Hello mamas!
I'm trying to decide between two preschools for my son for the fall. Do you have any experience with either of these two schools: Ananda Marga New Day on SE 18th and Clinton and Helen Gordon at Portland State? I have only heard really good things about Helen Gordon and William has been on the waiting list forever with a pretty good chance of getting in for the fall. William has been accepted at New Day and I got a really good feeling there when I toured it, but I'd love to hear stories from people who have actually sent their kids there.
Thank you!
I don't have any experience with either preschool, but have had friends that really liked Helen Gordon at PSU.
Good luck,
D.
Hey D.!
I know about Ananda and it sounds great, but I'm afraid I don't have any first-hand or second-hand experiences to share with you.
I heard great things about Helen Gordon and had my daughter placed on the waiting list, but when her spot came up, I decided to put her elsewhere.
I was really disappointed with the interactions I had with the teachers and staff there - there was an aloofness or coolness that I didn't feel good about. I am sure they are all professionals and care about the children, but the two times I visited the center, I left with a negative feeling about it. It's possible I met a few bad apples...
Anyway, I would probably choose Ananda over Helen Gordon as its philosophy is more inline with my parenting philosophy.
thanks and best of luck!! M.
Hello,
Our son is 2 1/2 also, and we got into Helen Gordon last fall, after being at the YMCA. Helen Gordon does have great things, but in some ways it is still mainstream. I would have hoped for something a little more original/forward thinking in their toddler program, but it's pretty much what we got at the Y. It's a bigger facility, and they have some great excursion activities such as taking the streetcar, and their play area is enormous, as you must know. Some of the things I know about other centers that I long for are a gardening experience for the kids, hands on harvesting and food prep, and fresher, higher quality food without sugar(they get cookies sometimes, and it always ends in a meltdown on the way home, and not eating supper), and yoga. Also I would love some more developmental activites that help develop logic, experimental curiosity, in-class animal care, and early potty training. I don't know anything about Ananda, but another thing to consider is how nice it is to have the center close to your work.
Our son has done pretty well at Helen Gordon. He had to learn to be more assertive, because the kids there were more aggressive than those at the YMCA, but I don't know if that has anything to do with the classroom culture. One thing we heard from a former teacher aid there is that the teachers are told not to pick children up to comfort them. I don't know the reasoning behind that, but that might have had something to do with our son feeling a little lost; we hold him a lot, we all love it. And I know at the YMCA he also loved snuggling with teachers, and they loved holding him too. We do feel lucky to be at such a high quality center, and I'm thinking the preschool stuff might be a little more mind blowing.
I just looked at Ananda's website, and to be honest, if it were all the same to me (cost, location, time to volunteer in the center), I would choose it. I don't want to offend HGCDC, but the things they emphasise at Ananda are things lacking in our Western Culture in general, and that I value immensely and yearn for my son to be surrounded by (even though we have a generally mainstream lifestyle). I think that daily experience would build an amazing foundation for a child, and it would help me be a better parent.
Best wishes, I'll look forward to reading your decision.
I am an ECE student at MHCC and have studied the Helen Gordon site, and have colleagues that have worked or studied there. I would highly recommend it as one of the best Portland has to offer. They are Reggio Emilia based in their philosophy practice and have a beautiful facility. Plus, since it is a teaching center, the teacher to child ratio is practically one on one. Ananda is also excellent from what I have heard.
You are very fortunate to have the option of choosing from two excellent schools:)
We have our 16 months old in the "moon" room at Helen Gordon. Have been extremely happy with the care she receives there and have been very impressed with the professionalism of the teachers in the classroom as well as the entire daycare personnel. They are very attentive to the individual needs of the children. Our daughter is learning alot there. We were on the wait list for over a year before she got in. We had high expectations of the Helen Gordon program and we are happy to say our expectations have been exceeded.
