Any FDA WOW Discovery Preschool Program parents here?
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Anonymous
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After arriving yesterday to find my child outside on the playground with no coat/hat on (it was cold outside)- and his hands and face were freezing... and then finding out that the curriculum will "not include numbers unless the parents specifically request it" (that is what the teacher said to me specifically- yes my jaw dropped)... not getting our day "progress" sheet... and then finding out our classroom was "over ratio" so our child was moved to an older room for part of the day (and it's only the 2nd day we were there)- we are pulling our child out immediately.
I'm sure they will work out the new opening "kinks"... but my child won't be the guinea pig. |
Anonymous
Seriously??? Ok You do realize that most centers move children around for ratio reasons in the early and later parts of the day? |
Anonymous
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Yes, well aware of that. Again, it was only the second day- new child, new environment- so you put that child in the room with older children? Also, the center is not full- in fact it's fairly empty... So you mean to tell me one of the directors or aides couldn't have come in? Not our first "go round" at daycare... and one or two of these things I could have overlooked- but all of that combined with when I went in yesterday the security guard was not at the desk AND neither director was in the office- I walked in and no one even knew I was there.
Yep, I'm good- no thanks. |
Anonymous
I'm sure they'll miss you terribly |
Anonymous
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Great- you can have our spot. Let me know when it is a good cause for concern- when a random person walks into the center and walks straight out with your child? Or how about when your child is sick for a week straight because no one bothered to put their coat on? Good riddance.
I haven't seen any of the other parents- who actually work ON the FDA campus say they have popped in at all. |
Anonymous
| You do realize you can't catch a cold from being cold, right? There are these things called germs...... |
Anonymous
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I posted yesterday. 09:31, I appreciate your post. When I arrived to pick up my child yesterday, DC's hands were freezing, and I wondered what the deal was. DC has gloves there that are in the cubby, as is DC's hat. I wonder now if DC even had his coat on when they went outside. Plus, DC coughed up a storm yesterday night, so I'm starting to put 2 and 2 together here.
Not sure that the snarky person who is commenting even has a child at the center - or even has a child - but few people want to take chances with their kids. Little signs sometimes point to bigger problems, and like 09:31, some people are just not willing to wait around to let their kid be the test child. |
Anonymous
| weather forecast for 2/7 - 56 degrees outside, not exactly freezing. If the kids weren't going outside on a sunny day with temps in the mid 50s people would be complaining just as much if not more. |
Anonymous
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9:31 thanks for updating-not sure why you are getting such a snarky reply. I know it will take a while to work out kinks, but things like putting coats on are common sense issues and make me question the teacher as a whole and that it is more than just a kink.
Two f/u questions for you-what do you mean about not teaching numbers-like they will learn letters and reading but nothing to do with numbers-no telling time, no dates, etc? And no let's learn how to count to 20? Regarding the fact that there was no one supervising the entrance-I want to verify that you have to enter a code to get into the building-is that correct? Or are the doors just open so anyone could get in? If that latter, I find that to be a serious cause for concern. |
Anonymous
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Soon to be FDA employee here whose DD was offered a spot at WOW as of April 1 in the Mulberry room of the Discovery Preschool (young 2s). We're currently in a fantastic in-home center with shorter hours. I toured the facility before it opened and this thread is making me seriously question whether we should accept the spot. Although the facility is beautiful, it sounds like the teachers and the security leave something to be desired.
When I spoke to the center director yesterday, she said they weren't adding any new children until April 1 so they could work out some staffing issues and to focus on the transition for the children already there. Sounds like there is a lot to work on. Re: security: I noticed when I toured that there was either a key or badge device at the entrance to the building that didn't look operational yet. Also, there is a security guard station, also not yet operational or manned, as you drive up to the building. It would be good to know when those two security stations will be up and working. It was my understanding that anyone dropping off/picking up the child would obtain an FDA badge to show when entering/exiting both the campus and the daycare facility. Can any current WOW parents confirm this? |
Anonymous
| PP, I really commend you for pulling your kid out immediately when you saw problems. I am curious what you plan to do for short-time child care, given how difficult it is to find alternative daycare or preschool. |
Anonymous
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For the follow up answers:
1. I asked about engaging the children in counting to 10 generally, just as a matter of the topic of numbers, because my child says his numbers up to 20 and in Spanish- and really all preschool/early preschool children should be exposed to a variety of methods of numbers (calendars, clocks, music, etc)... and that was her specific response to me "we won't be teaching numbers unless the parents specifically ask us to". Now she is the teacher of the older Discovery Preschool class. This morning we followed up and the regular younger Discovery Preschool teacher said they would go up to 5. 2. The computers and sign in/out code are just for your child and the purpose of signing in and out. You enter the building freely, and there's two computers next to the security guard (absent) to put in your codes. I was not signing my child in or out, but simply coming to observe. Wouldn't have mattered- no one knew I was there. |
Anonymous
There is no checkpoint to enter the campus or to drive up to the child care center building. I am not currently enrolled in the child care center, so I don't know about security upon entering the building. |
Anonymous
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To the soon to be FDA employee- please visit unannounced. And do so several times. Then make your own judgement call. I was only posting our 2-3 day experience. But that was enough for me. Some of those things are pretty commonplace amongst all daycares (coats, etc). And do note, I arrived a little before 5pm yesterday. It was not 56 degrees outside. All the teachers had their coats on- so why wouldn't the children?
To 10:31, Thank you. As I said- not our first go round at daycare. We did not have any of these problems at our previous daycare. We were still paying on our old daycare through this week, and I called and asked to come back and they are graciously saving our spot. Obviously I have learned a lesson- just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's gold. |
Anonymous
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Thanks for the follow-up. My child is starting in the older preschool classroom next week and my mouth is hanging open about the numbers. I don't even get how that makes sense. My child can also count to 20 and in spanish which she learned in her current program. I don't understand the rationale for not teaching numbers?
Second, the security issue is not okay. I don't work on campus yet but a thinking of checking in at some point. I can't get my child back into her current place until June 18. We visited other CCLC centers in the area and took this spot with a leap of faith. It sounds as though we did not make the right decision. |