Summary
Contact Info
Crystal Cathedral Preschool
13280 West Chapman Avenue
Garden Grove
, CA
92840
Tel:
(714) 971-4141
Parent Ratings
| Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. |
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| Development of social skills and work habits |
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| Home-school connection |
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| Parent community |
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| Discipline |
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| Facilities |
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| Health |
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| Safety |
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| Handling of separation |
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Survey Information
Number of parents surveyed:
1
Savvy Source survey: Yes
General Info
Transportation and Drop-off Policies
Transportation
Accreditation, Membership & Awards
| Accreditation by the National Association of Young Children |
Yes
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Facilities
| CONDITION OF FACILITIES RATING (4.0) |
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| Building, bathrooms, hallway |
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| Classroom equipment and furniture |
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| Outside play equipment |
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Parents' Comments
Parent #1
BE WARNED!!! We chose the Crystal Cathedral Preschool based upon excellent recommendations from friends and family. Our son had just turned 3 years old, never been exposed to playing with other children without parent supervision, and we thought that the Crystal Cathedral Preschool would be a great place to introduce him to not only social skills, but a little religion, too. He already knows his ABCs, colors, shapes, can count from 1-20, and speaks well for his age. Basically, he knows more than your average 3 year old. I addressed my concerns with the administration about him being lost in the shuffle if he's ahead of his peer group. They reassured me by telling me that all factors would be considered (intelligence, social and emotional maturity), and that things would be fine. After one month, we are extremely disappointed with the Administration of the Preschool. The vibe we felt during our acceptance interview was that they were only interested in accepting our money (how fast can we get him potty trained, how soon would we want to bring him in to five days a week). Our child was not potty trained, and the only spot they had for potty training involved attending 2x/week. Nothing else was open. After six class sessions, my husband and I were told that he was "ready" to go to either 3 or 5 days a week based on his potty training. We thought it was a little quick to move him to an older class (3 year olds turning 4 this year)that didn't accommodate potty training, but figured that the administrators were the experts. Without thinking about his emotional and social maturity, they moved him over. The following week, my husband and I found ourselves sitting in the office because our son is exhibiting aggressive behavior to students and teachers. After listening to the teachers and observing the class without our son's knowledge, we quickly noticed that the teachers were not taking a proactive approach to teach him how to be social with the other children, and introduce to him skills necessary for getting along with his peers. One example I can share is that our son was getting reprimanded for moving a child's wagging finger away from his face. The teacher did not see what the little girl did, and basically removed our son away from the little girl and then wagged her own finger in his face to reprimand him. I told my husband to wait and see how this incident would be documented on our "daily note home" of our son's "good choices and poor choices". We had been placed on a contract to modify 2 days of behavior issues, and were now required to receive daily notes home of our son's progress. Sure enough, the incident was listed ("he hit with his hands during AM gym") but it was obvious that the teacher only saw our son reacting to what the girl did. NO mention of the girl's actions were in the note, which basically implied that our son's action was unprovoked. Something we would have believed if my husband had not witnessed the incident himself. When this was brought to the administrator's attention the following day, the administrator told us that she did not find that action offensive, and kept interrupting my husband. Rather than discuss the issue at hand, she kept insisting that she was more concerned about red flag behaviors. I thought parent/teacher or administrator conferences were supposed to be productive discussions where parents and staff work together for the best interest of the child, not an hour of "I have been in this business for many years and know better than you." I think the Preschool is great for children who have been exposed to regular play dates, played with other children their age on a playground or park (not just independent play). The curriculum is great, and the atmosphere is nice. For kids who have had minimal to no exposure...I highly recommend that you spend the extra money and take them to a Montessori school. It will be well worth it because their administrators have successfully acclimated children and taught them a variety of skills necessary to succeed in school and life. That's what we're going to do, and I truly believe that our son will have a better chance at success learning and mastering those skills from teachers and administrators who take the time to teach.
School Philosophy & Day in the Life
School Philosophy and Mission
Director has not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source
Typical Day-In-The-Life At This School
Director has not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source
Quality of Teaching
Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
As I had mentioned before, only a few teachers stood out for us. Three are outstanding teachers who genuinely care for the children and "teach by example". They also exhibit the patience required for teaching 3 year olds. Other teachers would use verbiage in reports that were questionable ("he clobbered me in the chin", "he would stand up as if to say 'I'll show you'".). The biggest issues we had were the fact that a lot of the teachers did not lead by example and were more observational than proactive in circumventing situations. If our child is new to the school, has never been in a school situation without parent supervision...help our child learn by introducing him to other kids. Or be proactive to take our child by the hand and ask if he would like to play with the kids he is watching.
Home School Connection
Home-School Connection
| OVERALL RATING (2.8) |
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| Conducts an open house at start of school year |
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| Conducts a parent-teacher meeting at start of school year |
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| Conducts regular parent teacher conferences |
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| Provides summary of child’s learning at end of year |
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| Provides guidance on developmental goals for the following year |
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| Provides guidance on best Kindergarten and elementary schools |
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Director's and Parents' Comments
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
The school has an open door policy but the only home-school connection is through monthly preschool newsletters that only place an overview of what the kids are going to learn. The only way you get a specific mention of what the kids are going to learn on a daily basis is by physically reading the calendar on the wall by the door. For separation anxiety, our son would cry for 5 minutes and then engage in toys or puzzles and begin to acclimate to the classroom at his pace. Usually, the teacher would help with this. The school has a great open door policy, which is how we were able to observe our son's behavior unnoticed. Some of the teachers are genuinely concerned for the kids, but you can easily tell the ones that are not or might be having a bad day. The Director of the Preschool is the one we had a major issues with. She needs to connect with her staff more so that all staff are on the same page.
Drop-in Policy
- During school parents are welcomed as the school has an open door policy
General Parent Education
Parent Community
| COHESIVENESS RATING (1.0) |
Parents:
Modes of Communication Between School and Home
Discipline, Health and Safety
Discipline
| OVERALL RATING (1.2) |
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| Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children:
are handled poorly in a way that makes me concerned about the safety of my child
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Parents' Notes on Discipline, Health and Safety
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
The tricycles are only available in the gymnasium where close to 55 kids are being supervised by only 5 teachers since the rest are taking breaks. So much for a 1:6 or 1:8 student/teacher ratio. The hot lunches provided only on Mondays and Wednesdays do not change, so there isn't variety. Snacks also did not change and consisted of Cheerios and milk or some kind of fruit and milk.
Health
| OVERALL RATING (3.3) |
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| Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable |
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| Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided
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| Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly |
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Safety
| OVERALL RATING (4.5) |
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| Screen and identify all visitors
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| Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others |
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Ages, Schedule & Tuition
Director and Parents have not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source.
Application & Admissions
Director and Parents have not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source.
