Goddard School of Ashland VA

Since my son started with The Goddard School – Ashland, I have been continuously impressed and overwhelmed with the quality of care, nurturance and instruction he has received. The teachers selected for these classrooms are nothing less than excellent and I take great comfort that my 3-year-old (and now his 6 month old brother) are safe and growing while I have to be away. While some of this success can be attributed to the national Goddard program oversight, when talking with parents of children in other Goddard schools throughout the region, none of them boast with pride and enthusiasm the way I brag about this program. I believe this is because the Goddard school in Ashland is more a reflection of the owner (Mr. Dave Hajek and his wife, Ms. Laurel), the assistant directors and the passionate classroom teachers that take the mission of the school far beyond the “high quality, play-based learning” that the franchise advisory board promotes and manages. I LOVE this school!!! And I am continuously sharing this message with all my friends and colleagues.

If there could be any downsides to the program, the one practice that has always had me slightly uneasy, however, is that the children tend to change (get promoted through) classrooms so frequently. We seem to just get comfortable and adjusted, then my 3-year-old (and now 6-month-old) are moved to another room with new teachers and expectations. I suppose part of my reluctance to embrace this practice is because I have been enjoying all the phases of his (their) growth so far and it is hard to believe they are growing so fast and won’t be my little boys for long. Yet, each time I somewhat dread these transitions, I have found that I am BLOWN AWAY by the high quality, creative and compassionate teachers that I meet in the next room – so my fears/hesitancy are/is completely unfounded. And these past 6 months have represented the best example of this trend so far!

Our latest teacher in the pre-preschool room (Mr. Derrick) has been PHENOMENAL – I hope if you chose this school you will have an opportunity to experience what an amazing teacher he is! Like I said above, the teaching staff is EXCELLENT – every one of them I have met so far – but Mr. Derrick far EXCEEDS this rating – he is EXCEPTIONAL! I don’t have the time or room to detail all the ways he has helped my 3-year-old these past 6 months but I assure you his growth, maturity, confidence and acumen have flourished in leaps and bounds! Mr. Derrick relates so well to these children and I am amazed at how engaged his pre-preschoolers are with him when he is leading activities or overseeing daily routines. Having met all the academic milestones for his classroom aside (which is nice but not a goal I had for my son), I am ecstatic my pre-preschooler LOVES LEARNING and eagerly shares with me daily the things he does in class (“Mama, Mr. Derrick said [this], Mr. Derrick said [that!,] “No, no, Mama, it goes like this!”, and, especially when we read together, “Mama, Let’s look at the words!,” etc.). That, and a safe, nurturing and confidence-building environment while I work, are my PRIMARY GOALS for my children. Additionally, Mr. Derrick is always giving me helpful hints and encouragement of strategies I can use to help my preschooler at home – as a clinical psychologist myself, I am very aware of the developmental psychology literature on best practices with children, however application of those practices for me has been more challenging. Mr. Derrick does this seemingly effortlessly and I reach out to him frequently for advice. I also appreciate how he has been helpful in creatively accommodating my 3-year-old’s physical challenges without making him feel singled out or uncomfortable (for example, some aspects of potty training have been more challenging for him but Mr. Derrick always had great suggestions to help him achieve smaller, more attainable goals and helping him experience the pride that goes along with mastering these tasks). I can sense he cares so deeply for these children and takes his role as an educator/nurturer VERY SERIOUSLY (as do all the staff). We will greatly miss our time in Mr. Derrick’s room, although if history continues to repeat itself, I am sure the next classroom will be just as extraordinary and I now find myself eager to embrace the next classroom change transition(s). I am so grateful that I found this program and that my children continue to flourish and thrive in ways I could never have envisioned when I initially selected this school. I have been nothing but completely satisfied with the unique and personalized guidance the owner, assistant directors and staff have provided in creating what I feel is THE BEST early childhood development program in the Richmond, if not the nation. I absolutely recommend visiting the school and securing your spot on the waiting list today!

~Forever appreciative, Jennifer E. Wartella, PhD, LCP