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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]That doesn't sound normal to me.

Did you see their daily schedules?  Unless that time frame was some kind of free play, it shouldn't be that crazy. And even then.[/quote]

[b]Yes, daily schedule was provided.  From 3:30-5:30 was free play inside.  5:30-6:30 the kids all gathered in the cafeteria to consolidate.  Morning was more structured.[/b]

[quote=Anonymous]24 kids in a room with 3 adults? WTF?

Our kid is in a DC center. 8 kids and 3 adults.  Seems relatively under control considering they're little impulsive snot boxes.  [/quote]

[quote=Anonymous]24 kids in a room with 3 adults? WTF?

Our kid is in a DC center. 8 kids and 3 adults.  Seems relatively under control considering they're little impulsive snot boxes.

[/quote]

I thought the ratio seemed really high too.  Glad it's not just me.

[quote=Anonymous]1:8 is an odd ratio - how old were the kids?

Chaos to a certain extent, esp at free play.  But not noise or running around - I would expect the teachers to keep a lid on that.

We waited until my son was 3.5 to move him from his in-home in part because he doesn't do great with large crowds and noises, and no regrets.  He transitioned well to the center, but the extra year (of his age) was great to help with that.  [/quote]

[b]Kids in the room "have turned 2 by September 30th".  So they'll all be between 2-3.  I think maybe that's the route we'll end up going.  That would give us a whole lot more options too, as so many places start at 3.[/b]

[quote=Anonymous]End of day is usually the loudest. Kids are up from naps, parents are coming in picking kids up, if it's too hot to go outside the kids (energy charged from naps) are inside playing. Sound can also be amplified by tile floors and the type of walls they have. [/quote]

Yeah, as a teacher my 7th period is always 10x louder than my 1st period.  End of day is hard!  I just think it's potentially too much for my kiddo to handle at this point, being an only child who craves quiet, and having experience in a small home setting where he gets so much attention.  I'm not sure I'm ready to trade attention for structure yet.[/quote]

Center director here - no, no, no! Do not go to this center!  24 kids with 3 teachers when all are 2 years old is CRAZY.  There will be biting, pushing, screaming, and omigod, no don't do this to your introverted, shy, slow to warm up child.

No, having them "all consolidate in one room" means the ratio will also be CRAZY at the end of the day when kids need it be calmest.  And why aren't they outside from 3:30 to 5:30pm?  Oh, no playground.  OK, run.  Find another center.  Where do you live, we'll give you great ideas for other schools.  If you are looking in DC, near Dupont Circle, look at School for Friends. I wouldn't choose a center that didn't have it's own playground unless you really, really had to.  It's so very important for our children to be outside every single day (barring heat index too high, smog too high, or it being just too freezing) and best if it's twice a day.

Honestly, each of the classrooms in our center are not crazy at 3:30pm.  Yes, it's a time when a transition is happening - kids have just gotten off cots and gone/going to the bathroom, getting ready or finishing snack, and lots of little voices can be loud. But CRAZY?  No, and when you stay for a little bit, you should start to see that there is rhyme and reason to what the kids are doing (finishing snack, cleaning up, washing hands, going and making a choice if staying inside for a bit or going to the bathroom and getting ready to go outside would be what you'd see at 3:30pm in each classroom - plus or minus a few minutes).  Really, a preschool classroom shouldn't ever be CRAZY - yes, it will be louder because children don't have an "indoor voice" meter so when they get excited, they talk.  But they also shouldn't just be screaming - so there are times when it is relatively quiet.  I directed a center with infants and toddler rooms and, no, the infant rooms are not "crazy" either - yes, babies cry and are attended to, yes a few cry at the same time, but the teachers quietly and calmly work to meet each child's needs and get good at settling two at once, attending to two at once, etc.  So although there are  few minutes when a few are crying, if you stay for 5 more minutes, you'll see that things will calm down as the teachers have a method and a plan.

Of course, in improperly run centers, you get chaos, a mess, noise all the time, etc.  Keep searching, you can do better.

Also, that group size and ratio is just too much for 2 year olds.  It's not legal in DC and it's not legal in MD, but I don't know if it's legal in VA.  [/quote]

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