Any Andover School experience?

[LoveSunshine]

I have recently noticed the new location for the school. Is it a second location or has the school moved?

Could you share your impressions of the school overall? How is the new location compared to the original one?

I’m gathering information about preschools for the next year for my child. Thank you!

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[LoveSunshine]

Anyone? I was able to peek in and I have to say that I was disappointed at what I saw. The inside looks barren, not the way I would expect a preschool to be.

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[mamaem]

My friend’s son attended last year and some parents were disappointed because the lead teacher was planning on bringing her newborn baby to work with her.

My baby is just 24 months and I have started to look at preschool options . I am very picky when it comes to education and I am discouraged by what is available out there. Most of the preschools are run by “former business woman”, “former kindergarten teacher”, “former nanny”, and in the case of the Andover school “former daycare director”. So far the only preschools with teachers with formal early childhood education background are the Community School of West Seattle, Cometa Playschool and the YMCA.

I recently saw an ad from Europakids looking for a teacher and all they required in terms of training was the STARS training from the Dept. of Early Learning.

See, I have done a lot of research! I found out the state of Wa. requieres licensed daycare providers to receive the STARS training. And you know what the “requirement” is? TWENTY hours a year. That is it! So I am only going to schedule tours to those preschools with teachers holding early childhood education degrees and then I will make my decision based on other aspects: curriculum, facilities, and philosopy (Montessori? Reggio Emilia?).

I hope this helps!

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[LoveSunshine]

Mamaem, yes, it does help. Does your friend’s son still attend the school? If not, where are they going now?

Are you only going to tour the three schools you mentioned? I am having a hard time finding a preschool for my child (just a little younger than yours). The websites all promise great things but it is hard to find true parents’ accounts.

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[mommym]

I’ll just throw in my 2 cents. My daughter’s former kindergarten teacher who has a very extensive education has opened up a preschool in her home. I believe she is teaching the High Scope Method but all I can say for sure is my daughter absolutely flourished in her kindergarten class and I know she is totally a top notch teacher. I see her advertise on CL so you might want to check out her website – her school is called “the cover school” run by Renee Metty.

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[singlespeed]

The new location is pretty disappointing (its definitely not what we paid for) but it’s the lack of transparency and communication that is the most frustrating. One of the reasons that we chose Andover was their facility and we discovered that they moved because we just happened to be driving by and saw the sign…one month before school starts. When we asked them about it they offered a refund if we didn’t like the location but the problem is we can’t find another school with such short notice. I am very curious why there hasn’t been any official communication to their upcoming customers. We are willing to give them a chance to clean it up (both the facility and professionalism) but if they don’t we will take them up on the refund.

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[Kelly]

I would encourage you to check out Cometa Playschool. We absolutely love Maestra Manuela and she has been so nurturing, patient, and kind with our slow-to-warm-up 3 year old son. She is excellent about communicating with parents and definitely has a strong understanding of the developmental needs of preschoolers. We feel very fortunate to have Cometa as a preschool option in West Seattle. My son will be back again this year. And as an added bonus, he’s speaking Spanish now. So fantastic! I think that Manuela might have a few spots left for fall. Good luck with your search!

http://www.cometaseattle.com

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[esheymc]

I just thought I would toss in my 2 cents. My son has been attending Cometa going on his third and last year, sniffle. It is a well rounded program that allows him to be creative through music and art while also allowing him time to study academics. They find time to take the kids to the park for recess. My son is always happy on arrival and pick-up. Manuela has plenty of experience and the credentials to back it up. And on top of all of that, the Spanish is a huge bonus which he can use the rest of his life. Feel free to contact me with any questions. I would be happy to help!

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[LoveSunshine]

So it looks like the Andover School gets no recommendations. I think I heard about them here on this blog. I guess the recent changes were not for the better, especially the move.

Thanks for the info on other schools! I will definitely check them out.

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[wsfamily]

Hello! Perhaps this will help answer some questions!

The Andover School has a location in West Seattle and another one opening on Mercer Island in September. Due to changes outside of the school’s preference, the WS preschool moved from an in-home location to its present WS location after a 2 month’s notice and with 100% retention of its current membership. The new WS location was remodeled to fit The Andover School brand and is fresh, open and welcoming.

The Andover School is a year-round preschool experience based on the ideals of organic and wholistic learning. It incorporates standard letter education with dramatic play, cooking classes with etiquette, and creativity with social enterprise in an unbiased atmosphere. There is a strong emphasis on Kindergarten preparedness, especially in the afternoon program.

The new WS preschool location has more usable classroom space than its previous location. With its open-area format it houses a dramatic play area, circle time zone, classroom activities area for art/math/science, sensory table area and a reading room. The kitchen is gated off but imperative for cooking classes. There is an outdoor play area, as well.

Every day activities are brought out for the children to use in both structured and unstructured play and instruction. In this way children are not overwhelmed by a mass of the same toys and are constantly engaged with something “new”. And every month the decor and theme changes to also engage the students’ imagination. After school the activities are put away and cleaned up in preparation for new projects the following day.

The Andover School’s founders and Executive Director are highly educated with an extremely high demand for quality and academic assurance. All the teachers have college experience and years in early childhood education as well as STARS training.

The Andover School communicates at least weekly with their members to give a review of what occurred the week before and what will occur in the upcoming week — as well as any other business matters. Parent / teacher conferences are carried out and feedback surveys are conducted to gauge success and quality. Changes occur based on these responses. The teachers are always responsive to meeting individually at any time, as well. As the preschool is purposefully small, it accommodates a personalized setting.

You are welcome to see some examples of the curriculum and more at http://www.TheAndoverSchool.com or call to schedule a tour. Only parents are allowed to just drop in so please do not do so — the teachers are engaged with the students and will not be able to give you their attention without advance notice.

The Andover School is *full* in the morning with a wait list – and only a couple afternoon spaces will become available in September as some of the students will be moving to the Mercer Island preschool.

—

As a founder and parent I am delighted with the school and its success! I hope this answered your questions, but if not, please feel free to connect with me directly at admin@theandoverschool.com or http://www.theandoverschool.com!

All my best,

Kari Cassidy-Diercks

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[LoveSunshine]

Kari,

Thank you for providing such a detailed response. I am sorry but I have to disagree about the welcoming atmosphere. From what I could see (granted, through the window) the main open space is just tiled, empty space. Also, I have toured the location when the previous renters were there and was very disappointed in the back area for outdoor play.

Do you plan to upgrade/update those areas?

Also, you talk about the communication with the parents of the currently enrolled students. Is it true that there was no communication to the prospective families about the move like one of the posters indicated above?

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[wsfamily]

LoveSunshine,

The preschool space was remodeled to fit The Andover School brand and a vast array of playground equipment and activities were added to the outside area to also accommodate the brand and keep everyone happy. Our parents and students love the preschool — and not just for the space but also for the program.

It is a bright and welcoming preschool space – we are so happy that we found it. We have tile because we are art-focused and need the hard, easy-to-clean floor to maintain cleanliness. We have area rugs and circle time seats that are brought out as needed. Also, if you recently peeked in you would see a fairly empty space on one side of the school as the students will be team-building a life-size rocket ship there over the next two weeks as part of our “Exploring Space” curriculum.

Everyone was informed of the move and given the new address via our email newsletter. I do not believe that all the 2011-12 parents have come in to tour the new site yet as we just moved! Our teachers will be calling anyone who has not yet toured this month to schedule one in if they so desire. (I am unaware of anyone who did not receive the original notice but will certainly follow up to make sure.) Except for our small front door logo we do not advertise by posters or signage.

The Andover School is not just about the space, though first impressions and a welcoming atmosphere are required and we believe we have accomplished this. Our teachers, curriculum and programming are high quality and we are happy with our success. We also understand that our preschool cannot be everything for everyone. It is important to find a school that fits your needs and there are a number of amazing preschools in West Seattle. I would certainly be happy to help you with recommendations! Good luck with your search!

Best regards,

Kari Cassidy-Diercks

Founder, The Andover School

admin@theandoverschool.com

http://www.TheAndoverSchool.com

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[attachedmomma]

My children have attended the Andover School since it opened. I would have had more reservations about the school if it had been in the current location (compared to the home location it began in) because of the fact it is more of a business appearance instead of the homey feel of the original location. But, what keeps me at the school and would have won me over if I hadn’t signed up until the new location opened, it the curriculum and the staff. The teachers are wonderful in the classroom and as collaborators in my children’s personal growth. There are emails that go out each week to update all the parents on what will happen this week (so we can talk about it with the kids at home) and a review of the week before. The staff are open to feedback and make changes based on one-on-one communication as well as an all school survey they sent out. The personal and education growth in my children is amazing. The environment is very stimulating and supportive for all the children. Since the outdoor play area is only a minor part of the school day, it doesn’t really both me that it isn’t super fabulous. If I imagine hardwood floors in the space, it’s not that different than the original area of the home that the school started in. The decor is always changing because the children are making new projects. Perhaps the walk by was before or just after the school moved because it is not barren or cold in there now. I’m also happy that the ages are mixed because the older children are able to mentor younger ones (fostering self-pride and an awareness of how far they’ve come) and the younger ones are exposed to new skills and mentored by both the older kids and the staff with no pressure. I’d hate for this wonderful school to be fall victim to “judging the book by the cover”. As you can tell, Kari is very involved, motivated, and educated in providing the best academic environment for the children. The staff all have experience and education in early childhood. Finally, having the lead teacher bring her new son to the school has been wonderful for my children. They have learned a lot from having an infant in the school, learning good skills for dealing with young babies, and are learning life skills beyond the curriculum.

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[mporth]

Attachedmomma is spot on with her assessment of the Andover School. My son started there three mornings a week last November. He was very attached to me and I knew it would be a difficult transition. Both teachers were so kind, patient and gentle that it took a very short amount of time for him to adjust. In fact, he loves it so much that we’ve increased to 5 mornings a week. He loves the variety…art, dress-up, outdoor play, reading, etc. I haven’t had any issues with communication at all. We receive a newletter every Sunday evening recapping the previous week plus telling us what’s on tap for the following week. The teachers (and Kari) are very easy to contact if I have any questions. I could go on and on about the positives of this school…Andover School is FANTASTIC!!!!

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[rudy]

I’m glad that the Andover School people had a chance to chime in here with all the background information on their program; more than just the hearsay offered by others.

For some reason this thread has been bothering me all day. I come from a highly educated background with years of experience in early childhood education including administrative experience at the district level. When I read threads like these I want to remind parents that they need to find the best preschool, music school, high school, or even summer camp experience simply for their own children and family. While input on a particular school, both good and bad, can be helpful with basic school information it is inherently flawed in helping you decide what is best for YOUR child and family. Every family and child is different and input on an anonymous forum will really give you very little valuable information for your personal decision. The information that is most valuable when finding the right educational places for your children will only come from direct contact with prospective schools. You must darken their doorway, so to speak, before you can judge any place your child attends school. A peek in the window doesn’t count. Often times an educational space that is less decorated is more conducive to attention and focus with fewer disctractions for children. What matters is seeing the place in action: are the kids engaged, is good learning going on, are the teachers on the floor with the kids, do they get down to talk with them at eye level, etc.

I guess these types of forum converstaions make me stiffen a little because in the larger picture of educational reform this is one of the places where we need to start. I say this to my neighbors often: please never judge any school until you have been inside and touched, smelled, talked, and LISTENED to what happens on the teaching side of the door. Listen to the teachers, children, support staff, and bus drivers, but not so much the other parents. Our current neighborhood elementary is very underperforming yet I have not ruled it out for my own preschool-aged children when the time comes. In fact, I look forward to being able to check it out for myself to see exactly what is going on there.

If we start building these parenting practices now – when our preschoolers enter middle schools maybe we as a parent support network will have made a tangible difference in how all schools are viewed. At the very least we will have honed in on what works well for our children and will be able to spot the best opportunities when they come our way and will not have missed them because of idle talk in our community.

Anyhoo, just my two cents. Had to get this off my chest. Best wishes to everyone in their endeavers with preschoolers. Mine ran me ragged today and thus my head needs the pillow!

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[Grandpa]

I am a grandparent of Andover school students and was dismayed to see the new site described as unwelcoming. I’m not sure what was seen “through the window”, but certainly would encourage a visit now. The school is bright, and kid friendly, and bears NO resemblance to the way it looked before. (Aside from the palm trees in front.) The staff has done a great job in creating an inviting learning atmosphere. True, the play area may be a bit smaller, but it is filled with equipment that the kids seem to really enjoy.

As a former educators, my wife and I have been thrilled with the growth we have seen this year in our grandchildren. We are happy with the curriculum and the staff, and we belive the Andover experience has been a great one for them.

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[Doggiedaddie]

I agree with mporth and grandpa, so I won’t repeat their comments. I do want to say that my child has been attending the Andover School for about six months now. While she has enjoyed it the entire time and LOVES the teachers, it was only recently that she started calling it “school”. It seems that moving it from a home location has made her feel more like a big girl and is going to “school” rather than someones home.  We originally joined the Andover School because it was close to home and seemed like a great philosophy. We stayed after the location changed, even though it wasn’t as close, because my daughter really enjoyed it there. She comes home excited to tell me about her day, where at her previous preschool, she could barely remember what she did.  I’ve already inquired about enrolling my toddler when he turns two.   

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[Bonnie]

I have never been to the school or checked it out personally because I do not have preschoolers anymore but I just wanted to say that I know one of the head teachers personally and she is such a wonderful person and so great with children.

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[Author]

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