Beth Shir Sholom used to have a great reputation. We were thrilled to enroll last Fall in their transitional ?Gesher? kindergarten. Unfortunately, like us, many parents seem to have poor experiences there: I posted to an online list about the school and got 2 responses from other parents who were moving their child or not enrolling their next child there, and a friend is moving their child. There is a high level of turnover because parents are not happy- on the plus side this means there are vacancies!\r
My son regressed considerably there and rather than see it as a transition issue -- being in a new school -- they felt that he needed a shadow aide. He has some mild special needs that we were completely open about when we enrolled. Later, they told us that shadows had been in the class every year at BSS. After 3 months of paying almost $5k they were really resistant to cutting down the hours of our shadow, and there was no compromise solution.This has never happened to us at his previous preschool in another city, nor has it happened at his new preschool. To make matters worse, he was also getting bullied at BSS and Teacher Stacey was not protecting him in the classroom.(by the way she barely used to say hello to us at drop-off to us, or the other parents). Our shadow spent 3 months in the classroom and saw what kind of teaching went on. The teacher Kelly is wonderful and warm but only part-time. After moving my son to a new preschool, he thrived,and is totally different. Our situation was a little unusual but it does signal the way Stacey and the administration relates to parents--basically they won't work with you as partners. I would avoid it, it is only a good option if you have an incredibly resilient child who will thrive in practically any environment, and if you don't mind an unresponsive organization. There are parents who like it, particularly those who want an academic preschool, but increasingly I think they are in the minority rather than the majority.
Pros: Full day program; great parents
Cons: Lack of tolerance to differences, cookie-cutter approach to your child's needs
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