Honeydew Drop Childcare

We LOVE Honeydew. Both my kids attended. My youngest just graduated Pre-​K after 5 years at the center. On the last day she left in high spirits then realized she wasn’t going back and cried and cried. The lead teacher was also my older son’s teacher – and consistency like that speaks volumes about the school. They learned empathy and etiquette as well as reading and writing. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

We LOVE Honeydew Drop! Our daughter started attending in February 2015 at 10 months old and she has thrived. She smiles and claps her hands when we arrive each day to drop her off, she loves it. The level of care and attention is incredible, the ratio of teachers to children high compared to other places we looked, and the flexibility of schedules made Honeydew the only place for us. It isn’t even close to where we live but worth the trek. Would highly recommend!

We sent both kids to Honeydew at two different locations (14^th Street and Church Ave), and we absolutely love the teachers and are so grateful for their kind attention. The spaces are varied and not as bright as they could be, but the hugs and warmth and care was extraordinary.

My daughter just started here and it’s lovely. (so far!) My daughter seems always happy whenever we leave her or pick her up. They have a backyard, which is very nice.
There are no stairs, so people on this site must be talking about another location. There’s a picture attached to this page which is of another daycare entirely. Puzzling! I hope I’m reviewing the right place!

We have been incredibly pleased with the time our daughter has spent at Honeydew Drop. In fact, of all of the daycare situations our two children have been in, this experience has been the best. Carmen, the head teacher (who has been there for many, many years) is so warm, loving and attentive, and so enthusiastic about the children. She really knows each individual child and the parent/​child conferences we have with her last more than a half hour. I learn so much more from Carmen than I ever do from my older daughter’s school teachers. Carmen makes sure that she is surrounded by a wonderful crew of support teachers, who are also loving and tuned into the children. We also really love Ruth, who brings an vivaciousness and humorous understanding of who your child is. The days are engaging, the specialty teachers (like music, dance, etc) are great, and my daughter has a wonderful time there. She has learned how to play so nicely with other kids, and I have picked up some great tricks from them (like encouraging «kind hands» instead of just telling a toddler not to hit or manhandle another child). They have a great outdoor back space and they also make good use of local parks and do fun activities like hatch butterflies and chicks.
The woman who runs Honeydew, Fabiola Santos, cares very much about the kind of curriculum and teachers she hires and she focuses on emotional and social development. She hosts parent meeting nights where she connects with parents about what the kids are learning and what is coming up. In addition, she has been incredibly flexible with us when it has come to last minute schedule changes. We have not one complaint from the year that our daughter spent at Honeydew, we only wish she was not aging out of this particular location!

I have a very shy now 4 year old and she is very sensitive with people… We have been with Honeydew since January and it has definitely become her second home! The staff is caring and i never had any worries at all ever as I probably would worry at any other place but the teachers are really treating the children as they are their own. Also my daughters level of learning increased tremendously and we are looking forward to another great year! All Honeydews, staff and families are more so also like a one big family, I couldn’t have found a better place for my child!

My son is now attending Honeydew and we are incredibly happy with the location, the facility, and the curriculum. Equally important, the director is professional and the entire staff is loving and very experienced. Our 21 month old son Ian LOVES the daycare and we are very happy with our choice for him to attend.

Both of my children attended Honeydew in three different locations, and while the spaces are not pristine, the teachers have been consistently the most loving and sweet caregivers possible. I do not question the safety and happiness of my children in their care, and I am deeply grateful for the gentle and kind and fun-​loving teachers we have gotten to know.

Just a response to the people worried about the staircase at the prospect ave location – they’re no longer located here. And note that none of the negative reviews are from parents with kids there. While the facility is not perfect, the staff here is fantastic and loving. My daughter talks about them all the time, and actually said one of the staff member’s names as one of her first words. I’ve had friends see my daughter at the playground with the daycare and they always comment on how happy she looks.
While not fancy by any means, I have never once questioned the care they have given my daughter.

I agree 100% with Alexandra M’s review. The metal staircase is scary to walk up with a baby — I cannot even imagine how slippery it gets with rain or snow. It is dark and dingy in there — no windows, low light. It is not especially clean. The 2 women were very nice — one reeked of smoke though! Unless you are desperate, keep looking!

I have been sending my daughter to Honeydew since she was 9 months old and couldn’t be happier with both the staff and the curriculum. The teachers are warm, welcoming and completely trustworthy and they make sure the children have a safe, enjoyable, creative and learning environment with everything from yoga and music classes to field trips and art projects. Sure, the location on Prospect Ave is a little offputting at first and the access isn’t the most convenient (they are actually switching to a much nicer location in the next month or so) and it is probably not where most Park Slope parents, given their ridiculous and pretentious demands of structure, location, cleanliness and vegan food only (although the meals here are mostly organic) would want to send their kids. So here’s the bottom line: happy kids + great school = very VERY satisfied parents. Honeydew rocks!

I only visited the Honeydew Drop Treehouse location in South Slope, so this review only deals with that location, but I would never leave my child there. First, you have to go up a set of metal stairs, which I didn’t feel especially stable on, to get into the facility. Then the main play area has no windows, and the lighting is kind of dim, which gives the impression that the place is dingy. There was food all over the floor from the kids’ breakfast (even though it was clearly well past breakfast time), and there was someone’s McDonald’s trash sitting around. Some of the furniture appeared to be broken. The thing that really sent me over the edge, though, was that there were no covers on the electrical outlets! The one positive thing I have to say is that the staff seemed to genuinely care for the kids who were there. Unfortunately they don’t seem to have a proper facility to keep these kids safe.