We transferred our son to Quarry Lane when he was 2.5 years old from a different nearby school where we experienced frustration reaching the teachers / administration, even in situations where he would come home with an injury. He was also complaining that his teachers were "hitting" him, which we can't really verify, but it was clear that he was not thriving at the previous school. As two working parents, ease of communication with the school was a top priority, so we decided to enroll our son in Quarry Lane after a friend's recommendation, and we are so glad we did.
Do you ever wonder what your child is doing in class? I didn't, as I was given daily reports on what the class was doing, homework, as well as pictures on most days. Need fast communication? An email to the school was all that was required, and they always responded within the day. Worried about your kid's food allergies? Not us - this is a nut-free school and the teachers communicated party days where egg-containing products might be eaten, so we could provide an alternate snack. Check-in / check-out is automated and timely. There were emails summarizing the activities and calendar for the month. Really, they made things as easy as possible for the parents.
Our son thrived at this school over the last 3 years. Looking back, the teachers really employed age-appropriate methods when engaging with the students. Fantastic Foxes (2 year olds) teacher was very sweet and nurturing. Teachers for 3/4s were disciplined in their approach, teaching kids how to follow rules and regulate their emotions. I am especially impressed with his last teachers (Wonderful Whales), who have transformed my son from a kid who had ZERO interest in learning to one who LOVES to show off what he knows and is excited to learn new things. During his time at Quarry Lane, our son has changed from the kid who could not even look at other kids due to his shyness to one who has 6 best friends in class, and all the kids appear to be lovely kids from loving families. This last point baffles and delights my husband and I because we are both introverts and were awkward in school. At first I was worried that Quarry Lane was too "academic" because I would have preferred a play-based preschool for my son, but in the end, I have no doubt that he benefited from this school academically, socially, and emotionally. Given all the things we worried about with him 3 years ago, having the confidence that he is well-prepared for kindergarten / elementary is absolutely priceless.
What is this school not? This school is not a daycare, nor is it an individualized, play-based or montessori-like environment. There are schedules and routines and straight up classical learning. There is a very defined regimented aspect to the school that some parents may not like. Given our dual-working family's particular needs and our son's social / food / academic challenges, we really needed Quarry Lane's approach to education, and the outcomes speak for themselves. We our strongly considering enrolling our daughter in the school when she turns 2 - our only hesitation being that Quarry Lane is farther away from us now that we moved. read more