Our experience with Creative Beginnings and its director, Johna, was extremely disappointing and…read moredistressing.
We enrolled our 2-year-old son for his first preschool experience after clearly explaining in advance that he is a slow-to-warm-up child and may need time to adjust. Before enrollment, we were reassured that this was normal, that children often cry at the beginning, and that the school had experience helping toddlers transition. Based on those assurances, we trusted this preschool with our child.
Unfortunately, the reality was completely different.
On the third day, our son had what appeared to be a very positive drop-off. He recognized the school, walked in on his own, and separated without crying. Less than an hour later, we were called and told he was "not ready for school," and we were asked to pick him up. We were then told he should probably not come back. His belongings had already been packed, which made it clear that they had already decided to remove him rather than give him a fair adjustment period.
We found this deeply unreasonable. He is only 2 years old, and many toddlers need time, patience, and support to adjust to a new environment. Instead of offering a gradual transition plan, reassurance, or professional guidance, the response was abrupt dismissal and labeling. Our child was described in a way that suggested his behavior was outside normal expectations, even though he has regular pediatric visits and has never been diagnosed with any behavioral or developmental abnormality.
What made this even worse was how cold and inconsistent the communication felt. Before enrollment, everything was positive and reassuring. Once he started, the tone changed completely. Rather than support, we were met with negativity, impatience, and a clear lack of willingness to work with a toddler who needed a slower transition.
At pickup, our son appeared unusually distressed and fearful, much more than we had seen before. He was alone in a classroom with the director, with no other children present, crying intensely. When we asked for clarification about what had happened and whether there were cameras to review the situation, we were told there were no cameras inside the preschool. That left us with serious concerns and no transparency.
In addition to all of this, we were also alarmed by the drop-off and pick-up safety around the school. We observed unsafe traffic conditions and no clear child safety signage or controlled traffic measures in the immediate area, which is unacceptable for a preschool where very young children are arriving and leaving with their families.
Overall, this was a very painful experience for our family. Our son deserved patience, safety, and a chance to adjust. Instead, he was judged quickly, dismissed early, and left us with serious concerns about the professionalism, judgment, and support provided by this preschool.
We would not recommend Creative Beginnings to families with young children who may need a warm, gradual transition into preschool, and we strongly encourage parents to ask detailed questions about how adjustment difficulties are actually handled before trusting this place with their child.
