The Goddard School

Our 3-year-old son received excellent care at The Goddard School of Cary. The teachers were attentive and nurturing, and the administrative staff were always kind and helpful. Communication was excellent, and we always felt confident that our son was in good hands. We will truly miss The Goddard School. 💛

Wonderful school and great care for the kids — but extremely difficult for working parents. The staff is caring and my child is well taken care of, which I truly appreciate. However, as a working parent, the biggest challenge is the frequent weather-related delayed openings or closures, sometimes announced with limited notice. Even when conditions turn out to be manageable, the school may still open late, which forces parents to scramble and take unexpected PTO. While I understand prioritizing safety, this makes the school unreliable for families who depend on consistent, full-day childcare in order to work. Additionally, the tuition is quite high given the limited reliability during weather events. At this price point, I would expect a childcare provider that remains open whenever conditions are reasonably safe. This is a great option for families with flexible schedules, but it is a poor fit for parents who need dependable care regardless of mild or moderate weather conditions.

We joined The Goddard family earlier this year, and have enjoyed the sense of community, the kind teachers, and the supportive admins. Even when our son was having a difficult time transitioning, the admins and teachers went above and beyond to creatively problem solve and help him feel more comfortable. Overall, we're very happy with our time at Goddard!

I picked this school based on reputation and positive reviews. I did not have a good experience. There were two troubling incidents involving assistant teachers and my daughter. In one case, I overheard an assistant teacher speaking to her in an extremely rude manner. They were outside in the playground near the window and I overheard the entire conversation from inside the classroom while I was coming to pick her up. In another incident, a different assistant teacher actually threw a plastic toy at my daughter’s face to get her attention. Her grandmother was picking her up and walked into the classroom and witnessed this incident. When the assistant teacher was asked why she threw the toy, her excuse was that she was trying to get my daughter to participate in whatever activity they were doing. Regardless, my mother told her that this was not the way to do it and that she could have injured her eye. When I brought these incidents to the administration’s attention, they only interviewed the staff involved and told me that no other complaints had ever been made and these teachers have been working at the school for a year or a little over a year. Unfortunately, there are no cameras accessible to parents or even to the administrators, so there was no way to verify what had happened. I was told that having cameras is against Goddard School policy. So even if I needed to report such behavior, there was no way to prove it unless the child was injured, and thankfully my daughter wasn’t. Because nothing was done to address the behavior of the teachers, and I no longer trusted that my daughter was in a safe or respectful environment, I was asked to withdraw her from the school. Parents, please be aware and consider other childcare options. A nurturing and transparent environment should be the minimum standard for any school.

I truly couldn’t ask for a better childcare center for my kids. My daughter started in the Infant A class, and her teachers were absolutely phenomenal - caring, attentive, and so loving. She’s since moved up, and I continue to feel just as connected and supported by her new teachers. We receive regular updates throughout the day, which gives me peace of mind. My son is in the Pre-K class and genuinely looks forward to going every day. The owner is hands-on and present, and the three directors are equally amazing - always kind, communicative, and professional. We absolutely love it here, and I’m so grateful for the entire team. Thank you all for everything you do for our children!