I write this review to spare other families from having the experience
we had with this school. A week into our move to Westport, our son
started at Saugatuck Nursery and the experience was so upsetting that I felt compelled to share this review.
Considering we are in the middle of a global pandemic, which resulted in
us having to leave our community of over 15 years and our son's
school of 2 years, with no access to immediate family or other
children to socialize with (all while both of us worked full time), you
would think any person, especially educators would be more
compassionate and equipped to help a child transition into a new school
and community after months of relative isolation.
At SNS, the expectations was for my child to immediately adjust. After 2 days of attendance (~8 hours of observation)
we were taken aside and told their were troubling signs about our son and presented with a laundry list of negative criticism. We were honestly taken aback by the speed with which they rushed to judgement as well as the manner in which they delivered the feedback. The
feedback over the subsequent two weeks was not provided in a professional
or solution-based way; it was curt, critical and complaining in tone.
I would never provide feedback to a professional
colleague, let alone to a 3 year old in the way they communicated and
delivered feedback. The staff were short, condescending and quick to
point out if any mistakes were made either by us at drop offs (the way families stand in line and sign in) or by
our child. The school does not seem equipped or experienced to handle
any situation or child that does not immediately conform to their rigid
mold which speaks to their lack of positive, solution-based
teaching. When they perceived he was having a hard time acclimating (again - within a week)
rather than offer advice or a transition plan, they criticized him for
not immediately adopting to the new routine and told us that they had asked children to help correct our son when he did something they deemed wrong, as if they were pitting the rest of the class against him (we had never heard of such an approach!). Even tiny details
from the way he painted to his interest in Star Wars were diagnosed as troublesome behaviors.
In our experience with our previous school, feedback was always given in
a professional, solution-based manner and in a way that supported the
child and family. When we asked if we could unenroll if it was not a
good fit, we were told verbatim "that he would have the same problem
wherever we go" as if after two weeks they had determined that our child was destined to have problems forever. Of course, this was not a professional or helpful, nor was it consistent with any feedback we had ever received from our son's original school (which he attended for 2 years) prior to the pandemic.
After two weeks, we pulled him and enrolled in a new school - A Child's Place - and wow - what a difference! The school has been amazing and welcoming. We are so happy to find a more professional, positive, and supportive
environment and our son is thriving, learning and growing each day. The teachers and staff are friendly and communicative. Their teaching philosophy and education approach are much more contemporary and up-to-date. SNS may have 30 years of business experience but they need to catch up on current childhood education and also revisit their school culture. Their lack of empathy and rush-to-judgement of a small child
in the middle of a global pandemic was shockingly tone-deaf. I would not
recommend this school at all. read more
