Considering Goddard Schools

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Anyone have any current opinions/feedback for me? The prices are very high here in Columbus and am wondering if there is a difference that would justify the high costs.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I remember there being a lot of talk about them last year so hopefully you'll get some good replies. I know there were moms having issues last year, mainly with turnover and inconsistency.

Personally I would look at other independent preschools like at churches, synagogues, universities and just start asking moms you run into at the library or playground where they like. There are many hidden gems around probably. :)

GL!

Beth

[erosenst]

Abby's been at Goddard since we moved about a year and a half ago. We've been VERY happy with it.

Be aware, however, that each Goddard is individually franchised, and they vary pretty widely. The one that we go to, and one more near us, are owned by a couple. Both are thought of very highly, have pretty long waiting lists (we were on it for 9 months, and were lucky that they discontinued K right when Abby was starting, so it freed up a bunch of spaces). However, there are a couple relatively near us, in pretty similar demographic areas, that clearly do NOT have good reputations.

Among other things, ALL of the teachers have degrees at ours. (At least in IN, only the lead in each room in ours has to be degreed.) At the "lesser" ones, they "cheap out" and only have the minimum. I absolutely know that some caregivers/teachers are OUTSTANDING, and don't have degrees...but it's more of the mentality/not cheaping out/etc. There's also shockingly little turnover by daycare/preschool standards. Many (most?) of the teachers have been there since well before we were there.

You'll also need to evaluate your particular location. The Goddard literature makes it sound pretty hard-core play based, for lack of a better description. (One thing I remember is that it said children were encouraged, but not required, to do things like participate in circle time, sit at the table for meals, etc.) Ours is a little less hard-core, which I actually like. (Are req'd to participate in circle, sit at the table (not eat, but sit) etc.) If anything, it's probably more academic than I would have thought I wanted, but it suits Abby really well.

Let me know if there are specific questions I can answer.

Emily
Abby - 4

[fortato]

Susan- I used to work at a Goddard, and would go back in a heartbeat- and I wouldn't hesitate to send Jack to one if it were necessary.

They are franchises, but their corporate bosses visit randomly every couple of months and they do Quality Assurance checklists all the time.

They treat their teachers well, and do have education requirements- to be a Lead teacher- you have to have so many credits toward a degree and you have to be actively pursuing that degree- that's the minimum. Anything less than that and you can not be considered a lead teacher. Pretty good in my eye.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have... you've got my email.

How is Miss Kate doing?? And Nick too?

[hellokitty]

I have two friends, one in VA and one in MO. Both of them send their 4 yr olds to Goddard and both of them love it, although they both complain that it is expensive. Otherwise, they are very happy.

[Gena]

DS attended the Goddard School before we got his autism diagnosis, back in the days when we hoped that being around other children would help his language delays and social difficulties. He went to Goddard for half days in the morning and went to an Early Intervention class in the afternoon.

We were very pleased with Goddard. We found the staff be very accepting of kids with special needs. The teachers were sensitive to our concerns about DS’s developmental problems and were willing help however they could. When we were in the diagnostic process, DS’s lead teacher helped a lot by filling out questionnaires about his development and by recording data about his behavior. (The developmental pediatrician had requested this information.) This impressed me because the educational director increased the staffing in DS's classroom for 2 days so the lead teacher could do this. It said a lot to us about how much caring and compassion they had for DS's issues.

There were a lot of special events like visits from the police, firefighters, doctor, the “reptile guy”, etc. And there several “enrichment” activities, like the sign teacher and the Spanish teacher who each came once a week.

Overall we were very impressed. Eventually, we realized that DS really belonged in special needs preschool. Goddard has a fantastic program for typically developing kids, but that’s not who DS is.

[nupe]

We love our Goddard school. We checked out many schools and sat in on many classes before we chose our Goddard school. We had visited 3 different Goddards, Montessori programs, independent preschools, and a University based program (with student teaching).

DS has been enrolled for 1 1/2 years now. There has been some teacher turnover, and teachers changing classrooms. All in all, of the teachers DS has had in three classrooms all but 2 are still at the school. Just about every teacher in the school now knows DS by name, which is really great. The atmosphere at my Goddard is very friendly, and the director and owner have been open to feedback. The communication overall has been excellent btw caregivers and myself. I was nervous starting DS in preschool (he goes daily, full day) since he was coming from a one on one nanny experience; however he has adored school and interacting with the other kids.

My friends have their kids in 3 other Goddards around town and they love them. I have another friend who had her kids in yet another Goddard in town and didn't like it. So 4 out of 5 Goddards in my area get rave reviews in my circle of friends.

ETA: Yes, Goddard is the priciest program around.

[erosenst]

Oh - almost forgot something. Unlike most centers around here, ours closes for the week between Christmas and New Years, and three or four other scattered days (President's Day, Good Friday, the Friday before Labor Day...and maybe one other one.) You might want to check that out if it will be a problem for you. (Fortunately, I have a flexible job, so it's not a big issue. And on some of the days, you can hire some of the teachers as babysitters...but some are "inservice" days so they're busy.)

Emily

[ccather]

We LOVE our Goddard school too. My DS4 has been doing half days since september as preschool. They have so many preschoolers that they have a classroom that is half kids going to K in september plus all the kids that just miss the cut off. He's a cutoff kid so he's not slated for K until '09, but I'm going to have him tested in the spring and may start him this year, if he can. He's getting a wonderful start and I think he'd pass the test.

The folks there are super nice. They all recognize us and are really friendly. We had some issues with DS when we first started and we all worked together to help him through it. (Stay at home kid with his first large group experience.)

It's expensive, but has been a great choice for us. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Goddard to anyone!

[gordo]

I just toured our local Goddard school. Thinking of taking DD out of her home daycare and putting her and our new infant coming this summer there. I was VERY impressed with them. Every teacher in ours has a degree in education. The center does a ton of training and follow-ups. It is a new center, so they have gorgeous rooms, a computer lab, a gym, they do yoga, spanish, sign language. I think I want to go LOL It is pricey although pretty comparable to most of the other daycare centers in my area. I think we will probably go with them.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I actually stopped in at the elementary school Nick will attend today to speak with a Kindergarten teacher to ask what she thinks about the local choices. She spoke very highly about Goddard and another Montesorri school nearby.
Goddard is much more expensive than Montesorri here. All of the Goddard teachers here have education degrees, so that is good. Thank you for all the help you have given me!

[clc053103]

My 2.5 yo ds has been at Goddard for 1 year- started at 20 months old. It was rocky at first but honestly, the school has been wonderful for him. He's learned so much and had very caring teachers! My friends own a Goddard so I understand the high standards that corporate holds.

REally talk to the owner(s)- from my experience I've learned they can make a real difference. Our owner looks at me (not knowing who I am or who my child is- after a year there) and sees dollar signs. Other owners are truly involved and care about the school and the students.

Goddard is very expensive by comparison but you're getting corporate quality assurance that you don't get in many schools. I'm surprised MOntessori is less expensive there- here it's quite comparable or even a little more!

[ohiomom]

We love our Goddard School too. DD was in an home childcare group setting until she was nearly 4 and transitioned beautifully. A few of the teachers left to get jobs in K-elem schools, but the replacements have been equally good, every single person in the building has her degree, and teachers have left during transition time (summer start, winter start), etc. We'll probably start DD2 at age 3 and quite possibly do K there since our school district is only 1/2 day. The $ is well spent. The lesson plans are SO creative! My biggest gripe is packing lunches.

Good luck with your decision. I fretted a long time!

[KHF]

I'm pretty close to you, in northern KY, just outside of Cincinnati. My daughter is in one of the Goddards in NKY and I have friends with kids in one of the ones in Cincinnati. All of us are really happy with the schools. I've had issues here and there, but they have always been addressed quickly and as a result, I feel that DD has really thrived there. I literally have to drag her out the door every day.

The best thing about Goddard (for me), is having the owner and a director on site. There is *always* someone there to address any concerns that you may have. Also, their summer program is amazing. The four-year-olds do 1-3 field trips per week, they have a constant stream of visitors, petting zoos, pony rides. It's amazing. Since we have a few local sports teams, they've had Cincinnati Bengals and Reds in there reading stories to the kids. It's just amazing the time that is put into scheduling new and interesting activities for them.

Again, with them being franchised, YMMV, but with their overall philosophy and regular visits by the corporate office (we just had one last week) you can assume some standard of care.

Kirsten

[erosenst]

My biggest gripe is packing lunches.

Be aware that this varies. In Indiana, you're not allowed to pack lunches - the school must provide it. And then you're stuck with the institutional food that the school provides. Ours does an ok job given the limitations of cost and state requirements of food groups - some stuff we wouldn't eat at home (hot dogs, bologna, canned fruit) but all in all, pretty good. Lots of crackers/pretzels/baked goldfish/animal crackers for snacks, rather than cookies, for example.

Emily