Austin, TX
Children's Courtyard (Wm. Cannon)

Teachers Are:

OVERALL RATING: (4.4)
Full of energy and seemingly happy in job
Patient and affectionate with children
Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her
Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior
Provides feedback on what my child does during the day
Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate
Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses
If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off
Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute
Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them
Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn
Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts
Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children

source:

Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching

Description of how teachers work with children who are  "behind," "excelling" or "different" from the majority of students

In all classes we group the children based on abilities and teachers work with these groups individually. Even in the infant room the teachers develop individual curriculum for each infant to focus on what they need most.

Parents' Comments on Individualized Teaching

Parent #1
My oldest child has always had good teachers. My younger child has not had very good non-lead teachers. The non-lead teachers usually are not educated enough or mature enough to deal with children which makes it extremely difficult on a parent because you know your child is not getting the best care possible. An educated, experienced teacher...makes a huge difference. Look at the daycares with low turnover.

Parent #2
There are many areas of learning; reading, music, spanish, art, computers, dance, sportball, etc. The children seem to be most interested in the art or computer areas of the classroom. But then a lot of imaginary play also goes on in the other areas of the classroom, such as the loft or the kitchen. Outdoor time is also a great time for the children to swing, ride tricycles, climb and collect objects of nature. My children are considered 'Mommy children' but they do LOVE to go to school. My daughter is old enough to associate each day with an extra curricular class that I also pay extra for. I am extremely grateful that she gets the time for even smaller group attention with her extra curricular classes held at the Pre-school so that I don't have to take her somewhere else to have 'dance class' or one of her other classes.

Parent #3
The teachers are fabulous in my son's classroom. They had a very challenging child they worked with for awhile, and even though, I know he tested their patience immensely, I never noticed them to be inappropriate. They still always seemed to find something positive to say. I know this not only through my own observations, but also through what my 4 year-old would report to me! The lead teacher and the morning assistant teacher both have formal education in the child development field and it shows. The lead teacher is calm and patient and models how the children should act. The morning and afternoon assistants are bubbly and warm and have lots of energy and always wear smiles! They are truly a perfect combination that can meet the needs of almost any child. They are informative and expressive when it comes to the information that is shared and go out of their way to address any concerns. My son is always happy to see them and he is immediately welcomed each and every day we enter the room. When we leave in the evening, he will not get into the car without hugging his teachers goodbye. I have never spent a day worrying about the kind of care he was getting. He has learned an enormous amount as well. It is clear when I see other children his age that do not get the same opportunities he has had, how far more advanced his knowledge is. He is also extremely well rounded. He loves books as much as he loves sports and music. I contribute that to his teachers for providing him with such an enriching environment.

Parent #4
N/A

Parent #5
We have been through so many teachers #2,3 and 4 that I can hardly keep track!

Parent #6
My child's teacher is the best teacher my child has ever had at Children's Courtyard. I personally wanted to hire her to work for me in my home and teach and care for my children. My wife stopped me from making such an offer to her. She realized just how much all of the children love her and how unfair that would be to those kids. She is an amazing asset to the William Cannon team. They are very lucky.

Parent #7
They do offer a lot of extra activities for the children for an extra fee. I do like the daily sheets the teachers fill out regarding what the children had for lunch, when was nap ect. I wish they wrote more info in what the individual children did that day.

Parent #8
All three of my child's teachers are great! We love knowing our daughter is in wonderful hands!

Parent #9
Overall I'm very happy with 99% of the teachers my child has had over the past 3 years. They have been excellent teachers and communicative in their individual ways. This is true of the management team as well. We see and hear from them as much as we do the teachers which is greatly appreciated and differentiates our schhol from others I've seen. The computers recently added to the school has been wonderful and I'm very happy that step was taken.

Parent #10
I really appreciate the Spanish lessons that the school provides.

Parent #11
The teachers at the Courtyard are wonderful. they know all the kids and parents by name, even if they are not currently in their specific class. they have a great 'soft motor room' to use when the weather is bad. They get the kids outside alot during the day to play and have a huge, modern playground.

Parent #12
My child's teachers are a strong team and I'm happy my child is with each of them throughout the day.

Parent #13
I have been very happy with the school age staff. They are consistently courteous and accommodating to me and my family and demonstrate their caring attitude on a regular basis. My children and I agree that this organization is far better than the two others (non-Courtyard) we have experienced.

Parent #14
My child's lead teacher does not seem affectionate with the children or involved but seems to focus of the decor and keeping the room in order. She does stay actively involved with circle time. The morning asst (teacher #2) and afternoon asst (teacher #3) do seem to be more involved.

Parent #15
The school provides Spanish class for the children, computers in the room and a number of additional activities on site that a parent can purchase for their child. They have a number of resources(books) that can checked out.

Parent #16
When my child first came to this school she was introduced to daycare with a wonderful teacher that was very attentive to the needs of young children. I feel that since my daughter has moved to an older classroom the lead teacher lacks quite a few things, a sensitivity for children for one. I have also spoken with the majority of the other parents and they feel the same yet I was informed by another parent that it would be difficult for the Director of the school to replace the teacher because she has Bachelor's degree and it looks good for the school.

Parent #17
Very pleased with all the teachers - teacher #1 ratings apply to the whole room. I'm not always able to get daily feedback on my child as I don't always have time to talk with the teacher at pickup.

Parent #18
I love all the teachers we have at The Children's Courtyard - my newborn's teacher has been really great with my him...I was reluctant about sending him in daycare so young, but the transition has been more smoothly than I imagined. With her help, he's adapted to daycare and I thank God for her daily...she's more than a teacher to me, she's my friend. His other teacher been wonderful too - she always helps us to understand why Andrew acts out and gives us pointers on what we should do at home. One other teacher has been great as well - I love the way she tells me how well Andrew has been, and if he hasn't she explains the situation to me and gives me advice on how to handle it at home.

Parent #19
There are at least 4-5 different teachers in my daughter's after-school program. I answered 'Teacher#1' for all of them, as they all rotate between various 'stations'. My daughter hangs out in all areas but especially likes the arts & crafts area. They always have fun stuff for them to do there.

Parent #20
The philosophy is to allow children to learn in a relaxed environment that has structure but is not rigid. The children respect the teachers and love them too. It is amazing to watch how the children respond to the approach. They are continually learning and it feels like play time for them. Teachers will call with any information that is important for me to have right away concerning my child.

Parent #21
Be involved. Talk to teachers. Ask them about child's behavior, learning, etc.

Parent #22
I am generally pleased with the lead teachers that my son has had and the bios of those posted for the other classrooms. We are fortunate that his teacher has a bachelor's in a related field and certainly demonstrates a higher level of understanding in child development. However, the other teachers -- many of whom may only have associates or some level of certification or community college training are quite competent in their own right.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Get large plastic buckets (or sand buckets if you have lots of really little toys )in a variety of solid colors (red, blue, yellow, green, pink). Ask your child to clean up his/her toys by putting the toys in the bucket corresponding to the color bucket. Great for teaching personal responsibility, color identification, and sorting.

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