The Goddard School for Early Child Development
6697 North Canton Center Road
Canton, MI 48187
Phone: 734-454-4737
Fax: 734-451-2214
CantonMI@goddardschools.com
http://www.goddardschool.com

Overall rating by 1 member: 9

Class size: 10-15 depending on age, at minimum a 1:8 ratio for the older kids, 1:4 for youngest children

Best thing about school: My favorite thing is that the teachers have bachelor degrees in early childhood education or child psychology and clearly design fun activities for the children that are sneaking in a ton of learning at the same time!

Worst thing about school: none listed

Teacher qualifications: All lead teachers have bachelor degrees in early childhood education or child psychology or something similar. Assistant teachers all have associate degrees in child care or higher.

Typical daily routine: Arrival and free time is followed by circle time reading stories, learning a word in Spanish and in sign language that goes with the theme for the week. They then have a snack, and move on to small group activities--one at each of the 4 or 5 tables that all correspond to the theme of the week/day but use different skills (art, social skills, computer skills, music skills, cognitive, gross and fine motor skills). Kids get to choose what activities they do or don't want to do. They then sing/dance/play either outside or in the gym before having lunch. Some children do this half day and go home, others stay for a full day. If there for a full day, the children have a nap and after nap time, there are more planned activities to coordinate with the theme of the week or letter of the week as well as some free play time.

Philosophy that informs curriculum: The school follows the Goddard philosophy of learning--incorporating learning into the way that children play, using age appropriate techniques. They clearly teach self-confidence, independence and social responsibility (caring for others).

Opportunities for parent involvement: There are holiday gatherings, book fairs, etc that parents can be involved in. There are periodic "conferences" where you can discuss the progress of your child as well. Parents are welcome all of the time and all of the teachers are very friendly!

Discipline: Depending on the age, children are redirected from conflict and expected to apologize if anyone is hurt. The reasons as to why the behavior is unacceptable is explained (if age appropriate) and behavioral expectations are clearly explained to the children.

Building and play space information: Rooms are very large, with individual bathrooms for each room. The cubbies are colorfully decorated. Each room has costumes for dress-up/imaginative play as well as age appropriate imaginative toys (blocks, plastic insects or animals, TONS of books, kitchen toys, toy phones, art supplies, etc.). Each room has multiple windows to the outside as well as a large window in the wall so that the entire room is visible from the hallway. It's wonderful for watching your child play without them knowing you are there. The gym has a soft floor, a very short rock climbing wall, balance beam, tons of balls, and many other toys. It, too, has a large window to the hallway so everyone is visible at all times. The outside play equipment is on a soft, rubbery surface (surrounded by grass) and separated into age appropriate "zones" so that the littlest babies are not trampled by the bigger children. The equipment is brand new (less than 2 years) and brightly colored. The area is fenced in with a white privacy fence for safety and security.