Westpark Montessori or Good Shepherd Preschool

C

clearcrystal06_IHB

New member
Hello,



Does anyone has any information either good or bad on Westpark Montessori or Good Shepherd Preschool? I am thinking about enrolling my toddler there, but would like to hear from other parents who have children there.



Thanks!
 
Please give the search feature a try. You will find many threads that already contain information directly related to the topics you are seeking... some of them are visible immediately upon clicking the "schools" board title. The search feature is located in your upper right-hand corner.
 
Our child is at Westpark Montessori.



We love it and have no complaints. Teachers are great and very caring. I love how all of the teachers know who my daughter is (even teachers from other classrooms), and they will stop me when they see me to tell me how my daughter is doing. My daughter is flourishing there.



However, if you're not on the waiting list, you should get on it as soon as possible. The waiting list is crazy. There is no fee to be on the waiting list.



Do you have any specific questions about the program? I've never visited Good Shepard, so don't have much basis for comparison.



Good luck.
 
Hi IrvineLocal,



Thanks a lot for your information! Is your child in toddler class? How about the toddler classroom teachers? My child is 18 month old and I am more concerned the teacher caring since she has never been to daycare before. I visited both schools, but not sure which one is better for the toddler.



Thanks again,
 
WP Montessori is great... toddler through K... expensive but most Irvine pre-Ks are.



My friends had kids in Good Shepherd and they were happy there too.



One difference is the waiting list at Montessori is usually longer than at Good Shepherd... not sure if that's still true today.
 
My daughter started in the toddler room at 16 months. I remember handing her off that first week I wasn't so sure how it was going to go since she was so extremely attached to me and because the head teacher, Miss Eliza didn't seem like a warm and fuzzy sort of person at first.



It was a rough first month for my daughter, but I was very impressed with how the teachers handled her. They were very patient with her (and my daughter can be a handful). My husband would drop her off, and there was always a teacher ready to pick her up and distract her when he left the room. He usually would go to the observation room to watch for 10 minutes before he left, and he was very impressed too. They would hold her and comfort her and try to distract her with toys and books. When they figured out how much she loved books and art, they would be ready with an art project for her ready to go or a book to read on someone's lap. Miraculously they were able to wean her off her beloved blankie.



When I picked her up, her hair would be in a new hairstyle (my husband could never figure out how to do her hair, so I left a supply of hair bands at the school and they would fix her hair for her in the mornings). They handled all of her dietary restrictions (lactose intolerant) and medical issues (had to have medication administered to her through a nebulizer) without any problems. And after I got used to Miss Eliza, I realized that she really does have a soft spot for the kids. They have done a fabulous job of hiring warm and nuturing classroom assistants. Almost all of them are college graduates and many seem to be currently attending night school for child development programs. Even though my daughter has long since graduated from the toddler program, I still chat with the toddler teachers and assistants. Miss Dona, the head teacher for the toddlers is absolutely wonderful -- everything you could hope for in a preschool teacher. The children absolutely LOVE her.



Lunch is provided, which I consider to be a wonderful, wonderful thing to behold.



They took the lead in potty-training her, which was a big relief for me. I just did what they told me to do.



I highly recommend it.
 
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