Doodle Bugs! Children’s Learning Academy in Bradenton, Florida offers a comprehensive early learning environment with a mix of educational activities and playtime for children of various ages. The facility features on-site meal preparation, security cameras throughout the building, and specialized programs including summer camps and swimming lessons. The center maintains a structured curriculum while fostering a welcoming atmosphere where teachers regularly communicate with parents about their children’s daily experiences and developmental progress.
Day Care Information
Address
11015 Passage Dr, Bradenton, FL 34211
Phone
Reviews
82 Reviews
Day Care Features
Does this day care accept infants?
Yes
Multiple reviews mention infants attending the daycare, and one review specifically refers to the infant program.
Reviews:
Author: Alexis Connolly Rating: 5/5 Date: 3/18/2024, 7:18:43 PM Review: Doodlebugs is really an amazing child care center. It is so much more than a daycare. We have been a doodlebugs family for 5 years now and we are fortunate to have such a wonderful place to send our kids. Marissa has been wonderful to work with all these years and runs a reliable and safe facility for all of my children to attend. Ms. Hailey and Xan at the front always make sure my concerns or questions are addressed and keep me posted on any updates with my child. Ms. Sunita in the infant room is like a second mother to my daughter and always brings a smile to our faces with her kindness. Ms. Gabby and Abby in the older toddler room give my son the extra attention that he needs sometimes and always make sure to update me on his day. My oldest has graduated form doodlebugs but will be returning for summer camp. If you are searching for a safe, 10/10 facility to place your kids then look no further. ----- Author: Alesia Hawking Rating: 5/5 Date: 11/2/2021, 11:24:32 PM Review: Our child is in the infant program and we absolutely love it! Ms. Pam and Ms. Sunita truly care about each of the children and create a loving learning environment for the kiddos. Everyone at the front desk, including the director, welcome us daily and are always available to discuss any concerns.
Does this day care follow a specific curriculum?
Yes
Several reviews mention a curriculum being followed, suggesting structured learning.
Reviews:
Author: Heather Baker Rating: 5/5 Date: 10/25/2024, 2:29:44 AM Review: My family and I absolutely LOVE Doodlebugs and their staff! Very clean, very welcoming, and super amazing with my baby. This isn’t just a basic daycare, they have a curriculum that is followed so it’s more like a school. These teachers are so interactive with each kids individually they’re like superwomen! If you’re looking for childcare for your children, Doodlebugs Lakewood Ranch is seriously the most trustworthy place. ----- Author: Kat J K Rating: 5/5 Date: 7/5/2024, 3:07:10 PM Review: Highly recommend! My child loves going to school, therefore I do too! The curriculum is very different from what other pre schools offer. My child has fun learning and applies what she’s learned. Which is fascinating to experience. The menu is healthy and freshly prepared. The staff is detail orientated and very welcoming. Pricing is also great compared to other places. The teachers develope one on one relationships with my child (I assume all children!) HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND. P.s don’t hesitate to be put on the waiting list ! IT IS WORTH THE WAIT
Does this day care have monitoring cameras?
Yes
Several reviews mention security cameras in the facility.
Reviews:
Author: Golnaz Reihani Rating: 5/5 Date: 3/26/2024, 2:51:23 PM Review: We love DoodleBugs and have been there almost 1 year now. Shout out to Ms.Taylor for always taking extra care of our baby boy! All the ladies always make sure our son is having a good time and have helped us a lot with his improved behavior (big deal for a toddler). Even the director Marissa has been available at anytime to address any of my concerns. Highly recommend and the cameras are an added bonus. ----- Author: Blake DiNapoli Rating: 5/5 Date: 1/27/2023, 7:26:20 PM Review: We have been going to Doodle Bugs since September of 2018 and have more than 1 child in facility. We have been pleased with DB and some of the teachers are fantastic! Too many to name but our current ones Lizzie and Jaylin are amazing and great with my children. It is nice having cameras in the facility not all in the area offer that. Overall I’ve been very pleased and appreciate all the teachers do to help develop our children. ----- Author: Amberly Stanford Rating: 5/5 Date: 12/7/2022, 1:24:07 AM Review: I have only positive things to say about this daycare. All my son's teachers gave been great. Love the fact they have cameras and I can check in throughout the day. My son has been going for almost a year and we haven't had any issues. They teach them so much! ----- Author: Amanda Gosselin Rating: 5/5 Date: 11/29/2021, 2:46:45 PM Review: We’ve been at DoodleBugs for a little over 2 years and we have nothing but great things to say about them! Our oldest is now in Pre-K and he is learning so much every day. Miss Jana and Miss Karina are excellent, very communicative about how he’s doing and he adores them. We love that the teachers share photos throughout the day and do a daily summary at pickup. The classroom cameras are a huge plus too, especially if your child is new to daycare - being able to peek in on them and see that they’re doing OK is so nice!
Working Hours
- Monday6:30AM-6PM
- Tuesday6:30AM-6PM
- Wednesday6:30AM-6PM
- Thursday6:30AM-6PM
- Friday6:30AM-6PM
- SaturdayClosed
- SundayClosed
Latest Reviews
We love doodlebugs. The atmosphere, the teachers, everything is great! They take care of your babies! So happy to be a part of the doodlebug family. They are so welcoming and everyone knows each other. It’s so nice the teachers all are so sweet and the staff up front.
Our 1st year we really had no major issues and really only interacted with the two consistent teachers during that year During our 2nd year there were a lot of issues that led us to have to interact with the director, Marissa, and that’s when we realized she is the literal ROOT cause of so many issues with doodle bugs • Lack of concern for SCHOOL SAFETY- WINDOWS in Classroom 7 were found OPEN on 1/10/25 & 1/15/25. Both times Marissa was alerted by my husband. Thought it was handled and even sent an email 2/6/25 (see image). Well on 2/14/25 the front windows near the front door were found OPEN AGAIN. We did not return after this incident. Neither one of these classroom are enclosed by a fence allowing access for ANYONE to come in. Why has Mar put our children’s safety in jeopardy over and over again?! • Inconsistent staff led to many behavioral issues. On particular child “X” became aggressive with our child. In our meeting with Mar on 7/8/24 instead of providing any solutions or even any concern for our child Mar was defensive and told “there will always be an X”. In our 2nd meeting 9/20/24 involving X again we were told there were “way worse” children in our child’s classroom. From June 2024 until our last day we witnessed X everyday having behavioral issues that often involved other children but for whatever reason some students they protected while the rest of the class had to simply “deal with it” • 9/16 Email: Marissa is more concerned about a parent going in to speak with a “lead” regarding an ON GOING issue then she is concerned about the HIGH turnover, lack of communication, revolving babysitters, lack of staff training, a male parent “napping” with their child while the other children were disrupted during THEIR nap time due to this parents presence, aggressive students, unqualified “leads”, lack of education for the students (RARELY did they do any “lessons” in classroom 7), the list goes on. Imagine if Mar put in that same energy of sending parents emails like this as she did with these ACTUAL issues mentioned.…Doodlebugs might operate well then. Your Regional Manager (Stacy) put it best on 9/17/24 when speaking with her “that email should have been a phone call” because she couldn’t even explain Mar’s behavior in that 9/16 email • We gave Doodlebugs chance after chance with no consistent change on their part for the last 8 months. We were and are NOT the only parents with multiple concerns regarding many issues at Doodlebugs. We had MULTIPLE meetings with Mar and phone calls with their Regional Manager (Stacy). We most certainly tried to give them the benefit of a doubt but the one thing we cannot compromise on is the SCHOOL SAFETY. Save yourself some time & sanity by AVOIDING this place
Exposed children to danger by leaving windows open multiple times. These days this is a threat that can't be overlooked. We also had 5 different "lead" teachers in my child's class in less than a year leading to no consistency and lessons and teaching being neglected. When these 2 critical issues were discussed with MARISSA the director she was completely defensive and no help. She is the most unprofessional and unqualified person I have ever tried to work with. Avoid this daycare until a change in leadership is completed.
We are first time parents and were struggling to find a daycare location that not only offered part time days of the week to match our work schedules, but also a facility that felt safe and comfortable to us from the start. We are beyond thankful to have found Marissa and her team at this location! We couldn’t be happier with the care our daughter receives, or even the interactions we receive as parents when we are in and out of the facility. I can tell that each member of the staff truly cares for the kids, as well as the space as a whole! 100% recommend Doodle Bugs LWR!
This is the first place we ever sent our 2yo and we dropped him off first day and I felt so at peace. I’ve never worried about him or his safety. He loves going to play and color and create. His teachers are wonderful and truly care about their kiddos. The food is all made in house and I think our son has started eating better at home also!! Love DoodleBugs!!!
I am profoundly disappointed with our recent experience at this daycare. My 30-month-old daughter, who had never attended daycare prior, thoroughly enjoyed her first week with no notable issues. However, our concerns quickly escalated. One particularly alarming incident involved a young boy in her class who exhibited excessively physical and inappropriate behavior toward the other children. While I understand that children can be boisterous, the situation became unacceptable when this child jumped on my daughter’s neck, chest, and face as she was attempting to nap. Naturally, this incident was deeply concerning, but what compounded my frustration was the manner in which the assistant director handled the matter. Rather than addressing the situation with empathy and accountability, she responded defensively and dismissively, offering only excuses rather than meaningful solutions. Additionally, my daughter suffers from a severe allergy to a particular brand of diapers. We provided the staff with hypoallergenic alternatives and explicitly instructed them to discard the old diapers. Despite these clear directives, on two separate occasions, we retrieved her from daycare only to discover she was suffering from a significant rash, evidently caused by the use of the old diapers. This level of negligence is wholly unacceptable and reflects a lack of care and attention to detail. On a more positive note, Sabrina, who works in the classroom, has been exemplary. Her kindness, attentiveness, and dedication to the children are commendable and greatly appreciated. While no daycare is without its challenges, I expected a far higher standard of professionalism, communication, and accountability in ensuring my child’s safety and well-being.
Great staff, convenient hours, very organized, and our son loves going to school here!