Wonderful Virginia Academy

WEEK 1: So far so good! I just enrolled my son in the part time preschool class. It is by far the most affordable facility program in our area which to me shows that it isn’t all about the bottom line. Going into this I probably have semi high expectations since I run my own daycare in home & I know what to look for. I am satisfied so far. This was also my son’s very first time leaving home & in case you’re wondering why I am paying a daycare when I run one at home the answer is that my son should have started kindergarten this year but missed the cut-​off due to his birthday. I felt like he was ready to start but since he can’t, I wanted to at least start the transition slowly into this next phase of his life. Even tho it was his first time leaving home he has not cried or asked to stay home or anything like that. He really seems to enjoy it and he really loves Ms. Smita, one of the pre-​k teachers. I’ve been teaching him how to read & write for a while now but he doesn’t always perform for me because I am his mom.
UPDATE: A few weeks have passed & they put a new teacher in the pre-​k room. Ms. Gwen has a no nonsense attitude which is okay w/​me because I feel my kid needs a strict environment in order to be attentive & get the most out of the class. However the downside to that is she can come off somewhat cold & my son doesn’t really enjoy his time there as much, again not the end of the world to me since I’m not paying for them to entertain his every whim rather to teach him age appropriate materials & «gradually» ease him into a school-​aged routine. My only problem I am running into is their emphasis on «prepping» for kindergarten leaves me feeling like they sometimes forget that they’re NOT YET in kindergarten. They will still need some help in area’s like shoe lace tying etc. At the end of the day they’re still «PRE-​schoolers» which is a step PRIOR to school.
Having said all of this I would like to feel a bit more warmth from the teachers & staff. I went out the other evening and let my son help me pick out a gift for his whole class, to keep there. We picked out a big wooden puzzle to present to the teacher the next day. Being a teacher myself I was trying to think of something that would be practical & educational as well. I wrote a little note on the puzzle «To: WVA Preschool Class» I was a bit thrown off when it was sent back home with my son that evening.
I guess I may be just cut from a different cloth but when it comes to caring for other people’s children I want them to feel just as «welcome,» «warm» & «at home» as they would in their own homes. I put as much, sometimes more time, patience & effort into their overall development as I do with my own children. I try to treat them how I would want my own child (ren) being treated. With love and compassion. The one thing I feel is lacking here is people who truly have a passion for working with our future generation.

I rate the teachers at this school 4 – 5 stars but the office staff (one in particular) as a 1 – 2 stars. The school originally was open until 8pm daily but then suddenly in March with very little warning started closing at 7pm. They couldn’t have waited until the end of the school year to do that? Make sure you ask a lot questions!