Great Foundation Montessori vs. Heritage Park Community Center Preschool?

E

_echo

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Hello to all your experienced parents,

We are planning on sending our 2.5 year old to daycare/preschool for the first time this summer. We are offered a spot at Woodbury Great Foundation Montessori in their 2 year old classroom, three days a week (8:30 am - 3:30 pm), $960 per month.

We are also considering one of these City of Irvine preschool programs at different community centers, mainly for the much cheaper monthly fee. The "On Your Mark. Get Set. Grow!" preschool at Heritage Park Community Center offers a two day per week (9 am - 3:30 pm) for $300 per month.

So, Great Foundation charges double of the price that the city-run program charges. Is it worth it?
 
This depends on who your child is.  We put our son in GFM after a year and a half at Good Shepherd, thinking it would be better academically.

As it turns out, cultural "fit" and rapport with the teachers and administrators probably trump any particular educational methodology.

If your child is considered "active", "fidgety" or "unfocused" (all adjectives used for our then 3.5 year old son), then I'd be careful of GFM, since they seem to cater to children that are more focused and quiet.

For example, if I recall correctly, their full day program only had 30-40 minutes of outside time, while a more play-based program like Turtle Rock had more like 2-3 hours.  For a child that would love to spend hours in the mud, Turtle Rock seemed like a better fit.  Programs like Annaliese (In Laguna Beach) are even more in that direction.

Also, consider whether your child is a self-starter at this age, or if he/she needs a bit more hand-holding and structure.  Play-based programs like Heritage Park have much more tolerance for "goofy" time.

We ended up taking out son out of GFM (poor fit) and subsequently enrolled him at a more play-based program that he is now thriving at.

tl;dr: Depends on culture, fit, and your child's temperament.  More active = Heritage Park.  Quieter, "easier to manage" = GFM
 
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and perspective!

I think our child is more on the quiet side, though I am not certain about the "easy to manage" part :). I personally prefer for her to spend more time playing than sitting down studying. Would GFM turn her into a complete nerd? Now I am worried :).

We had high hopes for the Annaliese School until we toured their Willowbrook campus. The older classes might be getting a lot of outside time, but the toddler class didn't seem to have that much freedom. Also the rooms are tiny.

How do you know if a program is play-based or academically-based? Another two options we are considering are Jenny Hart and Irvine Community Nursery School (also in Heritage Park). They seem to be more "fun" focused.
 
I knew someone who lived in Diamond Bar but insisted on sending her kid (2.5 yrs old) to a private school (montessori) in Fullerton.  So everyday she drove the kid to school. 30 min there 30 min back.  She was also paying $1200/month or so.

Now that the kid is 7 yrs old, she tells other parents to just take their child to the most convenient day care.  What she did previously was a waste of time and money, and especially when they are that young.
 
To counter zubs:

Our kids spent multiple years in Irvine Montessori schools (not GFM) and we were very happy with them.

But now we can't pay for college. :)
 
The lesson I learned throughout my son's time at preschool is at that level, it doesn't really matter what he is learning per se.  It is more about socializing with peers, loving school, and learning how to take instructions from teachers in prep for kindergarten. 

With that perspective, I probably would have been less worried about what my son was learning at preschool and more worried about if he's happy and enthusiastic.

If your kiddo is happy at a preschool, keep them in it.  If they're not, then move them.
 
tsutomu45 said:
The lesson I learned throughout my son's time at preschool is at that level, it doesn't really matter what he is learning per se.  It is more about socializing with peers, loving school, and learning how to take instructions from teachers in prep for kindergarten. 

With that perspective, I probably would have been less worried about what my son was learning at preschool and more worried about if he's happy and enthusiastic.

If your kiddo is happy at a preschool, keep them in it.  If they're not, then move them.
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agreed

 
Preschool programs will help the children to nurture their inner skills and help them in their growth and development. In the tender age, kids grasp new things very easily. I live in New York and my daughter is in preschool. She enjoys there a lot and learn various new things.
 
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