Goddard for Preschool?

My daughter goes to the Goddard school in lake in the hills. We love it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a structured quality childcare. There is an open house on July 25th (at the Lake in the Hills Goddard) from 10-noon where you can go and meet some teachers and the owners and bring your kids to enjoy the activities. It's a good time to visit and meet other parents whose kids go there and actually ask them what their opinions are. The owner of the Lake in the Hills school sent her girls to the Elgin school up until she got her own school and I have a friend who sends her son to the St. Charles school. Have heard great things from all 3 places. What sets Goddard apart from other schools is that the owner is on-site and has a vested interest in a "full" school so they want you to be happy with your decision to place your child there. The owner is not the principal/director which is a point of difference between Goddard and many of the other "chain" childcares.
I'm sure you'd be happy sending your little ones there. When it came down to making a decision for our family Goddard won with Chesterbrooke coming in 2nd, absolutely nothing positive to say about any of the other local choices I had.

I don't know what the Goddard principles are. I do know that I have researched Montessori for my kids and feel that is the best option. I have a 3 1/2 year old that is going to start with Montessori in the fall, only 3 half-days a week. I agree with the above poster that there is no rush to get them in to ANY type of school, and I almost feel like fall is too early. But my ds is very busy and very smart and I believe the extra stimulation will help him. Montessori is nice because the kids are allowed to do things at their own pace, and to concentrate on what interests THEM, not what a teacher thinks they should be doing. I think it is the ideal learning situation, but that's just my opinion after majoring in elementary education and knowing what "traditional" school looks like. LOL Montessori appeals to me much more.

Maybe look in to some art classes or music classes through your park district, too. :)

Hi J.:

I have no information re: Goddard School.

Sorry I couldn't be of any help to you. I wanted to say that this will be the very best years for you with your children. You get to watch them discover new things and grow; and they grow up so fast that before you know it, they're in 1st grade.

Then they get to the stage of they don't want you kissing them in front of their friends. Time does have a way of flying by.

Good luck on your search.
S.

J.:

I am very familiar with the Goddard Schools in Third Lake and Round Lake and know some of the staff and Administrators. The people that run the facilities are very giving and caring people. They care about the success of every child and support the family goals. I can vouch for these two centers as I see the work that they do at the School and the work with their Communities.

I wish that this option was available when I had my child in daycare! Best of luck to you! S. H

Which Goddard are you looking at? I looked at the one in Schaumburg, and was very impressed at first glance. I took my daughter there for a "trial," and came away vowing never to put any of my children there. Mind you, this was about 4 years ago, but I am a teacher, and found that the room they were going to put her in didn't have enough materials: manipulatives or books for the number of kids they had in the room. The particular teacher responded to a 3 year old's playing with a few blocks that were immediately next to the circle time area by reprimanding her harshly and sending her to the office. (Mind you, the teacher was reading a small book that one child brought in that was very long, and not really appropriate for the age group.) The kids were not nice to each other, and were not taught to respect each other at all.

My advice to you is to visit several times, at different times of the day, and bring your daughter for a trial day if you still feel it would be a good fit.

And keep in mind, if you are looking at the same one, it may have changed, and the staff may be different, but it didn't stand up to scrutiny. We ended up placing my daughter (and my son, when he turned 3) at the Early Childhood Education Center at Roosevelt University. It was definitely a good decision, and I have high praise for the staff, curriculum and environment there.

Good luck with finding a place you are happy with!

M.

Hello J.

We loved the Goddard School. Our twins attended the Goddard School in Hawthorn Woods for two years. Karen the owner, Jenny and all of the teachers are wonderful and gave our children a safe, nurturing and educational environment to learn and grow.

Best Wishes.

I use the school in Third Lake. My children will go to kindergarden there as well. My children have learned so much. While the school, staff and teacher are not perfect, my children get to learn how to deal with it. These are skills they get to build on.
My husband and I learned from years in the workforce that you don't have to be the smartest but, you if you are socailly skilled, you will go far. My children are learning social skills that exceed the playgroup relm.
If you are looking at fall enrollment, you may want to call right away. I am not sure if they have spots open for the new school year.
Good Luck!