During our son's first year, the experience was great. The staff was very stable, and he learned a lot. He often came home and told us of the things he learned and really enjoyed going to school. We felt that, even though the school was more expensive than others for his age range, the value was great.
During the last half year, this was not the case. The staff turn over was unbelievably high. Nearly every morning teacher left. Afternoon teacher turnover happened almost bi-weekly. No teachers were Montessori trained. On multiple occasions, I witnessed the "new" teachers in the afternoons yelling at the children, unable to control them. I also witnessed the children eating foods that I do no think are acceptable given the price--pickles and saltines for snack, leftover hotdogs for lunch, etc. Often things that didn't match the posted menu. My son cried every morning that he didn't want to go back. He came home with scrapes, bruises and cuts for which we received no explanation. I honestly felt very uneasy leaving him in the care of people who appeared totally untrained and overwhelmed. Not to mention the cost--none of which went towards finding the most qualified staff. Which is completely unacceptable. My son also came home regularly extremely dirty, with shoes on the wrong feet and having not wiped himself after going to the bathroom. While I value independence, to leave three or four year old children to totally manage themselves with no one apparently paying enough attention to even show them how to put their shoes on their feet or wipe themselves is horrible, in my opinion. I was more than disappointed in my experience in the last few months. But, like many working parents, without another immediate option, I did what I had to do.
That said, I hope that the school can really invest in the right things--the staff. I think that would change a lot. (Plus, honestly, at 760 a month for a three year old, find it in the budget to buy supplies and pizzas so I don't have to bring in extra money constantly. It's annoying)
