The Goddard School of Fort Collins

I recently came back to this site when a friend asked me about childcare in the area. I noticed a "staff member" directly questioned my earlier post saying what a "great school" Goddard is and how everything I said was false. Well, I stand by everything I said! They did withhold snack as discipline, I saw it being done to children more than once. And they do isolate children for misbehaving, the Goddard teachers themselves called it "The penalty box"! On the few occasions they did go outside more than once in a day, it was the first thing my child would tell me about when picked up because it was such a rare treat. As an "ECE teacher" he or she should know that going outside isn't just for "letting off some energy", but rather an integral part of learning itself! As for "turn over has been minimal by industry standards", my child was there for less than a year (we tried to give it time) and had close to 10 different teachers (both head and co-teachers)! I don't know what the other classrooms were like but it couldn't have been much better. The entire post read to me like the director herself had possibly written it. "This is a great school to work for and we are treated with respect and are valued". I never questioned how the staff was treated just the children. The director, by the way, is the director because her parents(both with no experience in child care) bought the franchise. Let me end by saying it has been over 2 years since my child attended Goddard Fort Collins, and the one thing I know for sure that hasn't changed is that it still has the same director and owners of the facility.

We were very happy with this school. Our son started at 31/2 until he was 5. He loved going and liked his teachers. We did not go full time, we did half days a few days a week. I read some of the old reviews and was baffled because we had a wonderful experience. The morning is when they do the learning activities and the afternoons were more for the parents who needed daycare. My opinion is that if you send a 3 - 5 year old somewhere all day for "school", you are, in fact, getting daycare. That said, our experience was positive and if we have another child, Goddard would be our first choice.

this place was something i thought of highly at first, until i realized the 'curriculum' stops at the paper they give the parents. they actually don't teach it, nor did they even know what the curriculum was supposed to be when asked. it is little more than a mediocre and massively overpriced daycare with little supervision and out of control kids. the 'teachers', some of them teenagers, can't do much to stop the bullying or to actually teach anything, they are hard pressed to just herd the kids around.

Bait and Switch...I am not sure what Goddard School you are talking about...but I have been employed at the Goddard School in Ft. Collins since the school opened its doors four years ago. The turn over has been minimal by industry standards. We still have several teachers that started when the school opened and more than half of the teaching staff has celebrated their two year anniversary. This is a great school to work for and we are treated with respect and are valued. As far as outside time goes, we take the kids out three times a day! Rarely do we not go out to play. As a former early childhood teacher you should know that we look forward to the times that we can get the kids out to let off some energy! We never isolate or withhold snack for discipline! In fact, as a staff we have all completed more than twenty hours of professional development in how to use positive behavioral support in the classroom to eliminate the need for “discipline”. Goddard is a great school.

Let me start by stating that I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and over a dozen years experience as a Head Teacher, Program Supervisor, and Director. When we moved here from out of state, I visited Goddard and was immediately impressed at how they answered my many questions perfectly, and seemed to closely fit my high standards. But once I enrolled my child things only went down hill from there. Their teacher turnover was far above anything I've ever seen. There was very little communication between the teachers and parents. If I wanted info about my child's day, I practically had to drag it out of his teachers. The kids barely get any outside time. Usually only once a day. Art is teacher directed (i.e. the teacher tells the children how it "should" look), as opposed to letting the children be creative. Discipline includes isolation, and withholding snack. Needless to say, we left. The school was nothing like what they told me during my initial tour and visit.

Sadly, after months, the title says it all. I expected more and was let down by the quality of the school. It's nothing more than a daycare but don't forget to bring your bag lunch (I didn't think this would be a big deal - but it was and I loathed paying big $$$ and having to make lunch everyday). The lunches were only the beginning however. Massive turnever, teachers trash the center inside and outside the school, no real education, choas in the rooms and when asked about accrediation they simply accredit themselves, how convienient! Friends encourged me to attend a competing franchise school; I switched and have never looked back. The difference has been incredble. Sorry Goddard but I was disappointed!