This is slightly off-topic, but, would anyone know what the approximate wait time is for a spot in the infants class these days? I'm considering St Albans as an option, TIA.

Anonymous wrote:Our son is in the 2s class and having a wonderful experience. If I had known about DCUM and read this thread before we began we probably would not have registered at SAECC and we really would have been missing out!!

Again, this is someone who works for the school or is not being truthful. You can take a look for yourself. Speak to the teacher here there in a tour and you’ll get an immediate impression. The teachers are not long term and quality of programming is lacking.

Our son is in the 2s class and having a wonderful experience. If I had known about DCUM and read this thread before we began we probably would not have registered at SAECC and we really would have been missing out!!

Child was in a PK3 classroom here and very happy with it - well organized and nurturing teachers.

There's not so much turnover now however there are a lot of unprofessional teachers and aides there.

We had a mediocre experience with SAECC during the one year we joined with our 2 year old after the COVID closures (2021-2022).

Lots of the regular caregivers/lead instructors leave for the summer and they backfill with teenage replacements for the "summer camp." A number of families at the center have summer homes, so they also leave for the summer and don't experience the summer care givers.

We found the summer folks to be really inexperienced. There were a number of times when we picked up our kid and it was clear his diaper was not changed for a long time. Our kid also started displaying some social-emotional issues and the summer folks were useless at helping us identify or address (we were first time parents...we didn't know what's "normal"!)

Our child improved greatly once we got him into our local PK3 at DCPS and was starting to see specialists. They pretty quickly got him an extensive IEP. Had we stayed with SAECC I think we would've floundered a lot.

The issues with turnover is affecting daycares all over the region, so that's not unique to SAECC.

I sent my two kids to St Albans from 2016-2022. The admin staff is sometimes disorganized and I thought as a school they were a bit too conservative when it came to COVID (wouldn't let parents back in the building after many other daycares in the area were allowing it). But we thought our kids received incredible care and were very loved. We still use four of the staff members (that still work there!) for babysitting.

Anonymous wrote:Tons of turnover? This is not the case. Teachers and administrators have been apart of the SAECC community for many years. The only time when new staff came to the center was during the pandemic since many people tried their best to manage their lives. Our experience has been favorable-where both of my children love their teachers and friends. I strongly suggest visiting the program.

Yes! Tons of turnover. The people writing that there had not been tons of turnover must either work for St Albans or willing to lie. They have had half their staff turnover in the last year and a half. The quality of the replacements lack qualifications and the only reason they were able to replace them was because of the Early Childhood equity grant which will end next year. The program is daycare and not preschool. Take a tour! You will see how poor the programming is.

Tons of turnover? This is not the case. Teachers and administrators have been apart of the SAECC community for many years. The only time when new staff came to the center was during the pandemic since many people tried their best to manage their lives. Our experience has been favorable-where both of my children love their teachers and friends. I strongly suggest visiting the program.

Weighted aprons/vests are commonly used for kids receiving OT services in schools, however I’ve yet to see one at SAECC! Certainly wouldn’t be concerned if I saw one using that tool. We’ve been at the school for almost a year now and have been thrilled. Our child is thriving and has a loving, trusting relationship with his two teachers. There’s a little paranoia with cold symptoms it seems, but I’m guess that’s post covid life in preschools. Continuing on next year at the center was a no brainer for us.

It appears the previous 2 posters have some sort of grudge, but as a parent of kids that has been there since infancy, (and friends with many other similar parents) it's been a wonderful community and I'm already dreading next year when we will have to leave. The person who stressed a lot for turnover is just incorrect, there was turnover during the prime of the pandemic, but that was true in most all childcare settings around the city/nation. My kids have shared many teachers who have been there for years and are amazing humans. I have never seen nor heard of a weighted apron, so that is not a thing to be concerned (although I love a weighted blanket so it does sound nice to me!)
The teacher pay equity will be a problem for all DC childcare providers and everyone should call / email complaints to this budget cut! It would be devastating for ALL early Ed in DC. This is not specific to st A's

In short, it's a good school, it's in a great location, they have 2 playgrounds and a gym for bad weather which is really nice. I am not coming here to say it's the absolute perfect unicorn place ever, you cannot please everyone, but they really care and try and have kind hearted teachers/admin.

I just remember we toured it. They kept talking about how they use weighted aprons to calm kids down. I imagined our 3-4 year old kid spending days in that weighted apron. We chose a different place that somehow managed to keep things calm and managed without an apron. This was a long time ago, so maybe things changed now. I just still remember the gleam in the eyes of the woman singing praises to the apron.

Tons of turnover and the programming is lacking and it’s an only going to get worse. DC is no longer finding the grant to pay teachers more so they will be coming back to MD. I would stay far away. Find another accredited preschool.

Hello,
We’re considering enrolling our two year old at St. Albans Early Childhood Center. We’re wondering if anyone has experience with St. Albans they can share.
Thank you!