The Goddard School

16189 Elmhurst Ln, Lakeville, MN 55044, USA

Address:	16189 Elmhurst Ln, Lakeville, MN 55044, USA
Phone:	+1 952-232-6761
Site:	goddardschool.com
Rating:	4.5

Location

Photos 22

Reviews 6

Jessica Marlin

We moved our 2 and 4 year old to Goddard shortly after they opened, coming from a Montessori with very inadequate food allergy policies. Our youngest has food allergies and we wanted a safe place to send her every day. We were very pleased with Goddard, we were the first food allergy child to attend, but they were extremely open and willing to craft their policies and procedures to keep all of the children safe, including those with food allergies. They formulated an allergy plan, trained their staff and made sure every room was completely safe. They now have more children with special food needs and theyre able to give them a safe haven every day where the kids can grow and learn safely. I have also found them very flexible with suggestions, they are always willing to learn more about allergies and make any policy adjustments as necessary. In addition to their commitment to health and safety, they have a very clean facility and great toys and outdoor space. There is a ton of room for the kids to run around and just be kids. The play based learning has made our kids flourish there. The teachers are wonderful too and our kids love them. Every month they have special activities for the kids, this week they have soccer shots and a martial arts presentation. They have brought in Mexican dancers, Costume Kim, play actors, puppet theater, and many other things to enrich the learning experience. They also provide a wealth of information and pictures throughout the day with the Tadpoles application. They have information on everything that happens that day, what they are learning, what kind of activities theyre doing, and pictures of your kids doing those activities, its great to get little notifications about your kids throughout the day. Overall were extremely pleased with Goddard and would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Kathryn W

When we moved last summer to the border of Apple Valley/Lakeville, we were apprehensive about moving our son to a new daycare. As a teacher myself, I wanted a school with a sound educational philosophy—but as a mother, I wanted an environment that was as warm and loving as home. We were lucky enough to find both at The Goddard School. We rarely make an investment in something without weighing the costs and benefits. After extensive research on daycares in the area, our decision to enroll our child at Goddard came down to several factors: • Age-specific programs with a varied, play-based curriculum focusing on areas from language/cognitive/social and emotional development to the arts to self-help/life skills • All staff (including the owner) with degrees in education, who exude positive energy and a caring attitude • Top-notch physical facilities, including advanced safety features, large outdoor playground areas, and a bright, welcoming layout • No pricey required school uniforms to have to buy/compel our child to wear My husband and I marvel at how our son is thriving at Goddard in just a few short months. We have such peace-of-mind knowing he is in a place he loves going to every day! Through the Tadpoles app, we get photos on our phone during the day of him engaged in fun activities, like yoga, art projects and themed days. We also receive a detailed daily report on how much he sleeps, his progress on toilet training, how much/what he eats, and what he has learned throughout the day. When we arrive in the morning or leave in the afternoon, everyone at Goddard is genuinely welcoming--greeting us by name like we are part of a family. We couldn’t be happier with our choice!

Emjey Dbyou

Needs more balance in working with all their families needs, and not just a select few. While its admirable that the school is able to accommodate families with children who have special needs, even structuring the schools schedule and policies around them, this is not the same for families without special needs. Unfortunately, since our family did not have specific special needs. our request for slight timing accommodations in order to ensure our children were fed, was met with rigid, unwavering and somewhat hostile responses. We were repeatedly told due to other families food allergy needs, and special agreements made with these families, that there was no way to accommodate our familys needs. We were not given any suggestions other than to feed our children ourselves outside of the school so as not to disrupt or endanger the children with food allergies. There was no discussion allowed or any ideas/suggestions for a compromise in the situation. It is disappointing and frustrating that owners of a child care/ preschool, who are parents themselves, could not even attempt to find a solution to a very minor problem. Hopefully the site owners can learn and grow with experience, and maybe future families who do not fall into the special needs category will have a less discriminatory experience.

Donna Maher

My husband and I are first time parents and didnt know what to expect, sending our 3 month old to daycare. Like all first time mothers probably experience, I was super apprehensive on sending my child to a place where I didnt know any of the staff personally, that would be caring for my daughter all day and all week. I felt so stressed the weeks leading up to her first day at daycare, but my fears and stress were quickly replaced with a feeling of trust and ease with Goddard. What I like about Goddard is: 1. The owners care about the overall well being of your family 2. Impressed with structure of the day (even for the infant room) 3. The teachers are engaging and really care about the kids 4. The school uses a app to interact, send pictures, and report your childs daily activities 5. The facility is new and CLEAN 6. Communication with the owners and staff have always been great and engaging I definitely believe that you get what you pay for in this instance, and when deciding where my child spends the majority of her week, I didnt think twice about sending her to Goddard.

Heidi Sakallah

When I made the decision to move my Toddler from our at home nanny care to a "center" I was extremely apprehensive. My daughter, older, had attended a Montessori school when she was his age and it was not a pleasant experience so I wasnt sure what to expect this time around. To say I have been MORE THAN IMPRESSED and happy with this school would be an understatement. My son is thriving here! Hes making friends, learning tons, and developing such a great imagination! My daughter also attended the Summer program while school was out and she asks me every day when we pick my son up if she gets to come back next summer. The kids are greeted everyday with a smiling, happy face from all the staff and I feel completely at ease leaving them there, no pit in my stomach, just confidence that he will have fun, be loved, and very well taken care of. This Goddard school is far from a "center" its another place my Son considers home. We love it here!!!

Abby Anderson

We have two boys who attend Goddard and have been very happy. The owners are incredible people who really care about our family and our experience at Goddard, they are always very open and receptive to feedback. One of our sons has a peanut, tree nut and dairy allergy and it has been handled very well at Goddard. The center is very clean, full of fun art work and projects that the kids do and a very comfortable atmosphere. We are always greeted by one of the owners or director and the boys teacher is exceptional. The activities and lessons that the teacher puts together for our 4 almost 5 year old always look like so much fun. I am really impressed with how he has grown since being at Goddard. They also use an app to send pictures throughout the day and a note at the end of each day, we really like seeing our boys in action at school and reading about what theyve done!