My experience with Elite Kids Academy was mixed depending on the expectations of the daycare. If I needed just a safe place to leave the kids, Elite Kids Academy would be good for this purpose. The staff could help my child to potty-train and to eat by herself as well. The facility was pretty nice and clean. But the problem was that I also wished my already potty-trained children were developing according to their age. The most important criteria was, that my son would be prepared for kindergarten, as it was stated on the website of Elite Kids Academy.
My two kids went to Elite Kids Academy daycare (almost 5 year old son and almost 2 year old daughter) starting Nov 2012. And for each of them the experience was different. For the prekindergartener I’d score it 2 out of 5, and 4 out of 5 for the toddler. I withdrew my son in 4 months, my daughter in less than a year.
Issue #1: Low enrollment meant all kids were in one class with one teacher and her assistant. Most of kids were toddlers. Hence everybody was enrolled in the same activities appropriate for toddlers only (hand crafts, coloring). In the first place, I raised this problem to one of the owners, and she promised, that my son, who was the oldest one, would have some additional activities like the math and art lessons. During the first couple of weeks from time to time the owner showed me pieces of paper with some math problems written down. I saw 2 paintings. Then suddenly all stopped. It was explained to me later that my son didn’t want to study. So they didn’t insist. I consider it a ridiculous excuse from a teacher.
Issue #2: I doubt any of the teachers had been certified to teach the preschool program. The first teacher could hardly speak in English. She quit anyway. The next teacher was more fluent in English but she got fired after several months. Apparently, none of them could know how to prepare kids for school. Undoubtedly, the goal to maintain the kid’s ability to speak Russian is important. But they will all go to American schools with particular requirements of knowledge and the ability to speak and understand in English. If your child is not exposed to English language somewhere else, he won’t be fluent in English in any way. Luckily, my son was already fluent in both languages.
As the academic development and preparedness to school was our highest priority, I had to withdraw my son and find the pre-kindergarten classes, where he studied with pleasure and success. In the summer I pulled my daughter out as well. I enrolled her in the program of Russian/math/logic/music for 2-3 year old kids and in the classes in the Community Center. The results in her development and both languages are great.
In our community parents are focused on high academic achievements of their children. A lot of prekindergarteners are able to read, have an idea about basic science facts (seasons, different countries, animals and their habitats and so on), advanced in math and logic. Therefore I feel like it is my obligation to develop my kids as much as possible. Fortunately, there is a decent choice of child care providers and programs for kids in Livingston and its neighborhoods.
Anyway, I’m sure the staff of Elite Kids Academy do their best. I hope they’ll finally hire the qualified teacher and improve their academic development programs.
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