Primrose School or Learning Garden (Bright Horizon)? Can anyone tell me which one is better?

Question

We just moved to Charlotte, NC and looking for good preschool. Thanks.

Answer 1

I have actually worked for both of those companies.  The down side of primrose is that they bolt all of the furniture to the floor around the outside of the room.  Their reasons for doing this sound good.  They want to keep the children always in the teacher's view and they don't want any child to pull furniture down on themselves.  In reality, it means that a teacher cannot move say the science center to the middle of the room if she wants to do a unit on weather and with younger children a huge open space makes for generally "wild and rambunctious" behavior.  All of that said, if your child is 4 the room arrangement won't effect them much.  Both are well known for paying their teachers well and offering benefits, which means lower teacher turnover.  My advice would be to check the naeyc site.  NAEYC is the voluntary accrediting agency here in the states.  Their web site will let you know if either of those two particular schools have undergone the extensive process of accreditation.  You will also find a list of things to look for and questions to ask when you visit.  Both schools would probably provide a great leaning environment for your child.  If you really get down to the wire and cannot make a decision, take your child for a visit and see which teacher and environment is a better match for them.