Let me start this by saying, I am not a person who normally gives reviews unless it is something I feel very strongly about. I struggled with writing this because I do not want to ruffle any feathers, but as a Mother and someone who works in the Educational System, I feel that I would be doing a disservice to not say something regarding Kiddie Academy-Montgomeryville, PA Today, my Three Year Old was “thrown out” of Kiddie Academy of Montgomeryville, PA. Why you ask? That is a wonderful question. The short of it, is that my husband disagreed with the Directors bullying of our child. Here is the long of it: We have had both of our boys at Kiddie Academy. We chose it because it was directly across the street from our home and made the morning commute, a little bit easier. At the time, our oldest, who is now 8, was 5 years old. We put him in the aftercare because our district is ½ day kindergarten and they would bus to and from his school.. There was a teacher in the class who was THE most miserable person, I have ever encountered. She would yell at all the kids and never had a happy word for a single parent who walked in there. I can say this because several of the other parents and myself, have had conversations about her. I was never happier when he began first grade, but was worried because we had another little one who would be eventually be joining her class. We had various discussions with the Directors about this teacher but the fact is, it is hard to find a certified teacher who will teach kindergarten at a daycare and accept the minimal wage, rather than in a district. Therefore, our kids were stuck with her, whether we liked it or not, unless we wanted to remove our kids from the school. My 8 year old, STILL talks about how mean this teacher was. Eventually, it was time for our littlest to start school. He was about a year and a half old when he began. I had witnessed teachers spending their time talking to one another, with their backs turned, while my son climbed on top of the table. I have seen teachers scream at little ones. I have seen them pay more attention for their cell phones, than the children. When he was moved to the twos, I was finally excited. His teacher, Doreen, was an absolute treasure. She was kind and so caring to the children. She really got to know them and their personalities. It was nice to see some consistency because the teachers were there and gone, before you could get to know them. When our youngest was around 3, he moved up. We had another teacher who was very sweet, but she was having some medical issues and was not there all the time. Something that is completely understandable and out of her control. Having various teachers in the classrooms, is difficult for children to understand. 3 is a critical age and when they don’t know who to turn to or who to listen to, it can present a problem. Around that time is when our son, along with the rest of the kids, became, what we like to call, “threenagers.” Some of them were removed from the room for 10 minutes or so,for throwing fits, at various times, including our son. That is where we really became bothered, but summer was coming up and as educators, we would have the summers off and time at home with our kids. Enter this year, he was moved into the 3 ½’s, essentially. They no longer do naps and I walked into the room on many occasions to see this kids sitting and watching an ipad with Peppa Pig on, which is definitely not in the curriculum. Peppa Pig does not demonstrate positive behavior, as it is. The teacher was very sweet, but, what the Director told us, is that she is also very inexperienced. Just what a parent wants to hear. In this class, apparently, our son began to act out. Throw little tantrums etc. He is truly extremely intelligent. I have stated several times that he is not being challenged enough in that class. The teacher told me that he would get upset when he wasn’t able to answer all the questions in class, because he knew them all. One time, I was told by her that she thinks he is too smart for the class, and in the same breath that he was throwing fits that “disrupt the class” and that isn’t fair to the other kids, and that we should take him to see a Doctor. Let me be VERY clear, no preschool worker, especially one who does not have their education or special education degree, has the right to say that to you. In the school system, if a regular teacher even suggested that to a parent, they would be reprimanded to the high heavens and could potentially be out of a job. That teacher is not longer at the school, due to personal circumstances. So, here we are again with shifts in the staff for the kids. Dwight, the director, and Nikki, the Assistant Director, pulled me into the office the one day and told me that they need to come up with a plan because having him walk with them, prevents them from doing the things that they have to do. I told them that I felt as though they were focusing solely on our child and making him out to be a problem child, and that I was not ok with that. Today my husband and I received an email, not a phone call, an email, about our son and the things he “apparently” did. Now, I am the first to ask our kids what they did and discipline them. I am under no false pretense that children do not do things wrong. However, this email was absolutely ridiculous. Saying a multitude of things that our THREE year old allegedly did. Things that he has never once displayed. If he has done something and I ask, he fully admits what happens and explains why he got upset. This time, my husband asked him in front of the Director, if he did these things. The kid had NO IDEA what he was talking about. The email also stated that they have a depletion of staff and, essentially, cannot spend their time with our son if he is upset and that while tantrums are normal, the frequency is not. While speaking with the Director, my husband got very upset because it has, for some time now, seemed like they were picking out or son and trying to make a case to get him to leave the school. I would like to reiterate this, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him, other than the fact that he is intelligent. He doesn’t have an emotional disability. He doesn’t have a learning disability. He is just a normal little boy, being judged by Directors who truly do not have the background to be speaking on such things, we know this because he has stated MANY times, that he does not have an Educational Background or Degree. So, because my husband disagreed with the Director, he told him that my son was not welcome back on Monday. If anyone has any questions, I would be more than happy to send them the emails we have received, displaying the nature of “tattle tailing” and berating a 3 year old. I have forwarded these emails to my coworkers at my district and my husbands district and they cannot believe the nature of what is in them and the way parents are spoken to. Aside from this, the learning program is an absolute joke. The things that are listed on the website, are not, at all, what is done. How they have a Keystone Star, is beyond me. I know the criteria and they do not meet the standards. Their food choices are appalling. Ritz crackers for breakfast? Absolutely not. There are many schools that adhere to the healthy food standards, and this school, does not. Once upon a time, there was Spanish Class. I have not heard my son mention in, in AT LEAST a month. I cannot tell you how many teachers have quit over the past few months. The turnover rate is unlike any I have ever seen in a daycare. Because of that, teachers are out of compliance with the ratios mandated by the state. I have walked into/past classes on several occasions where the two’s were 8 to 1 when they should be 6, or the 3’s were over, rather than 10 to 1. Unfortunately, they do not have certified teachers with 3 year olds. I understand how hard that can be, but the age really does require someone with a degree. It’s such a transitional age for children. Not a deal breaker, but rather a general observation. “Well you could have just found another daycare.” Yes, we could have. However, we are in the process of looking for a new house and did not want to disrupt our youngest, just to be moved again in a few months. Honestly, we were hoping that it would get better and that the issues would resolve themselves, however, they have only gotten worse. I am absolutely beside myself at the way we have been treated and that they threw out a 3 year old CHILD. In the long run, it will be for the best, because he is out of there, but in the short term, it is going to be very difficult. It is going to require days off from our jobs, to find the next place for our son. Doing ultimately the thing that we were hoping to avoid.
I disagree with this poorly written review entirely. I've had 2 children through Kiddie Academy of Horsham and currently have my 3rd enrolled.
5-stars as far as I'm concerned.
I will admit the in-service days are inconvenient. The people are great and always professional.
I can't take a review that has major grammar and punctuation errors seriously.