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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Newbie
 
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Its been 2 years since Learning ladders has opened, so I think its fair to give an assessment now:
If you don't care about your kids, this is a wonderful place because the owner doesn't care about them either. If you must must go there, make sure you refuse to sign the contract for 2 months notice. Only sign commit to 1 month notice so you can get the hell out of there when you realize what a mistake you made.
Posted on: 2015/5/14 15:46
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Re: Day Care
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Home away from home
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2006/3/19 18:27 Last Login : 2019/10/21 14:19 From McGinley Square
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Think of it more in terms of a private school. If the school closes, which many did after hurricane sandy, you would still have to and expect to pay tuition regardless. The same holds true for many daycare facilities. The only thing I find pretty uncool is that they charged the families for being closed, but did not pay their staff.
Posted on: 2013/5/25 3:58
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Re: Day Care
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Just can't stay away
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When they closed after Sandy, I called Hudson Country and their answer was essentially - no, they really can't charge you unless it's stated in the contract. but they can also drop you from their school at any time and you'd be without day care at all so maybe you don't want to make a big deal of it. So we sucked it up as we had no where else to send the kid.
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Posted on: 2013/5/24 18:12
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Re: Day Care
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Home away from home
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You're right if YOU choose to go on vacation / keep the child home. But the scenario here is that the daycare was not open for whatever reason to take care of the children. Therefore the parents either need to stay home themselves, or find and pay for alternative arrangement. I'd agree that if the daycare if not open, then they should not charge and/or refund.
Imagine you pay for an airline ticket to go somewhere, but the plane is broken and cannot fly you there, and the airline refuse to refund you or put you on another plane - would you say that is fair? Quote:
Posted on: 2013/5/24 15:52
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Re: Day Care
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Home away from home
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2010/5/26 20:32 Last Login : 2023/9/14 15:34 From Hamilton Park
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If I hire a nanny I agree with you. But I'm paying a daycare to be open and provide a service. If they cannot provide said service, then what am I paying them for?
Posted on: 2013/5/24 15:13
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Re: Day Care
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/3/19 18:27 Last Login : 2019/10/21 14:19 From McGinley Square
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Welcome to the wonderful world of raising a kid! Yes, you have to pay for days off including if your childcare provider goes on vacation,if you go on vacation, or if your kid was out sick. I often hear first time parents freak out about this. If you just expect to do these things, you won't feel taken advantage of. It will be par for the course and you will have a much easier time getting along with and trusting the person/s who you are relying on to love and take care of your child.
I know at my job, I get paid for my days off, sick time, etc. so why should I expect it to be different for a daycare?
Posted on: 2013/5/24 15:01
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Home away from home
Joined:
2010/5/26 20:32 Last Login : 2023/9/14 15:34 From Hamilton Park
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Wait after Sandy they were closed and you had to pay? How can they do this? They provide no service and still get paid? Is that even legal? As someone that is about to step into this whole day care thing I'm shocked to hear this. What other things should I be on the look out for?
Posted on: 2013/5/24 14:26
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Newbie
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2013/5/21 23:59 Last Login : 2014/1/9 4:53 From Jersey City, NJ
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Our daughter has been at Genesis (on Third and Monmouth) at their childcare center since she was six-months-old. It's a Christian facility, but the students are diverse and the school is not super heavy-handed on the religion (although my daughter does like to burst into hymns here and there). She goes fulltime (9 to 6 -- it can be even longer), and we're paying under $750 a month.
They're probably the most reasonable facility in the area, and well-kept and clean. There are separate rooms for babies, two-year-olds, three-years-old and older. The school here goes up to kindergarten, there is another location in Bayonne for bigger kids. They are pretty learning-focused, even for the little ones. At three, our daughter knows her letters, numbers, colors, shapes and can spell her name. She's also very social. The school doesn't provide meals, so you can control what your kid is eating, and they feed them frequently throughout the day.
Posted on: 2013/5/24 13:58
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Quite a regular
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Maybe things have gone down-hill in the year and a half since we moved, but we honestly never experienced any of the issues mentioned by JCParentingUnit. We never received a single phone call asking if our daughter was coming to school. And as I mentioned, one of the things that most impressed me was the lack of staff turnover over a three year period. Of course, here and there a new face would appear and then disappear but that's to be expected. Not every staff member will work out. And those that don't are often bitter and want to trash the business.
As far as paying for days your child isn't there, that seems to be par for the course as far as day care facilities go. I run a simililar business, only with dogs, and I wish I could have a policy like that! When you have a lot of cancellations, you lose a lot of money. And that's the money you need to pay your staff so I understood the policy and didn't have an issue with it. In fact, if I remember correctly, Galileo offered a generous 1 free week a year (or every 6 mos?) for full time students. Lastly, maybe we have different parenting styles, but if my kid took longer than a half hr to eat, I would take their food away too! My kids learn that the world doesn't revolve around them and that if they snooze, they lose!
Posted on: 2013/5/23 15:26
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Re: Day Care
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Just can't stay away
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On a semi-related note. Do you know of Baby Galileo permits cloth diapering?
Posted on: 2013/5/23 13:45
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Just can't stay away
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I have to present the darker side of Baby Galileo. While the are very reasonably priced and overall we had a good experience, the management is pretty awful.
First of all - almost all their staff are minimum wage hourly staff. This means lots of turnover and low morale. They cut the staff like they are waiters. We've overheard the staff begging not to be cut early so they could have more hours. If you don't arrive by 9am, they call you (sometimes repeatedly) to see if your child is coming in so they can cut staff. Meanwhile, you are still paying for the day. BTW, this information is from a former employee of theirs who told us and verified by another employee we asked to confirm. During emergencies, they have been really terrible. After Hurricane Sandy, they shut down for over a week. They never gave advance notice, only telling parents the morning of. They also charged full price for this time. Oh, and not a single employee got paid for a single hour while they were closed! This is probably the thing that upsets me the most about them. Even though this is my first post online about them, we received an email from them threatening action if people talk about them on social media. I guess someone else complained on facebook or something. They have closed other days due to various reasons - the A/C in particular had many problems last summer. You always have to pay for the day when they close no matter the reason. Finally, we absolutely loved Yanet who is one of the few longer term employees there. She is loving, attentive and remembers the things you ask of her. But Yanet is typically given the new children and you are told that she is your child's primary caregiver, but they move your child to another caregiver without telling you. They even tried to make us think Yanet was our child's caregiver long after they had switched him to someone else. Baby Galileo is one of those places where you get what you pay for. It's very reasonable and it was our favorite place we found in the price range we wanted for daycare. But when it came time to move up to kiddie galileo, we left. One final thing, which is a tiny bit of hearsay, but a former employee told us that at kiddie galileo, they limit your child's dining time and take away their food if they haven't eaten after 30 minutes.
Posted on: 2013/5/23 13:23
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Quite a regular
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My husband and I were thrilled with the level of care and education that our daughter got at Baby & Kiddie Galileo. Our daughter went there from 8 mos until she was about 3 1/2 (she's 5 now) and not a single day went by that she wasn't happy and excited to go to school. Being our first experience with a day care, we knew that our daughter was learning a lot at Kiddie Galileo, but we didn't realize just how good of an educational foundation she was getting until we moved to the burbs and she started at a new day care/pre school. We soon realized that our daughter was literally years ahead of the kids her age at her new school as far as her fundamentals go, ie letters, numbers, shapes, even some science stuff like she knew all the planets and different kind of weather and whatnot. All knowledge that came primarily from Kiddie Galileo. We also loved that they go on lots of fieldtrips and often walk to the local parks to play and have a picnic. The director, Louiza, was always attentive and seemed to be in a constant state of trying to make improvements to both locations. Many of the same teachers that were there throughout our daughter's 3 yrs there are still teaching there now. I see them from time to time and even though so much time has passed they all remember my daughter's name and ask about her when they see me. So, yea, overall I can't say enough good things about Baby Galileo!
Posted on: 2013/5/23 6:05
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Quite a regular
Joined:
2004/12/29 20:47 Last Login : 2021/8/10 21:47 From Erie Street
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Our son is at Baby Galileo and is thriving there. He started as an infant at the Grove Street location and was recently moved to the Newark Ave. toddler room -- he is almost 18 months old, and the daily schedule/curriculum (music, movement, art, letter of the day, etc.) keeps him active and interested. Occasionally he sees a "classmate" at Hamilton Park and is so happy. We like that they have their own outdoor playspace (albeit small) and that there is natural light in the classroom. The caregivers are loving and attentive. The Director can be a bit brusque, but when I've had an issue with anything, she has been responsive. Feel free to pm me if you want more information. Of course there are always ups and downs with daycare, but having done daycare before for his two other siblings and having their experience to compare this to, we are satisfied.
Posted on: 2013/5/23 1:47
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Newbie
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can you tell me anything about baby galileo? do you have or did you have your kid/s there? if so, what did you think? i'm looking for a day care for my 16 month old. also interested in hearing what others think about learning ladders. thanks!
Posted on: 2013/5/22 20:00
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Childcare - learning ladders
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Does anyone here know about learning ladders in Paulus hook?
I am considering day care options for my 5 mth old. I went there for a tour. Location is convenient but I find it pricey and their hours do not work for me all that well. But if its a good place I can try to be flexible around my work hours. Would like to hear opinions/thoughts of those who have sent their children there or know of someone who sends their kids there.
Posted on: 2013/5/1 3:01
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Re: Nursery School/Day Care
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Just can't stay away
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Quote:
Baby Galileo near Grove St charges $270 per week for 9-10 hour days.
Posted on: 2013/3/18 15:40
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Nursery School/Day Care
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Just can't stay away
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I'm looking for daycare/nursery school recommendations for infant care. Also, most places do not public tuition online, but can anyone tell me approximately what to expect in cost? Thank you.
Posted on: 2013/3/17 17:44
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Re: Day Care
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/5/10 16:36 Last Login : 2023/7/18 1:45 From Hamilton Park
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Growing Tree have their own private outdoor play area in the back, which they use when it is warm enough.
But you're correct about the windows. I think by NJ law they must take the kids outside a certain number of minutes per day, I'm not certain about that though. Robin.
Posted on: 2010/10/3 19:31
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Re: Day Care
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Thanks for the recommendations. I went to see Growing tree a few days ago. Many people, many of my friends recommend that place.
But When I was there, doing a tour for the space, I noticed that the rooms for the kids, where they spend most of the time, there were not a single window. The whole day with artificial light!. I don't feel I can put my son there for 9 hours a day, taking him at 7.30 am in winter when it is still dark and taking him from there at 5.30 pm when it is already dark. He will never see the day light. Maybe because I'm an architect, I'm very sensitive to the space. I will go to see again the place with my partner to be sure that what I saw it is correct or I am being just too sensitive.
Posted on: 2010/10/3 17:39
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Re: part time childcare for a 2yo
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Grace CHurch is around $25 for 2.5 hours. And there are moms that volunteer their time and don't have to pay. The caregivers are lovely.
Posted on: 2010/9/30 1:02
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part time childcare for a 2yo
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Newbie
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I've been seeing all kinds of flyers around for part time childcare but they average about $40+ for three hours and I can find a babysitter for that amount. I'm pretty sure that a neighbor of mine who moved away sent her son to a drop off childcare place for only $20-25 and sometimes she didn't have to pay because she stayed to help out for part of the time. Does anyone know the name of the place or if they're prices went way up too?
Posted on: 2010/9/29 23:31
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Re: Day Care
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/5/10 16:36 Last Login : 2023/7/18 1:45 From Hamilton Park
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My son Haywood also attends Growing Tree II. It is better than the more expensive 'premium' dayacare my daughter attended in Hoboken (Beyond Basic Learning).
As other have set, its really all about the staff, the staff at Growing Tree II are great, particularly in the baby room. Robin.
Posted on: 2010/9/10 16:16
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Not too shy to talk
 
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I agree with the previous poster. My daughter started at Growing Tree II as an infant and stayed till she was 2.
We really liked the facility, especially the infant room and all the one to one attention she got there. I don't think she actually learnt much there, but for her age, I wasn't very concerned about that. It was most important to me that she got so much attention. She also developed good eating habits since all the children ate the same food and it was cooked fresh. When we got through the wait-list on River School (Warren Street), we transferred her over. I regretted that decision and I could see a vast difference in the two facilities. River School "looked" better, but it didn't compare in terms of attention given to my daughter. The classroom activities in both places are similar.
Posted on: 2010/9/10 14:44
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Re: Recommendations for Daycare
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Can't say enough good things about Growing Tree II. Our daughter has been going there since she was three months old and absolutely loves it. The staff are fantastic, genuinely loving toward her. I'm actually surprised at how little staff turnover there seems to be -- a good sign of a solid program. They even call to see how she's doing when she's out sick! They teach her so much that we actually feel somewhat guilty about how little we have to do. Several parents who have transferred their children to other programs ended up bringing them back after finding the new programs paled by comparison. The only downside is that Growing Tree only goes up to age 2.5 or 3.
Posted on: 2010/9/10 13:03
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Re: Recommendations for Daycare
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Newbie
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We're hoping to start our daughter at The Growing Tree, at 5th and Manila, soon. We're heard good things about it from friends.
We toured the center and liked it. The kids seemed attached to their caregivers. They have a chef, nurse and two admins, as well as a director, in addition to the caregiviers. (We liked this so the caregivers don't end up cooking, answering phones, etc., and leaving the kids unattended). Seems like the have a good curriculum and nice facilities as well. We've run into two sets of parents in Hamilton Park and they seemed to like it a lot.
Posted on: 2010/9/10 2:08
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Recommendations for Daycare
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Newbie
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Our son is about 9 months old, and I'd like to start introducing him to daycare next year, to provide him with opportunities to socialize. We live in downtown JC, near Hamilton Park.
Can anyone recommend a good daycare in the area? Thanks!
Posted on: 2010/9/10 1:48
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Re: Day Care
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When we lived in the JSQ area, we placed my daughter (3 1/2) with Heavenly Day Care Center on Nwk Ave. The staff were very nice, and my daughter loved them. We had problems with the administrators though. I would not recommend them.
To get ready for our move downtown, we looked at several places. I really liked Baby Galileo, but they were concerned about taking on my daughter who has a physical impediment. I talked to Viaquenti's director, and thought the curriculum sounded amazing. However, it was way out of our price range. We eliminated a couple of places off our list because we thought they didn't have enough space for kids to move around, including Our Little Rugratz. We settled on Genesis, and are satisfied with them. I can't speak to the previous poster's concerns regarding the care for infants. I can say that we've made the decision to keep our daughter there through kindergarten, even though she can get into pre-K starting this coming fall. Before Genesis, my husband and I did as much as possible to introduce her to the alphabet, numbers and colors because she wasn't getting that in her daycare. Now, I feel as if we're keeping up with her teacher, and reinforcing the learning she's getting. Plus, most mornings, she rushes me out the door because she can't wait to see Ms. Maggie (her teacher). 
Posted on: 2010/6/14 12:50
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Re: Day Care
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Just can't stay away
Joined:
2009/12/30 14:44 Last Login : 2023/9/18 21:02 From Jersey City
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It is a very nice place. All the children looked very happy and well taken care of.
For the price it is an unbelievable deal if the schedule works for you. They are closed all of July and they close at 5:30 daily. I work in Manhattan and my husband drives an hour to work so the 5:30 pick up just won?t work for us unfortunately.
Posted on: 2010/6/11 20:21
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Re: Downtown Care - Genesis Educational Center?
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Quite a regular
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Quote:
My son attends Genesis and we are very happy with the quality of education there. He is three and can write his name, numbers, knows the alphabet and with all of their phonetic sounds, knows his colors and numbers by sight to 100. He regularly has homework and he does a lot of work at school that they send home weekly. The academics might be a little rigorous for some but we are happy. We chose Genesis because of the Abeka Curriculum and the 5 to 1 student teacher ratio. All of the kids were together in after care but that is no longer the case. The three, four and five year olds are now in a separate class room in aftercare.
Posted on: 2009/12/1 15:41
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Re: Day Care
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Newbie
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We just moved to Boston from JC. Our two year old son was at Growing Tree from 4 months until our move. We were very happy with our experience there. Enjoy the JC daycare prices. Its much more expensive up here.
Posted on: 2009/12/1 13:21
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