Uhs Of Laurel Heights

We absolutely love Toomer Elementary! The IB curriculum encourages my daughter to think globally and engage deeply with her learning. She’s thriving both academically and socially, and it’s been wonderful to watch her grow in such a supportive environment. The school community is incredibly welcoming and vibrant, from weekly bike buses to events like Screen on the Green and the Race for FATE. We truly can’t imagine a better place for her to learn and flourish.

We have been at The Children’s School for the last five years and it has been a wonderful experience. We joined TCS in the Early Learning Program when our youngest daughter was 3. We originally heard about TCS through a family friend and as we went through the admissions process we really fell in love with the school and the other parents we met. Since being at TCS we have loved the community – it’s a wonderfully diverse, down-to-earth, caring community. The teachers at TCS also really make TCS special – they are compassionate, caring, and really focus on knowing and helping your child learn and grow as an individual. As we have moved into early elementary grades we have been very pleased with the curriculum – TCS uses Math in Focus (Singapore math) like most of the other top schools in the area, they have really increased their focus on phonics and follow the Orton-Gillingham approach. It has also been great our youngest daughter has been able to get support for speech right on campus through their Learning Support Services. We are so thankful to have found TCS and believe it is truly a hidden gem in our community!

My experience at the Paideia elementary school was deeply disappointing and, at times, distressing. The pay was low, and the overall environment was chaotic, unstructured, and unsafe. There were no clear rules, boundaries, or consistent behavioral expectations for students. Children were often left unmonitored and left to their own devices, as if telling them “no” was considered a form of harm. As a result, many students were being physically assaulted by their peers, and the adults responsible for protecting them seemed largely indifferent.Aggressive and combative behavior was normalized or overlooked. Students regularly violated boundaries and refused to stop when asked. I was told that enforcing boundaries wasn’t realistic because the children “weren’t used to hearing no.”There was also a disturbing racial dynamic. Students frequently told racist jokes openly, and when I brought it up, my manager admitted that there was a racial problem at the school — but advised me not to let them "win" or "run me off.” That response made it clear that protecting POC from racism was not a priority.The school culture was steeped in nepotism and cronyism. Many staff were clearly hired due to friendships, relationships, or family ties rather than qualifications, experience, or genuine passion for working with children. It felt like a “good old boys” environment where connections mattered more than competence.Despite communicating early on that the environment was not a good fit, I was repeatedly pressured to stay. After firmly stating I was resigning, leadership attempted to fire me — after I had already quit. I was also denied previously approved accommodations and gaslit about whether they had ever been discussed.The physical building itself was alarmingly unsecured. Given the degree of emotional dysregulation and confrontational behavior I witnessed daily, I did not feel safe — physically or emotionally. This was, without question, the most unprofessional, disorganized, and harmful school environment I have ever worked in.

This school is an amazing school both of my kids have gone here since they were in kindergarten. I have never seen them grow like this before. One of my kids are now going to Howard middle school and I am very exited to see them thrive over there.