Bright Horizons at University City

Reviews

• MW

  Melissa Wheeler

  Jan 15, 2026
  1.0
  For parents working at U-Penn the location is ideal. However, that’s the only positive experience we had with Bright Horizons at University City. The first few days of care my husband was able to drop in and check on our 3 month old and what he found each visit was sad. Our son was on his back crying each and every time. He was hysterical with multiple layers of tears, hot and sweaty body, and red in the face - he’d clearly been crying alone for a long time. Diapers are changed exactly every two hours, which means he spent lots of time soiled. Feedings also took place exactly every two hours with only a few minutes dedicated to the task, which meant my son would eat a few ounces or less at each feeding - much less than his usual diet, and sometimes eating nothing at all for multiple feedings despite taking well to bottle with grandparents and my husband. We wrote an email to staff to discuss our concerns which was never addressed or replied to. Additionally, the enrichment activities promoted like outdoor play, water play, art, or reading never took place while our son was there, at least not for his infant classroom. Our son displayed abnormal behavior following his time at Bright Horizons such that he slept for 15 hours after the first day (I woke him at this time as he’d never slept more than 4 hours to date and I was worried for his health) and the second day he showed flat affect and refrained from crying for a full 24 hours. We ended up pulling him out of daycare for good, which really screwed up my work schedule and required me to immediately take days off in my first few weeks back. To top it all off, despite giving notice by email of our leave and concerns, we were charged for an additional month of tuition which required me to email and call multiple times to dispute. Oh, and the tuition cost is very high (nearly $2,000/month for part-time care).
• EW

  Emily W

  Dec 4, 2025
  5.0
  Our baby started at 3mo and has been here for about 2 years! The teachers are phenomenal and have given him such a strong foundation that will positively impact him for the rest of his life! Daily his teachers shower him with love, thoughtfully engage his curious mind, and have taught him things like how to enjoy tummy time, how to use utensils and cups, how to use gentle hands with peers, and they are now potty training him! The curriculum is on point - he is physically active, crafting, exploring nature, dancing and singing to music, etc. This is not a daycare where little ones are idle/watching shows/tablets - our baby is constantly learning and growing through movement, and our family is so thankful to partner with his teachers throughout his journey! Shout outs to: Infant team: Ms. Olivia, Ms. Lataeh, Ms. Teressa, Mr. Joe, Ms. Elana (and past: Ms. Hannah, Ms. Irelys, Ms. Josepha, Ms. Sa’Mya, Ms. Charlotte) Toddler team: Ms. Lataeh, Ms. Gi’Vonna, Mr. Riley, Mr. Nick, Ms. Kay, Ms. Elana, Mr. Joe, Ms. Tiana, Ms. Vicki (and past: Ms. Izhané, Ms. Nady, Ms. Leah, Ms. Denise, Mr. Jeremy, Ms. Ray Alicia) Twos team: Ms. Paulette, Ms. Maryam, Ms. Gi’Vonna, Mr. Isaiah, Ms. Teressa, Mr. Joe Thank you all for all that you do for our babies!!
• JZ

  Jarcy Zee

  Feb 28, 2025
  5.0
  Teachers (especially Mr. Riley, Ms. Lataeh, and Ms. Tanya) are excellent! They are kind, loving, creative, and truly care and provide comfort to our kids. Our daughter once cried at PICKUP because she didn't want to leave Ms. Lataeh! The facilities are clean, spacious, and safe, and kids have many high quality toys and supplies for playing and learning. We get multiple photos and updates about activities every single day. The sick policy is very reasonable, daily open hours are long and flexible, and there are relatively limited closures throughout the year. My only complaint is that there has been high turnover of teachers and administration in just the past 18 months, and there have sometimes been understaffing issues. But especially when compared with other daycares we have experience with, these were minor annoyances (and again, the teachers who stay are amazing!), so the good far outweigh the bad.
• PM

  Parag Mahajan

  Feb 27, 2025
  5.0
  Amazing teachers here! We've had great experiences with Ms. Tanya, Mr. Riley, Ms. Lataeh, Ms. Izhané, Ms. Theresa, and Ms. Khadira along with many others. Given the quality of the teachers, we wish there was a little less turnover, but the facilities are great, things are run decently, the hours are amazing, and we've had a positive experience overall.

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