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!!
• GS

  Grace Simon

  Oct 3, 2025
  5.0
  Our smush is 7 months and has been in the infant 2 classroom for about three months. She loves Ms Olivia and Ms Kiara. She gives them big smiles every morning when she sees them. I’ve been so impressed with the curriculum. Our baby paints it seems like every day, plays with water trays, has storytime, plays with sticky paper, you name it. You can tell they really try to engage the kids throughout the day. They’ve taught our baby how to hold a spoon, how to like a pacifier (lol), and even how to fall asleep on her own! The center is lovely and Andi and Joe at the front are great as well. We also love the other teachers; ms Shayla ms vivi ms Heather mr Harry etc. the photo updates each day bring us so much joy ! And the app is also really well made.
• CB

  Caitlin Broniec

  Mar 4, 2025
  5.0
  Our son has being attending Bright Horizons UC for about 1.5 years and we have had an overall wonderful experience. The new leadership team is working tirelessly to not only keep up with the demands of an expanding population but also consistently providing events and fun opportunities for all of the children to participate in and learn from. 100% recommend!
• SS

  Sweta Subhadarshani

  Feb 19, 2025
  5.0
  Amazing daycare! Ms Teresa, Mr. Riley and Ms Maryam are so kind and loving for our two-year-old. Highly recommend.

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