We ended up seeing 4 daycares, all of which had confirmed availability for their toddler class starting in November - Primrose School of Ken Caryl, The Goddard School of Littleton, Primrose School of Littleton, and Trailmark Learning Center. Here were the thoughts:
Primrose School of Ken Caryl
=====
This one was particularly recommended by a friend of a friend. It is about 10 minutes from where I will be working, but completely out of the way from where we intend to live. Not a bad impression as we entered the school. The required keypad entry code, the monitored inner and outer front doors made me feel pretty good about their security. The staff seemed nice enough. We were greeted by their director and assistant director. The entryway and throughout the school was tastefully decorated for fall/Halloween. It looked pleasant, smelled like a country store, and was overall very tidy. We went classrooms for toddlers all the way up to pre-Kindergarten. The toddler rooms were bright, large, but somewhat cold. Very few toys were on the ground or within reach for the kids. The walls were bare except for a large board at the opposite end of the room, which displayed the latest artwork from the kids. In a corner you can find all the toys, books, puppets, etc., neatly put away. The floorspace was large - you could probably fit 4 of Abby's Goddard toddler classrooms in this one room, but keep in mind that the ratio of kids to teachers in Colorado is 5 to 1, vs 3 to 1 in Maryland. The max number of kids for this class is 10, and they are currently at capacity, with space opening up in November, though. We were shown a tiny room with a tiny potty and was told that toddlers are introduced to the potty and if they show interest and parents agree, they will work on potty training with them. Interesting. We loved their LARGE outdoor playground. Several pieces of climbing equipment plus a large astroturfy "grass" area for them to run around in. The toddlers share the playground with the two year olds and it was extremely spacious, even containing a covered area with a toddler size picnic table to stop and rest at. Their playtimes overlap by a few minutes each day, but for the most part are separate for safety reasons. As we walked through the school, we noticed that the kids were very serious. They seemed content, but just not as happy and laid back as we would hope to see. I think it was largely in part due to the strict schedule the kids follow throughout the day. We were shown a schedule that breaks down their day to 30 minute increments. "Do they follow this schedule or do you allow how the kids feel to drive how the days go?" we asked. "Oh, we stick to the schedule." Hmmmm.... We left the school after speaking to the director. I asked if I could bring Abigail in a week before she actually started to spend some time with her in the classroom to get her acclimated. I was told "No!" This really put us off this particular school.
Tuition: $1050/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
The Goddard School of Littleton
=====
This school is about 2 minutes closer to where I will work compard to the Ken Caryl Primrose School. We were greeted by Ann, the owner. She was fabulous! Very patient with us, very friendly. We were whisked into the Lovely Lobsters' room (aka the toddler class) and were introduced to two wonderful ladies, who were the teachers. The classroom was fairly large, but terribly drab. The classroom was painted a dull gray/blue with doors and window frames painted a dark gray/blue. Toys were everywhere, scattered across the room. One of the teachers was on the floor, holding a couple of the kids, surrounded by 3 or 4 more, while the others clustered around the other teacher. They were signing and talking to all the kids while chatting with us, very patient with everyone. Abigail actually begged to get down and started playing with the toys and interacting with the other kids! We were impressed by the teachers, but also couldn't help noticing the lack of control of the kids. Compared with the Primrose school's ultra-strict schedules, this classroom seemed almost chaotic. The school itself is very small and with coats and backpacks in the hallways, we get a claustrophobic feeling. The playground was likewise very small, with no open areas to run around.
Tuition: $1150/month + 5% discount if Abby only attend 4 days a week; $125 registration fee would be waived because we're currently with the Goddard School in MD; We would need to supply all food
Primrose School of Littleton
=====
This school is on my way to work from where my parents live. It is conveniently located in Littleton, offering us many, many housing choices in the areas we hope to find a house. The school is by all intents and purposes the same as that of the Primrose School of Ken Caryl - practically hospital clean and not as much character as we would have liked to see in the classrooms - but the staff was far more pleasant and accomodating. As we were so turned off by the strictness of the first Primrose School, we made sure to ask about their flexibility tailored to individual kids. "If Abby wanted to nap for 30 minutes today, but 2 hours the next day, how would the teachers work with that?" "We would never wake kids up just to adhere to a schedule, we'll keep lights dimmed until all kids are up and just pull the kids who are awake to do other activities until everyone is up!" "Can we visit a few times before Abby officially starts?" "Absolutely! Spend as much time as you need here to make sure it's the right choice. We encourage you to visit other daycares in the area also, to make sure this is the one for you. Even after Abby starts, you're welcome at any time to drop by and spend time with her." Just what we wanted to hear. We also noticed that the kids were far more animated at this school, many of them smiling and waving at us when we came to visit. Not nearly as somber as the kids from the first Primrose school we visited. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet both of the regular teachers here. We were there right after lunchtime and I was frankly staggered by how it was possible to get 10 toddlers to sit down at a table at the same time, eating off of plates, with spoons, and making less mess than Abby does by herself over breakfast! The lunch looked very healthy and balanced and we're told that everything is made fresh everyday and only once a month will they be served something prepared, like chicken nuggets. Excellent! The teachers all wore gloves while handling the foods and once the kids started finishing, each were taken to the short sink and guided to wash their own hands. Staggering! The last surprising thing, which we noticed of ALL the daycares so far, is that toddlers slept on cots. If somehow Abby can successfully be taught to stay on her cot and take a nap for two days in a row before Christmas, I will eat my hat!
Tuition: $1150/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
Trailmark Learning Center
=====
Just 5 minutes from where I will be working, but I'm not going into detail because we're not going to send Abby here. First impression was, it smelled like dirty laundry. I was then shown the piles of dirty laundry in the cluttered teachers' resource room!! The teachers looked like high school kids, with spiky, colored hair and nose rings, belly button rings, and shirts much too tight to be comfortable. Kids were running around the halls while teachers were inside classrooms. I couldn't get past how tired the teachers looked also. The toddler class had only 4 kids, but they can accommodate 10. I wonder if it's because no one wants to enroll here....
Tuition: $840/month thanks to a tremendous Lockheed Martin discount. Normally $1150/month.
In conclusion, we did like the Primrose School of Littleton and the Goddard School of Littleton the best. I think Abby would have fun in both places and she'll learn a lot. Both had some cons to them, but ultimately, we decided on enrolling Abby at the Primrose School because of its location.
Primrose School of Ken Caryl
=====
This one was particularly recommended by a friend of a friend. It is about 10 minutes from where I will be working, but completely out of the way from where we intend to live. Not a bad impression as we entered the school. The required keypad entry code, the monitored inner and outer front doors made me feel pretty good about their security. The staff seemed nice enough. We were greeted by their director and assistant director. The entryway and throughout the school was tastefully decorated for fall/Halloween. It looked pleasant, smelled like a country store, and was overall very tidy. We went classrooms for toddlers all the way up to pre-Kindergarten. The toddler rooms were bright, large, but somewhat cold. Very few toys were on the ground or within reach for the kids. The walls were bare except for a large board at the opposite end of the room, which displayed the latest artwork from the kids. In a corner you can find all the toys, books, puppets, etc., neatly put away. The floorspace was large - you could probably fit 4 of Abby's Goddard toddler classrooms in this one room, but keep in mind that the ratio of kids to teachers in Colorado is 5 to 1, vs 3 to 1 in Maryland. The max number of kids for this class is 10, and they are currently at capacity, with space opening up in November, though. We were shown a tiny room with a tiny potty and was told that toddlers are introduced to the potty and if they show interest and parents agree, they will work on potty training with them. Interesting. We loved their LARGE outdoor playground. Several pieces of climbing equipment plus a large astroturfy "grass" area for them to run around in. The toddlers share the playground with the two year olds and it was extremely spacious, even containing a covered area with a toddler size picnic table to stop and rest at. Their playtimes overlap by a few minutes each day, but for the most part are separate for safety reasons. As we walked through the school, we noticed that the kids were very serious. They seemed content, but just not as happy and laid back as we would hope to see. I think it was largely in part due to the strict schedule the kids follow throughout the day. We were shown a schedule that breaks down their day to 30 minute increments. "Do they follow this schedule or do you allow how the kids feel to drive how the days go?" we asked. "Oh, we stick to the schedule." Hmmmm.... We left the school after speaking to the director. I asked if I could bring Abigail in a week before she actually started to spend some time with her in the classroom to get her acclimated. I was told "No!" This really put us off this particular school.
Tuition: $1050/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
The Goddard School of Littleton
=====
This school is about 2 minutes closer to where I will work compard to the Ken Caryl Primrose School. We were greeted by Ann, the owner. She was fabulous! Very patient with us, very friendly. We were whisked into the Lovely Lobsters' room (aka the toddler class) and were introduced to two wonderful ladies, who were the teachers. The classroom was fairly large, but terribly drab. The classroom was painted a dull gray/blue with doors and window frames painted a dark gray/blue. Toys were everywhere, scattered across the room. One of the teachers was on the floor, holding a couple of the kids, surrounded by 3 or 4 more, while the others clustered around the other teacher. They were signing and talking to all the kids while chatting with us, very patient with everyone. Abigail actually begged to get down and started playing with the toys and interacting with the other kids! We were impressed by the teachers, but also couldn't help noticing the lack of control of the kids. Compared with the Primrose school's ultra-strict schedules, this classroom seemed almost chaotic. The school itself is very small and with coats and backpacks in the hallways, we get a claustrophobic feeling. The playground was likewise very small, with no open areas to run around.
Tuition: $1150/month + 5% discount if Abby only attend 4 days a week; $125 registration fee would be waived because we're currently with the Goddard School in MD; We would need to supply all food
Primrose School of Littleton
=====
This school is on my way to work from where my parents live. It is conveniently located in Littleton, offering us many, many housing choices in the areas we hope to find a house. The school is by all intents and purposes the same as that of the Primrose School of Ken Caryl - practically hospital clean and not as much character as we would have liked to see in the classrooms - but the staff was far more pleasant and accomodating. As we were so turned off by the strictness of the first Primrose School, we made sure to ask about their flexibility tailored to individual kids. "If Abby wanted to nap for 30 minutes today, but 2 hours the next day, how would the teachers work with that?" "We would never wake kids up just to adhere to a schedule, we'll keep lights dimmed until all kids are up and just pull the kids who are awake to do other activities until everyone is up!" "Can we visit a few times before Abby officially starts?" "Absolutely! Spend as much time as you need here to make sure it's the right choice. We encourage you to visit other daycares in the area also, to make sure this is the one for you. Even after Abby starts, you're welcome at any time to drop by and spend time with her." Just what we wanted to hear. We also noticed that the kids were far more animated at this school, many of them smiling and waving at us when we came to visit. Not nearly as somber as the kids from the first Primrose school we visited. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet both of the regular teachers here. We were there right after lunchtime and I was frankly staggered by how it was possible to get 10 toddlers to sit down at a table at the same time, eating off of plates, with spoons, and making less mess than Abby does by herself over breakfast! The lunch looked very healthy and balanced and we're told that everything is made fresh everyday and only once a month will they be served something prepared, like chicken nuggets. Excellent! The teachers all wore gloves while handling the foods and once the kids started finishing, each were taken to the short sink and guided to wash their own hands. Staggering! The last surprising thing, which we noticed of ALL the daycares so far, is that toddlers slept on cots. If somehow Abby can successfully be taught to stay on her cot and take a nap for two days in a row before Christmas, I will eat my hat!
Tuition: $1150/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
Trailmark Learning Center
=====
Just 5 minutes from where I will be working, but I'm not going into detail because we're not going to send Abby here. First impression was, it smelled like dirty laundry. I was then shown the piles of dirty laundry in the cluttered teachers' resource room!! The teachers looked like high school kids, with spiky, colored hair and nose rings, belly button rings, and shirts much too tight to be comfortable. Kids were running around the halls while teachers were inside classrooms. I couldn't get past how tired the teachers looked also. The toddler class had only 4 kids, but they can accommodate 10. I wonder if it's because no one wants to enroll here....
Tuition: $840/month thanks to a tremendous Lockheed Martin discount. Normally $1150/month.
In conclusion, we did like the Primrose School of Littleton and the Goddard School of Littleton the best. I think Abby would have fun in both places and she'll learn a lot. Both had some cons to them, but ultimately, we decided on enrolling Abby at the Primrose School because of its location.
Comments (1)
I have been scouring the internet to find feedback on the Primrose School in Littleton (on SouthPark, not Ken Caryl). We are considering starting our one year old there. Do you mind if I ask if you decided to go there? If so, could I ask for your feedback? We had some of the same concerns as you about the "sterility" of the school, but it seemed like the best of the bunch.