Gilden Woods Commerce Twp - Commerce Township, Michigan

Toya M.

As a mother, one of the hardest things I had to do after giving birth, after being the only person there for my daughter day-in and day-out, after creating this unbreakable bond with the cutest tiny human, was returning to work. I had overwhelming feelings of anxiety and guilt, because, as a mother, the last thing you would want to do is trust your perfect tiny human with strangers.

Ms. Ebonee, Ms. Mari, and Ms. Sara F may not know it, but they helped me step by step to work through my anxiety and guilt. Every morning I was greeted with smiles, by the staff. At first, it was rough on both my daughter and I during drop off, but as time went on, she would smile and as Ms. Ebonee calls it, dog whistle when we arrived at school. Every day at pick up, I get details on how my baby’s day went, and what her teachers were working on with her throughout the day. My daughter was slowly becoming more comfortable with her teachers and was able to open up more at school. This helped me be at ease.

Sure, there are still times when I have mom guilt take over, and I pick my daughter up early from school to spend a little extra time with her. But, I trust her teachers and the care they have provided for my daughter has been outstanding.

Gilden Wood’s Commerce is safe, reliable, and the hours work well for me. Another thing that I love about this school is that there is an app and they provide, in real time, updates on meals, naps, diaper changing, and they even send pictures and videos of my little one doing different activities. You can also send messages to the teachers and they are able to respond. There are also cameras in the classrooms and in the infant napping area, so I can check in at any time. I appreciate everyone who has been apart of providing care for my daughter this entire time, thank you!

Jonathan H.

When I was taking on a new job and we had to explore daycare opportunities, I cannot tell you how apprehensive both my wife and were. After working opposite shifts for over a year to raise our daughter, we slated to visit three one day. The first two years exacerbated our biggest fears, but nonetheless we saw through our final appointment with very little optimism at Gilden Woods. After meeting Melissa and some of the staff she put all our fears to rest. Teacher to kid ratio was better, rooms were open and spacious, teachers were actually walking around and interacting with children with a smile on their face and they were very attentive.

Exploring the development of the first toddler stage with Mrs. Beth who was able to answer all our answers about activities, care and cognitive development quick and articulate we immediately felt our apprehension dissipate. Our daughter has been enrolled for six months now and we feel still feel absolutely confident in the staff and Melissa the director.

Alex E.

I have two daughters who attend Gilden Woods, and they love it. The teachers are excellent, caring and communicative. I love that there is an app that is updated daily- with pictures of what they are doing throughout the day. I find it helpful to know how well my kids are eating, sleeping, etc… plus the teachers will discuss any important matters with you as well. Even though there were some staffing changes, I feel like it has always been well-organized and my kids are always well taken care of.

Meagan

I had a toddler and infant enrolled at Gilden Woods. We had previous and subsequent care experience, so I believe my expectations of what to expect in a care setting were reasonable.

Gilden Woods has a beautiful and new building and some of the teachers there were wonderful and kind educators. Their outdoor play area is also very nice! The facility has some nice programming.

That said, we pulled our children from Gilden Woods after only 3 months and enrolled them elsewhere. The issue with a nice new center is that the building is new, but so is the staff. There was not longevity with the care staff and there was very much a lack of continuity with our children’s care. As a working parent, when I’m not able to be with my kids during the day, I want to know who is caring for them—at Gilden Woods, there were constantly teachers being rotated in and out, and there would frequently be times where none of the core teaching staff members were in my children’s classrooms. During one week, I counted six different people listed as changing my toddler’s diaper and seven different people changing my infant’s diaper! It always seemed as though the priority was to combine classes and reduce the number of teachers whenever possible.

My toddler has a food allergy (egg), and was provided with food that contained her allergen due to a lack of appropriate communication between the kitchen staff and the (substitute) teacher in the classroom.

There was no continuity of procedure between our potty training efforts at home and what was done at school.

The classrooms at Gilden Woods are large and spacious, but this results in challenges with supervising the children—there were a few times where I observed (in real time via camera) a student acting aggressively towards other students and a teacher was nowhere to be seen.

Overall, there are some nice qualities about Gilden Woods, but ultimately, I did not trust them to care for my children.

Vandana D.

Nice daycare, people were warm, flexible and approachable. Director and assistant director were always approachable. Teachers were accommodating to the LO’s need. Unfortunately we had to discontinue due to commute from home. Clean and spacious classrooms.Highly recommend.

Vanessa L.

I highly recommend Gilden Woods for childcare! We have had a wonderful experience and been very pleased with our 18 month old son’s care for the last year. As he moves through the different classrooms with age, we have been impressed with each teacher and assistant(s). It is apparent that the staff cares deeply about the children. I am also impressed with the school leadership who are welcoming, responsive, and compassionate about what they do. They offer flexible hours, lots of fun programs and events, spirit days, an app that allows me to keep up with what he’s doing in live time, weekly lesson plans, a convenient diapering program, and food that my son really seems to enjoy 😊. I was very nervous as a first time mom of putting my son in daycare and searched high and low for a nanny without luck. I am SO grateful things worked out as they did and my opinion of “daycare” has officially been changed for the better because of Gilden Woods. I can honestly say I am 100% at ease when he is in their care. Thank you to the Gilden Woods Team for all you do for our children!

Bryan C.

The 5* reviews of Gilden Woods are spot on; and, while I can empathize with the lower ratings, the situations highlighted are no longer applicable. The management team here is excellent and weathered a very tough storm over the last couple years, as another review mentions. The teaching and support staff are outstanding. I can remember getting anxious every time my son was about to move up a room only to quickly realize his new teachers were just as wonderful. We had no hesitation whatsoever in having our infant daughter join her brother here, and she was greeted with the same warm welcome and calming presence we have grown to know and appreciate.

Kellie D.

My husband and I are really happy with Gilden Woods. We love how clean the facility is and how friendly the staff is. Our son loves going to daycare here and talks about his friends and his teachers daily. We also love that the center offers family events in the evening. The app the center uses allows me to keep up to date with my son’s eating, toileting, and nap schedule and allows me to see what picture and activities he does throughout the day!