Glenwood Country Day School

This review is mainly from my 13 yo son who attended GCDS summer camp for 4 years from ages 9-12. The staff I interacted with were helpful. I was surprised at how 1 dimensional the activities were in some cases. 30 minutes of pool1- 2x/ day, no sprinklers or slip and slides. Small basic coloring for “arts and culture.” Very little archery. Other camps we’ve attended had more stimulating activities and happier staff overall. Reading other reviews here it does seem like the staff could have been unhappy and under pressure in the work environment but that’s just speculation. They were always professional. I didn’t see or hear from my expressive son any abuse that he experienced or witnessed. From my son, a camper: 1 out of the 3 counselors was great. The other 2 stuck to the rules and schedule which was really boring and didn’t give us enough exercise. Even though it was 40 acres they barely did any activities on the land. The owner would often yell at our group specifically because we were playing like kids in the pool, the forest and in the field. She said we were being too loud and rough, but we were just being normal kids having fun. Whenever we started playing football (touch) the owner would come out and call out the counselor for letting the kids play such a rough game. “One of them could get injured.” She turned to us kids and said “Give me the the football. You guys are not allowed to play football. “ The best counselor brought his own football so us boys could be boys.

I wrote a lengthy review that would never post when my daughter went here a few years ago. I came back to check on a whim and saw another bad review. This place is eerie. The staff turn around rate was super high and the leadership was out of a movie, they would turn around and their faces turned grim. My daughter disliked it here so much but I thought she was just being a picky child until I learned she had no issues at other centers. My daughter has never been so a mess and dehydrated after a day of care than when she went here. Once even with blood caked to her nose. She dreaded porta-potties. They had no water to wash hands in them, only hand sani. I had to get a contracts lawyer to help me out of enrollment when we moved with he military and even then they would not refund 2k the lawyer said I was owed. I'm not surprised they are under investigation. My daughter said the teachers would say stuff like "get it together!"- she was 3 years old. My spouse and my mom tried to post negative reviews back then as well as they experienced the same during drop off and pickups- oddly their reviews would never populate either!

It's a fascinating review from Yelp that needs to be seen. That was HIDDEN by the owner. I am not the original author, but I am posting this. Written by Jen C. “Unfortunately, Glenwood Country Day School is terrible, and it's only terrible because of one person - the owner! The teachers and director are awesome, so if you plan on sending your child to this school in the future, hopefully they have no contact with the owner. She is disrespectful in front of others to teachers and doesn't know how to talk to children or families. On another note, what is going on with the school, you all may think, from what I've heard, you feel the director is in the wrong. I have known the director for years and years and years. She taught my oldest child at age 4 and taught my youngest child for 4 years. My youngest child is 5 now. Don't judge a book by its cover. The director is very lawyer and will listen to others. In this case, unfortunately she listened to others. With OCC putting her name on the paperwork - it was not her. If you want to find out the truth, don't just read it or hear about it, ask the other person. It's not right. Please find out the truth by asking the other person. The owner likes to throw people under the bus and do a lot of shady and sneaky things. So sneaky and shady that it can harm other people. Please don't believe everything you hear and read!”

I’m just stating the obvious. The owner of the company needs to be investigated! She has failed her parents, staff, and children for years. The amount of cover ups is ridiculous. Even before any investigation happened, she should’ve already had been investigated. I reported to the school on another teacher and they swept it under the rug. This particular female teacher has abused both physically and mentally and nothing has been done. Investigate the OWNER.

My children love GCDS. My daughter started before she was 2 and is in kindergarten now. We love the caring teachers. They have learned so much and had a great time doing it. The school's approach to putting kids in the classes that are right for them based on their maturity and skills rather than just their age is fantastic!