All Five @ Belle Haven (Ps)

My children attended All Five for a combined total of 5 years and it was truly a positive, life changing experience for them both. My son struggled with learning how to effectively 'enter play' with other children and the preschool teachers gently and kindly supported him and his peers in learning how to play and explore together. Rather than just telling the kids what to do or what not to do, the teachers get down on their level and teach each child the skills for conflict resolution in a kind, supportive (and firm when needed) way. My daughter's struggles were different, she was so shy that she wouldn't even speak to her peers. The teachers worked together to build her confidence and help her find her voice. After only a few months into her 3 year stay at All Five, she was bringing home happy stories of play with her friends. My kids are now in Elementary school; my son's teacher's tell me how kind he is and how well he plays with others. My daughter won the award for Integrity in her Kinder class for advocating for others in her class, she certainly found her voice. I share this, not to brag on my kids but rather to share that it was the early childhood education from All Five that gave them this strong foundation on which to grow. As for the negative reviews, I find them perplexing since they are the polar opposite to our experience. I didn't just drop my kids off at All Five, I volunteered on an almost weekly basis. As any parent would, I closely observed the interactions between the kids and between the staff and the kids. Was there rough and tumble behavior at times? Of course, it's preschool, but those moments always turned into learning opportunities for the children under the expert guidance of the teachers. The teachers were always in contact with us with updates on the day to day things and even phone calls and photos if there was a bump or scrap that happened in the course of the day. My children were safe and loved at All Five and I am grateful for the time they spent there.

I currently have 2 of my children at All Five and my son recently "stepped up" from their preschool program. I love their program, the teacher, and their staff. My son had a wonderful experience there and was always excited to see what the day would bring him. His biggest complaint was naptime was too long (near the end when he stopped napping). Their mission to bring high quality care accessible to ALL children, regardless of economical status is a huge deal! My daughters are in the infant/toddler program and love their teachers. I can feel how much the teachers love the kids in the school and how much they care.

All five is a place where children strive and so do the families. Personally, All five taught me a lot about being a parent through the family cafes, teacher interaction, and nurturing approach. Carol was a big influence as well and the rest of the staff member’s. Two of my older kids are alums and had a great experiences; they constantly talk about giving back and volunteering. Two of my younger children are current students and they’re thriving and happy to be at school and to be with their loving teachers. Thank you for having such a wonderful and dedicated program for the community! Every family and children deserve high quality programs.

Moving into the Belle Haven neighborhood felt magical from the start, largely because of the warm and welcoming community at AllFive. Our family's journey with the school began when our oldest daughter enrolled as a painfully shy toddler who was hesitant to speak. But in no time, she blossomed into a confident, playful, and free-spirited child who easily makes friends and connections wherever she goes. The strong foundation she built at AllFive helped her thrive in her first year of elementary school, especially in the areas of social and emotional learning. Now, our youngest is a proud AllFive student who has been through all the school's programs, starting at KHIT. Currently in preschool, she wakes up excited for school each day and she loves to show off her classroom to anyone willing to listen. Her joy and sense of belonging speaks volumes about the nurturing environment created by the AllFive team. Throughout our journey at AllFive, the faculty and staff have consistently fostered a strong sense of community. I am an active member of the Parent Teacher Council and I am entering my second year of engagement with the school. Staff and faculty host monthly events after school and on weekends, encourage parent participation, and stay actively engaged with families during drop-off and pick-up times. Teachers maintain open lines of communication, providing daily classroom and individual updates about the children's activities and growth. No matter when you pass by the school, you'll likely see staff or faculty warmly interacting with parents. Even the school board is deeply involved, playing an active role in supporting family engagement and school life. Thanks to the thoughtful curriculum and dedicated faculty, both of our children have developed a deep sense of confidence, curiosity, connection. Most importantly, we have all built lasting friendships. Although the school has undergone some changes in recent years, its mission and heart have remained constant. We truly love AllFive and are deeply grateful that it is our family's first school.

If I could give All Five less than a 1 star review I would. There is no accountability and no real structure. Kids are often left unsupervised and most of the teachers don’t seem to care if your child gets hurt. If your child is having an issue or a tantrum, they have very little patience and don’t try to help your child understand their emotions and work through what’s upsetting them. The children are allowed to do whatever they want. They have a policy where teachers aren’t allowed to say “no”. That makes it harder on us parents who tell our kids no sometimes and they have a meltdown because they’re so used to getting whatever they want. Your kids won’t be prepared for simple real world situations such as being told “no” or having to take turns or compromise. My kid was abused and consistently bullied by 1 specific kid. For over a year he was bullied. We brought it to their attention multiple times and they did nothing about it. It got so bad that my son got his hair ripped out and now has a permanent bald spot. That same kid sliced my son’s cheek and he has a permanent scar. We showed them video evidence of this kid bullying my son and we told them about other instances of that same kid harassing other kids. All they had to say was “boys will be boys”. That saying is true to an extent. Ripping someone’s hair out and scarring their cheek and slapping other little girls on the butt repeatedly is crossing a line. That’s not “boys being boys” that’s abuse and neglect from the teachers. They never made an incident report about either one of those major injuries to my son. We only found out because my kid came home and told us about it. To this day he has nightmares about that school. The only teacher who truly cared was teacher Susanna. She was amazing and had such patience and a true connection with him. She made our son feel safe, seen, and heard in the Oeste classroom. We had a meeting and gave them options on how to help solve the problem. Since they refused to remove that kid from the school we requested that either our son or that other kid switch classrooms. They said it was “impossible” or would “be a burden” to the other teachers. So against their wishes we chose to leave. After we left the only person who reached out to make sure we had a smooth transition was Ms. Marla. She was so warm and down to earth even my son loved being around her while he was at All Five. She’s truly the glue that holds that place together. Without her that school would fall apart. Ms. Marla is the voice of all the families that come through All Five. She makes us feel seen and heard. So a huge thank you to teacher Susanna and Ms. Marla for taking time out to prove that you care and have a heart for the families you come across. But overall, All Five is a terrible school and needs to clean house and do better.