Goddard School

I put my 2 school-age children in the Spring Break week at this Goddard school on Higley Road. And my children had such a blast! The program was very carefully designed and I am so happy with it.\r \r At first, I just wanted to find a safe place for my 5 years old boy and 9 years old daughter to spend the Spring Break. But they got a lot more than what we had expected. The school was new at this school-age program, and they used the Spring Break as the pilot for their upcoming Summer Camp. From what it looked, I think they will have a very sucessful Summer Camp. The program was rich and the teacher was such a cool person to run the kids. I definitely will bring my two children back for more during the summer.\r \r Way to go Goddard! more

My two children went to the Goddard school on Higley road for about a year. We left two months ago moving to another Goddard school on East Coast (relocated because of my new job). While I did appreciate the school on Higley Road very much, I didn’t bother of writing a review until now. After being in another Goddard school and have a basis for comparison, I now feel compelled to tell people how special a place we had back in Gilbert, Arizona! While both schools are fine and among the top tier, the one on Higley Road is definitely special. There were a lot of small things the new owner brought to the school which made the experience very memorable. From the Keurig coffee machine in the foyer, to the care and warmth of the staff. From the quiet determination to improve the education level to the free Parents’ Night Out (and they even watched the siblings of the enrolled students for free). From the first rate reading program to the first rate Phoenix Zoo visit. What we miss most is the personal attention given to us parents alongside the students. When we were there, we thought those things were nice to have. Now in another environment, we know those were the luxury we deserved. We like the school in VA we are in now. But we definitely LOVE the one we left behind. Good luck, you guys! With affection, Cindy more

We toured the school yesterday. Our 14-month old son (not very out-going) just latched on to the owner. Very out of character for him. The owner carried him around the school introduced him to several teachers and children in the school while we were talking to the director of education about various things. (Everything was wonderful BTW) When my husband and I were ready to leave, our son was not! He didn't want to leave the owner to go to me. and he started to cry when I took him. What do you do in such a situation, when everything you are looking for is there and your child just votes by feet? The only thing left to do was to enroll. And we did. My husband and I laughed and smiled all the way home. Lisa G. more

My husband is a Quality Engineer. His approach to finding a school for our 2 years old girl was a quality audit. He audited procedures, lesson plans, other corp audit results, etc.\r \r My approach was totally intutiative. I talked to other parents, looked at the students and how they behaved, walked around to get a feel, etc.\r \r Both of our approaches arrived at the conclusion this school on Higley Road was the best of all 6 schools we seriously looked at.\r \r All other things are excellent. But the thing I like most is they don't seem to focus so much on the money. Most of the talk was about how they want to make it convenient for the parents to feel good when they leave their children here to go to work. I like that a lot.\r \r Three months in, everything confirmed our initial assessment. We score again!\r \r Madison - a parent more

My wife and I toured 11 schools for our daughter before settled on this one. And we are so glad we made the choice. since we got in, we discovered a lot more things we are pleased with which we did not see during the tours. \r \r The school is spotless. The programs are strong and very appropriate. The staff is caring. We cannot stop talking about how happy our child is since moving to this school from another high-end place.\r \r Highly recommended. more

I picked this one over Primrose even though it is further to drive for me. But it is totally worth it. My child is much happier now and learns a lot everyday. They have a killer reading program and lots more. the building is spotless everyday. The staff is caring and honest. There are a lot of things they do in the background which they don't advertise but the parents really appreciate them such as try to get the kids to eat more fresh fruits (and I mean fresh from the grocery stores) and reduce fat and sugar.\r \r Their rooms have independent AC and air circulation system which cut down in virus spreading. \r \r Oh, did I mention the killer reading program? more

I picked this school over a more covenient Primrose school because of the chemistry and atmosphere. My son is a shy boy and always has a heard time adapting to new people and new environment. We visited about 7 schools and he always clinged to me without any desire to explore the schools we toured. For whatever reason, that stopped when we were at this Goddard school on Higley road for the first time. He actually smiled with the owner. One better, he held the potential teacher's hand and sat down at circle time which happened to be going on when we were touring. And that has not changed 2 months after. He is going through a transformation now with such ease. I attribute that all to his teacher and the supporting staff there at the school. I am thrill with what we have now. Penny Penskee - Gilbert, AZ more

Totally agree agree with the last reviewer that this is a great place. Very refreshing approach to childcare and early childhood development. The personal touch and committment is profound. My hiusband and I are very pleased with this hidden gem. More importantly, our son wakes up cannot wait to go to school and can't stop talking about alphabets when he is home from school. This is high-end stuff. more

I am giving this school the highest mark (don't do that very often) because of a combination of many excellent observation. Management (new owner) is dedicated. Not just after your money. As a matter of fact, I don't know how they do it with so many free programs such as the freeParents' Night Out. The school is absolutely clean and always smell great. The staff is very dedicated. They signed a plege to take care of my son like their own child. The education side is very strong. Not over bearing for the kids, but they don't let the kids runs free either. They have an excellent music program and the reading program is better than some exclusive high-end private institution. Check it out for yourself. more

About six months ago we toured this school for our daughter. While we were impressed with the building and facility, we were not at all impressed with the (lack of) educational program. The Director was kind of fake at best.We did not even see the owner.\r \r We came back last week when we heard of the change in ownership, and we were in for a nice surprise. There was a new Director who seemed to know what she was doing. The owner seems to be very passionate.\r \r What sold us was some of the new programs the new ownership put in, like the reading and writting program which we've NEVER seen anywhere else. My husband (who is a lawyer) and I (who is a highschool teacher) were both blown away at the vision. If this program is only half sucessful as it promises, we still would be thrilled.\r \r My advise to you is to check it out for yourselves. Good care level, good people, unique educational program. That's what we found. You might see the same thing. The only thing which prevents me from givi more

Under new ownership as of June 2011! My kids have been attending since infants and they will miss this place dearly next year when they graduate to 1st grade.\r \r The new owners have brought this place back to a "family centered" enviroment with additional security features to the facilities. Me and my children thank you. more

I have toured many schools and even the other 2 Goddards in Gilbert. When I toured the school on Higley and Baseline, I was SOLD! This school was not only beautiful, clean and smelled amazing but the people where so warm and friendly! I am a teacher myself and sending my two kids into childcare made me very nervous. I could not be more happy with my decision. It is our "second family" and I adore the girls teachers as well as the director of the school. Great experience for my kids and honestly, for me and my husband as well! more

Unfortunately I must revise my 5* rating downward. Although the curriculum is great and everyone is very nice here, the turnover is very high--at least in my daughter's todler room. I have seen many posts that the infant care rooms are excellent, and that may be the case, I don't know. Before we enrolled, I had read reviews about the high turnover, and we quickly saw that also, but for a while just hoped it would pass. It didn't. I think we has something like 6 teachers in 4 months. The teachers were all very nice, but quite visibly stressed by about noon each day. I'm not an expert in daycare, but something seems broken here (mix of tantrum prone children, training, administrative support, assistants--who knows). I continue to believe in the Goddard Schools, but I cannot recommend this location, at least at the toddler level. more

My child is a recent graduate of this school, and after having been there since the opening, I have nothing but praise. The owner of the school is a kind and generous man, whom my little girl always keeps in her prayers. The owner and director we knew for years were an awesome team. The teachers we had were talented and caring, and my daughter learned so much. Most importantly, I felt good leaving my child, and she was always excited to go to school. Thank you, Goddard! more

This is a very good school with dedicated staff who seem to care about the children very much. Nothing but good things to say about this school. I just love bringing my daughter there. My daughter is excited to go there too. more

My family has been a part of this Goddard School for about a year and a half now. We've had a very positive experience all around. Last night I saw our school on Fox 10 reviewing a new literacy program! I asked about why they chose my kids Goddard and found out it is because the school is ranked number 2 is the whole organization in health and safety, curriculum and customer service scores! How cool! I guess we chose the right school! more

I was not concerned about the owner either, but the facility on Higley road would not be one that I would recommend. My daughter was in the preschool 2 room which had a horrible turnover rate for teachers. In the six months that she was in there, there were 3 different teachers. We moved her out of that school and she is now doing well but from what our friend told us the turnover rate at that school is much higher than the industry standards. I know that there is a high turnover in this industry anyway, but this school did not seem like it could keep new teachers. There are some good teachers there, but it is just luck to get one of them. more

This is by far the best brand of school in the valley, although it was not the school where my son started it was where he wound up. Thank god we found the school. I could care less what is said about the owner in the end he ran a great school(Higley). I care more about the teacher my kids are around then the owner and miss Pam was great! My son loved it there and is now excelling in private school. My daughter now attends the Warner school (since it is closer) and her teachers are awesome! I have not had one crying incident at drop-off since she started. After having many miserable drop-offs at an unnamed school at Elliot and McQueen, I made the right choice and switched to Goddard. My daughter is now teaching us sign language which she learned as part of the Goddard curriculum. I like that the teacher tell my wife every day not just whether my daughter ate her lunch but what she liked and she did not like, it shows me that they pay attention and know her. Goddard may not h more

Reading through these reviews, people either LOVE or HATE the school. Our experience has been mixed. \r \r The facilities are nice, the environment safe and friendly, and the administration helpful and accomodating. Overall we think it is a good school, and without taking away from that, here are our concerns:\r \r Goddard advertises care to age 6. What we found was that they seem to do better for the younger kids, but once the kids are about 3.5 to 4 and need more "enrichment" and less "day care," Goddard falls short. Our son loved his time there at age 2 and 3, but by age 4 he was extremely bored and did not look forward to going there. The teachers seemed overwhelmed, and his work was never reviewed for accuracy. The teachers did not really know if any particular child was progressing or not. There is not enough 1-1 interaction with the kids, and the kids were not encouraged to "take turns" at the computer. By age 4, the kids need more teaching, not day care. On a few surpri more

Like a few of the other reviews, I dont care for the management very much, but my child has been there for over 6 months now and we are pleased with the care. The teachers in the infant room are great. We had a month where one teacher retired and we were in limbo waiting for a new teacher, but they hired an excellent replacement. I can only speak for the infant room, but all of the teachers are very fond of my child and seem to care very much for her. I would definately recommend the infant room to anyone, but will refrain from comment on the other rooms. My only other complaint is they close often for holidays and teacher days. I am not a big fan of the daycare dictating how I use my vacation time, but it is what it is. more