East Pittsburgh KinderCare

Just wanted to say many thanks to Mr. Jim, Ms. Sarah and the other staff. Since our son has been at KinderCare since October 2015 we have seen changes in his behavior, for the good. He is mindful of how he is supposed to play with others.  When needing to be redirected I appreciate how the staff will speak with him, helping him to see the outcome of his actions and help him to use his words when expressing himself. Academically, our son is learning addition and also to read which an awesome milestone, he loves going to the library to checking out books. He reads to me and my husband almost every night. He is always eager to go to school. So thank you for all your hard work!

My son Amari has been attending KinderCare since 2014.  He started off in the Pre-K classroom.  When it was time to send him to Kindergarten, I didn’t have to think twice before picking KinderCare.  I liked the fact that he already knew the teachers and his fellow students, but the biggest selling point for me was the small class size.  He gets a lot more time and attention from the teacher since there is such a small class.  I can only imagine how much easier it is to work with a kid that needs extra help with something when you don’t have 20 other children that need your help as well.
 
I feel very comfortable with the teachers at KinderCare because they really see to truly care about my son.  Amari absolutely loves Mr. Jim and has even said he wants to be just like him someday.  He said that he wants to be a teacher just like Mr. Jim.  Ms. Sarah is so sweet to the students and I think her and Mr. Jim make a great team.  I think they come up with great lessons for the kids including the garden that they planted in the spring, the baby chicks that they watched hatch from eggs, and the pumpkin volcanoes they made in the fall. .  The kids seem to be much more involved ad active in the lessons as opposed to just listening from their seats. They even had a field trip to the Carnegie Science Center.  My son loves science and Mr. Jim seems to be the perfect teacher for that!!   They also taught about real life things that are going on in their community such as the Hulton Bridge coming down.
 
Another thing that persuaded me to pick KinderCare was the before and after school care included, and they have a summer program as well.  I wouldn’t have to worry about him being transferred from school and to school throughout the day.  He can stay in one place with his friends and have the same teachers.  I am very happy with KinderCare’s Kindergarten program and I wish they could expand to elementary school (a girl can dream, right?!)

After reading off the enrichment program options at our center, which included cooking, math, and phonics, my four-year-old son said, “Well, I’d really like to learn how to read.”
 
I enrolled him in the phonics program at East Pittsburgh Kindercare the next day, September 23, and was excited that he was so excited. I figured he’d talk to me about the letters and words he was perfecting with his new teacher Ms. Laurie for at least a few months and probably by Kindergarten next year be able to read some short books.
 
On October 7, Ms. Laurie told me he had a surprise for me.
 
“I can READ you dis book, mommy!” he said to me with a big smile. “Sit. I can read it to you!”
He read me “You can, too” proud and perfect. His little voice barely stumbled on words like ‘paint’ and ‘jump’ as he confidently read the little story.
 
“I read dis with Ms. Laurie!”
 
Ms. Laurie worked with him for just two weeks, and she had him reading a book.
 
I so appreciate the work Ms. Laurie does. She’s happy to see my son and work with him. She takes the time to understand what he knows already and how to use that to get him to learn more. Also, and most important to me, she took the time to understand how he learns. It’s so wonderful to see individuality recognized and supported. Not all kids learn the same and can become frustrated with techniques that aren’t quite what they need. By getting to know him and working with him one-on-one, Ms. Laurie identified how my boy ticks. I feel that’s what got him to read a book at such a young age in such a short amount of time.
 
I applaud all the teachers at our Kindercare. They’re all wonderful, caring, smart, special people that I know will only enrich his and his 10-month-old baby sister’s little lives further than they already have.
 

“KinderCare has been one of the best decisions I have ever made for my child, education-wise. From the moment that we walked in the center, my daughter and I felt the love and the teachers' eagerness to be a part of her learning development. Both directors elaborated on what the center offered and kept genuine smiles on their faces, which helped both my daughter and I feel accepted. I noticed that the environment is extremely welcoming and keeps me as a parent interested and satisfied with the level of care and education my child is getting on a daily basis. I love the fact that the teachers capture special social/learning moments through pictures for parents to see. I definitely feel that KinderCare is a great foundation contributing to my daughter’s future. I feel good telling other parents that my daughter goes to KinderCare”

“I LOVE EAST PITTSBURGH KINDERCARE! My daughter is a special needs child. Her issues are often contrary to that of the ordinary child. The teachers at KinderCare have always upheld her treatment plan needs while making her feel like everyone else. They supported her with making friends and fitting in so well that now her parties are filled with KinderCare friends. “Being a single mom, KinderCare Teachers are supportive and always go the extra mile with caring for my child and maintaining open & honest communication with me. I don't think I would have been able to return to the workforce without their support! Now that I am pregnant and have a new family, I am excited for my stepson to be joining the summer program and confident that, upon returning to work, our baby will have a caring, well trained and supportive care team while playing there!”

My daughter has always had great teachers at KinderCare, but Ms. Courtney stands apart from them all. She takes an active part in my daughter's education beyond her basic responsibilities as a teacher. Ms. Courtney updates the board every day, so I know exactly what my daughter learned that day. She also provides either my husband or myself with a verbal daily report on how our daughter did that day. She took this upon herself, and began rewarding the children with a stamp if they did well in the morning, and a sticker if they did well in the afternoon. If our daughter is consistently acting outside of the norm, she will call me to let me know what she has been observing and how she handled it. Recently we adapted our own chores/responsibilities/behaviors chart at home and incorporated school behaviors. I approached Ms. Courtney about the chart and asked her to update me daily on specific behaviors we are tracking. Within two days, I started receiving a checklist stating whether or my daughter displayed the positive behaviors I told Ms. Courtney we are tracking. If this was not enough, I just learned yesterday that Ms. Courtney is starting a treasure chest to reward positive behaviors on a weekly basis! I cannot praise Ms. Courtney enough for the passion and dedication she brings to the classroom every day.