With daily programs in etiquette, dance, movement, piano, art and sports taught in three languages, the Metzger Academy is far from a basic child care facility. The administrator, Maria Metzger, is also the lead teacher and one of three full-time staff who have been working there for the past ten years. Maria opens at 6:30 a.m. and works along with seven other teacher/assistants throughout the day who have been employed there for an average of four years. The ratio of 1:5 teacher/student is maintained throughout the day and each hour, beginning at 7:15 a.m. teachers arrive to deliver the interdisciplinary, multi-cultural curriculum and the number of staff assisting students keeps increasing until nap time at 1:30 p.m. There are no temporary employees. Two other full-time staff members work the afternoon shift, help clean and disinfect the school areas, and stay until the 6:30 p.m. closing.

In order to deliver this kind of complex curriculum, many areas of the academy are utilized. On the main floor, the large kitchen and dining room see lots of action as the children do crafts, games, indoor soccer, dance, movement, yoga and cooking. The living room is the setting for the biyearly performance celebrations featuring all of the children and their instructors. The library contains the piano and is the place that music instruction takes place. There is a bathroom for the children to use on this level as they move through the day and come and go from outside.

In the morning, the children begin their day in the downstairs level with open play. Here they become more comfortable and confident in a familiar setting where they are greeted with loving arms from the teachers. For nap time, snack and indoor play this area is again used. The opening and closing of their day is as calm and undisruptive a transition as possible. This level has a window and a glass door that the children also use to go outside and is about 1790 sq. ft.

Although every procedure is followed to ensure the highest sanitary standards, the children at the Metzger Academy have experienced a high level of illness this past flu season. In any daycare, the kids get sick a lot during the winter months and they pass it from one to the other. According to the Berkeley Parents Network, “This has been a particularly difficult season compared to seasons past.” (parents.berkeley.edu) On the LaborofLove.com website it is stated that “. . . In fact, if your child is in daycare it is not unusual for him to get sick every four to six weeks. . . “ In this regard the Metzger Academy is no different than any other daycare. It is going to happen no matter how many teachers are wiping hands and counting the alphabet with suds on the little ones hands. The upside is that these children develop strong immune systems that serve them well as they continue on their educational journey.

Because the Metzger Academy offers an academically-based program that employs a diverse, high-quality staff, it is listed and rated high. When a child is enrolled, he or she is not allowed to come in and out of the program and not continue to have payment for his or her spot. Drop-ins are not permitted in this type of setting. There is good consistency of instruction and care at this academy. During the core part of the day, the ratios of teacher to student are high and the curriculum is varied and structured, proving integral to the development of a child. The Metzger Academy has a strong record of success, with high retention rates and multiple family members in the program for the full length of 6 months all the way through six years of enrollment. The children are fed well in their hearts, minds and bodies and are nurtured to be as healthy as possible.

Anonymous wrote:The violations really put me off. The house is impressive and is in a nice neighborhood, but I could not get past the violations. I get the sense that most of the teachers are rotating in and out to do the specialized lessons, so it's not consistent caregiving.

While interviewing with the Metzger Academy for my infant child to attend, I brought up the negative reviews. The Academy was more then willing to discuss the post and the events in question. The Academy also provided me with four years of inspection statements illustrating great quality child care, educational programs, supportive staffing, and a well-rounded experience. In sum the inspection statements, including the year the disgruntled parent seems to have attended, shows a wonderful (and clean) atmosphere of children dancing, playing with toys, eating organic home-cooked lunches, and international academics. The reports all state that children and staff interactions were observed to be warm and caring. The understaffing comment also has been inaccurate based on my observation. There is typically a 3:1 ratio (children to staff). The Metzger Academy is where I chose to enroll my infant and I have never regretted the decision.

Metzger Academy was a real home for both my kids. The teachers are devoted to the children and each other. The food was homemade, and a lot of it was organic. It was clean and it was fun. My kids were happy there. I would have hated to have my children sent into different school for the first five years of their lives. I wanted mine to grow up together with a small group of friends to play with. I wanted my children to be understood and loved. They also learned a lot. My kids were about a year ahead of the others when they started school.

My son goes there. He's been there since he was 3 months old (he's two and a half now). I've always found it to be great there. Every six months are so, a binder of things they have been working on gets sent home. We looked at preschools recently and found that when they showed us the curriculum, it was the same things they were already doing at Metzger Academy. They make all the food there and use wholesome ingredients. The owner runs a tight ship, which results in some very well behaved toddlers. The kids play and have fun with each other and with the adults. Sometimes when I go to pick him up, my son tells me he doesn't want to go home!

The violations really put me off. The house is impressive and is in a nice neighborhood, but I could not get past the violations. I get the sense that most of the teachers are rotating in and out to do the specialized lessons, so it's not consistent caregiving.

My neighbor had her little boy there. We would go to Nottaway park and when he saw his friends from Metzger they would speak in Spanish and Chinese. They looked like a tight knit group, and yet were amenable to have a new friend join them. I found these kids to be very well behaved.

I am due to have a baby in February, and I have been looking at home daycare in my neighborhood in Vienna. Metzger Academy, reading their inspector's violations seems to have more teachers than any place I have seen. The program looks interesting. Do the children really learn there? Have I actually found a well rounded program with math, arts, two immersion languages, and sports?
Do any of you have any information about this home day care?