https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:18:37 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2722063 Sun, 09 Apr 2017 19:42:33 +0000 JessyMess 2722063@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: I agree. Especially if your little guy is super task driven RunnerD. That makes it sound more ideal because he can really concentrate on a work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2722005 Sun, 09 Apr 2017 13:01:14 +0000 danda 2722005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: our kids are also at a Bright Horizons, and I 100% agree. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721934 Sun, 09 Apr 2017 02:00:31 +0000 Cole 2721934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runnerd: if you have a well respected Montessori option I highly recommend you at least take a tour and chat with them. A child who is task oriented with sensory processing concerns can be a really great fit for Montessori. It's kind of "sneaky" how much structure is provided while still offering soon so much choice. Some places are way better than others and so much depends on the teachers but they will be well trained and dedicated to their job. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721905 Sat, 08 Apr 2017 19:41:32 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2721905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you have a Bright Horizons I would highly recommend. That is where we are now, and the thing they do that I have never seen anywhere else is they have primary teachers within the class. So even though there are 20 kids, each teacher has 10 as her primary group. During activity time in the morning when the kids work on teacher facilitated activities half of the class is outside while the other half works with their teacher, and then they switch. This cuts down on the chaos considerably and makes it much easier on all kids, but especially my little dude that gets overstimulated. He still struggles, but his OT says she notices a drastic difference when half the kids go outside. </p> <p>Other schools may do this too, but I have never seen it. Bright Horizons is priced similarly. For me, even without this perk I would probably pay more for care, mainly because at a more highly rated center they are more likely to pay their teachers well and to employ more highly qualified people. Teachers with more education/experience are much better able to work with children with a variety of needs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721808 Sat, 08 Apr 2017 07:47:27 +0000 emilye519 2721808@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our DD (2 years) has been at a Goddard for about 9 months after switching from a similar sized locally owned center because Goddard is much closer to our house. Our DS will be starting in the infant room in a couple of months. We are very pleased with Goddard, but it's about the staff at that individual facility. They have very low turnover - she actually has changed rooms but hasn't had any teachers leave. I don't know that the curriculum is really having much impact because she's 2 and that's not really the point at this age. They are good with helping her learn independence and routine which I think is important at this age. She has learned the alphabet and can count to twenty in English and Spanish but I have no clue if that was part of the "curriculum". More grateful for the manners that they work on and the help with potty training!</p> <p>We like it because it isn't affiliated with a religion, most of the daycares around here are - we're in the South- but we aren't religious and didn't want to her to get confused. And like I said the individual staff at this location. So I'd visit and get a feel for each. Our DD did a couple of test days prior to us committing so maybe you could do that?? Good luck, finding childcare you are comfortable with is SO hard! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721805 Sat, 08 Apr 2017 07:12:09 +0000 runnerd 2721805@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skiierchck99: appreciate your "insider" perspective :)</p> <p>@Mae: I agree, but our current center is small for a center, and there is still lots of turnover bc of majority of young staff</p> <p>@JessyMess: I'd love to do Montessori but I'm worried it might be too unstructured since my child is his best when very task driven and following instructions. I haven't researched the others much though </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721802 Sat, 08 Apr 2017 03:51:18 +0000 Bluebonnet 2721802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's entirely center dependent. We pulled LO from Primrose after 6 months as a result of unacceptably high turnover. </p> <p>We've been at two different locally owned full time preschool/daycares and have been very pleased. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721766 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 19:45:22 +0000 Mae 2721766@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both Goddard and Primrose are franchises so I think it's going to be super dependent on your actual center. My daughter goes to goddard, and my personal opinion is the "curriculum" is mostly bullshit. I mean it's the only daycare we've been to so maybe I'm wrong... but like... mostly they keep the kids alive and happy lol. Sure they theme the weeks but I don't think she is learning a ton she wouldn't learn in any other place. And because they are large centers there is a ton of turnover-- which I do think is common among most large centers but I'd think a very small place that might be different? Overall we've been happy enough there... I mean I sort of think daycare sucks in general but my kid seems happy so it just is what it is lol. </p> <p>(note: My daughter is not quite 3... I don't know if things are different in the preschool and pre-k classrooms... I would imagine they might be more structured than the younger rooms which are just "daycare" really) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721753 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 18:38:44 +0000 petitenoisette 2721753@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yea my daughter goes to Goddard and I never got the impression that it is somehow better quality than other centers. Well I guess I did like it better than two other places (chains) i toured. But still not amazing. It is fine, we are usually happy with it but as everyone else has said it really just depends on the individual staff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721739 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 17:13:10 +0000 JessyMess 2721739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you considered Montessori, Reggio Emilia, or Waldorf preschools? They're not chains, but rather educational philosophies that are driven by the individual student. Personally, I toured a Goddard school near me that was too loud, and I can't do a loud environment for a preschool. I'm sure they're all different. I just love Montessori though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2721656 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 14:14:56 +0000 skiierchck99 2721656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runnerd: From someone who worked at both a private center and then at a Goddard, in a word, no. All the fancy sounding curriculum and training is no substitute for finding people who love their jobs and will love your children. So much depends on the leadership and how they run their center that you cannot just assume all by a franchise are good. The Goddard I worked at was terrible - there was no support from management, the owners were cheap, and the combination led to unhappy staff which is reflected in the care they provide the children. After working there, I will not send my child to a corporate daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2720721 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:20:21 +0000 Smurfette 2720721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsTal: ditto</p> <p>I will add we left Goddard at 15 months because we wanted a center close to home not my work. LO2 has only been in the infant room at Primrose for a week now but so far I like it better. We love the preschool program for LO1. We are keeping her there for Private Pre-K instead of going to the elementary school for the public program. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2720709 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 09:44:23 +0000 mediagirl 2720709@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It all depends on the teachers and what they are trained in, what they are used to. I would ask questions about the teachers and what type of experience they have in children with sensory processing disorder. A big thing for me is if they let the therapist come to the school. If so, can they recommend a therapist to use. Those would be biggies in my mind - if a school can offer suggestions and help, that may be the place to go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2720689 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 09:23:26 +0000 MamaG 2720689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have been at a Primrose school since our older was 1. She's now 5.5 and in Kinder. Our younger has been there since 8 weeks and she's now nearly 2.5. I don't have a basis to compare to other programs/centers as this is what we know. I will say that I don't always love our director, but we love most of the teachers. Our girls have thrived in this environment and I find it to be highly enriched. </p> <p>I'm not sure exactly what your son is dealing with but our school is very bright, cheery and they use a lot of music. The teachers are essentially handed a curriculum to "teach". The weeks are all themed with a topic to learn, this week is pattern and textures. They also try to get outdoor time in at least twice per day (weather depending). </p> <p>At our center there are a number of teachers that have been there for our duration, there are others that have turned over. But they certainly have some that stick for the long'ish term. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2720685 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 09:20:27 +0000 MrsTal 2720685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS has gone to both. Let me preface by saying I think it really depends on the staff at each individual daycare. After the experience with both, I lean towards liking primrose better. We of course had issues when we were there but they were more organized than Goddard and more professional as well. Their teachers also seemed better trained and there seemed to be less turn over. Again this was based on my experience with our local Goddard and Primrose which I know can vary greatly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/primrose-and-goddard-worth-the-cost#post-2720673 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 08:59:25 +0000 runnerd 2720673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been looking into Primrose and Goddard schools for my nearly 3 year old. He has some issues related to sensory processing that we are in process of getting therapy started for. I thought these schools might have better trained teachers to deal with his redirection and positive discipline. I don't mind paying the extra cost if it's the right choice, but I see a lot of mixed reviews online of whether they are worth the money.</p> <p>Any experiences to share? </p>