We were so excited when the Goddard School opened in our community! There aren't that many centers in this area, and we were unhappy with the staff and facilities of the centers we had tried. Several centers seemed chaotic and disorganized, had staff that weren't trained and didn't promote developmental activities, or had poor communication. Maybe we have high expectations, but we wanted competent staff that were involved with our son beyond his basic needs, and a center that provided a nurturing environment for growth. Especially since the cost of daycare is so high in this area, we expected to have better quality childcare.

The staff at Goddard is very caring, engaging, helpful, professional, and competent. The owner, Tracy, is great to work with and truly cares about making the center a great place for the children. The director, Mary Sue, is very caring and involved with the teachers and children in all of the classrooms. It was evident that our son's teachers, Erin, Vera, Tara, and Farrukh, were competent and caring staff who focus on the children's well being.

Our son was far from being a model citizen - he had bad separation anxiety, cried a lot, and refused his bottles and naps at daycare. All of the staff, not just the immediate teachers, assisted with transitioning our son to the new environment, and they were open to trying anything and everything to make him comfortable and happy. The communication we received from them was thorough and frequent and we felt well informed of any issues on a daily basis.

In addition to the staff being great, the learning program is designed with daily curriculums and our son is engaged in fun activities throughout the day. Overall our son is happier and more engaged at Goddard, and as parents we feel more comfortable knowing that he is being cared for by caring and competent staff.

olney days 5/17-5/18

Anonymous wrote:I spoke to the owner of the new Goddard in Olney and she said that they would like to open by late fall/early winter. She said they are going to have a table at Olney Days. If you go to the Goodard website and search for Olney the info to email or call her is up there. I sent and email and she followed up with a phone call, which was nice. Obviously she doesn't have a ton of information, since the buidling is not even built yet, but it is nice to know that they are trying to get the word out and let people know they will be coming soon! Our DD will be 3 by the time it opens, and we are very excited about it.

Ooooh thanks for posting this! Do you know when the Olney Days event takes place?

I spoke to the owner of the new Goddard in Olney and she said that they would like to open by late fall/early winter. She said they are going to have a table at Olney Days. If you go to the Goodard website and search for Olney the info to email or call her is up there. I sent and email and she followed up with a phone call, which was nice. Obviously she doesn't have a ton of information, since the buidling is not even built yet, but it is nice to know that they are trying to get the word out and let people know they will be coming soon! Our DD will be 3 by the time it opens, and we are very excited about it.

Bump. I am also interested.

Anonymous wrote:I've heard that there will be a Goddard SChool opening in Olney in the next year or so which makes me happy-we loved our time at the Goddard School in Gaithersburg. My DD now goes to Norbeck Montessori (she is 27.5 months) and we really love it.

Anyone have any more information about the Goddard School that is planned in Olney?

Anonymous wrote:I've heard that there will be a Goddard SChool opening in Olney in the next year or so which makes me happy-we loved our time at the Goddard School in Gaithersburg. My DD now goes to Norbeck Montessori (she is 27.5 months) and we really love it.

oy vey
the months thing again

She's two years old!! Say it!

TWO
YEARS
OLD

I've heard that there will be a Goddard SChool opening in Olney in the next year or so which makes me happy-we loved our time at the Goddard School in Gaithersburg. My DD now goes to Norbeck Montessori (she is 27.5 months) and we really love it.

8:28 again:

We also toured Children in the Shoe (they'd just opened): seemed very well run, clean and organized. Decent outdoor space. Fair amount of teacher turnover, but hte director seemed friendly and approachable. More expensive than Chesterbrook, and more of an 'instiutional' feeling (vs. a warm family feeling at chesterbrook). I think we would have been happy at either place, but fell in love wiht the 2's teacher at the other (who is still there 3.5 years later!)

I did this search a few years ago -

Kindercare - did not like it. Found it to be VERY dirty, chaotic and not well organized

Chesterbrook academy - liked it, found it to be warm and friendly, a lot of PT kids which benefits my FT kids by reducing class sizes. Seemingly solid "curriculum" and structure. Good outdoor space and field trips. Fair amount of teacher turnover, can be chaotic when the big kids are there after school, director isn't warm and inviting,

Brook Grove - very small with only 2 rooms. Loved that there were 2 main teachers in each & no evidence of turn over. Didnt like the grouping of ages, young 2s through older 3s in one room.


We ended up at Chesterbrook Academy, and have been happy there. There's so few options in Olney, good luck!!

What age group are interested in (infants, toddlers, twos, etc). Also, are you limited to Olney? There are daycares/preschools near Olney - near Georgia and Connecticut Avenues if you are traveling south for work, for instance.

I checked out the Kindercare and wasn't impressed. I thought it seemed run-down, disorganized, and chaotic. The rooms aren't really separated by more than a waist-high wall, so it gets really loud (and we were there at the end of the day when it wasn't even at full capacity- undersood that kids are loud, but this was insane!). We also looked at Chesterbrook and really liked it. The staff was very friendly, the facility was clean and organized, kids art projects up on the wall, lots of interaction between the kids and teachers. Seemed like a very well run program. We plan to check out the program at Brooke Grove Children's Center on Old Baltimore as well. We were referred by a neighbor and they have wonderful things to say about it.

Have you seen Children in the Shoe? I have had my kids at one of their Bethesda centers for years - it has been fantastic and I know they have one in Olney.

bump

Can anyone give me feedback on the following schools:

Olney Kindercare
Olney Children's Center (Chesterbrook Academy)
Brook Grove Children's Center

I have toured the first two facilities and was pleased but like to hear from others.