Some of you may recall my last request enquiring about Thunderbirds & Purple Moose preschools. Well, I have eliminated Thunderbirds due to some feedback & lack thereof. As far as Purple Moose the curriculum sounds great...I am just not to impressed with the look/cleanliness/organization. What do others think about this?
Also, I toured the Sonshine Christian Preschool (located inside St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church)...does anyone have any feedback on this school? It looks very neat & organized with a lovely fenced in play area. Does not look to big and overwhelming. The director, Lisa, seems very caring to the children and actually teaches the 4yr olds with another teacher.
Please let me know any feedback ASAP...as I desperately need to make a decision quickly.
Thank so much!
C.
My son went to Purple Moose for the 2 year old and 3 year old programs and we loved it. We had to switch when he turned 4 because he needed speech therapy and was accepted into the school districts program. We have our 2 year old daughter signed up to start in the fall. Good luck.
My daughter attended Purple Moose last year in the 3 year old class and my husband and I were not impressed at all(she is attending a different preschool this year). My older daughter went to a great preschool(in another state) so that was our comparison, but Purple Moose just seemed like a glorified daycare to us. We felt like the program was not as structured as they had told us it would be and we saw evidence of this when we helped out in the class. Also, the room that my daughter was in had another class going at the same time so it was chaotic in there. At dropoff and pickup time there was never any consistency and the people that would take her out and put her back in the car usually didn't know her and a handful of times the wrong child would be sent to our car. Also, you had talked about writing letters and names and I don't know about the other kids but my daughter learned that at home. The teachers were nice and the director Tawny is very accessible when you need something but we just felt that the program was not strong or structured enough. It is definitely a matter of opinion and some people will tell you they had a great experience, so just ask a lot of questions and visit the school(although when you do visit the schools they will give you lots of attention and of course be at their best that day to get you to sign up). I would just pay attention to the little things and go with your gut instinct. Good luck!
Hi C.! I have Alex enrolled in Purple Moose 2's program and I must say that although I have not been impressed with the administrative staff thus far, I am excited and have heard nothing but great things about the school. I visited the school twice, one for 2 year class and one for 3 year class and it was great. Administratively I think the school is terrible. I have been talking to them a ton the last few weeks because they have messed up so many things. I'd swear this is their first year doing this, as they even messed up the class timeline schedule and multiple papers say different things about the same thing (ex: pay first month's tuition by Aug. 1 and one paper says that is applied toward Sept. tuition, and another says it is applied towards May tuition). So, tons of admin mistakes, but the director is always very nice in dealing with. I called Thunderbird and talked to the director and asked her what they do for discipline. She told me they do time outs. Then I asked her what they would do if my son didn't want to sit in circle time (I'd had him at many classes and he would never sit for it), then she told me that she would ask me to have him evaluated for ADHD as that is probably what is wrong with him as all kids love circle time. I was in total shock that she said that. I told her that I do not feel that kids at age 3 could be diagnosed with ADHD, and she told me that I am not familiar with kids like she is and that they can indeed have ADHD at age 3. So, that was all I needed to hear to not put my son in that school. It's a shame, but I have heard great things about Thunderbird from others. Good luck!
C.,
I am not familiar with Thunderbird or Purple Moose. However, my son who will be in kindergarten this year, went to Bethany Preschool last year. It was wonderful. The teachers are very good with the children and the class sizes are small. It is very organized and all the other moms who I met were very nice. They have a 2 year old, 3 year old, and 4-5 year old class. My son went in the afternoon class three days a week. The teachers, Ms. Marcia and Ms. Bridget are older women who have a lot of experience. If you would like more info please feel free to email me via mamasource. Good Luck!
My son went to Purple Moose for (2) years! We loved how the classes were small (10-12kids) and all the kids socialized together. It was a great environment in preparing him for Kindergarten. (Socially & academically). The teachers are incredible! Ms. Tani is the Director ~ ###-###-####). If you are interested in enrolling your daughter, I would reccommend giving her a call. :)
Hi C.,
I didn't go to either but about 5 moms in my moms group have used both schools listed. I have heard great reviews about Purple Moose.
C.
