TL;DR iRemnant has a high turnover rate of teachers, lack of communication, profit-driven, early…read moreexposure to screens, and mostly worksheet-based activities.
We'd been at iRemnant for 2.5 years and have seen our two children grow up here. They've had some wonderful teachers throughout the years that really loved on our children: Sunny teacher, Moon teacher, Laura teacher, Hyunjoo teacher, Kris teacher, to name a few. And a special shout out to Sunny teacher who even buys birthday presents for the kiddos out of her own pocket :`) Unfortunately, the con's outweighed the pro's for us and we moved my daughter to a different Korean Christian preschool a few months ago. And although this new school is farther and less convenient for us, we are SO happy with our decision. We didn't realize how amazing a preschool could be because we didn't know anything else, so I wanted to share my honest review with all the parents out there who want nothing but the best for our precious children.
I'll start with the positives: there's a big, grassy area to play in, lots of bikes and car toys to ride outside, animals on the property, homemade Korean lunches, and many loving teachers. And we are so grateful to have met so many wonderful families at this school.
Now onto the negatives... sit tight for this one.
1. There is a high turnover rate of teachers. After Sweet class for ages 2-2.5 in less than a year span, my son had FOUR teacher transitions. Some of the teachers had only stayed for a few months! What also didn't sit right with me is the director didn't even inform us one of his teachers left. She instead had another teacher cover that class and hoped we wouldn't notice? Several parents and I were very upset about that and when I addressed this with director Grace, she blamed the teacher for leaving and didn't take any responsibility for her lack of communication. We all know the reason for a high turnover rate of staff members... and frankly, I don't even blame the teachers for leaving, because they're overworked and underpaid.
2. iRemnant is very profit-oriented. While I understand that childcare is a business, it also feels like the school nickel and dimes the families every chance it gets. For example, there is a supply list for each class and some of the requests are quite ridiculous. They want each student's family to buy color card stock paper that costs $25, aluminum foil, disposable gloves, ziploc bags... things the costly tuition should cover. My husband was especially irked when they asked for ice cream donations from families... something the school can buy for literally $20 for ALL the kiddos. They also ask for mandatory "donations" for things like the Christmas performance for videography and costumes, when they literally recycle costumes every year. It's really not about the money... it's about the principle. Don't say the money you're asking for is one thing when it really isn't... there's no integrity in that and it really bums me out that a Christian preschool does this. PLEASE consider the message you're sending with your actions.
3. There is a lot of sitting down and working on worksheets after the toddler class. At age 2. I don't know about you but I really don't want my two-year-old just sitting and coloring all day. I truly believe kids learn best through play and hands-on learning. I also try to limit screen time for my kids and didn't like how they were exposed to TV before age 2: during meal time setup, worship time (all through screens), and at the end of the day. At 5 PM, they gather all the kids in one room and turn on the screen for them. My son came home talking about all these TV shows and movies he watched, so we started picking up our kids before 5 PM to avoid this.
Additionally, I'm really turned off by the fact that the director asks current parents to write positive Yelp reviews once a negative one comes in. How uncomfortable for parents to be put in that position, whose children attend the school and are pressured into writing a positive review. In my book, that's completely unethical (and maybe even against Yelp regulations??). And the amazing teachers you read about in the reviews? Probably not there anymore.
I REALLY hope iRemnant can turn things around and use the preschool to BLESS the children and families. How amazing it is to have the privilege of raising these little ones in their mind and character! I write this review to help parents make an informed decision for their children's preschool, and I'm also hoping this may lead to some positive changes at the school.