Mansfield Head Start And Child Development Center

I’m someone who typically leaves positive reviews, but after my recent experience, I feel it’s important to share my concerns regarding this establishment. While I believe some individuals here are well-meaning, the overall experience was disheartening. The office staff and director, in particular, seem ill-equipped to handle stressful situations with parents who have valid concerns. Though they claim an open line of communication, my inquiries about my granddaughter were often met with frustration and indifference. On one occasion, I overheard the director’s dismissive tone asking, “Wha she want?, wha she want?"when I called about a new teacher starting, despite being told I could call anytime. My primary concern stems from my granddaughter’s interactions with a teacher named Meeka. From the very beginning, her demeanor toward us was cold and dismissive. For example: On the first day of school instead of welcoming us into her class , she stood for a bit looking at us trying to figure out who we were although it should already have been communicated to her that she would be having a new student. We had to introduce ourselves and my granddaughter was in awe in this class she went to all the stations such as the play area, book area, their lockers.. you get the general idea. Upon seeing my granddaughter do this, Meeka grabbed my granddaughter and corrected her and told her "In my class you don't run, you walk!" The tone in her voice was cruel and grating while she treated other parents and children with warmth as they came in. Alayah, who was only three at the time, had to be spoken to like this on her first day. It was a jarring to say the least. Soon, my granddaughter started showing signs of fear every morning, to the point of kicking and screaming, even crying at drop-off, saying “Meeka mean” "Meeka not nice" and “I’m-scared of teacher.” When a child speaks it screams volumes. I believe my grand daughter. Despite raising these concerns with who I thought was the appropriate admins, I was dismissed as being overprotective and a "mama bear". This only served to heighten my unease. A final incident solidified my decision to remove Alayah from the program. I was told that we would have a meeting to get to the bottom of my concerns and create a plan to move forward. When that didn't happen, I tried to have a conversation with Meeka but was rudely interrupted by another office staff. I just didn't know what time this conversation would be had as I don't know their protocol and they didn't communicate further with me about it. I was instead vilified for advocating for my granddaughter and was told that they may be needing to call someone to remove me from the campus. I left the school shaking and deeply hurt by the entire encounter. This was the final straw and showed me that the staff did not care about my concerns and was only appeasing me, hoping I would simply drop it. The owner contacted me a while later so I explained myself to him and tried to tell him what had happened. It then dawned on me that this had been escalated but he was not aware of the full situation. His staff had not fully explained the whole situation so he seemed a bit lost. He welcomed my granddaughter back, but the lack of respect and dismissiveness with Meeka and the Admins makes me question their intentions. It’s clear to me that speaking up here results in being ostracized, which is a troubling environment for any parent or grandparent seeking the best for their child or grandchild. I honestly feel like nothing will change. It’s clear that friends work here, and as a result, real improvements never happen. This school needs serious changes, especially considering they represent Head Start. They may seem caring at first, but don’t be fooled—once you start speaking up, you quickly become labeled as the insubordinate one. It’s disheartening to see that genuine concerns are brushed aside.” please read the rest of review on picture attached.

my kids love learning in this school and every one there is nice and kind my son and daughter teacher they very nice and they teach kids with love and care thank you 🙏