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| - We moved to Phoenix in March of 2012 and did a lot of research into pre-schools for our 2 1/2 year old daughter. This was going to be a big change for her, and at this time, change was not her friend. Lots of crying spells and clinging to Mom and Dad.
We moved from another city where our daughter attended a prestigous pre-school and we were looking for something similar in the Scottsdale/North Phoenix area. Granted, we were accustomed to the "fancy schmancy," newly built pre-school our daughter had previously attended in our home city (I.e. professionally decorated facility including a fireplace in the lobby, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, cafeteria fashioned to look like a French bistro, ballet and gymnastics room, enrichment programs in multiple languages, computers, etc.). Our daughter had attended this school since she was 1 year old, and it was all she knew. We researched all the pre-schools in the area and limited our tours to the following locations: Sunrise Preschool, Phoenix Children's Academy, Camelback Desert School, Little Sunshines, Scottsdale Child Care & Learning Center, Scottsdale Academy.
When we pulled up outside of this converted home in the middle of a residential area I thought, "What the heck is this??" Before I even got out of the car, I had ruled them out in my mind. But we had an appointment and so we went in! Jose, the school's Director took us on a tour. You know when you meet someone and you can just tell that they are a good egg? That's how we felt about Jose. And my daughter wasn't afraid of him. She was the most calm and the most happy while touring this school than any other.
Jose took us through each of the classrooms and what struck me most was how happy the kids were and how engaged the teachers were in each classroom. (I even caught on to this as Jose was in the midst of telling us that they aren't licensed for a full kitchen, so I'd have to pack my daughter's lunch each day with things that could only be heated in the microwave for 15 seconds or less. What? No gourmet chef preparing holistic meals?? How would we survive??)
But I was impressed that each teacher took the time to greet us and it wasn't a "show." We had not been to any other school that had small class sizes like this. My daughter only has 8 children in her class and 1 teacher. It has allowed her to really get to know the kids in her class and to form a special bond with the teachers. And vice versa. There truly is more of a family-centered atmosphere at this school, which in part, is due to the small class sizes.
When we toured my daughter's class, Ms. Jennifer, interacted with her and the other kids seemed to be having fun playing with Play-doh. The kids were happy. It wasn't a mad-house with kids running all over the place. Ms. Jennifer runs a tight ship and I like that. She's firm when needed, but very kind. What peaked my interest is when Jose told us Ms. Jennifer had been there since the school opened 7 years prior. Now that is impressive. So many schools have a lot of teacher turn-over, so that really spoke to us.
When we went outside, they had the most beautiful playground! They do water play in the summer and they also run a summer camp that includes all sorts of fun-themed weeks. For instance, they have a western week when they bring horses on-site because there's a stable in the playground area. And during Summer Camp, you only pay for the weeks your child attends, which is nice for accomodating family summer vacations. My daughter ran to the playground and started playing and she absolutely did not want to leave. And that spoke to us, too.
I realize this is a very long review, but I don't have enough good things to say about Scottsdale Academy. My daughter acclimated so well, thanks to Ms. Jennifer, and for the first time ever, she's excited to go to school and play with her "new friends" as she calls them. She doesn't want to leave at the end of the day. They have structured lesson plans, wonderful, caring staff, and a secure premises. Is it "fancy schmancy" with a fireplace in the lobby? Nope. But I've realized none of that really matters anyway.
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