Learning Tree -Howell

First, let me just say that some of the teachers at this center are fantastic… but the way that the staff is treated makes them leave… hence the SUPER HIGH turn-​over rate (teachers and admin.). As a former employee, I can tell you that I was made many promises upon hire that weren’t kept. The teacher’s contract states that all lead teachers were to be given an hour of paid planning time a week — I think I was given a grand total of 90 minutes in the 7 months I was there. Favoritism is rampant and the «bonuses» that are dangled in the teacher’s faces are nearly impossible to attain. I was not paid for some work that was completed (equivalent to 2 hours of pay) because a form was not submitted because the fax machine wasn’t working. When I asked about this, I was told that I hadn’t «followed protocol» and was never paid, even though my direct supervisor witnessed the job being completed and I had two other pieces of evidence that the job was done. I could go on… but I won’t.
Second, check some of the teacher’s qualifications. Some times people are hired because the need for «bodies» is high.
Third, when touring, watch and talk to the staff. Do they seem happy to be there… or is it just a job? Are the children happy and engaged or is there a teacher sitting in a chair while the children are playing on the other side of the room?

Great news! The director has taken another position. Hoping for some good changes so we can see a 5 star review!

Too many turnovers to provide a stable learning environment. This place does not deliver on its promises.

Both of our girls attended the Learning Tree after recently moving to the area. Our youngest was in the Infant 1 room, and I DO have to say that we loved those teachers and our experiences with them. Our daughter quickly grew attached to Miss Britney and Miss Dana, and we just adored them. So, I don’t want to discredit our experiences with them.
However, this review needs to be based on our experiences regarding our oldest daughter. As a mom, I cannot move on from this experience and not be vocal about it. We showed up for our oldest daughter’s first day at the LT’s Preschool room. Since recently moving, our daughter had regressed on the potty training and was wearing pull-​ups. During our initial tour, I had mentioned this, and it wasn’t until our first day when we were told that no pull-​ups were allowed in the Preschool room. They said on the first day that they would work on it, only gave it 2 days and our daughter (almost 4) was moved to the Transitional Preschool room. During this process, I was not told that that room did not have a lead teacher in there. There was one younger girl, who literally started the week before my daughter. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed with 8 kids to herself in a class where potty training was the main focus. During this time, our daughter started to have tantrums from all of the changes, and I was called almost daily it felt like and asked «what do I do with her at home.» I offered suggestions, but with us not having these issues at home, I merely thought that the teachers needed to come up with methods that would work best for them in their environment. I was soon asked to come and pick up my daughter for the day on days when she was having a tantrum. This resulted in once a week for about 5 weeks. Honestly, this is their profession, but I didn’t feel like the teacher (or the assistant) was really reaching out to my daughter to integrate her into the classroom.
It wasn’t until I was called one morning to come and pick her up, I got there and my daughter was HYSTERICAL. She was in the director’s office and had been crying and having a tantrum for over an hour. She was complaining about her elbow and didn’t really calm down until later that day. Anyways, I was called because she was having a behavioral issue, yet when I asked her teacher later what had happened, the teacher said she fell off of the slide.
I didn’t think anything of it until a couple of days later, our daughter quit using that arm, and some bruising appeared on her collarbone. We went to the ER where they took x rays and she had been diagnosed with a broken collarbone. We put 2 and 2 together and she had actually broken her collar bone when she fell off of the slide that day that I was called because she was «having a tantrum.»
The next morning my husband called the director to talk about this and the director was immediately defensive, denying it could have happened there, said she knew nothing about the fall, and was flat out unprofessional over the phone. Initially refused to even watch the video tape of the playground until doctor’s notes were received. This initial attitude caught us completely off guard when we just wanted to call up and have a conversation about it. We aren’t the type of parents to cause a big stink about things, but when our child was seriously injured, it’s our right to find out what had happened. I felt that multiple conversations following that were more about my child’s behavior problem, rather than the fact that my child got seriously hurt. It was then that we knew that this was not the place for us. If I had been called that day and told that my child was hurt, rather than her just having a tantrum, then we would have understood that she got hurt and just moved on. Instead, the focus was entirely on her behavior and the unprofessionalism and lack of compassion that the director gave us was a clear sign. Also to note, I never received an incident report until it was requested, and it turned out that the teacher that told me she fell off of the slide, never really saw that happen anyways.
It was apparent in our very short stint there that overall the staff is not happy. It’s a tense environment and we (and our friends who also have children there) can tell that they are underappreciated. There’s a couple of really great teachers that are there because of the kids, that have since left because of this tense environment. The turnover is abysmal. There is not enough stability day to day.
It’s important to note that in the 7 weeks we were there, our oldest child never brought home a single art project or worksheet except for a Father’s Day gift. So, what exactly is the «Learning» Tree’s curriculum, and what exactly are they doing all day? In a nutshell… the attitude of the director, the lack of communication, and the turnover for this school was inexcusable.
I should note that our kids are somewhere else now. My older child has b