This review average of the previous review and our recent experience. We’ve had two children attend Tutor Time Murray Hill and been part of the community for the last 3.5 years.
I was told that my child has “bad luck” in response to my concerns. My younger child was moved to his current class one year ago. There have been 6 different classroom teachers, some leaving with no notice, plus an influx of substitutes during intermittent periods. In the last 6 months, there have been 3 different school directors. With each switch, there is little consistency and no communication between the directors themselves, causing confusion and uncertainty. Parents are told things by one director only to be told by another that they will not follow through.
After one year, I was informed (by a parent) that he is not transitioning with his friends, most of whom he has been with since the beginning. “Until when?” we asked. “He will definitely have a spot in March,” “probably,” “maybe.” A specific date couldn’t be provided.
The regional director said the policy is children move after their birthdays. When I stated others were being moved weeks or months prior to birthdays, the response was, “Children do not move until after their birthdays. That is Tutor Time policy.” No explanation was provided for why this policy is being used selectively, just, bad luck for my son.
When I expressed my concerns about my son being separated from his peers, the regional director stated that these were NOT his peers. If he is in public school, they will not be in the same grade since they’re born in different years (they are all within 4 months of age). In private school, these ARE his peers as cut off is typically September. The regional director must be unfamiliar with private school policies in NYC. His peers, according to her, are children born the year he was, even if they are nearly a year younger. This woman has never met my child. The fact that there are children my child interacts with best, celebrates birthdays with, and has been close to since he began has no impact on what the regional director considers his ‘peer group.’ When I spoke of the high turn over and inconsistency, the response was, “We are aware of the high turnover, and cannot control that. Your son had bad luck to be in that classroom.” Now, more ‘bad luck’ because of his birth date, and the fact that poor planning on the school’s part left him without a spot.
There have been many red flags over the last 6 months. Maybe I should have known when there was a lice outbreak, and the previous director did not feel it necessary to inform parents. Maybe I should have known when the monthly parent meetings, where parent input was requested, were discontinued. Maybe I should have known when my child’s blanket wasn’t sent home to be cleaned for over a month, or when I asked for the class request list during the book fair only to be told that any book would do since there were barely any books in the classroom anyway. Maybe I should have known when I picked my son up at the end of the day with a high fever, but the adults assigned to supervise him that day didn’t know him well enough to notice his atypical behavior. Maybe I should have known when we recently witnessed children watching shows on a tablet, twice. While most issues were rectified following complaints, the fact that they cropped up after never having been issues is extremely concerning.
My older child had good luck. There are many wonderful, committed educators. She made friends and blossomed over 3 years, and I credit her dedicated teachers for that. I sang the praises of Tutor Time, unaware that ‘good luck’ was at play, not a thoughtful, caring educational company.
So, that’s what it comes down to at Tutor Time, luck. With so much “bad luck” for my little boy, we are moving him to a place where ‘luck’ is not the main factor in his development. BUYER BEWARE! If you decide to send your child here, cross your fingers, good luck!
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