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Can anyone provide information on these two facilities. We're primarily looking for after school programs, but would like to hear too about this particular Kids R Kids pre-kindergarten program.
Kids R Kids at 150 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513
Club house at 2500 Highstone Road Cary, NC 27519
used to work at clubhouse- great place and company
Hello,
Bright Horizons is a really good company. The Clubhouse is a really great place for the kids. They go on a lot of good fieldtrips. The staff is really nice and fun. I enjoyed working there a lot. Bright Horizons is certified by the leading Early Childhood Eduction association which is the standard for all centers. The director is very professional.
Honestly, as a staff member I got a little bored because the kids were so engaged with all the things to do. I came from a background of working in Boys and Girls Clubs where we didn't have all the toys and activities available so the staff had to provide a lot of the entertainment. However, at the Clubhouse there's a lot to do. Most of the activities are child initiated and children aren't forced to do activities they don't want to.
In terms of supervision, the staff is very good. We were held to a very high standard. The people there really take their responsibility of caring for the children seriously.
If I had a child, I would definately send them to the Clubhouse or any Bright Horizons (though the Clubhouse is definately much better for school-age children.)
Really the only down side to the Clubhouse is that it seems to have a high turnover in staff. This is mainly because depending on how many children are enrolled, not all staff are needed- so they get sent out to other centers. For a lot of staff, this is a hastle. It makes work feel unpredictable and unstable. The Clubhouse has to keep a lot of staff on hand when enrollment is high and during the summer. Also an issue for staff is wages.
So, the reason for the high staff turnover isn't that it's a bad program, it's a great program for the kids- it's just not ideal for staff. I really feel for the Director because I know she struggles with this and she does the best she can. But, the bottom line is, it's a great place for kids. Also, the high staff turnover rate doesn't affect school age children on trackout as much because you only get 3 weeks to bond with the staff- so no one gets super attached anyway.
If you're wondering why I left the Clubhouse if it's so great- here's why: First of all the wages were an issue for me. I recently moved to NC so I don't know anyone to have roommates or things like that so money was too tight. Also, the fact that as a staff person I only got to be with a group of kids for 3 weeks at a time didn't work for me. I didn't feel like I was making the kind of impact I wanted to. Through being sent to other Bright Horizons centers I found I really enjoyed teaching preschool. So, between the wages and the impact I wanted to be making- I had to leave BH.
Boy, you think the grass is greener on the other side ... Now I work for a La Petite Academy as a preschool teacher. I love teaching preschool and making the kind of impact I want to. But as a company- La Petite is no Bright Horizons. Bright Horizons is a very good company with very good early childhood education.
Incase you wanted to know about La Petite. The staff really care about the kids and families. A lot of kids come from not so great family situations and spend a lot of the day at the center. However, it's geared more toward lower-income families. The education program isn't quite as good as at a BH, and it varies more from center to center. However, I like working there because I really feel like I'm making a difference because these kids really need positive influences in their lives. I didn't feel that way at BH because the kids mostly come from good backgrounds. The school-age program where I work isn't the best. The teachers really do their best- I just don't think they really have the experience to make a good school-age program. If I wasn't teaching preschool I'd work on making LP school-age program really good because that's what my background is in.
We sent my son last year for Pre-K in the summer to the clubhouse and sent him for Teacher work days this past year during K. He will also be going to summer camp there. I LOVE it. They are great with the kids. Very nice and professional and the kids seem to have a good time. I will say in the Pre-K program, there wasn't any turnover. I can't speak to the elementary program really yet as I just have experience with teacher work days. He really enjoyed the teacher work days.
They have a splash area, a small creek and tons of outdoor space. Kids do need to bring a lunch. The program is great.
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used to work at clubhouse- great place and company
