Bethesda Country Day School

My child enrolled in aftercare for this school in 2010. The halls smell like urine and the PM snacks they provide is often just a child's size handfull of dry goods and not even a serving of fruit. The worst part is management. Parents BEWARE! I was told that aftercare would cover all school holidays, snow days and half days. It does cover these days but only from 3-6pm (the hours of the aftercare). If you want your child to attend for the entire day during holidays, snowdays or early release days it's EXTRA. Another issue I had is I dropped my child from full time to partime. When I spoke with the VP she said to take the tuition amount and divide it by the days the child will attend. Seven months later they claimed I wasn't paying the right tuition amount. The WORST part... instead of discussing the issue directly with me they went straight to a collection agency. Make sure you get everything in writing from these people if you're desparate for child care. Otherwise, GO SOMEPLACE ELSE.
--Submitted by a parent

LOVE this school. My 2 year old daughter loves it as well. It's a warm and caring environment. Even teachers that don't teach my daughter know her name (not sure how the teachers know all the kids names!). She has really grown since starting there and I feel like I'm leaving her in a family like environment everyday. So glad we found this school.
--Submitted by a parent

The curriculum is the right balance of education and play. It is refreshing to see a preschool that allows a kid to be a kid. Half way through the school year my daughter is potty trained, knows all her letters, counts to 20 in English/Spanish, shows an interest is reading, and best part is she also gets to enjoy playtime. Children need to have unstructured playtime to allow their brains to develop properly. A lot of the places I visited during my search for school treated the child as if he/she was starting at Yale in a year. They have am and pm care, provide lunch, and are open almost all the time (even during snow weather). My favorite thing is that they have a librarian that read to the kids and instills the joy of books. The Principle is a warm person and is always respective to complaints and suggestions. I have been very happy with all the staff and teachers. The school offers extra activities for a fee if you would like to have your child participate in sports, ballet, yoga, etc. What a gem.
--Submitted by a parent

The assistant principal, teachers and staff are great, but I found the principal to be a very unpleasant person. She ignores parents' requests, messages and can be rude at times. Very surprising and disappointing.
--Submitted by a parent

I was more than happy during my daughter's enrollment at BDCS and her teacher was more than great. The atmosphere was dynamic and seemed to keep the children interested in learning. I hope to have my son enroll with her sister this fall.
--Submitted by a parent

Both my sons have attended BCDS and I can't say enough great things about it. The faculty and staff are very supportive and nurturing. The administration is very hands on and only on occassion have I run into a slight problem with communication. BCDS did such a great job preparing my son for kindergarten that I am less than impressed with the curriculum he is currently being given at elementary school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is outstanding!!! They provide wonderful learning opportunities for my children. I was shocked to read the other reviews because my children are not perfect. My advise to you - go and see the school for yourself. It has over 250 children and a waiting list and many families return year over year so they must be doing comething right!!!
--Submitted by a parent

I have had a horrible experience with Bethesda Country Day Scholl. I echo the complaints of the other commenters listed here. I found the teachers to be unskilled and completely unmotivated to deal with behaviorsa issues of preschool stusdents. The principal also promises to help the parents and teachers develop solutions but never seems to follow-through. Bottom line: unless you have an perfectly behaved child, you will have problems with this school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is perfect for parents looking for flexibility with part to all day care. The staff is nice and it has a multicultural feel. However, the school is lacking seriously in several areas including a structured academic learning atmosphere. In addition, they have no regard for nutrition, allowing parents to bring in anything they want for snack including candy and chips. Finally, the Nobel system does not support its teachers very well which results in unhappy teachers and parents.
--Submitted by a parent

I found that this school fell well below my expectations. Some teachers are irresponsible, and their methods of disiplining are downright unacceptable. Several of my neighbors and friends whose children attended BCDS have complained about behavioral issues until they withdrew their children from this school and placed them somewhere else. The principal has done nothing to help either us or these other parents we have spoken with. In fact, she has defended the school, saying that she knows the teachers better than she knows us. No doubt some people have a great interaction with the school, but even one 'incident' is an incident too many as far as our children are concerned. A huge disappointment.
--Submitted by a parent