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May 2023 by Connie S.
Our experience with this school was AMAZING. My daughter was speech delayed and was in speech therapy. At 2.5 years old she was saying maybe 3 words and I was starting to get really worried. We enrolled her in the Goddard School and the very first day she came home saying more words. It has been one whole year at the Goddard school and she had a word explosion and is now telling us stories. We moved and had to leave this school, but I will always remember it fondly. She had so much fun and learned a lot!! The school is clean and safe and the teachers are great. This was the best money we ever spent to help our daughter learn and grow.Ps. We were on the waiting list for 6 months. I would call every 3-4 weeks to follow up on our status. We got on the waiting list in Feb 2022 and were "maybe" going to be able to get in for summer, but that didn't happen. However, we did get in for the Fall in August 2022. Unless a kid drops out in the middle of the year, you're prob not going to get a spot until the Summer, or Fall. I must say though, for us it was WORTH THE WAIT!
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May 2023 by Marjan A.
My daughter has been at Goddard ladera Ranch for 2 years and She is graduation Prek this month. We highly recommend this school as it's safe, clean, and has amazing teachers and staff. It's STEM program and play based which is a perfect balance. We will miss Goddard.
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July 2022 by Sara H.
My daughter is in the Busy Bees classroom. Ms My and Aliza are amazing teachers. They care about the children like their own. My daughter has learned so much and does activities on a regular basis. As a mother, I love seeing my little girl happy at school.
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July 2022 by Mike I.
Don't get sold on this school during the tour like we did. A few things to consider: - No direct instruction in building gross and fine motor skills. - The parent/teacher conference, we had to recommend, and follow up with like 5 times to get it scheduled. - We were told our child would be learning letters and Spanish but 6 months in and he did not learn one letter nor one word of Spanish. - Staffing there is an issue, when I picked my child up there was often aides I had never seen before, instead on consistent adults with his class. - There are way too many dress up days, so no one can keep up and there is very little participation. - They have this technology program called Tadpoles that will only get you accurate information about your child on like 25% of the days. - For the past two months, when we pick up our child many times to find him in front of the TV watching YouTube. I could go on and on but definitely consider other schools before sending your child here.
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June 2022 by Barbara T.
Update responding to Goddard's comment on my review: Goddard Systems Business Manager, how can you say "we pride ourselves on the attention, courtesy, respect, and professionalism we show" when you continue to mistreat a working mother who entrusted you with her hard-earned money this way? What do you mean when you say "While we are sympathetic to the unforeseen circumstances that arose, unfortunately..." ? What unforeseen circumstances arose? How can you say "we need to uphold the integrity of our enrollment agreement" when you refuse to uphold the part of your agreement that says "We will contact you when a space becomes available" ? How do you reconcile that with the fact that Owner Tim Bishop emailed me saying Goddard left me a voicemail on December 1 offering my son a spot when I have a voicemail from Goddard on December 2 that does *not* offer my son a spot as you allege? How do you reconcile that with Tim responding to my informing him that the date and content of the voicemail he claimed I received were incorrect by saying, "No worries. I'm going off the notes my directors left for me. Would you like to entertain the idea of beginning June 6?" I can see what you mean about this applying to all families, given the other complaints posted on your Yelp page. Who is The Director to whom you refer and who is the Business Manager corresponding here on Yelp? Tim Bishop simply stopped responding to my emails, so I want to know whom the open communication policy is with exactly. Please let me know whom to email my concerns to, as calling the phone numbers you list below only led me to find out that Goddard did not know my son's status on the wait list when I asked for it, and calling the corporate office led to the Franchise Relations Manager talking to Tim to try to get him to agree to the refund and that he refused after thinking about it on his vacation. Given all the miscommunication between Goddard and me, I will need all future correspondence in writing so there is a clear record for both parties. The aspects of these claims should be addressed publicly so no other working families have to go through this. Here is an abridged timeline of key events: On Mar 10, 2021, Tim Bishop emailed, "There may be something available sooner than fall. We will keep you posted. The purpose of the waiting list is to reach out to families as soon as a spot becomes available in the approximate time of the requested start date." On Aug 31, 2021, I emailed, "Hi, following up on the below - could you please let me know the latest?" On March 1, 2022, I emailed, "Hi, following up on the below since I never heard back..." On March 1, 2022, Tim emailed, "We last reached out to you with a voicemail December 1, 2021 offering you a spot on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning January 4, 2022." On March 1, 2022, I replied to Tim's email, "I never received a voicemail December 1, 2021 offering a spot on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning January 4, 2022." On March 1, 2022, Tim emailed back saying, "No worries. I'm going off the notes my directors left for me. Would you like to entertain the idea of beginning June 6?" Our contract, as you put it, was that I paid Goddard to put my son on the wait list and inform me as soon as a spot became available. Per the truncated timeline above and email exchange, Goddard failed to communicate to me when the spot we were waiting for became available, thus nullifying our contract and resulting in my son missing out on the January 4 opening and having to wait another 5 months until Goddard could potentially offer him another spot. Beyond that: I first contacted Goddard on 1/5/21 On 1/5/21 I scheduled a tour On 1/12 Goddard confirmed they received my wait list form and check Furthermore, I have been very proactive about emailing and calling Goddard to ask for updates and ensure that no action was required on my part. I have received no response at times and incorrect information at other
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March 2022 by Daniela S.
We have been so happy with our experience at Goddard. Our boys have loved their time there and have formed beautiful bonds with each teacher they have had. They absolutely adore the Manager and are excited to see him every day (love you Mr. Tim!) The care and mindfulness that goes into each child's experience is exceptional.
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February 2022 by Dana Hovaida
This is a review of the administration and not the teachers or the quality of education as I never enrolled my child at this school. Please be aware that when you receive an estimated timeline from Goddard on when a spot might become available, you might be waiting MUCH longer. This normally wouldn’t be a problem, except for when you need childcare by a specific time and you cannot add your child’s name to the waitlist without paying a $250 non-refundable fee. I was told an opening might be possible in January 2022, so I paid the non-refundable $250 fee in September 2021. I followed up with Goddard in November 2021 and was told the “possible next available spot could be for end of February or March” 2022. In February 2022, I received a call that they are enrolling for August 2022, so 7 months after their original estimate. Goddard refuses to provide a refund. Had I known when I agreed to pay the deposit that the more realistic timeframe would be August 2022 and not January 2022-March 2022, I wouldn’t have wasted my money.
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February 2022 by Brandon B.
Goddard has been a wonderful institution to educate our young daughters. Glad they could be a a part of our developmental life
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February 2022 by Nicole Z.
We have had three kids attend The Goddard School in Ladera Ranch (over the span of a cool decade!) and are as impressed today as we were all those years ago when we first started out on the preschool journey. The administration, teaching staff, and families at Goddard are truly one of a kind and the friendships forged in those classrooms have sustained us into elementary school and beyond. There are so many things we love but the compassion, dedication, and attention of the Goddard staff tops our list. Our littlest one struggled with the transition to preschool (there were many, many tears!) but the support of our teacher at drop off gave us confidence that all was well after our goodbyes and our babe was well supported in our absence. We were invited to call and check-in at any time and were greeted with respect and warmth each time we did. It truly made all the difference! Mr. Tim and Mrs. Christy (the co-owners) are wonderful, communicative partners and truly want the best for all children entrusted to their care. Concerns, comments, feedback--it's all welcome here. If you're on the fence about preschool or Goddard is a contender in your decision--let me tell you--this is where you want to be.
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February 2022 by Dana Hovaida
Please be aware that when you receive an estimated timeline from Goddard on when a spot might become available, you might be waiting MUCH longer. This normally wouldn’t be a problem, except for when you need childcare by a specific time and you cannot add your child’s name to the waitlist without paying a $250 non-refundable fee. I was told an opening might be possible in January 2022, so I paid the non-refundable $250 fee in September 2021. I followed up with Goddard in November 2021 and was told the “possible next available spot could be for end of February or March” 2022. In February 2022, I received a call that they are enrolling for August 2022, so 7 months after their original estimate. Goddard refuses to provide a refund. Had I known when I agreed to pay the deposit that the more realistic timeframe would be August 2022 and not January 2022-March 2022, I wouldn’t have wasted my money.
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February 2022 by Dana H.
This is a review of the administration and not the teachers or the quality of education as I never enrolled my child at this school. Please be aware that when you receive an estimated timeline from Goddard on when a spot might become available, you might be waiting MUCH longer. This normally wouldn't be a problem, except for when you need childcare by a specific time and you cannot add your child's name to the waitlist without paying a $250 non-refundable fee. I was told an opening might be possible in January 2022, so I paid the non-refundable $250 fee in September 2021. I followed up with Goddard in November 2021 and was told the "possible next available spot could be for end of February or March" 2022. In February 2022, I received a call that they are enrolling for August 2022, so 7 months after their original estimate. Goddard refuses to provide a refund. Had I known when I agreed to pay the deposit that the more realistic timeframe would be August 2022 and not January 2022-March 2022, I wouldn't have wasted my money. EDIT: It's comical the owner is apologizing for my experience because we exchanged a couple of emails before I posted this review and he was not apologetic whatsoever. Only get an apology once I leave a negative review. Don't lead families to believe a spot may open in their timeframe and then keep $250 when a spot isn't available until SEVEN months later. Had a spot opened in our timeframe, or even remotely close to it, and we passed on the open spot, it would make sense for Goddard to keep the deposit, but not in this situation. This is just taking advantage of families desperate for childcare.
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May 2021 by Christian Y.
Love the school. Our son loves it. Staff and teachers know him by name. Curriculum is great, following the S.T.E.A.M. philosophy. We have noticed our son tries to communicate more with us after socializing with other kids and people.
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May 2021 by Matthew Kane
My daughter has been going to Goddard since she was 2 years old. She is now approaching 5 and has had a fantastic time there and I couldn't be happier. Since the first day I walked in there, everyone was helpful and happy. I was blown away because this type of customer service is rarely seen. They have continued at that level every day and just foster a positive energy. I highly recommend this school to anyone.
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March 2021 by Christian Young-Koontz
Our son has been attending The Goddard School in Ladera for a month. So far it has been a great experience for him. There are times he doesn’t want to come back home but stay playing (and learning). Teachers are great, understanding and knowledgeable. Staff are very friendly and cooperative, answering any questions we may have. We love their method of teaching is based on S.T.E.A.M. and they have activities throughout the month to make it more fun.
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January 2021 by Robyn W.
Both of my kids have attended The Goddard School and they, along with my husband and I could not be happier! They both look forward to going to school, and we know that they are safe. The school is always very prepared and knowledgeable about the changing world around us. They always do the right thing and keep us, the parents, informed at every step. The things they learn amaze us every day! From S.T.E.M. to art to language to good ole tag outside! They have every topic covered. Their summer program is truly fun, exciting and full of activities! All of the teachers and the rest of the team truly enjoy what they do and care for each and every student. We feel very fortunate to be able to send our kiddos there and highly recommend this school to anyone who is looking. We hope to see you there!
