Any FDA WOW Discovery Preschool Program parents here?

[Anonymous]

soon to be FDA employee again here: I will definitely drop by unannounced as soon as I am on the campus and before we have to make a decision, in addition to going on a scheduled tour.

The issue about the coats really concerns me. I know that daycare centers have rules about taking kids out unless it is below a certain temperature, and that they will take the whole group out even if a parent has forgotten a child's outdoor clothing. But that wasn't the case here -- the kids obviously had their coats at the center, so how could they have gone outside without them on?

My DD also currently counts to 10 in English, Spanish and one other language -- I'm worried that if we send her here her skills would regress instead of progress!

[Anonymous]

The coats thing is kind of crazy-- our day care is the opposite-- they are fanatic about coats to the point that it could be 50 degrees outside and the kids are bundled up in whatever the parents dropped them off in (hats, gloves, etc).

How could they not have coats?

[Anonymous]

To be clear, I didn't check ALL of the children on the playground with / without coats- I was specifically looking at my own child. Another PP mentioned her child had very cold hands when she picked her child up.
This morning the Discovery Preschool teacher said she told them the younger ones weren't supposed to be outside that late and were supposed to be in the multipurpose room.

[Anonymous]

Have you spoken to the director about the curriculum concerns? The director should be able to communicate to you the exact curriculum over the course of the year. I would not expect the new ermployees to have memorized the exact curriculum for the year.

As far as the coat issue is concerns, my daughter has had her coat on when outside because I noticed new stains on the coat last week and had to wash that particular coat. I sent her to school with a different coat for the past two days and that one had mud on it when I picked her up yesterday.

Th

[Anonymous]

I have asked both directors about the curriculum and neither has given me an answer. The curriculum is not the only thing I've asked about and not gotten a straightforward answer.

[Anonymous]

I believe there is a parent board being organized at the center. It sounds like they should call a meeting. The chair was at the Open House and passed out a flyer--ask the director about the flyer.

Overall, I have been pleased with the center and I know there will a few growing pains. It is important that the parents address these concerns in a constructive manner.

I am still on the waitlist at several centers for the fall that have established curriculums but truthfully, I have heard of similar complaints with those centers too.

[Anonymous]

From what I understand, the parent board is expected to foster relations between parents and the teachers/classroom. It is specifically not a grievance board. Parents are still expected to discuss any problems or disputes with the Director. I decided not to join the board for that reason.

What use is a board if all one focuses on is the positive? If improvements or changes are needed, there should be a board of parents that is autonomous and has the power to negotiate with CCLC to express the parents' concerns and hopefully effect change. I might have no idea that a particular issue in my classroom is also an issue in another, so such a board would facilitate cooperation across classes.

[Anonymous]

soon to be FDA employee again. WOW, as part of the CCLC, is supposed to be following this curriculum:

http://www.cclc.com/parents/curriculum

They say that it "was developed with the vision of "guiding" children of all ages through the learning process rather than "showing" them how to learn."

http://www.cclc.com/sites/default/files/CCLC%20Tour%20Kit%20Inserts%20Early%20Foundations-1.pdf

The discovery preschool page specifically says:

"Our program offers daily opportunities for children to count, recognize numbers and shapes, and experiment with volume and measurement."

They are also aiming to be NAEYC accredited:

"We have also incorporated the criterion developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the country's premier standard for quality in early childhood education. Almost 70% of our centers are already accredited by NAEYC and our goal is 100% accreditation."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have asked both directors about the curriculum and neither has given me an answer. The curriculum is not the only thing I've asked about and not gotten a straightforward answer.

The center advertised that it would use the Early Foundations toddler program. Did they not mention that when you spoke with them? I'd like a copy of the curriculum.

As to what another poster mentioned: yes, I've had the experience in another center where they were not specific about the actual curriculum, so this is not unique to WOW (though unacceptable in any circumstance).

[Anonymous]

I am not understanding why the child did not have a coat on? Did you ask the teachers? What was their response?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have asked both directors about the curriculum and neither has given me an answer. The curriculum is not the only thing I've asked about and not gotten a straightforward answer.

The center advertised that it would use the Early Foundations toddler program. Did they not mention that when you spoke with them? I'd like a copy of the curriculum.

As to what another poster mentioned: yes, I've had the experience in another center where they were not specific about the actual curriculum, so this is not unique to WOW (though unacceptable in any circumstance).

They mentioned that they used the early foundations but did not give me any more details when I said I wanted to hear more specifics about it. This was via email so I'm not sure what would have happened if I asked them in person.

I am disappointed though that they will not be learning numbers-that makes no sense to me and does make me question the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They mentioned that they used the early foundations but did not give me any more details when I said I wanted to hear more specifics about it. This was via email so I'm not sure what would have happened if I asked them in person.

I am disappointed though that they will not be learning numbers-that makes no sense to me and does make me question the curriculum.

So they told you they have a curriculum, but that it doesn't include numbers? I find that hard to believe. You may want to check with the director and ask specifically about numbers (if thats what your major concern is). I find it very hard to believe that a curriculum for early childhood wouldn't include some math/numbers component. I'm almost certain that you will find they are "learning numbers". I'm guessing its not worksheets that they do at a center like this though. What are your expectations for them learning numbers?

[Anonymous]

To 14:08... The person who is posting about speaking to the directors is a different poster than the person who was told they will "not teach numbers unless specifically asked by parents".
That being said, I don't think any parent here is ridiculous enough to want their two year old doing worksheets. However, what is not ridiculous is wanting your child exposed to numbers, clocks, calendars, and quantities identified by numeric values. This exposure is part of many preschool & early development programs. The fact that the teachers nor the directors have the same response is telling.

[Anonymous]

I am not the same person who stated on here they were told, "we won't be doing numbers unless parent specifically ask us to." That was someone else on here who also was told pretty much the same thing by a teacher in another classroom.

Before the center had opened I had asked questions about the curriculum but only heard about using the early foundations program, no specifics. I tried to read as much as I could about that program from CCLC's website and what I read sounded good to me. I asked about the curriculum the night of the open house but didn't get specifics. I noted on my needs and services sheet that I wanted to know more about the curriculum, again, not much response even though at the needs and services meeting I did ask what type of things they will be learning. I don't expect my child to be doing worksheets on any topic, obviously, but I do expect my child to be in a preschool environment that is going to set them up for kindergarten and traditional school. The fact that their curriculum does not include learning about numbers is definitely a concern I have and I think it's pretty valid. I'm personally surprised another parent of a preschooler would question why that is a concern. DC already knows numbers-I certainly don't want their education to move backwards.

[Anonymous]

I think the person is actually questioning whether or not this is accurate, not whether its good or bad to be learning math. I found this on the CCLC website

http://www.cclc.com/sites/default/files/CCLC%20Tour%20Kit%20Inserts%20Early%20Foundations-1.pdf

I looked at it for about a minute when I found on page 6 under Cognitive Development
"Cognitive Development
Our program offers daily opportunities for children to count, recognize numbers and shapes, and experiment with volume and measurement. Inclusion in daily routines and imaginative playtime gives your child the opportunity to further develop skills in numbers and operation, mathematics, and measurement."