“Today my daughter is “graduating”–it’s her last day at ScuttleBugs.
She’s five-and-a-half years old and has been scampering about ScuttleBugs since she was an infant. Now she follows her brother, 7, into the next phase of schooling. He went to ScuttleBugs, too.
All told, our family has been with ScuttleBugs for four-and-a-half years. At this moment, we’re the longest standing family at the center. That’s got to count for something.
If you’re like me and you want to keep score, here are some key numbers on a scale of one to five for your consideration.
ADMINISTRATION. The management team at ScuttleBugs is committed to learning and growth, both in their students and as business owners. They do an effective job of communicating organizational updates, changes, and decisions to parents. And while there have been some bumps along the way, the management team has course corrected when necessary and learned from experiments that didn’t go as planned. On this metric, I give them a 4 out of 5. As the administration team grows, as it’s currently doing, I expect them to notch a solid 4.5 in time, as their efforts will more effectively scale.
EDUCATORS. One of the things I most value in ScuttleBugs is the teaching staff. They care about the kids and rightfully take pride in the positive impact they’re having, now and into the future. At every phase of our kids’ learning and growth, I was repeatedly impressed by the overall quality and commitment of the teaching staff. They’re the guts of the operation and a good portion of success that ScuttleBugs is achieving. 5 out of 5, end of story.
CURRICULUM. I appreciate the Pre-K curriculum a great deal, in terms of its focus on having fun while exploring thematic content, week to week. The curriculum prepared my son for kindergarten, and I firmly believe it has prepared my daughter, too. As an important side note, my wife and I like to see the results of school engagement in the form of drawings, paintings, and sculptures created in the course of the day. Because the curriculum outside of Pre-K is largely invisible to me, I’m giving a 4 out of 5 here. But please note: ScuttleBugs has recently promoted a gifted teacher to run the curriculum for the entire center. I anticipate very good things from her in the future and won’t be surprised if a 5 is in the offing.
FOOD. Two words: Ms. Joanna. She’s been at ScuttleBugs as long as Ms. Sam, one of the principals of the center. Ms. Joanna is responsible for food preparation, from morning till late afternoon. What’s more, she’s naturally gifted with the kids and often lends a helping hand as this or that situation requires. 5 out of 5.
PHYSICAL SPACE. This is the weakest part of the center, in my opinion, and I’m referring specifically to the outside play area. When I first saw it, it struck me as unnatural and artificial. But in time, in fact, very quickly, I got used to it, as did my kids, who never had any hang ups with the play yard. They just played, and I think yours will, too, despite the lack of trees and green grass.
Overall, I give ScuttleBugs a 4.2 out of 5 and would re-enroll our kids without any reservations if we had to start again from the beginning. I strongly recommend that you visit the center and talk with Ms. Sam and Ms. Ashley.
Best of luck to you in your decision!”
