We entrusted Primrose School of Exeter with our two children because we believed in the Primrose reputation and its promise of a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment. Unfortunately, by the time we left, our experience was very different.
Over our time there, we observed significant turnover among both leadership and classroom teachers. When we first enrolled, the school had several experienced, engaged leaders and teachers who seemed genuinely invested in the children. Over time, much of that consistency disappeared.
This became especially concerning with our four-year-old son. We hired a behavioral interventionist at our own expense to work collaboratively with Primrose and develop strategies to support him during constant teacher turnover. After a relatively stable period, his teachers were replaced, and we saw a significant increase in behavioral challenges again, which only were observed at the school. Our interventionist proactively offered to train the new teachers on his behavioral support plan to maintain consistency. The Director declined the offer, stating that reviewing his plan would be "too overwhelming" for the new teachers while they were acclimating to the classroom.
We later became aware of serious concerns regarding our son's treatment at the school that ultimately caused us to withdraw him immediately. We have reported those concerns to Primrose Corporate and the NH Child Care Licensing Unit for independent review.
Unfortunately, our experience did not end with his withdrawal. The owner insisted that we owed an additional 30 days of tuition despite the circumstances surrounding our son's immediate removal. Approximately one month after his withdrawal, Primrose charged approximately $2,000 to our bank account. We did not authorize that withdrawal and dispute both the charge and their assertion that this additional tuition was owed. Prospective families should be aware of the school's position regarding its 30-day withdrawal policy, even after they themselves stated they could not provide a safe environment for my child, and understand how their payment information may be used following withdrawal.
We also frequently found our younger daughter moved among different classrooms without communication. There were occasions when we had to go from classroom to classroom simply to locate her at pickup. We were disappointed by the amount of staff turnover and what we felt was an overreliance on scripted, iPad-based curriculum rather than meaningful teacher-child interaction, particularly given the premium tuition.
There ARE individual teachers at Primrose who are wonderful, compassionate people, and we will always be grateful for the teachers who genuinely loved and supported our children. Unfortunately, good individual teachers cannot compensate for broader concerns with leadership, staffing stability, communication, and consistency of care.
Every parent deserves to feel confident that their child is safe, supported, and treated with dignity. By the end of our experience at Primrose School of Exeter, we no longer had that confidence. read more
