Head of School at National Child Research Center (NCRC) - Arrest warrant issued

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

+1. When a big public incident like this happens, people start asking more questions. And if I as a prospective parent got answers like the ones referred to in the newspaper article, I would not send my kids there.

I say this as an ex-NCRC parent who is so saddened by what has happened to the school, on several levels.

[Anonymous]

I understand the concerns being raised, and I think moments like this—when an institution is being closely examined—can actually serve as an opportunity for meaningful reflection and growth. When leadership or a school’s “brand” is under scrutiny, it provides a chance to take a step back, assess whether current practices and values align with the mission, and make necessary improvements. Rather than being the beginning of a downward spiral, these moments can be the catalyst for positive change, strengthening the institution in the long run.

Additionally, it’s worth considering that many schools, especially those with long histories, go through periods of transition and challenge. How a school chooses to respond—whether by thoughtfully addressing concerns, reaffirming its values, or making adjustments—determines its trajectory. Some of the strongest institutions are the ones that embrace these moments as turning points for renewal and progress.

Lastly, it’s understandable that people have different perspectives on the value and cost of an independent school education, but it’s always surprising to see so much concern over the cost of a school that some individuals don’t want or intend to send their own children to. Every family makes choices based on what aligns with their priorities, and for many, the strengths of a school go beyond a single moment of controversy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand the concerns being raised, and I think moments like this—when an institution is being closely examined—can actually serve as an opportunity for meaningful reflection and growth. When leadership or a school’s “brand” is under scrutiny, it provides a chance to take a step back, assess whether current practices and values align with the mission, and make necessary improvements. Rather than being the beginning of a downward spiral, these moments can be the catalyst for positive change, strengthening the institution in the long run.

Additionally, it’s worth considering that many schools, especially those with long histories, go through periods of transition and challenge. How a school chooses to respond—whether by thoughtfully addressing concerns, reaffirming its values, or making adjustments—determines its trajectory. Some of the strongest institutions are the ones that embrace these moments as turning points for renewal and progress.

Lastly, it’s understandable that people have different perspectives on the value and cost of an independent school education, but it’s always surprising to see so much concern over the cost of a school that some individuals don’t want or intend to send their own children to. Every family makes choices based on what aligns with their priorities, and for many, the strengths of a school go beyond a single moment of controversy.

I would recommend parents not to pay 40k for a mediocre child care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand the concerns being raised, and I think moments like this—when an institution is being closely examined—can actually serve as an opportunity for meaningful reflection and growth. When leadership or a school’s “brand” is under scrutiny, it provides a chance to take a step back, assess whether current practices and values align with the mission, and make necessary improvements. Rather than being the beginning of a downward spiral, these moments can be the catalyst for positive change, strengthening the institution in the long run.

Additionally, it’s worth considering that many schools, especially those with long histories, go through periods of transition and challenge. How a school chooses to respond—whether by thoughtfully addressing concerns, reaffirming its values, or making adjustments—determines its trajectory. Some of the strongest institutions are the ones that embrace these moments as turning points for renewal and progress.

Lastly, it’s understandable that people have different perspectives on the value and cost of an independent school education, but it’s always surprising to see so much concern over the cost of a school that some individuals don’t want or intend to send their own children to. Every family makes choices based on what aligns with their priorities, and for many, the strengths of a school go beyond a single moment of controversy.

Yes to this response! It is unclear why the previous poster is so invested in going on at length at the supposed demise of NCRC. Clearly you have no idea what you are talking about or maybe you are from a competitor school looking to revive this thread for no real reason. That article is pure fiction and everyone at ncrc just rolled their eyes because it is so far beyond reality. It is a wonderful school!

[Anonymous]

We have to find another corrupt child care that feeds into sidwell. The one without pedophile is now 60k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand the concerns being raised, and I think moments like this—when an institution is being closely examined—can actually serve as an opportunity for meaningful reflection and growth. When leadership or a school’s “brand” is under scrutiny, it provides a chance to take a step back, assess whether current practices and values align with the mission, and make necessary improvements. Rather than being the beginning of a downward spiral, these moments can be the catalyst for positive change, strengthening the institution in the long run.

Additionally, it’s worth considering that many schools, especially those with long histories, go through periods of transition and challenge. How a school chooses to respond—whether by thoughtfully addressing concerns, reaffirming its values, or making adjustments—determines its trajectory. Some of the strongest institutions are the ones that embrace these moments as turning points for renewal and progress.

Lastly, it’s understandable that people have different perspectives on the value and cost of an independent school education, but it’s always surprising to see so much concern over the cost of a school that some individuals don’t want or intend to send their own children to. Every family makes choices based on what aligns with their priorities, and for many, the strengths of a school go beyond a single moment of controversy.

Yes to this response! It is unclear why the previous poster is so invested in going on at length at the supposed demise of NCRC. Clearly you have no idea what you are talking about or maybe you are from a competitor school looking to revive this thread for no real reason. That article is pure fiction and everyone at ncrc just rolled their eyes because it is so far beyond reality. It is a wonderful school!

Amazed you are pushing this narrative of “nothing to see here” /“business as usual”/“all the other prospective parents are so chill about this”. This is about as scary as it can get - and human nature is not to run towards this for their young children! Hoping for the best for ncrc and most importantly all young kids, but all logical reasoning suggests this event will lead to serious enrollment and teacher retention and recruitment challenges. If what you say is even true that “parents are rolling their eyes at this” (given the severity of what happened) then I would think those parents are adopting a strategy of “let’s keep silent until we get that recommendation letter”. Wonder if the graduating year parents’ eyes stop rolling after they get their next school acceptances next week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

Super rational to pay 40k….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

Super rational to pay 40k….

Can you stop trolling? You clearly have never had a kid at NCRC. Some people value education and their kids above all and end up choosing NCRC because it’s best at what it does. Pk at BVR and Sidwell is more expensive than NCRC since you are so fixated on the money and the program at NCRC is far superior. I speak from experience after multiple kids at NCRC and one of the other 2 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

Super rational to pay 40k….

Can you stop trolling? You clearly have never had a kid at NCRC. Some people value education and their kids above all and end up choosing NCRC because it’s best at what it does. Pk at BVR and Sidwell is more expensive than NCRC since you are so fixated on the money and the program at NCRC is far superior. I speak from experience after multiple kids at NCRC and one of the other 2 schools.

I only see some pedophile value education.

The only reason NCRC cab charge 40k is because it has connection with elite schools. You can look at any single budget of high quality childcares , and there is nothing to justify those prices…. Except connections to elite schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

Super rational to pay 40k….

Can you stop trolling? You clearly have never had a kid at NCRC. Some people value education and their kids above all and end up choosing NCRC because it’s best at what it does. Pk at BVR and Sidwell is more expensive than NCRC since you are so fixated on the money and the program at NCRC is far superior. I speak from experience after multiple kids at NCRC and one of the other 2 schools.

It is also cheaper than Harvard, and it doesn’t make it a good deal.

I am not exactly sure why you say it’s trolling when I mention that a childcare that hires pedohiles and charges 40k is not a good deal. Maybe I am missing something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And one more “ NCRC parents didn’t just allow but paid for school officials to violate boundaries and delegitimize their role as parents. Designated as mere “grown-ups,” parents and the critical role they play as caregivers and protectors were downgraded in the eyes of their own children. The school didn’t just distance children from their parents but from religious and cultural traditions as well. This is a common tactic for those grooming children for sexual abuse. Signs of grooming for sexual abuse can be subtle and may vary, but common indicators include isolation, gradual crossing of boundaries, and trust building.”

This is an insane leap. Grownups is used because there are children in the school who may not have a mom or dad or who may be being raised by a relative. It is an easy way to ensure children don’t feel excluded. It is thoughtful and intentional.

Yep! And many kids are dropped off or picked up or both by nannies, so grown ups encompasses those people too.

I’m also pretty sure I got Mother’s Day cards from my kids from school there, FWIW. And Halloween isn’t celebrated at school because some little kids get skittish about costumes, but the Saturday family Pumpkin Party is one of the highlights of the year.

Like most DC private school parents, NCRC is certainly liberal, but this article is painting a picture that was not my experience.

— former NCRC parent

If they were there within the last 10 - 12 years, your NCRC child did not make a Mothers Day card. My youngest was there at the time they did away with celebrating this holiday. I had a conversation with the then-HOS about it, and she bluntly told me that there was a board member (maybe 2?) who were "opposed" to celebrating Mothers Day; therefore, it was gone.

The kids did celebrate Thanksgiving at that time, and it was lovely. They had a full "Thanksgiving Feast" and talked about the various foods. So sad that this kind of thing has been replaced with.... who knows what.

I had kids (3) at NCRC in the last 3 years and the only holiday I wish was celebrated was Halloween. My kids were always sad when they could not wear costumes, etc. but the school gave children other excuses to dress up. There was “favorite book character day” “pajama day” etc. it is a very very happy school where my kids thrived. We had amazing and very experienced teachers and specialists. Also, kids did not find it strange to have e a drag queen reading a book (I personally did think it was too much). Based on other parents experiences at other “top” preschools (LF, Aidan Montessori to mention 2), I am not sure there are other equivalent preschools in DC. JC was a little weird (maybe… but not in a predator kind of way. I thought maybe he was gay given some of his mannerism), but he was never alone with children

Talk about drinking the kool-ade....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

Super rational to pay 40k….

Can you stop trolling? You clearly have never had a kid at NCRC. Some people value education and their kids above all and end up choosing NCRC because it’s best at what it does. Pk at BVR and Sidwell is more expensive than NCRC since you are so fixated on the money and the program at NCRC is far superior. I speak from experience after multiple kids at NCRC and one of the other 2 schools.

It is also cheaper than Harvard, and it doesn’t make it a good deal.

I am not exactly sure why you say it’s trolling when I mention that a childcare that hires pedohiles and charges 40k is not a good deal. Maybe I am missing something.

Have you ever had a kid at NCRC? If not, you have no idea what you are talking about. It is most definitely NOT childcare. They did not knowingly hire a pedophile. It’s not like it was as mentioned on his CV.

You are clearly trolling and having fun behind your screen saying nonsense

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Anonymous wrote:I personally don’t understand who the new parent would be sending their kid there as a 2-year old. I mean you’re choosing presumably between ncrc and 5-7 other preschools. How does anyone decide to go there given what happened (and presumably prospective parents factor in some odds that this part of a broader toxic culture). The school only has three year groups, so it would shock be if it doesn’t end up needing to downsize (if it were a K-12 the incoming year group would be a much smaller proportion of the whole school, so you could weather the storm). Plus I would guess morale among teachers gets severely impacted - and in general teacher turnover everywhere is already high (even without an event like this). So presumably you end up with parents who don’t get into other preschools, and eventually with teachers who can’t get jobs elsewhere. Speaking theoretically here - perhaps there are elements I am missing that make it different in practice.

They have a full time Occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist which no other preschool has. I went to a playground event with prospective and current families and the vibe was very happy and that of a tight knit community. All the teachers at the play session were really lovely and happy. There are a lot of reasons to choose ncrc. They have been around for almost 100 years. One bad person doesn’t change the depth of their knowledge about early childhood development. BVR is still around. NCRC will be too.

What I am saying is that this stuff can be a rapid downward spiral. There is a big shift that could happen - many prospective parents and many existing teachers who have options could go elsewhere - so a downward shift in teacher quality and declines in new enrollment. Simply because there are so many other good school options in the area.
If a restaurant has a salmonella outbreak, people avoid it for a while (they don’t look at the 100 year history) - it is human nature to run from perceived danger. Sure, some people still go - but they are super hungry, and couldn’t get a reservation elsewhere. The problem in this case is that the new prospective intake is one third of the entire school. If there were no other good preschools it would be different, but there are. And I doubt most people go there because there is an OT (most OT’s at preschools diagnose but then you still have to pay for an external OT to actually help).
As for “one bad person”….. bad leadership in any organization has so many knock on effects (quality of recruitment, culture, etc.). The reality is brands decline and reputations wither - and my worry if I were a prospective parent would be that this is the beginning of a major decline that could sadly be a self fulfilling cycle.

The decision to stay at NCRC is the rational one. The ones that stay are the rational people. The pedophile is gone. The school is being watched closely for anything and everything. Other schools are right now much more dangerous than NCRC. The families that leave are the irrational ones… not the ones with other options. NCRC is probably the best preschool in DC.

Super rational to pay 40k….

Can you stop trolling? You clearly have never had a kid at NCRC. Some people value education and their kids above all and end up choosing NCRC because it’s best at what it does. Pk at BVR and Sidwell is more expensive than NCRC since you are so fixated on the money and the program at NCRC is far superior. I speak from experience after multiple kids at NCRC and one of the other 2 schools.

It is also cheaper than Harvard, and it doesn’t make it a good deal.

I am not exactly sure why you say it’s trolling when I mention that a childcare that hires pedohiles and charges 40k is not a good deal. Maybe I am missing something.

Have you ever had a kid at NCRC? If not, you have no idea what you are talking about. It is most definitely NOT childcare. They did not knowingly hire a pedophile. It’s not like it was as mentioned on his CV.

You are clearly trolling and having fun behind your screen saying nonsense

Does sidwell or maret used to give preference to kids from NCRC ? Yes. Is 40k a ridiculous price for childcare ? Yes.
Is it acceptable to have a pedophile, not a regular teacher, but specifically the head of school ? No. Can I have an opinion of a corrupt system based on connections ? Maybe not in North Korea, but definetely yes in the US.