Infant And Early Learning Center

We are so glad a friend of ours recommended Brichta Infant & Early Learning Center for childcare after the birth of our son! For the last 2.5 years, our son has attended Brichta and has been shown the utmost love and attention by all teachers and staff. Brichta is an exceptionally well run learning center focused on nurturing the growth and development of students while also promoting the health, wellbeing and safety of both students and staff. We love our Brichta family and encourage all parents to consider them when looking for childcare!

Brichta is definitely more of a pre-school then daycare. It's at an actual former elementary school, so you don't get the yucky daycare smell as you walk in. However, outside the superficial, Britcha is anything but. The teachers in each classroom are very well supported. Each usually has one or two class aids. Additionally, students from the UA come to get some of their teaching hours there. They have a very welcoming environment and refer to children in gender neutral terms as "friends." They also have referrals for AZEip if your child needs it. This is NOT a money run business like you find at places like Adventure time with inconsistent staff. They even have rates for government employees. It took us 3 years to find the best place for our kiddo. Don't pass up Brichta without checking it out first. It is truly a west side gem. In addition to their regular curriculum they also offer enrichment class! During the day!!! While your little is already at school! Music!Sign Language!Spanish!Soccer!These are taught by actual instructors and coaches.

I had my son in May and am fortunate enough not to have to work in the summers. I was going back to work in August and spent all summer visiting daycare centers. Let me tell you, I visited some frightening places! It was an utter relief when I visited Brichta and knew right away that it was the place for us. The facility is very safe and secure. It is always clean and the rooms don't have that horrible bleach and/or dirty diaper smells so many other reputable centers had. Since it's in a former elementary school, classrooms and play areas have ample room for play and learning. The employees are all very dedicated and knowledgeable.They are open early and close at 6pm. This has enabled me to attend the sometime early work meetings I have and the few random after-work meetings without having to make annoying plans to have someone else take him or pick him up. Plus, they get breakfast and lunch - we just provide an afternoon snack. We moved into a different area of town in the fall and I now travel 30 minutes in the opposite direction from my work every day in order to continue taking my son. No other place compares and the extra commute is worth it. I plan on keeping him there through preschool and have recommended Brichta to family members as well.

We have had an incredibly pleasant experience at Brichta. Our daughter started when she was an infant, and has been in three classrooms thus far - the infant, the one-year-old, and now she's finishing up in her two-year-old room. When we toured the facility for the first time we were struck by the cleanliness and variety of the rooms, as well as how Bonnie Demorotski, the principal, knew every child's name we passed. Even more comforting, the children (even the small ones) knew her by name and were very happy to see her. We plan on keeping our daughter there through all her preschool years.The infant room teachers were very attentive, kind, and full of helpful information for us as first-time parents. We were never concerned about her care there or the teachers' levels of engagement. No issues with diapers or feedings, development, etc.; it was very clear they all care very much for the babies, and they frequently volunteered some adorable or funny story of what our daughter had done that day. We also provided breast milk for a little over the first year and then almond milk after that (the school provides cow's milk free of charge), and they were (and still are) extremely accommodating of our preferences. They still greet her and us whenever we see each other. Her one-year room teachers were, if possible, even more attentive and helpful. Like many other parents, we still use them as babysitters on the nights we want to go out. There was always a lot of attention to social-emotional development, physical development, lots of arts and crafts, and a lot of individual feedback as to her ongoing development, temperament, interests, etc. She developed close bonds with all her teachers - had favorites and stories about both them and her classmates. She developed some friends in that room that she followed/followed her into the two-year-old room, some of whom are now her play-date friends.There were a couple of two-year-old rooms from which to choose, and we decided on the more structured room where the teachers have set up stations among which the children move: creating art, reading, dancing, playing with toys/dolls/costumes. They go outside to the playground (twice a day?) whenever the weather permits. The teachers and the school are very consistently concerned with sun safety, as well, covering the children in sunscreen and keeping them indoors during summer peak sun hours. The outdoor area is well-equipped with a little house, tricycles, kid-sized cars, and other amusements, and everything is in good condition. When the weather does not permit, the classes play indoors in the cafeteria - lots of running and jumping, kicking balls, dancing, chasing hula-hoops, etc. Our daughter developed allergy- and virus-induced asthma and so occasionally requires an inhaler every couple of hours. Her teachers have always been very attentive to her health, texting us whenever she seems under the weather or particularly wheezy or coughing a lot. There are posted notices about whatever illness has been diagnosed recently in the room so you know what to watch out for, and no more illnesses than should be expected have resulted from her attendance (according to our pediatrician).We do feel the cost of the care is very reasonable for the care she's getting. The school provides breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack, as well as extra clothes when needed (even a pair of shoes, one memorable day!). They also offer discounts to households that are employed by TUSD or their partner institutions, among which are Pima Community College and the University of Arizona. Most importantly, all the staff, whether she's been in their rooms or not, know her and treat her with kindness and respect. She amazes us almost every day with things she knows that we didn't teach her, including fun facts, songs, and people's names. We are very, very happy to be raising our daughter with their help; it is an incredible relief to never worry about her safety or happiness while we have to work.

I am so annoyed that everything I wrote in my original review of Brichta isn't being shown... Not sure what I need to do to make it unhidden. Anyway, I'm still very glad I found Brichta when I was pregnant and I'm happy to this day to have my son there.

We have had our 2 boys at Brichta from the time they were 6 months old; one is now in kindergarten and the other is 3. The staff at brichta is fantastic from the in class teachers to the support staff that works in the cafeteria and maintenance to Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Zelya who keep the place running smoothly, we have had nothing but great experiences at Brichta. They go beyond just babysitters or care givers. Each class follows a curriculum that starts the kids educational journey. They are also great at loving the kids, providing emotional support, helping them to grow and feel loved while away from their families. Additionally, enrichment classes like Spanish, sign language, music, and soccer are offered as well as a number of school wide functions that make Brichta feel like one big family. I can't speak more highly of Brichta and the staff we have trusted with our children for the last 5 years.

When Ms Bonnie was the director/administrator it was great, but since she left not so much. Not only is it between $550-$650/month (depending on a short or long month) but they no longer include meals. You can have them "catered" for a non-nominal price. My daughter's Pre-K "teacher" used to be the lady in the front and was totally unprofessional with the curriculum (if they have one). My daughter (4-year-old) brought home tons of papers where she traced over the following "I like to dramatic." When I saw the first paper, I thought to myself, "well, maybe it was an error, one error." Than as I went through the over 10 papers that followed I figured out, no it was not an accident. That was an actual "assignment." So, tell me, what curriculum in the whole wide world has "Dramatic" as an appropriate for a pre-k class!? Well, the new director/administrator and the "teacher" (Ms Maricela) couldn't tell me either. That wasn't the biggest issue, the biggest issues for me was that it wasn't even a correct sentence. It was missing a verb and Ms Maricela didn't even realize it. Then when I brought it to her attention her only response was, "oh, the other teachers are supposed to correct me." My response, "you are the LEAD teacher why should the other teachers correct you!?" Anyway, this was not the only incident. Early on in this classroom, my older daughter and I walked in to drop this kiddo off and we noticed on the wall the different emotions and then we saw "fustrated." Are you kidding me!? I had my older daughter remove the word and hand it to Ms Maricela, who once again looked perplexed...she has no idea it was misspelled until one of the other teachers from another classroom pointed out that she was missing an "r." Ms Maricela than pronounced it as it was written and still struggled to understand the issue. I am a believer in second chances and so I hoped for the best and left my little kiddo in there. She was in this class (Rm 27) for nearly 2.5 months and during this time regressed drastically. For instance, prior to her last day, we were in the care and she says, "mom, the letter C is a half of a circle and the sound is kuh." It took me a moment, as I was driving, and I asked her "who told you that?" her, "Ms Maricela." I corrected my daughter with the correct sounds and she became upset because her "teacher" told her differently. The rest of the drive she tried to convince her little brain that C made the "kuh" sound. When my concerns were brought to the attention of the new administrator/director I was told, "you are attacking her language and a teacher of over 12 years experience." Ms Marciela is bilingual (Spanish/English) and so am I. Apparently, TUSD has been allowing this individual to confuse and misteach kids for 12 years, how sad. Take your kids somewhere else for Pre-K. The teachers before Pre-K are amazing and I never had any issues like this with any.

Love the teachers here!! Ms. Donna, Ms. Christina, Ms. Kim are all very kind and treat my child great. They've helped him learn and grow imensely. The only thing I don't see very good is the receptionists attitude. Times where I'll greet her and she just looks at me with a straight face or if I stop to ask her something she'll continue doing what she's doing until she decides to stop and just say "yes." No greetings, unless she's in the mood I guess. Attitudes like that could keep people away if they didn't know the tremendous teachers that are there. Awesome job with this program!!

Best decision we ever made for our 2 little boys. Our oldest was so well prepared to be a learner in Kindergarten that he was ready to go! Our youngest continues to grow, he's an avid learner, he loves his teachers and friends...it's amazing the amount of development over his 3 years at Brichta. The teachers and all the staff are professional, well-prepared,engaged with the kids and families and it's a very tight knit community. We used another popular center for child care, but nothing compares to the IELC's. It's truly all about learning from the moment you walk in. As a parent you won't ever regret it!

I am so glad that our family found Brichta, I have 2 children 3 and 1 and they absolutely love their teachers. They are so attentive and have lots of 1-1 with my children. They have both picked up so many new words and my 3 year old is finally speaking in sentences and making friends. They both ask me to go to school/daycare daily because they are so excited. On another note the office ladies are so sweet always welcoming and awaiting with a smile. Also they are taking extra procedures In the morning with temperatures and masks due to COVID. I'm so happy we found Brichta we couldn't feel happier or safer.