OT: sell me on The Goddard School

[Baloosgirl23]

Hey DIS friends!

I was just offered a teaching job (maternity leave) from the end of September - November and then again from January - March. Here's the thing, we live away from our family and I'm a SAHM with our 2 year old DD. She's never been away from us or in any type of 'school' setting. I've taken her to plenty of playdates and things but I've always been with her. I think it will be good for her overall as she really loves playing with other kids and learning new things. I think I'm more nervous about sending her than she will be going We are pretty sure we'll send her to The Goddard School (southeast side of Columbus, OH) and I'm interested in hearing the good, bad and ugly of this decision. What are your experiences with this type of environment? Did your kids love/hate it?

DH and I are also debating having a babysitter come to our house and watch her. What would you do???

Thanks -- an anxious mommy

 

[badblackpug]

I can't speak for Goddard in particular, but my 2 year old goes to daycare/preschool and she loves it. She is very social and has a great time playing with the other kids.

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

Goddard is the most expensive daycare around. Do a google search for odjfs and click on child care. You can put in what type of center you are looking for. This will also allow you to look at the licensing reports for the centers to see what they were out of compliance for. I would visit each center and see how you like it. My DS went there for a month when he was 2. He was not ready for that enviroment without me. My MIL paid otherwise I would have picked somewhere else due to price. I do not think they are any better than other centers that are half the price. Hope that helps.

 

[design_mom]

I agree with the poster who said to visit the center and try to get a feel for it. The Goddard Schools are independently owned and operated. They follow some 'corporate standards' but the ownership and director can really make a difference.

We are also in the Columbus area. My DS attended a Goddard school for several years. I was quite happy with the care he got in the toddler rooms, but when he moved up to pre-school I was less happy. By the time we left, I was quite unhappy (but I think the issues were with *that* school/teacher and how the director responded to my concerns, not all Goddard schools.)

My school did not have a lot of turnover because the teachers were contracted for a year. However, my sister sent her daughter to a different Goddard school location and there was lots of teacher turnover. (These are the things that differ depending on school, etc.)

And prior to being at the Goddard school, I had my son at a different daycare (a national chain, but not Goddard) and it was a nightmare. I had gotten numerous glowing reviews on the place from people I trust. It was just *not* a good fit for my child, I guess.

If I could find a great in-home babysitter, I would love that... but honestly, I really don't know how to go about that. I talked to several people before we decided to go the daycare route and did not find anyone I "felt right" about. At least at the daycare center, there's some checks and balances.

The Goddard School near you might be a great fit for your child... or maybe not. Check out some other places, too... and check online, then go with your gut. Choosing childcare is one of the toughest things to do, I think! My kids are school age now, and it's *still* hard!

 

[lucynme]

Albeit expensive (but isn't daycare in general?), my son went to a Goddard facility in Maryland. I have been home with him since he was 5 mos. old, and had trouble justifying sending him, because we didn't HAVE to. Anyway, this was the best thing we could have ever done for him. His social skills soared! And the staff and faculty couldn't have been any more nice. I do agree with the PP and go see the facility, more than once even...good luck!

 

[Baloosgirl23]

I agree with the poster who said to visit the center and try to get a feel for it. The Goddard Schools are independently owned and operated. They follow some 'corporate standards' but the ownership and director can really make a difference.

We are also in the Columbus area. My DS attended a Goddard school for several years. I was quite happy with the care he got in the toddler rooms, but when he moved up to pre-school I was less happy. By the time we left, I was quite unhappy (but I think the issues were with *that* school/teacher and how the director responded to my concerns, not all Goddard schools.)

My school did not have a lot of turnover because the teachers were contracted for a year. However, my sister sent her daughter to a different Goddard school location and there was lots of teacher turnover. (These are the things that differ depending on school, etc.)

And prior to being at the Goddard school, I had my son at a different daycare (a national chain, but not Goddard) and it was a nightmare. I had gotten numerous glowing reviews on the place from people I trust. It was just *not* a good fit for my child, I guess.

If I could find a great in-home babysitter, I would love that... but honestly, I really don't know how to go about that. I talked to several people before we decided to go the daycare route and did not find anyone I "felt right" about. At least at the daycare center, there's some checks and balances.

The Goddard School near you might be a great fit for your child... or maybe not. Check out some other places, too... and check online, then go with your gut. Choosing childcare is one of the toughest things to do, I think! My kids are school age now, and it's *still* hard!

We went there today and lets just say my gut tells me that this wouldn't be a good fit for us. I'd really like to find someone to watch her at the house but I'm in the same boat on how to find someone. I really think that this teaching opportunity would be great but finding childcare is so difficult! Thanks for the reply though, it makes me feel like I'm not alone in feeling this way!!

 

[TarraLee]

Our DS is currently attending a Goddard school, and has for the last year. We moved him to Goddard after an unprofessional, negative experience with a church preschool, and he started at Goddard in the preschool classes, so I can't really comment on infant and toddler rooms, other than to say we are expecting in November, and DS2 won't start at Goddard until he's 2 or so.

DS attends part-time mornings, I'm a WAHM, so he doesn't HAVE to go, its just a convenience for me and fun for him. It is pricey, and like all schools, has its issues, but I will say our DS has absolutely flourished at Goddard! He loves going, and his social skills and manners are amazing for a kid his age. We didn't send him to preschool for "academics" but can see big progress there as well-- Goddard is a "child directed" type school, and it works wonderfully for our DS. He is curious, creative and imaginative, and talkative!, and after 2 years of speech and developmental therapy due to concerns over his social and speech skills, THAT change in him has been worth every penny for us. (He is bright, but when he was little there were concerns he would have an autism spectrum disorder.)

At our Goddard school, we see alot of turnover in the teacher's assistants. There is some turnover in teachers, and they are NOT well paid compared to the tuition the families pay. However, the two teachers we've had have been awesome. Like any school, I think the teacher's impression and impact on your family and your child are probably the most deciding factor in whether people like the school or not. If we get to the point where we don't have a good teacher, we'll speak to the owners, or change schools.

The number one annoyance at our school is the bossy emails the Director sends out about not wearing sandals to school, putting on the kids sunscreen at home before you send them, everyone arriving by 9 because being late to circle time disrupts the class, and on and on. I probably get 2 of those emails a week, but I pretty much ignore them and figure we are paying for a service, the service is going well, and when it isn't, we'll either address it or make a change. I don't think its the substance of those emails so much as the tone that is annoying

One of my favorite things about our Goddard is that even the owner and her husband know all of the kids names and greet them by name, are in the classrooms and interact with the kids (often see owner rocking a baby or in the preschool room on the carpet playing during center time, etc.).

It isn't for everyone, but its been wonderful for our DS.

 

[stichy]

My son went to Goddard for 2 years. We loved it. So did DS. I'm not sure if where you live they rate daycares on a star rating. Ours was a 5 star which is the highest rating. We didn't really experience a lot of teacher turnover. DS even had a male teacher which I think was great.

 

[chrisw127]

My impression is that they're independently owned so they can all differ to an extent. Personally, I don't think the care is any better than any other childcare chain. I toured one when my oldest was 3-years old and during the tour one of the teachers started yelling at a child in her classroom really loud. The owner acted like nothing was happening. We didn't end up enrolling.

My good friend just took her kids out of the one near her house when a teacher took her aside and told her that they didn't have any art supplies and that the owner had stopped serving decent food for lunch and was giving the kids store brand mac and cheese every day instead of the wholesome lunches the parents had been told they were getting.

Again, I'm sure it varies by location and this isn't meant to knock the company because obviously others have had positive experiences, but these two locations don't seem to be doing so well in our town.

 

[seeking pixie dust]

Your best bet to to search for a school on the NAEYC page. NAEYC schools/daycares follow stricter standards than the state and are usually part of the top schools in their area.

 

[imortalcandy]

I put DD(4) and DS(2) in Goddard for a month and a half, Im a sahm and got a flex job but had to do a month of day shift. I dont believe in daycare and wouldnt let ppl watch my kids. Having said that I would put them back in if I could afford it. They were amazing!! I loved the fact that they had 2 playgrounds so the younger didnt mix with the older. They are very organized and the teachers all have degrees, small classes. Its not cluttered like the other daycares we looked at.
If you can afford it I would totally do it.

 

[carolinagirl121]

We faced the same choice with our son, Goddard or stay at home care. We ultimately decided on stay at home care. Our nanny takes our son to classes at gymboree and the library a couple times a week, so he gets some socialization. We just felt that having him in his environment would be better. If you want to find at home care, consider using a local placement agency. They are more costly but do the background checks, references and everything for you. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Leajess99]

OP, check with your local college to see if they have a nany program. That would probably be your best bet. Here is one place to start and there are other places if you just do a search for nannies in your area. http://www.columbusnannies.com/

 

[mom2grace]

We went there today and lets just say my gut tells me that this wouldn't be a good fit for us. I'd really like to find someone to watch her at the house but I'm in the same boat on how to find someone. I really think that this teaching opportunity would be great but finding childcare is so difficult! Thanks for the reply though, it makes me feel like I'm not alone in feeling this way!!

Trust your gut!!!

 

[martikus]

We've used daycare centers since DS was 6 months old. We toured ALL the ones recommended to us & any of the high star ones. What I like about daycare centers is other kids to play with & my daycare provider will never be closed - if his teacher is gone, someone will be there.

I have gone with my gut both times (once in Florida, once in South Carolina) and loved both choices. In Florida it was one in a church, this time it is a locally owned center - not a chain, DS really enjoys it. The first couple weeks are always hard, but he really does well there.

We did make a point of getting one that serves food (breakfast, lunch & snack) because for that price I didn't want to worry about making food.

Good luck figuring it all out.

 

[Baloosgirl23]

OP here! We went to another Goddard in the area and LOVED it! It was fantastic and our DD had a blast with the kids while we talked to the director. No tears or anything when we walked out of the room We let her play for a little over an hour and she did great!! She had so much fun and the teachers are awesome! It was a night and day difference from our first experience so I'm glad we decided to check it out again. Looks like DD will be starting 'school' at the end of the month Just in time for mommy to make some extra spending money for our Christmas trip to see the mouse Thanks for all of the replies!

 

[mama_pookie]

Just wanted to say that my son attends Goddard here in California and he loves it. He's been there since January, he started when he was 3. There has been no teacher turnover that we have noticed and we love everything about the school.

 

[DISNEYNV]

Finding quality childcare is extremely difficult!!!! We had my son in three different childcare centers before we found one we (and he) felt comfortable with. I worked nights till he was two then switched to days for insurance. I did not want to put him in daycare, but also felt uncomfortable with hiring someone to come into our home. Our first childcare center was great (the Malvern School) but we found it very costly and searched for another. Then he went to the local YMCA (since his older sister would be going to summer camp there in the summer months). It was horrible!!!! Teachers were just nit up to my standards and it was more or less a babysitting service not an Early childhood learning experience. My son was bored and got aggressive towards the younger children in his class and was always on Time Outs! Then I started looking into the Goddard Schools and really loved the programs but the owners rubbed me the wrong way. You have to be careful with these schools and how they are run. Then our local Goddard got a new owner so we went to visit and loved it!!! The new owner is so nice and friendly!!!! The teachers he has this year are great and gave been there for years! I would just have a set of criteria that s center has to meet for you and your child. Friendliness of staff and director, staff credentials, years of staff service, cleanliness of facility, location, programs and camps, late fees, tuition and registration fees, do the staff get down on child level and speak to them?, do they help with potty training?, are they engaging and interacting with the children?, do the other children look happy?, etc. If you or her do not feel comfortable look somewhere else or into a nanny service that is reputable. It's a tough decision to make and you want to feel like it's the BEST decision for your family. Good luck

 

[debbi801]

Albeit expensive (but isn't daycare in general?), my son went to a Goddard facility in Maryland. I have been home with him since he was 5 mos. old, and had trouble justifying sending him, because we didn't HAVE to. Anyway, this was the best thing we could have ever done for him. His social skills soared! And the staff and faculty couldn't have been any more nice. I do agree with the PP and go see the facility, more than once even...good luck!

I'm also in Maryland. We looked at Goddard when my 8 year old was 1 or 2. And wound up not enrolling our son because of the cost compared to the daycare/preschool he was currently attending. A few years later, we wound up switching him to Goddard because we had become very unhappy at his other preschool. IMO, Goddard was worth every cent they charged. The turn over at the location we have used was minimal. Even though my son is 8 now and in public school, we have still used them in a pinch when schools are closed. And the staff has remained the same. The teachers all have been very kind and their program is wonderful.

 

[design_mom]

OP -- I'm glad you found a center that you think will work out well for you. Good luck with the new job and I hope your DD has a great time at the Goddard School.