Good Beginnings School

I would like potential parents to be aware of the harsh tone that is heard through the corridors of this school during early morning drop off periods. these teachers frequently lose their patience with the the very youngest of children, perhaps due to their age. While this is understandable, in an early childhood environment this is not acceptable. «Get over here, right now» are not words any teacher should be using.

My child has attended GBS summer camps for the last 3 summers. They keep getting better. Since I have to work, it is a great thing for me to know that my child is enjoying the day swimming, playing outside and making friends. I also appreciate that there is an academic aspect to the summer program — fun learning — this summer’s theme was «The Greatest Stories Ever Told.» Hence, summer isn’t a learning-​loss time at GBS. Plus, the field trips, 1 per week, were great. I attended one, and wow, the principal and counselors in attendance did everything to make it the most enjoyable outing possible for the kids. And, I was very impressed with how well-​mannered all the kids were during the outing. I think it might have had a lot to do with … the way the staff interacted with them at a personal level.
Also, GBS offers a lot of extracurricular activities for the kids, enrichment, from piano lessons to dance. These are a plus.
Compare this with my child’s experience at a week of YMCA camp. Whew! Counselors barking out orders there. Rough kids. Lots of down time, waiting in lines. My child told me unconditionally after 1 week (I told him he had to try it for a week), — would not go back there. I’d only sent him to YMCA for the one week because I like to comparison shop everything.
On the other hand, he was talking about how much he looked forward to next summer at GBS as soon as GBS summer camp ended.
If I have to name one drawback at GBS … I’m thinking … I really can’t think of one. Even the school’s lunches are good.
Wait! I thought of one. Summer’s before this last one, I did notice that Good Mornings weren’t dispensed 100% to me. Now, I am a Good Morning person. I think that it should be a requirement for everyone who passes within 3 feet of another person, before 12 noon, to say Good Morning! But, this year, a slight adjustment in staff, and I got 100% Good Mornings! So, that is why I say it gets better each year.

I thought I’d comment on the bad summer camp review. This was the 3^rd or 4^th summer there with our 3 kids. My kids had a great time and didn’t want to come home with us. I found that the teachers were nice and friendly and they now have awesome music lessons on site. I have never heard a teacher say they would «kick his butt.» I am truly an independent review, I don’t work at the school. I would recommend it to parents. Ignore Kuks review, it does not represent what I’ve seen over the years. How can kids who play all day, swim every day and have a field trip once a week not have fun. If it wasn’t a great school then why would I have send my kids there for the past 6 years for preschool and summer camps? And I can add that Kuks could have taken his kid out at any time, you pay in 2 week blocks. If you didn’t leave it’s your own fault if you were that unhappy.
I see that Kuks has just bad reviews to post on Unilocal,probably unhappy about most things. How in the world could you give Great Harvest Bread only 3 stars because they happen to use HFCS? GHB is definitely 5 star, I need to give them a review!

Great beginnings may be a great place during the school year but I would definitely not recommend their summer camp. My child had an awful time there this summer and we couldn’t wait for our time there to end. My child is a fun loving child and we rarely get any complaints about him from teachers. On one occasion a teacher told him if he doesn’t keep quiet she’ll «kick his butt» — This is just one of several issues which happened. The environment at the school was never fun and the teachers never smiled or acknowledged you or the child in the corridors regardless of the number of times they saw you.
I am writing this because I wish there had been a review about Good beginnings summer camps when we were making decisions for summer camps. Hopefully this will help others to not make the mistake I made of sending my child to summer camp there. There are several other options in Reston.