Bender JCC in Rockville

[Anonymous]

Thoughts on the Bender JCC for a 2 yr old?

[Anonymous]

I sent my 2 year old there a few years ago. She loved one of her teachers, and it was all age appropriate and fine. There is a new director so I will tell you about the things I disliked that are unlikely to have changed.

The school is very large. The playground is only licensed for a certain number of kids at a time so each room has a precise 30 minute window. There is no “it’s a beautiful day, let’s stay out longer”, because other classes will be coming out. Pre-COVID, the afternoon outside time could be at 5pm. Also, because it’s so large, the director was not accessible. All of this made me realize that I prefer daycares with less than 100 kids.

At any daycare/preschool:
If you care about outside time, ask how long they spend outside.
Ask about teacher turnover.
Ask about how they handle subs and floating teachers. These may not be happening at all right now with COVID, but look for a place with consistent floaters.