Pre-K near Bethesda?
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Anonymous
| Looking for recommendations for pre-k in or near Bethesda? Has to go until 6 at least since we both work. New to the area. Thanks in advance. |
Anonymous
| Everyone recommends Children in the Shoe and Wonders. |
Anonymous
| Pre-Covid WCC (westmoreland children’s center) went until 6 and they have at least 3 pre-k classes |
Anonymous
|
OP make sure to visit. Look closely at how engaged the teachers are, and ask about turnover. Also ask about ratios as that is a key indicator of quality.
We have visited centers where the teachers were visibly bored and unhappy. We went with a low-frills center (not in Bethesda unfortunately) where the teachers looked happy and engaged with the kids. There has been very low turnover in the 4 years we have been there. Even those that have left for other jobs come back to fill in for aftercare/breaks. No center/preschool director is going to tell you that their teachers are constantly leaving, but they should be able to brag about their low turnover. Check https://www.checkccmd.org/ for licensing violation history. Also look at their accreditation (e.g. NAEYC) as that can be a sign of quality, though be aware accreditation is expensive to obtain so many centers don't have it, doesn't mean they aren't high quality. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| Hands down Goddard School if you want your child ready for either private school or public school. |
Anonymous
| Goddard Bethesda was single-handedly the worst of the schools my kid ever went to. We started looking for new schools as soon as we started, and know so many families who have left or only stay because it’s convenient. |
Anonymous
That’s why they are full with 170 kids, families can’t find a spot and they were recently NAEYC accredited. This site is so funny. Parents recognize comments like this are probably the directors or owners of nearby schools. It’s so hilarious. Goddard Bethesda is one of the top Goddard Schools in the country. Stop the nonsense. |
Anonymous
| Go to Maryland LOCATE to find licensed daycares |
Anonymous
No parent of a child at this school would know or write this. This site is constantly inundated by Goddard admin/owner spam trying to pass off as from a parent. I agree with PP, we did not like Goddard Bethesda after touring it. Opted to send our child to another play-based school in the area with better engagement from teachers and less teacher/student turnover. |
Anonymous
Wait. I have no skin in the game here but feel compelled to speak. Why wouldn’t a parent know the number of students in a school? I know. Also, the accreditation for that school is a sought after accreditation. It seems you just want to say something negative about the school which leads me to believe you are the competition of this school and can’t hack their achievements. It’s sad that the achievements of preschools are not celebrated by their competitors. |
Anonymous
Lol. Again, no parent who is happy with their child enrolled in a school cares enough to respond to comments accusing other school of not being able to “hack” it. Owner/Admin of Goddard Bethesda responding to all these posts, I suggest you use all this time responding to parent posts to work on running your school better, treating your teachers better, and keeping your current families happy. Anyone with critical thought can walk through your school and recognize the front desk admin staff put on a fake face but don’t truly care about the kids or families, and the teachers aren’t happy. |
Anonymous
| I couldn’t disagree more. Extremely happy Goddard Bethesda parent here. My DD and DS are thriving at their schools and we give all of the credit to the admin and teachers at Goddard Bethesda. We miss it very much! |
Anonymous
| If it's not too far for you, Clara Barton Center for Children in Cabin John is amazing. They have classes for ages 2-5, a low teacher to student ratio, and low turnover. |
Anonymous
Sidwell St.Andrews Episcopal Waldorf |