Episcopal Early Learning Center At Good Shepherd

The front office is disorganized. We confirmed a tour via email and phone, but showed up to no director and the assistant who wasn't expecting us. Then, on our first day, the teacher had no idea she was getting a new student (even though we completed registration and finalized our start date six weeks in advance). This means our toddler didn't have a cubby for his belongings, a name tag, or a familiar welcome from his teacher - a disappointing first day for a new kid and disheartening experience for us as his parents. Additionally, the center uses a live stream camera, which is a wonderful feature - except that I saw unfortunate interactions between the teacher and my child. Other than story time, it didn't appear that there was much teaching going on at this location; children sat at tables with toys while teachers merely oversaw the classroom like babysitters. More importantly, I witnessed numerous violations by the staff of ELC's own handbook. I recorded all of these violations, including, but not limited to, withholding outside time as a punishment. When my son couldn't complete a developmental task, such as zipping up his coat on his own, the teacher punished him for it rather than teaching him how to do it (or communicating with us as parents that she expected this). I also saw my child left unattended in the classroom multiple times and that's when we quickly pulled my son from this location. When I discussed the reasons for our departure with the director, she was very understanding and indicated I was not the first parent to bring these concerns to her. I could never recommend this location to anyone considering the 3 year-old classroom.

We LOVE Good Shepard! My kids have gone here for 3 years and we have never had a bad experience. I have recommended it to several of my friends! My kids have developed loving relationships with the teachers and I will remember them for a life time! The school is clean and safe and they create a supportive learning environment! There are even cameras in each room so you can watch your little ones having fun all day long!

ZERO STAR RATING My child was attending ELC Good Shepherd for more than a year. He started in the 3's classroom at the age of 2 and was STILL in the 3's classroom months after turning 4! My shifts begin at 7am and when I signed up they said the hours are 630am- 6pm, the website still states that, NOT TRUE. I would wait every morning in my car, no one is there until about 710am every single morning, they come when they want to, not dependable if you need to be at work! Since the new Director Tierrah Crawford took the position the place is a mess. The 3's classroom has the kids sleeping for 2.5 hours per day. Not enough stimulation for their young developing minds and NO CURRICULUM which they lied to me about too. They constantly give negative feedback when you pick up your kid instead of hearing what your child did that day that was amazing or positive. I'd watch my son on their camera with a finger pointing in his face constantly or when he had a hard time napping for 2.5 HOURS he was consistently pulled out of the 3's room and taken to the directors office and treated very poorly, he felt that he was "bad" all the time and scared. No alternatives were offered to help my son nap, not even a quiet activity such as looking at a book etc was an option. They made him sit in the office when the other kids napped instead of implementing strategies to help him or MOVE HIM TO AN APPROPRIATE CLASS FOR HIS AGE, which I suggested many times!! The place has a very Negative environment and the staff is overwhelmed and short staffed. The director is incompetent and not capable of her position. We never had issues before the new director Tierrah Crawford took the position. If you were to ask for some positive feedback about your child she has nothing to say. When my son was having a hard time napping I would get calls from the director almost daily while I was at work! Very Inappropriate! She would call me and say "can you come get your son? I don't know how to get him to nap'', it was literally mind blowing!! I was essentially babysitting the babysitter just so I could go to work and earn a living. They're supposed to be the "professionals" but just not capable of taking care of the amount of kids they have. Miss Virginia and Miss Judy are both very sweet but past the age of retirement and have hard time keeping up with the kids w/o exhaustion. I think they use them for cheap labor or they're volunteers of the church but they are the two ladies who your children spend most of their time with, good luck. The "teachers" are overworked and tired. Would 10/10 NOT RECOMMEND you take your child here!!

I have had two children in school at ECS, Good Shepherd and would recommend them to anyone. Especially during this time of the pandemic, they have been careful, attentive, supportive, and wonderful. Both my children are developing friendships there that I hope endure into school. They will miss their teachers desperately, since they fall in love with them each year. Their curricula are well thought out and open for parent inspection. They host parenting nights and childhood development courses. Before social isolation began, they were hosting seasonal activities that seek to involve parents and children with other families at the school. They use advanced digital tools for parent communication and have active classroom video monitoring so there isn't any wonder or secrets. Their accountability and training are top notch. 5 stars.

Our child has been at Episcopal ELC from 14 months of age to nearly 3 years. The classrooms are clean with lots of windows, the playground is large and mostly shaded (a must for Florida!), and most importantly of all: the staff is happy and consistant. Unlike our intial corporate run daycare where the afternoon staff changed out daily depending on the headcount, the staff at ELC is stable and consistent. It's such a pleasure to see the same faces day after day and to have your child know ALL the teachers. Now, given the pandemic, having consistent staff (and not interchangeable people from various facilities all around town) is a safety measure for my child and helps avoid unnessary exposure. I cannot recommend this facility and their staff enough.