Winchester School

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any recent experience with them? In particular, for the 3 and 4 year old programs. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

DS is in the 3's program now. Do you have any specific questions?

[Anonymous]

OP here. I plan to take a tour, but I'd be interested to hear from a parent on the quality of the curriculum, how much outdoor time they get, how much diversity there is among the students and the staff. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Also, how long has the staff been there? Do they have a high or low turnover?

[Anonymous]

Bump. I'm also interested in any responses to this post.

[Anonymous]

I have a 3 year old there and I love it. They focus a lot on reading and writing--the 3 year olds learn to their names, numbers, letters, etc. For social studies, they learn about holidays, other countries, and historical figures. They have Spanish lessons. They do addition and subtraction, and learn to read clocks and calendars. I'm pleased with her development.

They go on a lot of field trips, and the school is interactive with parents. The parents are interactive with each other, as well. Lots of birthday parties and a nice social atmosphere with the other parents.

It's probably more strict and disciplined than other schools, but not in a way that bothers the kids. My daughter loves it and speaks fondly of her teachers. They get plenty of outdoor time. They have a nice playground. Their summer school has water play almost every day.

The staff and student populations are fairly diverse. There's a balance of boys and girls, and it's a racially and ethnically diverse student population (black, asian, white, hispanic are well represented). The teachers are all female, and a good portion are foreign born (Asian, European). There is low turnover on the staff. It's a very family-like environment.

[Anonymous]

Another current parent, and I couldn't agree more with 20:29. In addition to all of that, the school is geared to families with 2 working parents, so it's open 7:30-6 and the fee includes before and aftercare.

Also, they don't ask for a lot in terms of parent volunteering and fundraising. They ask parents to chaperone field trips, and they do a book fair, and that's pretty much it, although parents are welcome to come and help out and also to talk to the kids about topics that might not ordinarily be covered (what country they are from, for instance).

Finally, in the before and after-care groups, they mix the kids from different classes, so all of the kids know all of the other ones, and by about the second week of school, they also seem to know all of the other kids' parents as well. It's just a lovely environment, and my kids have learned so much there.

[Anonymous]

Bump

I would love to hear more about this school. We're looking at it for our preschooler. My main concern is whether it is too academic focused. I'm more of the mind that our three year old should be playing pretend and running outside with friends than learning to read, so am concerned it might not be the best fit for us (though like it for other reasons.)

[Anonymous]

Current Winchester parent here. I don't know anyone who has not been happy with the school. As with all private school parents, many parents make significant sacrifices to have their children in this school. It is academically focused, but there is plenty of outside playtime and other breaks throughout the day. The thing that struck me about your post is that really, I don't see Winchester as much different in focus than any other preschool I visited or the preschool that another of my kids attended. What I see as different is the class size and the level of individual instruction that is given. If you are looking for a play based school, it is probably not for you.

[Anonymous]

I toured and while I have a Neighbor that used it and liked it alot I thought it was too academic focused and not play based enough.

[Anonymous]

^ pp here. OP most people currently at a school will say they are happy. You want views from more than only current parents in deciding.

[Anonymous]

Former parent here (older kid aged out, younger switched to make drop-offs doable). I really cannot say enough good things about my kids' experiences at Winchester, and my experience as a parent. I thought it was a nice mix of learning and play - every classroom has toys, and every class involved both learning time and free play. In addition, there is a long recess, and a lot of outdoor and indoor free play time at aftercare.

My kids both learned to read in the 3 year old room, not because they drill reading, but they do learn phonics. Letter sounds, letter combinations, that sort of thing. I don't know that it is the best method ever, but it did work for my kids. In the 3 year old room, the "academic" part of the day is 9-12, and that includes playtime, outdoor time, snack time...the rest of the day is lunch, recess, nap, and then aftercare.

I've read these boards long enough to know that this is not necessarily the environment for everyone. Both of my kids still talk very fondly of their time at Winchester, and if it went past 2nd grade, I am about 95% sure they would still be there.