When I first saw this place, I was like oh it's just old school, California earthy. I liked earthy…read morewhen I was young this will be great. Mistake number one on my part.
I am sure this was a great place and idea in the 70s. I don't know the exact history, but it was probably more of a small neighborhood school for the neighborhood when it began. But truth be told, it isn't what it used to be. I don't know maybe it was always like this and nobody expected anything better or thought that they would need to evolve.
We have evolved as parents, teachers and guardians of how to raise a healthy secure child and how to really help them thrive and feel safe in a pre-school/school environment.
There are too many incidents to mention and too many red flags to mention of what my child witnessed and I myself witnessed and other parents witness but I didn't know any better.
Your young child will not be in a physically safe environment in the outside area, there are hiding spots for children of all ages to wreak havoc and harm each other. Despite what you're told, the bigger kids are definitely mixed together with the younger kids without proper supervision and it's basically a free for all. "It's a kids will be kids and boys will be boys environment".
That said, they also have them watch tv if they aren't allowed to nap. Yes they can tell your child they can't nap, there is not room for everyone. The teachers feed them candy without asking your permission and your child will be totally filthy when you get them, unless it's raining, then they have to block the whole dirt/Sand back off because it will be totally muddy with pools of water.
The bathrooms are also a free for all. If your child is potty training, this is not the place you want them. Although the 2 tiny little potties and sinks are cute, they have zero privacy. Children are allowed to open the doors and crawl under the doors while other children are going potty. I saw this more than once and nobody did a thing. Things such as big boys were slamming the doors back and forth bothering a little girl who was going to the bathroom. My kid who was learning said that he didn't want to go at school because the big kids bothered him, so he was terrified.
Maybe they get to eat a proper lunch without being harassed. The children with emotional or behavioral issues are not helped properly and are left to do as they please to the other children if they are not constantly supervised. Even during lunch or snack time. My child literally begged me not to take him to school on several occasions and I just thought he was being a toddler but now I know better. I have also witnessed children climbing the fence begging parents not to leave them. Again, I thought this was normal. It is not.
He and his friends were being bullied and tormented by other older children and he was emotionally stressed, time has passed and he STILL talks about it. When I had to address an issue and asked to discuss it, I was heavily dismissed and ignored.
Security-They leave signs for delivery people on the front latch gate to leave packages in the outdoor hallway. Which means if your child is hanging around alone someone could easily snatch them. Granted it has probably never happened but it's not actually secure. Anyone can walk in through the two old iron school gates and harm the kids if they wanted to.
This place in theory could be great if it were updated, cleaned up, painted, managed and staffed properly and not a total fire hazard.
If you let your child go and he or she thrived, great for you, but if your child showed or shows signs of being abnormally stressed, hopefully they will be able to express that to you and hopefully you listen to them.
My son was sad and stressed after only a short few months and my heart broke. I felt like the worst parent ever for not noticing it wasn't his age but the environment I placed him in.
PROS-great art projects and Ms. Lara
One teacher Ms. Lara was always kind and gentle and basically had to protect some of the children and she knew it, but even she was afraid to have a voice. I felt like she was pretty intelligent and should probably be in a better place herself; but Ms. Frankie, Ms. Cathy and the other teacher(s) were not that smart and I am not even sure if they have degrees in child development, If they do, I am shocked and I didn't ask and that is my fault.
Cons-Everything else
Please do your research, there are much much much better/safer options for your child and you only have to pay as much as this place costs or a few hundred more for a quality education in the area.
