My children transferred to the Goddard School in Schwenksville a few years ago, and we are so happy here. There is not one preschool in the area that even comes close to the loving quality that Goddard represents. As most things do, the quality of the school starts with the owner, Gretchen. Gretchen is 100% dedicated to the children and parents of her school. She works tirelessly every day during school, every special event, and countless hours after school and weekends to make Goddard such a special place. Gretchen pours her heart and soul into the school, and it shows. She is always present, knows all of the families, and appreciates and acknowledges each child individually. She makes parents and kids feel good. She is constantly buying things for the school and giving of her personal time. Even tho she lives over an hour away, I always see her car there on weekends, working in her office on school programs, installing new toys or furniture or even pulling weeds in the beautiful front gardens. She is present to her families and she never rests in her quest to make Goddard the most excellent community preschool around. In one word, Gretchen is incredible.
The school directors, Carrie and Tracey are top notch, the best in their field. They know and love children and families. They are intelligent, patient, creative, fair, loving directors who would do anything for any child or family. Carrie and Tracey are always onsite, often found one-on-one with a child giving individual attention. They manage the office with multiple activities, events and programs always on the calendar. They publicly acknowledge every child's birthday in the front lobby and with a special card. Carrie and Tracey make sure the school is active in the community making it easy for parents to donate items to charity, sponsoring community events and being open to the families and public for open houses, science fairs, summer parties and ice cream socials.
Before choosing Goddard we visited every school in the area with a critical eye. I never go with first choice on anything. Even tho I knew Goddard was the best place on our first visit, I came back a second time for another look. The directors could sense I was a little anxious about switching schools, so they arranged for me to bring my children for a "day of play" where we could visit the classrooms for a few hours and then leave together, on the week before they would begin on their own. This was so comforting to me and made the transition wonderful for my boys. When they started, the teachers knew them, their names were on the cubbies and they were ready to go.
The teachers have been wonderful. They work diligently to adhere to detailed lesson plans and perform evaluations regularly. They are always willing to talk and meet with parents at any time. They really get to know the children and their individual personalities. The Goddard teachers can always be found with a child on their lap, reading or doing a special activity. They give 100% attention to their classrooms, and they meet children where they are emotionally and socially. With each year as my children have progressed through the classrooms, I have always been excited to move to a new teacher, even tho it's hard saying goodbye to a loved teacher. But each teacher has always gone out of their way to make me feel good about my kids and who they are.
I could continue raving about this beautiful school for a long time! This was the first year where my oldest son will not be doing full days at Goddard, as he is now in 2nd grade and so it seemed time to graduate. On his first day of school this year, I didn't take him to Goddard. Driving by it really struck me - they really don't stay little forever. But meanwhile I am so thankful for the years the Goddard School will be part of our family. Gretchen, Carrie, Tracey and the teachers really are our extended family and we appreciate them more than words can express and love them very much.
