Hutchison Child Development Center

Pic from the building's UCD Architects and Engineers page

Hutchison Child Development Center is a Bright Horizons Family Solutions center, licensed for 112 children ages birth through elementary school age and is open to the community. It opened on May 5th, 2008.

2010-05-14 14:17:39   I would be interested in the opinions/experiences of any parents who have or had kids in daycare here. I have taken the tour and found it to be clean and bright but it is difficult to find out more about it from unbiased sources because it is so new. —RachelD

2010-10-06 13:21:41   My son has been at this center since the day it opened, more than 2 years ago. It's expensive but I have been very happy with the care and level of professionalism. My son has special needs and he has always been accommodated and included. My only compliant would be staff turnover— I am sorry to see good teachers move on— but I think this is a problem in the childcare field in general, not specific to this center. Love the staff, the facility (bright, clean), and the developmental basis of their program. —KalistaHickman

2012-05-30 14:55:56   After visiting many daycare's in town, this place is by far the brightest and cleanest. I too was looking forward to hearing from parents but I think most parents don't know or have the time to come on here to comment so hopefully this will help parents decide which daycare is best for their child. I have 2 kids at the center, all started in the infant room, the oldest is in Preschool. The teachers and staff are great. I do agree they had a high turnover rate of teachers but it has stabilized quite a bit over the last year. My kids come home learning new things everyday, they use positive reinforcement (no time outs), they've started a cultural and food curriculum, they are open to suggestions and input from parents, and the staff there are really caring and nurturing. The infant room staff put my mind at ease when returning to work. They allow visits all day and they'll accommodate the best they could to make transitioning to daycare easier. I've never tried another center but HCDC has definitely made a difference in my life as well as my childrens. Another reason I chose this center is because of its vacation schedule. It matches the Universities so there are no random days off. The only downside I see to this center is the tuition rate. It is the highest in town and it doesn't offer sibling discount or summer discount like the other University affiliated daycare center. Overall, I highly recommend this place and I'm sure some of the other HCDC families would say the same. —BingL

2014-05-31 15:28:11   For any parent interested in sending kids to Bright Horizon Hutchison CDC, I would strongly recommend you to speak with those parents whose children are currently enrolled in this school before making a decision. While Bright Horizon has made significant investment to make the classrooms look clean and elegant, the school is facing a critical issue - staff turnover. In most classes of this center, kids will have to meet new teachers every 6-12 months due to teachers leaving. Using the words from a recent email from their regional director: "While we are in a University town and some turnover is to be expected, what we have experienced as of late is more than what we would consider “normal”. " As a matter of fact, the current facility director herself will be leaving in a month. In comparison, many other childcare providers in Davis have teachers who have served in the same schools for ten, twenty years.

With such high staff turnover rates in Hutchison CDC, there is essentially no consistency or continuity in students education. Sometimes parents are confused whether the person with their kids is a new staff member or other kids' parent. It's ironic that the tuition of this childcare center is among the highest in town, while the pay and benefits to its teachers are the worst. It looks like the issue is rooted in Bright Horizon's business model: fancy classrooms + low pay for teachers (they often hire young teachers fresh out of school who are willing to take low salaries for the experience to apply for better jobs elsewhere). —LW

2015-03-05 23:28:57   Hutchison Child Development Center is managed and operated  poorly by Bright Horizon's. The root of the problem is however Barbara Ashby who is the liason for UCDAVIS. Miss Ashby  is a part of the work life department. From the opening in 2008 continually has been an obstacle to the centers Director's. Barbara Ashby is concerned only with making herself look good.  She was given the opportunity to support the program.  She has done anything but that. The center has had several Director's since it opened. All the Director's were highly trained and qualified. They were not able to Direct the program as desired.  The teacher turnover is extremely high.  There is no partnership between the Lab School and the center.   For a program located on the campus of UCD it is heart breaking that it is developmentally not meeting the needs of the children it serves. The curriculum Bright Horizon's provides lacks in all area's. I would strongly recommend not sending your child here. In 2010 a toddler was found locked in the equipment storage shed.  Community Care Licnsing sited the center for Lack of Supervision.  This Type A violation was one of many situation's where children were not safe while at the center.

Parents.  You want the best for your children.