Children's Paradise Preschool & Infant Center (Melrose Dr.)

Print page | Close page

Summary

Contact Info

Children's Paradise Preschool & Infant Center (Melrose Dr.)
145 N Melrose Drive Ste 100
Vista , CA  92083
childrensparadiseinc.com

Tel: (760) 724-5600
Fax: (760) 724-5614

Director: Katie Mullis: Director
kmullis@childrensparadiseinc.com

General Approach to Learning

Play-based
Check Mark Play-based with some structure
Predominantly teacher-led instruction
Montessori
Waldorf
Co-op
Reggio-Emilia

Application Information

Applications accepted While child is in utero, upon birth, after a face-to-face meeting at the school
Wait list No
Deadline for applications Rolling

Key Statistics

Student/teacher ratio 9:1
Age cutoff for enrollment 1 months
Extended day Yes
School year Year round program

Kindergarten Placement

Kindergartens that preschoolers from this school are now attending

Lake Elementary, Breeze Hill Elementary, Vista Christian, Vista Academy of the Performing Arts, Casita Center

Parent Ratings

Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. Four And Half Stars
Quality of teaching Four And Half Stars
Development of social skills and work habits Four And Half Stars
Home-school connection Four Stars
Parent community Three Stars
Discipline Four Stars
Facilities Five Stars
Health Four And Half Stars
Safety Four Stars
Handling of separation Two and Half Star

Survey Information

Number of parents surveyed:  9

Director survey: Yes

Savvy Source survey: Yes

General Info

Basic Stats

Student/teacher ratio 9:1
Established 1993

% of teachers with:

- Bachelors 25%
- Teaching credentials 75%
- CPR 100%
- First aid 100%

Transportation and Drop-off Policies

Transportation

- Parents bring their children to and from school


Dropoff Procedure

- Parents walk their child into the classroom

Features of the Preschool

Provide a third year No
Provide a kindergarten and elementary school program Yes
Affiliated with a religious institution No
Some experience serving children with special needs Yes
• We work very closely with the family to meets the needs of the child.

Facilities

CONDITION OF FACILITIES RATING (5.0) Five Stars
Building, bathrooms, hallway Five Stars
Classroom equipment and furniture Five Stars
Outside play equipment Five Stars

Facilities Include:

Classrooms (with bathroom attached) Check
Classrooms (with kitchenette attached)
Music room
Art room
Library
Playground Check

Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Very happy with the teachers and the curriculum. Food program is good, but could be better (ie corn dogs as a lunch item).

Parent #2
There have been too many transitions - from one classroom to another and also, a lot of teacher turnover

Parent #3
My daughter has gained the prepartion necessary to be ready for Kindergarten, her school has had several field trips and in addition the school provides healthy hot lunches so she will know what to expect in Elementary School.

Parent #4
This is a large preschool and you have to make a point of finding out information, but staff is friendly and helpful and are readily accessible. The facilities are very nice and the teachers are wonderful. There is not as much parent involvement as I would have thought, but this means that you can either be very involved or not at all, there are no set rules.

Parent #5
I feel my expectations have been met.

Parent #6
Sometimes I wish the teachers paid a little more attention to the children while on the playground. The teachers spend a little too much time socializing with other teachers and not being as aware as they could be regarding the interaction and safety of the children while on the playground.

School Philosophy & Day in the Life

School Philosophy and Mission

At Children's Paradise we believe children are each very unique and valuable individuals and we believe that our children are the future leaders of the world. We believe that they grow, learn and develop respect through the adult role models which they
encounter every day. Each family enrolled at Children's Paradise is treated with dignity and respect. We believe in providing an exciting early childhood education in warm surroundings where the best aspects of home and school are combined.
Children's Paradise is a place where infants start in a "home away from home" atmosphere and continue on through their elementary years... An environment where our children are always encouraged to explore, create, play, and interact to become stimulated and challenged



Typical Day-In-The-Life At This School

6 - 8 am Drop off and Table top activities
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 - 10 am Circle Time and Learning Centers
10 - 11 am Outside Play Time
11 - 12 pm Lunch
12 - 12:30 pm Story Time
12:30 - 2:30 pm Nap Time
2:30 - 3 pm Snack Time
3 - 4 pm Outside Play Time
4 - 5 pm Cirlce Time and Learning Centers
5 - 6 pm Table top activities

Curriculum & Teaching Approach

General Approach to Learning

Play-based
Play-based with some structure
Predominantly teacher-led instruction
Montessori
Waldorf
Co-op
Reggio-Emilia

Social Skills & Work Habits

OVERALL RATING (4.5) Four And Half Stars
This school has increased my child's:
Ability to listen and follow directions Four Stars
Ability to sit still for longer periods of time
Four Stars
Ability to be a part of a group of children Four And Half Stars
Self-sufficiency and independence Four And Half Stars
Awareness of others’ feelings Four And Half Stars
Cooperation with other children Four And Half Stars

Curriculum and Teaching Approach

Free Play Free Play Free Play with Some Structure Free Play with Some Structure Free Play with Some Structure
Language YES
Oral language - Free play with some structure - - n/a
Nursery rhymes, poems, songs - Free play with some structure - - n/a
Storybook reading - Free play with some structure - - n/a
Emerging literacy skills - Free play with some structure - - n/a
Cognitive Development n/a
Math and number sense - Free play with some structure - - -
Time & space - Free play with some structure - - YES
Sci. reasoning/physical world - Free play with some structure - - YES
Music - Free play with some structure - - YES
Visual arts - Free play with some structure - - YES
Physical activity - Free play with some structure - - YES
Other subjects taught n/a
Parents' Comments

Parent #1
The teachers do not force kids to all complete the same projects in the same way; rather, they are encouraged to do 'their own work' and not at all forced to do the same thing simultaneously. I like this approach because it helps instill a love of school and learning. I also have been very impressed with the counting and printing skills my daughter has developed. By 4.5 years, she is able to print her first and last name, and also able to copy words from books, including the ability to interpret upper and lowercase letters.

Parent #2
Describing the curriculum as "teacher-led" is not the complete picture. From what the teachers have told me and what I have seen, the teachers lead the activity but they let the children have input (i.e. creating their own stories from words that begin with a certain letter that the teacher helped them pick).

Quality of Teaching

Teachers Are:

OVERALL RATING: (4.5) Four And Half Stars
Full of energy and seemingly happy in job Four And Half Stars
Patient and affectionate with children Four And Half Stars
Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her Four And Half Stars
Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior Four And Half Stars
Provides feedback on what my child does during the day Four Stars
Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate Four Stars
Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses Four Stars
If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off Four And Half Stars
Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute Four And Half Stars
Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them Four And Half Stars
Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn Four Stars
Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts Four And Half Stars
Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children Four Stars

Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
The teachers are very caring individuals and truly it is a labor of love for them.

Parent #2
I am very happy with our child's teachers.

Home School Connection

Home-School Connection

OVERALL RATING (4.0) Four Stars
Conducts an open house at start of school year Four And Half Stars
Conducts a parent-teacher meeting at start of school year Three and Half Stars
Conducts regular parent teacher conferences Three Stars
Provides summary of child’s learning at end of year Three and Half Stars
Provides guidance on developmental goals for the following year Four Stars
Provides guidance on best Kindergarten and elementary schools Three and Half Stars

Separation

OVERALL RATING (2.9) Two and Half Star
Beginning of the year separation is handled through:
- Extra staff dedicated to handle separation
- Parents in classroom early on

Director's and Parents' Comments

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
I'm very very happy with my daughter's enrollment at Children's Paradise Melrose. However, after taking this survey, I realize that it would be beneficial if the school provided parents with more of an annual 'report card' of their child's performance with goals for the following year. Otherwise, very happy!

Parent #2
Some of the questions do not apply to my family as my son is only 3 years old and we have not reached preschool issues yet, which is why that question is scored low. The school is small, with an open door policy that I am always communicating with my son's teacher, so I feel that I do not need formal individual parent/teacher meetings at this time. They may have these for the preschool classes.

Parent #3
They are very open with communicating with you as long as you ask the questions. You need to seek out some of the information but it is readily available.

Parent #4
I love Children's Paradise. It has been a positive experience for my child. It is also nice that they provide hot nutritious meals so she will be prepared for elementary school lunch time. I would highly recommend this school to anyone.

Parent #5
I am very happy with the care and attention given to our child by her teachers and very impressed with the thoughtfulness put into the curriculum. I was very interested to hear about the teaching philosophy for this age group and about the concepts that they felt were important to teach preschoolers at the open house during the school year. While they emphasized the importance of play at school, they are teaching very important skills and concepts that form a strong basis for future learning and development. Her teachers seem genuinely happy to see her each morning. The facilities are very new and brightly designed. The outdoor play areas are very spacious and well groomed with new toys and equipment in the playground areas.

Parent Community

COHESIVENESS RATING (3.1) Three Stars

Parents:

- Are able to visit the school anytime we want

- Go on field trips

- Encourage play dates out of school

- Shares information on matter related to our children (e.g. babysitter lists, pediatricians, extracurriculuar classes, etc.)


Parents' Comments

Parent #1
Date Night once a month for parents to drop their child off and pick them up the next morning which is nice to have a date nice once in awhile.

Modes of Communication Between School and Home

- Notes

- Phone Calls

- Voice Mail

- Special Meetings

- Two or More Regular Conferences

- Drop-Off

- Pick-Up

- Regular newsletter/printed updates circulated to the whole school

Discipline, Health and Safety

Discipline

OVERALL RATING (4.1) Four Stars
Parents' Opinions
Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children: are handled extraordinarily well in a way that not only gives me confidence in the safety of my child but also reassures me that my child (and his/her peers) are learning the early skills needed to socialize effectively with one another

Overview


Director's Description of Approach Toward Discipline


We believe in re-directing a child's behavior to another activity. We also work closely with the child modeling the correct behaviors throughout the day.

Parents' Notes on Discipline, Health and Safety

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
This facility was custom-built in 2003-2004 and the staff is very proud of the entire campus. The colors are bright, the toys are new, and everyone is happy to be there. Very impressive!

Parent #2
The food is not always organic/healthy, but the school does accommodate parents' requests for any specific food needs for their child/ren.

Parent #3
Children's Paradise has a beautiful playground and nice safe classrooms with a lot of learning resources.

Health

OVERALL RATING (4.6) Four And Half Stars
Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable Four And Half Stars
Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided Four Stars
Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly Four And Half Stars

Food Allergies

- We do not allow certain foods in the classroom

- We keep special snacks for allergic children

- We ask parents to provide child-safe snacks for their allergic child

Medications

- We keep their medication on hand at all times

Safety

OVERALL RATING (4.3) Four Stars
Screen and identify all visitors Four And Half Stars
• Staff members are given full background checks through FBI and Child Abuse Index and have to clear both before being employeed.
Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others Four Stars

Ages, Schedule & Tuition

Ages, Class Size, Days & Tuition

Ages Class Size Days Tuition
From 1 months to
2 years
$0/Week
From 2 years to
5 years
$0/Week
From 2 years to
2 years 5 months
18 $230/Week
From 2 years 5 months to
6 years
24 $190/Week
From 1 months to
2 years
24 $270/Week

Extended Care

- This school does have extended care

Notes on Schedule and Extended Care

Notes

A normal day is for a maximum of 10 hours. If you require care longer than 10 hours you will be charged an extended hour rate.

Calendar Year

School Year

Year round program

Application & Admissions

Application Process

Applications are accepted: While child is in utero, upon birth, after a face-to-face meeting at the school

There is no wait list for upcoming school year. • By telephone as space becomes available

Parent visits tours are: Recommended

Child interview process: None

Parent interview process: Director-parent

Deadline for applications: Rolling

Application fee: $100

Admissions Process

Acceptance criteria: First-come basis  

Notification occurs: Immediately

Parents must submit deposit within the following timeframe of receiving notification of acceptance: One week

Financial aid is not available.

Age/Child Requirements

Child must be 1 months to enroll.

Child does not need to be potty trained to enroll.

Kindergarten Placement & Tips

Kindergarten Placement

Kindergartens that preschoolers from this school are now attending

Lake Elementary, Breeze Hill Elementary, Vista Christian, Vista Academy of the Performing Arts, Casita Center

Parents' Admission Tips

Advice from Parents to Prospective Parents on Admissions

Parent #1
We had a long-standing relationship with the director, as our daughter had attended the daycare center that is affiliated with the school since the age of 9 months.

Parent #2
The Parent Handbook states that this center has a Kindergarten Readiness night in January/February, hosting teachers from private and public kindergartens for a Q&A session. When I inquired about it this year, I was told that they had "never done that". Disappointing!

Parent #3
The admission process was less difficult that I expected it to be.

The Savvy Source for Parents © 2006
[ close this page ]