St Johns Presbyterian Kindergarten

I thought long and hard about posting this review, and I’ve waited a year to do so, but I really would have appreciated if I’d known this before I made a decision that so deeply affected my child.
This is based solely on my family’s personal experience.
1. SJKP offers curbside drop off and pick up. If this is convenient for you, great. If, however, you are like me and enjoy walking your child into his/​her classroom and getting them settled before hugging and kissing them goodbye for the day, you will be discouraged from doing so. Although I was told during my tour that «parents are always welcome in the classroom,» I was asked by the teacher to say my goodbyes outside the door and not come in (this was also later formalized in a memo from the director to all parents). When you pick up and drop off your child this way (in a rush at the curb with a line of other parents waiting), you get no feedback from your child’s teacher (s) about his or her day and no real opportunity to communicate your own questions, concerns or comments. I felt alienated and found it very dismaying and distressing.
2. Nap time policy is that children do not have to sleep, but if they do not sleep, they are expected to rest quietly on their mats with no toys, books, or other distractions for approximately two hours (I don’t know any adults that could do this with no phone, book, tv, etc, let alone a two-​year-​old). My child is not a napper. We struggled with this the whole time he was there. If I didn’t ask if he napped, no one told me. They waited until it was so bad (he was yelling, kicking walls, and causing a major ruckus) to tell me on a Friday that he would not be welcome back for naptime starting Monday. There is no alternative available to a non-​napper.
3. During summer session, they rotated teachers every couple of weeks so leadership was very inconsistent for my child. They were loose on the «rules» so when the school session started in August, we had to overcome two and a half months of letting certain things go, then backtrack to reestablish what would be expected of him.
4. Because I was discouraged from entering the classroom, I had no idea who my child’s classmates were, and I rarely had the chance to meet any other parents.
5. This school’s philosophy is very centered on obedience. When a child is «disobedient,» he/​she is sent to the director’s office. My son told me once (and remember, this is a two year old!), that «Mrs. [director’s name] was very angry to me.» I found this attitude to be very unrealistic for such young children, and that it limited creativity and independence.
I removed my son from this facility after approximately four months.