Good for you, OP. It feels good to take a little control rather than allow stuff "happen" to you and your child. Keep us posted. Way to mobilize!

Update: I've emailed the teacher, lead teacher, principal, cluster instructional superintendent, and the chancellor. I've spoken to a former DCPS principal, a school psychologist, and an attorney. I have called a dozen other schools, just in case. I want to believe that we can move forward to a positive solution. But you better believe I'm getting all of my ducks lined up just in case.

Thank you all for your responses. You gave me the backbone to push for a change. Now just to wait and see if we can make that change happen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoa whoa whoa. They put your 3 year old child in the cafeteria ALONE because he had a tantrum? I would be raising holy hell, OP. HOLY. HELL.

+1million. THAT IS NOT OK.

+1

I would storm into the school with the fire of hell. Are you kidding me? You left my kid alone? I would have been in the principals office first thing.

I should reiterate that there's no way to prove that he was truly 'alone'--I'm guessing they will say that cafeteria workers or another teacher was there. However, when I asked my child, he stressed that it was 'just me'.
"Can you tell me what other grownups were in the room?" "Nobody Mommy, my teacher left me."
"Was one of the lunch ladies there with you?"
"No, I sat by myself."
"Were there any other classes still eating?"
"No, just me."

He's 3, but he's capable of describing that.

We're working on it. I'm in touch with a BUNCH of other parents. I hope we're moving fast enough.

Anonymous wrote:Whoa whoa whoa. They put your 3 year old child in the cafeteria ALONE because he had a tantrum? I would be raising holy hell, OP. HOLY. HELL.

+1million. THAT IS NOT OK.

YEAH--The cafeteria alone thing is Fox 5 news investigates type material.
That is insanity.

Whoa whoa whoa. They put your 3 year old child in the cafeteria ALONE because he had a tantrum? I would be raising holy hell, OP. HOLY. HELL.

I"m curious OOP -what preschool was he at before that 3 year old could age out of? All of the DC Preschools we looked at (and daycares for that matter) go up to age 5. Maybe look again?

Another Brookland parent here---People have already given great suggestions--Scrilli; Bridges; Appletree. I would check those out ASAP--Additionally, Christian Family Montessori. Probably way too hard to get into, but an option to look into nonetheless for long term.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in Brookland, I have heard very nice things about the Scrilli School Day Care Center.

I am the poster whose child is at Barnard and we love it. I wanted to say that a dear friend sent her daughter to Scrilli for two years and couldn't say enough great things about it.

My youngest is at the Scrilli school; and he loves it. There are many children with older siblings at charter schools and some with older student's there. I believe they go up to PK and the tuition is very reasonable, 688.00 for the toddler. I believe it is a little less for the preschoolers. There are two field trips a year arranged by the PTA and a lot of Saturday activities for the school community including movie nights. The nuns are very nurturing and there is of course learning activities during the day. There is also outdoor space.

Anonymous wrote:The outpouring of responses here has helped us through a very very difficult time. It has also put me in touch with another mom in the class who is experiencing the exact same problems. Her response chilled me, because it made me realize how many red flags there really are. We're now working together to figure out the best response for our kids.

I'm looking up the Critical Response Team info now. Thank you, all of you, for confirming my fears and giving me the backbone to fix the problem. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

And the last thing my son said to me today--"I don't have any friends at school because I'm bad." He's 3.

OP, I could have written your posts at this time last year. Down to the bullying and injury on the playground. My options were very, very limited due to my budget and schedule and believed the administration when they promised changes. I kick myself every day for leaving my son in that school. We are at a different school this year and the difference is like night and day. We're still working on issues like what I bolded in your post above, but it is getting better. I really, really hope you are able to find a better fit for your son.

If you don't come up with something acceptable after talking to Critical Response Team, try Scrilli or St Ann's. Both are beloved by Brookland parents and often have openings at that age because of the public options.

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually in tears reading your responses. This has been an unbelievably rough time--we're involved parents but we don't helicopter, and I kept thinking that he just needed more time. Your responses are verifying my gut reaction that this might not be just a bad fit--that it might actually be damaging for him.

The hard part is that I did EVERYTHING I could to make sure we found the right fit--visited every program, went again when we got on a list or a close waitlist number, talked to other parents, etc. We worked and talked and prepped our son extensively at home for the transition, and I was hoping that it would be easy, precisely because he was coming from a montessori-method environment already. I was thrilled when we got in here. But this is a different classroom than I observed, with a new teacher, and nothing is clicking.

We live in Brookland, but I'll travel happily to find the place we belong. If you guys have suggestions, I am ALL EARS.

first, you absolutely do NOT know how good a program is or how your child will fit into a program until DC actually starts attending. please don't blame yourself...there is no way to know until you actually try it.

second, i am a little confused - is this new school a Montessori program? if so...i am a former Montessori parent and not all Montessoris are created equal. i would be very hesitant to send my DCs to a Montessori that is not Montessori-accredited or whose teachers/assistants do not have appropriate (and thorough) Montessori training. it is a very particular educational model and, not done right, can leave a child to be, well, left on their own without enough direction. it is especially hard for 3 year olds when they first enter a 3-6 classroom - there are a LOT of children and very few adults. i pulled my own 2.5yo DS from our amazing Montessori school after his toddler program when we moved and put him in a play-based Reggio Emilia style classroom - 1 teacher for every 5 kids - and it is a MUCH better fit for him.

third, always, always trust your instincts. if i ever found out my child was left on their own like yours at a school or heard my child say that they are bad and have no friends OMG i would go ballistic.

OP, what you just posted made me break into tears. I'm so sorry this is happening to your little guy and your family. He's fortunate to have a mom like you. If only every child had such a dedicated advocate. The situation is bad (and not your son!) and you'll solve this and all will be fine. Children are incredibly resilient so don't despair. If this is mainly the result of a failing, inadequate teacher, perhaps you can get him out of that class, but if the teacher's discipline style is supported/tolerated then I fear the problems of systemic and leaving would be your best bet. I'm glad you found a comrade in the class.

The outpouring of responses here has helped us through a very very difficult time. It has also put me in touch with another mom in the class who is experiencing the exact same problems. Her response chilled me, because it made me realize how many red flags there really are. We're now working together to figure out the best response for our kids.

I'm looking up the Critical Response Team info now. Thank you, all of you, for confirming my fears and giving me the backbone to fix the problem. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

And the last thing my son said to me today--"I don't have any friends at school because I'm bad." He's 3.