Gainesville Country Day School #1

{Just to preface this - I'm reviewing the preschool of the 24th Avenue campus.} The teachers are very nice & caring, but the preschool program is more like daycare than an actual school. The principal is totally unapproachable & defends the school / teachers no matter the circumstances - so you might as well save your breath. My son went here for 3 years of preschool prior to going to kindergarten elsewhere & he is so far behind!! They do not push academics at all & they don't communicate well with parents unless it's about a fundraiser. We had no idea that he was completely unprepared for kindergarten because they never talked to us about his progress. I've recently heard that other preschool programs actually have conferences with parents to make them aware of how prepared your child is for kindergarten!! GCDS doesn't do anything like that whatsoever. If you're looking for an expensive daycare, this is it! If you're looking for an academically rich school that will prepare your child for "real" school then look elsewhere. I hear Brentwood, Abiding Savior, and O2B Kids have good programs - but I have no experience with any of them because we ve wasted so much time & money at GCDS!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter said this school was "happy and totally stupid. It was stupid for me and stupid for you to take me there." On our last day here, the teacher insulted me for not going to their extra fundraising activity, saying "Did you FORGET?" No, my daughter had ballet lessons, and I received a sneer. They mandatorily use bug spray on every child, which gave my daughter a severe allergic reaction. Their big lesson was having parents come in to explain all about their families, just an excuse for a nosy, ignorant teacher to have something to gossip about, (like their whole class' families) if you ask me. The laugh's on you, parents! Wow. No thanks.
--Submitted by a parent

GCDS has been incredibly disappointing. While some of the teachers seem nice on a parent level, the way in which they deal with the students has, from our opinion, been cold and unnurturing . It felt as though we were sending our son to more of a daycare rather than a high end educational school. In addition, the teachers do not communicate with the parents at all. We would not recommend this school to others.
--Submitted by a parent

GCDS has been a wonderful preschool experience for my daughter! I am excited about her watching her continue to grow in the elementary program.
--Submitted by a parent

GCDS is well worth the investment. The experience of sending my 3rd child through the elementary program has been wonderful. It seems the teachers just keep getting better.
--Submitted by a parent

The learning environment helps each child achieve their potential; it has been a great experience for my child to learn in the environment created by the teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

My children are thriving in this caring, academic environment. The teachers are excellent and we have found the administration to be responsive. The children are taught traditional subject matter and the extension and enrichment of lessons is marvelous. My children love school and respect their teachers and fellow students.
--Submitted by a parent

It's a great place - children are safe, interested in school, and motivated to do well. Teachers are well experienced and knowledgable about subject matter. The children score terrifically on tests and are admitted to the best middle schools. It's a terrific foundation.
--Submitted by a parent

Gainesville Country Day School is a very good school. However there are several ways it could improve. These include a more creative and child centered music program. Although the music teacher is a good musician, she spends too much time on folk music and often is not positive with the children. On the positive side, the Physical Education program is outstanding and the computer program has a new state of the art lab and the instruction in this program is very age appropriate. My children have been happy here over the years and with the change in administration the school seems to be on path upward. The teachers for the most part are wonderful.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended the VPK program at the 24th Street Campus. I was very disappointed by this program. The children did not have thematic nor creative instruction. They do not get art by the art teacher and rarely do crafts. They do the same activities weekly such as copying words and letter rubbings. Many days the teachers do not even read the children a story. The teachers discourage parental involvement. It is a very unwelcoming program. My daughter told me that she thought her teacher would be excited to get a new class because she really didn't like her class anymore. The main teacher has yelled at parents for doing things such as bringing in cupcakes from the grocery store. (She does not like sweets to be given.) My daughter was not in a positive atmoshpere. On a positive note, the music teacher is fabulous:).
--Submitted by a parent