temple rodef shalom preschool - reviews please!

[Anonymous]

New here - interesting feedback about Rodef. Our kids are both there now for a year and we're really happy. Daughter, 2.5, is in a 2 morning 2s program and loves it. She's pretty easy-going (although strong-willed!) Our son is 4 and in a 5 morning program. He is shy but once comfortable very energetic and go-go-go. He LOVES his teachers and bounces off to school. We had him in a 2 morning program at the Scout House in FC last year which I thought was fine as an intro to "school", but he cried EVERY day when I dropped him off, even up until the end of the year. Here, it took him a week and he was happy as a clam.

I also have never found the two teachers we have worked with to be uncommunicative about behaviors. Our son was "shooting" kids in the fall on the playground and his teacher called me almost immediately to ask us to help put a stop to it. I also love the weekly updates we get with lots of pictures and details about what they're learning.

They actually get a LOT of Judaism, which is a bit hard for my Catholic husband to handle, but fine with me (we're not Jewish). It's VERY play-based - I'm actually anxious that my son doesn't know his letters or numbers (by sight) and he just turned four, but figure it'll come with time, but they're clearly not pushing that on the kids at this point.

[Anonymous]

This is a really good preschool. I went there as a kid, and I remeber that I had a lot of fun.
Also, they have a FANTASTIC summer camp program. I work there now, and everything is great

[Anonymous]

To 8:05..the camp is completely separate from the preschool -different leadership and prob. different counselors/teachers. While it is nice to hear that you had a really good experience at the preschool I assume 20 plus years ago, it is under different leadership with probably few if any of the same teachers. Yes, the camp is a great place from what I hear. We know several people who have sent kids there, though we don't have first hand experience. We do have have experience with the preschool and the poster wanted to know about the current preschool program.
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I urge the OP to visit and have a long discussion with the director of the preschool to get a sense of whether it's a good fit and talk to as many people as possible with children there to get many different perspectives. There are some places you can just send your child and know she/he will be happy. TRS preschool is not a good fit for every child and I would not want anyone to experience what we went through.

[Anonymous]

22:49 again...just noticed the OP posted in 2009! Maybe OP could come back and share her child's experience. To OP..hope things worked out well for your little one!

[Anonymous]

Bumping this up because we are on the wait list for TRS. I have a boy, who is generally attentive in classes we take together, but will be one of the youngest in his 2s class if he gets in. I was awed by the facility, but after reading reviews I'm not sure if we want to accept the spot if we get it. Any other experiences?

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I do not have any experience yet with this school but we also really liked what we saw on our tour and accepted a spot for my daughter in the fours class (she is an Aug birthday, and will be young for her class). I brought a relative with me (who is a long-time, very progressive literary specialist) to look at schools in the area. She felt this school was the best fit for my child and was impressed with the program. She chose it over some other well regarded choices in the area, even though we are not Jewish. I've read the negative reviews on this forum, as well as some positive ones on here, greatschools, savvysource etc..and decided we would still try it. It is a pretty big program, so it is inevitable that it will be the wrong fit for some. We saw lots of happy kids on our tour and it seemed to be a well organized program with great facilities, well thought out safety procedures, and engaging activities. I also like the Reggio Emilia influence. Just thought I'd let you know that you are not alone in your assessment, but concern over some of the reviews here. We decided to give it a go.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I have been really happy at Rodef. My two children are there currently and my third will start in September. I, too, have seen both the positive and negative reviews... I feel like it is definitely the best preschool in the area. It is Reggio based and the kids do learn through play - which is just what I want, especially for my two year old. That said, buy five year old in PreK is reading and writing... he has come such a long way. The teachers are amazing and with the student teacher ratio, I feel as though the teachers really know my children.

Of course, there are people who are unhappy and will write negative reviews - but nothing beats Rodef. The facility is AMAZING. The kids are exposed to Judaism, but there are a lot of mixed families.

If you are on a waiting list, I would wait to see if there is a spot for your child... you will definitely be happy.

[Anonymous]

I have had very positive experiences at Rodef. I have three children. My oldest is in 2nd grade, my middle in kindergarten and my youngest is currently in the 2s program. I have found the teachers to be very warm, communicative and nurturing. Although each teacher my children have had has a different style, they have been uniformly excellent. The curriculum more than prepares the kids for entry into kindergarten without being too academic. It fosters in the children a love of play and a love of learning. The nursery school (and temple, for that matter) community is very supportive. You can be as involved or as anonymous as you want to be. It is a Jewish preschool so you can expect Judaism to play an important role in the classroom (as it should I think), but the school is very welcoming of people of all faiths and mixed faith families (mine included!).

[Anonymous]

Parents be cautioned! The school touts itself on fostering creativity, independence and uniqueness yet they will quickly stifle and subdue any child displaying such traits. Our daughter was happy, calm and without issues when she started this year. Since her enrollment, we have noticed a decline in her behavior and the school has even brought in a psychologist to examine her. The physiologist found no issues with my daughter, yet the teachers still label her as "not normal" and are constantly separating/excluding her from other activities. In talking with other parents from the same classroom, we have learned that other parents have been told the same thing about their children and have been referred to the same psychologist. Our stories are similar and we parents feel that the teachers are ill prepared/not fully trained to work with and understand young children. The difficult part of dealing with such an ineffective teacher is the staff and principle will not find fault with the teacher, but have labeled all of our children as the source of the problems. Hard to believe that almost every child in a small class of 12 is the problem, and that it's not the teacher.

[Anonymous]

As the director of Temple Rodef Shalom Nursery School, I was shocked and upset to read this post. Our staff strives to form a partnership with all families in order to provide each individual child the best preschool experience possible. Our goal is to nurture the child’s love of exploration and learning in order to be ready for the future challenges of school.

Your views are taken seriously. I invite and urge you (and anyone else who wishes) to contact me so that we can directly address your concerns. I am happy to meet with you at any time.

[Anonymous]

What I don't get is why non-Jewish parents are sending their kids to a Jewish pre-school and then "feel uncomfortable" about too much Judaism. There aren't that many Jewish pre-schools in the area but plenty Christian ones. I bet they don't have "too much Judaism."

[Anonymous]

I am a parent of two children that went through this wonderful preschool, and I too don't want the above post to go unchallenged. My family is an interfaith family, and I always felt welcomed and supported by both the teachers and director. I always felt that both the teachers and Director was available to discuss any issues that I felt were important. The Nursery School provided my family with support and a feeling of community, that we still enjoy today as temple members.

[Anonymous]

All four of my children went to Rodef and it was an extremely positive experience for all of us. My children are older but many of the staff are still in place there and are still part of our lives. I felt welcomed as a parent and that the school was like a family.

Speaking as someone who has "been there," I can tell you that parenting is a long road. It's important to trust in the people who take care of your children. I feel bad for you if that's not the case, but I think you are giving a great place a bad rap.

It's not easy to hear that one's child isn't perfect in every way. Rather than be distressed I was always grateful to have the guidance and support of the school when it was needed. I felt that they knew what they were talking about even though I didn't always take their advice!

[Cinnamon]

Anonymous wrote:Parents be cautioned! The school touts itself on fostering creativity, independence and uniqueness yet they will quickly stifle and subdue any child displaying such traits. Our daughter was happy, calm and without issues when she started this year. Since her enrollment, we have noticed a decline in her behavior and the school has even brought in a psychologist to examine her. The physiologist found no issues with my daughter, yet the teachers still label her as "not normal" and are constantly separating/excluding her from other activities. In talking with other parents from the same classroom, we have learned that other parents have been told the same thing about their children and have been referred to the same psychologist. Our stories are similar and we parents feel that the teachers are ill prepared/not fully trained to work with and understand young children. The difficult part of dealing with such an ineffective teacher is the staff and principle will not find fault with the teacher, but have labeled all of our children as the source of the problems. Hard to believe that almost every child in a small class of 12 is the problem, and that it's not the teacher.

It makes me sad to hear you feel so disappointed in your daughter's preschool education. I don't recognize this situation, so know that it hasn't occurred in my class, but I invite you to open a dialogue with the teacher and director together to express your unhappiness. I feel like the parents of my students are comfortable approaching me to discuss something, even if it is to share some unhappiness about me or something in the classroom. It's not easy! Dialogue is mandatory in regards to advocating for your children throughout her education. Preschool is only the beginning of a very long educational road.

Both my boys attended three years each at Temple Rodef Shalom Nursery School. There were uncomfortable--though necessary--conversations that were had. I wasn't necessarily happy with the way some teachers spoke to me and I'm sure some teachers weren't happy with the way I spoke to them. However, my family was very pleased with our overall Rodef preschool experience.

My message to all parents is to advocate for your children in their schools. Advocating means carrying on frequent, two-way conversations about values, expectations, and goals. These conversations need to be held with teachers, directors, and fellow parents--your "School Family." It is only through the strong sense of community that results from such dialogue that we can ensure a quality education for our children.

My hope is that you will find a preschool that better matches your family's values and expectations, so that the goals you have mapped out for your daughter's education can be met.

--Cinnamon Welland
mom to two former students at TRSNS
teacher in her 9th year at TRSNS

[Anonymous]

It's interesting to see this thread picked up again as it started in 2009. I actually came across it last year when I was considering Rodef. I had been concerned about one of the previous posts regarding boys, especially active boys. My son started Rodef last fall (so he's about to finish his first year there). He had just turned 2 when he started and was one of the younger in his class. He's a super active young boy. Even more than the average 2 year old boy, he had some attention difficulties and I had a hard time imagining him sitting for circle time, for instance. He was also receiving speech therapy for a delay. When I first visited the school, I was so impressed with the beautiful facility and the exceptional student-teacher ratio. The last question that remained was whether it was the right place for my son.

After speaking with the director, we decided to give it a try. It has been a wonderful, wonderful place for him. He has flourished and they have played a big role in his development. They have reasonable and age-appropriate expectations, and the teachers are both warm and loving while also knowing a lot about child development and stimulating. They do have high expectations--but they look at where your child is starting and help him or her to get there. There is a Judaic component but my son's class is quite diverse and now having socalized with other parents, I can say regardless of background, people are generally very happy with the quality of the school and teachers. You get what you pay for--it's not a cheap preschool but they put the money to use in having lots of qualified people in the class. My son has had so much fun and learned so much. Communication from the school is excellent. Whenever I've had questions or concerns, whomever I've approached (teachers or director) are helpful, open, and serious. My son has gotten every ounce of support, affection, fun and education I could have hoped for, and my standards are high. I can't praise the school enough.