Early Steps preschool in Arlington, VA - quality curriculum?
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Anonymous
| Hi there. A friend mentioned that she was considering sending her child to Early Steps. She mentioned that the preschool offered computer classes for kids as young as two. We were thinking about sending our daughter there but are concerned about a program that believes that age two is an appropriate age for computers (they play "games"). To us, this is not a hallmark of a quality curriculum (frankly, I'd rather kids spend time rolling around in dirt than playing on the computer). Any opinions on this? Are we being overly cautious? |
Anonymous
|
The computer class is like 30 minutes a week. I think it's great. I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't want their kid to become familiar with a computer early.
As for "games", that's how kids learn.... |
Anonymous
Give me a break. 2 year olds do not need classes on the computer. Actually I will go further. They should not have classes on a computer. Children need social interaction with people not screens. OP, you can and should find a center for your child that is developmentally appropriate. I hope you have luck in finding the right place. |
Anonymous
Ouch. First off, I don't think that they even have the class fully implemented, when I toured the school last week there were like three computers in there (each room has about 10 kids). Second off, its a great school, I was really impressed and I've been to a significant number of full day preschool in Arlington county. The outdoor play area seemed kind of small, but they had a very large gym inside for the kids to play at, and it was really insane how the children really understood Spanish (the two year olds were talking in full sentences in Spanish, that's really crazy). It was the only preschool I toured that had a phonics class, which seemed a little advanced, but other than that the curriculum seemed pretty academic (though much less play based than some other places). The big thing is the bilingual curriculum, that's the only reason I think you would send your child there (you want them to be able to speak another language at a young age). |
Anonymous
| Our child has been at Early Steps for 1 1/2 years and we are very pleased. It is a structured curriculum where the students are motivated to learn. The children have a lot of play time, and our child's social skills have dramatically improved. When we attend other children and family events, he is polite and respectful to other children, shares and has a great time interacting. The teachers at Early Steps are caring and the environment is very warm. As for the computer class, it is only 30 minutes a week and provides a bit of computer literacy to the children and helps build vocabulary, etc. It is very limited (again 30 minutes a week) so as to not emphasize it over other play and learning activities. We could not be more thrilled with the school and we toured many facilities before making the decision to enroll him here. Hope this information helps so you can make the right decision for your child and family! |
Anonymous
| What is the tuition for Early Steps, full time? Thank you! |
Anonymous
| NP here -- also curious about tuition fees for Early Steps. Thanks! |