DCJCC

[Anonymous]

Any recent feedback on the DCJCC? I've seen some mixed reviews/feedback from several years ago when there was a different director, but nothing recent. Any details to share?

[Anonymous]

Really? So many opinions about everything in the world on this forum and no one who sends their kids to the JCC?

[Anonymous]

This is very belated but perhaps someone else that searches will benefit.
DCJCC preschool has sadly gone down hill. It recently reorganized and with that has come inexperienced and unqualified teachers. Not to mention it's just a glorified daycare and in no way a preschool. The kids learn nothing. It's a shame as the facilities offered are wonderful, but that's irrelevant when children aren't getting the support and attention needed.

[Anonymous]

I wanted to bump this back up and see if anyone has any further recent experience on the DCJCC preschool. We're considering sending our daughter there in September (in 2.5 classroom) and would like to hear reflections from parents who have kids there currently. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We have had our daughter at the DCJCC for the last three years and it's been a magical, supportive school from start to finish. She has learned so much - nurtured in socio-emotional development, exposed to different traditions and cultures, all sorts of pre-lit and pre-math skills, amazing creative outlets in art and music and yoga. She learned to swim all on her own, has made wonderful friendships, and has loved all of her teachers. They've always welcomed conversations with us about how she is doing, and have provided us with creative parenting ideas - being a great partner to us in this journey.

[Anonymous]

We've loved having our son in the 2.5s class this past year. Will be enrolling him again in September 2016 in the 3s classroom. Love his teachers (one male, one female) and LITERALLY every adult we pass in the hallways knows him by name. So pleased to have landed at the DCJCC and looking forward to staying in the family for the next year.

[Anonymous]

Why is there such horrific staff turnover? Every year multiple teachers leave in the middle of the year.

[Anonymous]

DC JCC is horrible. My child attended for 2 years and I regret it immensely. Understaffed, inexperienced, dirty and incompetent. They have lost children a number of times. Their lead teachers don't have education degrees or backgrounds. The bathrooms are full of dirty diapers and dirty toilet paper. The classrooms are unkept with a/c or heater broken every other week. In two years, our child's teachers changed 5 times because of turnover. We are now elsewhere and have a happier (and cleaner) kid!

[Anonymous]

bumping this back up again. Any recent / current feedback?

[Anonymous]

I'm curious, too. DC is currently in a daycare where he could stay another year before PK3. Or... we could do a year at DCJCC, assuming that it is a "better" curriculum than the daycare.

So is DCJCC really a pre school?

[Anonymous]

If you're considering DCJCC as a preschool, I'd recommend that you also consider School for Friends http://schoolforfriends.org, which is on the other side of Dupont Circle, at 22nd and Q. It's a Reggio-Emilia-influenced Quaker program (although most families aren't Quaker themselves) that emphasizes the values of cooperation, equality, and nonviolence, and helps lets kids develop by playing, thinking independently, and problem-solving. A bonus is that they seem to have a knack for picking likeminded families, and we've made lifelong friends that we still see, years after our kids were last in school together. And my older kid and his friends have gone on to private, public, and charter schools, and they're all thriving.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering DCJCC as a preschool, I'd recommend that you also consider School for Friends http://schoolforfriends.org, which is on the other side of Dupont Circle, at 22nd and Q. It's a Reggio-Emilia-influenced Quaker program (although most families aren't Quaker themselves) that emphasizes the values of cooperation, equality, and nonviolence, and helps lets kids develop by playing, thinking independently, and problem-solving. A bonus is that they seem to have a knack for picking likeminded families, and we've made lifelong friends that we still see, years after our kids were last in school together. And my older kid and his friends have gone on to private, public, and charter schools, and they're all thriving.

Good luck!

PP again. Between my two kids, we've experienced some of the most highly regarded day cares in the area. While we loved the care they provided for the first couple of years, a "preschool" curriculum at a day care just isn't the same as an actual preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is there such horrific staff turnover? Every year multiple teachers leave in the middle of the year.

Former employee here. The staff turnover ultimately has to do with money, but moreso has to do with poor management. The preschool makes the DCJCC more money than any other program in the center, so naturally the executives/CEO want to expand the preschool, so they can enroll more children, so they can make more money. What then happened was that auxiliary rooms in the center were turned into classrooms, when they really shouldn't have been classrooms (some of these classrooms have no bathroom or sink - both necessities in a preschool class). This has led to stress amongst teachers. A few years ago there was a staffing crisis because once one teacher left, the school was understaffed, which led to increased stress on other teachers, having to cover aftercare and losing planning time, which decreased the quality of education in the classes. Combine that with the fact that some teachers felt guilty for calling out sick, because it would screw over the entire staff it somebody did so. The domino effect resulted in four or five teachers saying screw it and leaving, which made things really bad for everyone who was still there. Then, the management wouldn't address the obvious issue of being severely understaffed (and hardly hired any new teachers, unclear as to why), but would still hold staff meetings about how to teach in the Reggio style - this basically just frustrated the staff, because everyone knew that Reggio at this point was less of a priority than fixing the fact that the environment was unsafe for kids. (That being said, teachers wouldn't be pissed if they were paid more.)

A school is only as good as its teachers, and there have been a lot of good teachers at the DCJCC. That's why you see polarized responses in this thread. I did my best to make all my classes there loving and healthy, even though I saw the place going up in flames around me. And I got some great feedback from parents and management. I also worked with some shitty teachers there who needed to be fired, but the school couldn't afford to lose staff, so they wouldn't. I think that has changed, as I heard some teachers were fired recently. I love the school and I want it to do well, but the management are in over their heads and they really need support. Stay in contact with teachers and management, ask them how you can support, and show them you are on their side.

[Anonymous]

Current pre k 3 family here. We are happy with JCC preschool. Warm, loving, nurturing environment. The pre school director and my child’s teachers have been very responsive. I don’t know what class pp child was in but my child’s class room is clean and this includes the bathroom. There is a lot of focus on gross motor and art. We like it - our 3 yr old has plenty of time to sit in a classroom and have information drilled into him. I encourage the op to contact the school and speak with current families if you are interested rather than rely on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Bump. New facilities seem amazing but I am concerned about teacher workload and management. Have those issues been resolved? When we took a tour we were told that they put a lot of effort into supporting teachers and avoiding burnout - a good sign given some comments above. However this translates to more costs for families(eg a separate bill for aftercare starting at 415) and closing for 2 weeks in August (which means parents need extra coverage) in addition to Jewish holidays and Christmas week.