Medfield Heights Elementary School

I'm a first year parent here with a kindergartner. The person in charge of enrollment provided me with incorrect directions that conflicted with the directions from the district. 504 coordinator is difficult to collaborate with due to her misinterpretation of federal law and she essentially will not led any other staff member or parent have a say in the process. She also appears to have outdated and somewhat ableist ideas about neurodivergence. She also provided a plan with someone else's signature on it from a previous year. As a fellow social worker,I was disappointed in her ethics.Principal seems MIA. I've never seen her on campus. If you contact her,she immediately hands you off to ineffective staff.Parents seem very active but in a social way that means a lot of events and constant fundraisers. I'm not sure where the proceeds go. The school looks worn down and the library selections can be inappropriate. Kindergarteners are taught in a way that does not seem age appropriate. According to my child, the teacher yells. My child dreads going to school which is weird for a kindergartner,in my opinion.

My daughter's experience was great. I appreciate the hard work of the former principal and I am excited about Principal Pinkney and the work he is doing at Roland Park.

I am an alum and always thought my kids would go to Calvert. It was a great education for me many years ago but as we went through the admissions process for my son, I was very disappointed. Calvert's curriculum is very outdated compared to other schools and their approach to students is incredibly rigid with very linear instruction and a focus on kids being compliant rather than being creative.I heard similar complaints from other parents who took their kids out of Calvert but have started seeing it from other alumni, as well. Calvert touts they are less expensive than other private schools but this might be a case of, "you get what you pay for."Hopefully they right the ship but I would look elsewhere until then.

Our son is in his second year at A Child's Place and loves it here! He barely stops to say goodbye when we drop him off in the morning, and he comes home full of stories of all the things they’ve learned all day. The teachers are great and the space itself is wonderful, both the indoor classrooms and the campus itself where the kids take walks and explore. Such a lovely place for littles to learn and grow.

This preschool is the best of the best. The community is warm and nurturing. The director is fantastic - an experienced teacher herself and beloved by the other teachers and parents. The teachers are exceptional — professional, experienced, dedicated. Previous to this school, our daughter attended 3 daycares in the DC metro area (each claimed to have preschool curriculums with all the “accreditations” … NAEYC, etc). The instructional quality at the daycares did not even come close, truly you cannot really even compare them. It was night and day. Grace Preschool provides everything you could want in an early childhood education environment. They go above and beyond with their programming and have a great sense of what is developmentally appropriate for each of the age groups. In particular the kindergarten program is so wonderful it’s almost surreal. The teacher is a highly skilled veteran teacher with a very kind and relaxed demeanor. The class size is small (but not too small) so they are able to get creative with their activities - e.g., every Friday they cook something related to the letter of the week. There’s also a nice sense of community among the students, no cliques or bullying. Most importantly, you can feel that your child is loved and cherished here. I feel so lucky we found this place. Only wish we could stay longer. It is a big source of joy for us to know that this is our daughter’s foundational school experience. I will always look back on the time she had at Grace Preschool with gratitude.