, no code, nothing. My mother walked in after our daughter was no longer enrolled to pick up some of her things that were left behind. My mother had never been there before, so they should have stopped her immediately. Instead, she walked right in, and all the way to the back to ask a staff member for our daughter’s things.
These are just a few of a very long list of issues I had with this place. I pulled her out after two months, and luckily got her into a different daycare that she was on a wait list for. I absolutely love the daycare she’s in now, and realize just how terrible that place was run. I’m honestly surprised they’re still in business, and get away with the way they treat the kids. Please don’t enroll your kids here– I know it’s hard finding daycare, and this one will probably take you immediately (I wonder why they have no wait list!), but it’s really not worth the stress and heartache you’ll experience.

We were also initially hesitant to send our children here due to the negative reviews but we gave it a chance and have had a great experience at this center. Both kids are excited to go to daycare everyday and they love their teachers (and I think it is mutual!). The center is in an old house with steep stairs and maybe doesn’t appear as sterile or organized as a larger center like Bright Horizons (I could see this bothering some parents) but our kids are safe and happy here.

The owners are SCAM ARTISTS!!! I have been trying for almost 2 years now to get them to take care of my insurance that I paid and they failed to follow through. $ 300 out of my paychecks and $ 900 in medical bills for them cutting my insurance short.
To add to it, I walked out of the Ballard location due to the fact that the director slammed a door in front of my one year old.
They feed the kids crap out if Costco boxes. Save your money, time, and children and put your kid in a non profit! And please read my review on the Ballard center.

My wife and I toured 3 day cares when looking for a place to take our infant daughter. This school was head-​and-​shoulders the best school for the money. There are nicer schools, for more money. There are less-​nice schools for the same money. But, this was the only school that offered good amenities (diapers and food provided), good location, friendly staff, and a price that didn’t feel like robbery.
I did some back-​of-​the-​envelope math, and figured out that the $ 300 — $ 600 per month that we were saving from more expensive options (like Kidspace (which, btw, is a great place, and was definitely something we considered)) was enough to put our daughter through college (I think it will cost ~$ 400/​month for 18 years to put your kid through UW starting in 2030).
We were lucky enough to meet a couple of the infant «teachers» before we took our daughter in… so we requested which one we wanted specifically. Stephanie, the school owner/​director was able to match us up with the teacher that we wanted… and our daughter loves her.

We were initially scared by the sub par review this place recieved. But we were in a pinch and needed a daycare so we gave it a try. We have been VERY happy with it since then and will not change schools.
There is a 1 star review on here from someone that had their kid here for 1 day… I imagine this person is pretty uptight and probably has their kid in a helmet to avoid injuries.
The staff is great, our son can’t get out of his jacket fast enough to go and hug the instructors. He even cries when I try to take him home before snack time.
If this business ever did have any issues in the past, I think they got the message and fixed them because we have had a great experience so far.
Here is my last point. I am not afraid to tear into a business if I think they are terrible (see my other reviews). Before you get scared off by one or two whackjob reviews go and check the place out and talk with the staff.

I took my son out of this daycare as soon as I possibly could. I knew after day 1 that I didn’t want to keep him there. It was not clean, the employees did not stay long, and my son was shifted between the two locations often and I never knew which place I was going to pick him up at the end of the day. I have told all my friends never to go there. Terrible experience for us.

My child is two and has attended Cosmo Kids since she was two months old. I absolutely couldn’t work full time without the great support of the staff there. We’ve had our ups and downs (as I know we would with any place) but the teachers are so willing to discuss things with me and my daughter obviously loves them. It’s great that she has learned her ABCs, numbers and a ton of songs as well as manners and social skills. It’s also really valuable that Cosmo Kids provides food, diapers and has great hours as well as a reasonable number of holidays.

What I like most about them is the homey setting, it’s low key but they do lots of projects, circle time and the kids get lots of attention which they need in the toddler room.

My son started at Cosmopolitan Kids when he was 3 ½ months old. I stopped by with him several times to hang out before he started to help him get used to the people, sounds and really get a feel for the teachers and what happened during the day. I also had the opportunity to pick him up in the early afternoon and sometimes wait while he finished a nap and got to observe the teachers caring for the other babies. Toni, the Director is fantastic. She truly has the magic touch with the babies. I have never met anyone more knowledgeable of all things babies and children. She always knew what the problem was if I described symptoms. I can tell that Toni and the other teachers sincerely care for each child and treat them as they would their own.
The only negative thing I would say is I wish the daycare had a bit stricter sick policy. When my son was 5 months the flu went through (very common for any daycare), almost each baby and teacher had it at one point. I was very upset to find out that some of the parents kept dropping their babies and children off sick. The teachers were calling the parents immediately and having them come pick the kids up, but it was too late their germs were already spread. Because of this my son kept getting sick. I have heard other daycares that require a doctor’s note before allowing a sick child to come back to the center and I wish that Cosmopolitan Kids would implement the same policy.
The sick policy is absolutely the only negative thing I have to say. Being a first time mom I was terrified to leave my son in a «daycare» but after the first day of seeing how they cared for him, I never once worried. I have always been completely confident that he is in the safe hands of people who truly care for him.

I searched high and low for affordable child care. I live on capitol hill and I drive out to Queen Ann to drop my son off every Friday. I was able to get him in right away (no waiting list) I was also able to sign him up for just one day a week (can’t find that anywhere) I pay $ 65 a day for him to be there! He love its! Talks about his friends and his teachers all week!
Absolutely love Eric!