I do not recommend this day care unless you want your child neglected with bleeding diaper rashes

The Goddard School was truly a gift for our family. The teachers and staff that cared for our infant daughter were incredible! They were attentive, loving and super communicative. They use the Procare app to communicate with families all day long so we had a good sense of what was happening with our child. My daughter really thrived there. The facility is very nice, clean and welcoming. It has great safety and security features to protect little ones. We were super sad to leave but the commute to and from the school over the Sellwood Bridge became too burdensome :/ read more

Absolutely fantastic. My son is 2. He has been there about 6 months and is thriving! He loves his teaches and talks about them at home by name. His social skills are developing, i can see his lil brain growing fast and he obviously feels loved and safe. Cholan... is Amazing. There is one bad review on here that calls him out but I think there was more to that story then what's in the review. My experience with him and all the staff is 6 out of 5 stars! I'm grateful beyond words to have found such a wonderful place for my son. Cholan, if any families have questions or would like to talk to a current parent I would be honored. Give my number to all who ask. read more

The Goddard School of South Portland - They send me multiple pics and videos of my kiddo... every day! I love love love this! - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I am writing this review in the wake of what is still a shocking display of unprofessionalism by the owner, Cholan Muthukumarasamy, of The Goddard School - John's Landing. For those of you not familiar with The Goddard School - the philosophy is that the word "no" (or variations of that word) is not used. If there is a child that repeatedly hits or kicks other children, the child is directed to "use gentle touch" instead of being told "do not hit" or "no hitting." After three instances of my son being hit and kicked by the same child - I had a meeting with the director and owner to discuss my concerns. My voiced concerns were dismissed and I was told to be patient with their methods and that they were working with this other child who was described to me as being "behind the emotional curve." I was also told that "boys will be boys" and that this group was "particularly rambunctious." So, I did what I was told - I was patient and I waited for things to improve. When these methods were obviously ineffective - my son had come home with numerous marks on his face in the span of a week. And to be completely fair, some of the marks were from other play accidents, but one was from another hitting encounter from the same child that I described above. I saw no other choice than to remove my child from this environment. A meeting was conducted with the owner (Cholan) and my parents were present with my son. I was told that my son "was no angel either" (completely inappropriate comment) and he only focused on the fact that I owed him money. I was responsible for the NEXT month's tuition since I had not provided a 30 day written notice. I argued that my concerns as a parent were not being heard and that I would not pay the tuition based on the following: 1) They did not hold up their end as a childcare facility that provided a safe and nurturing environment. 2) The hitting incidents were becoming more frequent and are now leaving marks on his face when I was instructed to be patient. Instead of addressing my complaints, Cholan repeatedly interrupted us when we attempted to speak. He would continually talk over me and was relentless about the owed money. He attacked my character and told me that I had no integrity because I was violating the written contract. Cholan became so irate during this meeting that my step-father had to tell him to "Lower your voice." He then told us that it was ten minutes to closing and that he was done talking with us. Cholan ended the conversation without resolution. I received an email the following day - first unnecessarily ridiculing me for having my parents present. Secondly, it stated that if I did not pay him the tuition, I would be sent to collections or other legal action would be pursued if needed. There was a subsequent email that attempted to negotiate a reduced amount in exchange that I would not potentially damage the professional image of his school through negative reviews or sharing my experience with others (verbally or in writing). I informed him that my integrity and duty to inform the public was non-negotiable. I paid the tuition. As I'm sure anyone else in my position would. However, I did not appreciate being bullied into doing so. His words and actions were truly despicable and I caution anyone who might ever encounter that side of him. For those of you looking to enroll your child here - the contract is completely one-sided. The parent is responsible for paying the tuition no matter what happens while your child is under their care. There is no section of the contract that allows a parent to cancel based on concern for your child's well-being. There is no section that reviews the accountability of the school to your child. At the time of signing the contract, I was not thinking I had to specifically look for these statements to be in writing. Outside of the awful behavior of Cholan - The entire Goddard School is not completely terrible. The teachers and staff are hard-working and they are very kind (especially Miss Angie, the director, and Miss Amber). You can tell they are passionate about their position. It should be noted that the census is quite small and there are not enough children to fill a complete Pre-K program. The staffing ratio is 1:10 and is imaginably compromised when there is a child who requires more attention to be "gently redirected." The specific details, including copies of his disgraceful emails, have been sent to the corporate office so they know how Cholan is representing their name. I truly hope that no one else has to be made to feel this way - especially under the circumstances of advocating for their child. A final note: I requested to have a copy of all of my son's incident reports. All could be located except for one. There was a copy in the other child's file, but missing from my son's. The lack of accurate record keeping has been reported to the corporate offices as well. read more

Our daughter has been in the infant classroom now for approx 3 months. So far our experience has been very positive. The staff couldn't be warmer and more caring. Our daughter seems to be happy and well cared for when we pick her up and we enjoy the photos they send you during the day. Any issues that come up the staff have been very quick to remedy. The owner has taken extra effort to make sure the facility is secure and is always available for any questions you may have. read more

Rate and review The Goddard School, 5210 SW Corbett Ave, Portland, OR 97239 BHANU PATIBANDLA Your review will be posted publicly on the web. Learn more My 2-year old daughter has been going to this daycare from early 2018. This is her first time going to daycare and we were anxious about how she would adjust. But, within less than a week, she adjusted and indeed is happy to go to daycare everyday. Everyone that works here seems very engaged and enjoy what they do. The whole facility is very clean, secure, and the class rooms are laid out very thoughtfully to meet child safety requirements and appealing to toddlers. My kid loves all the activities that she gets to do there- painting, music, outdoor play, and book reading to name a few. She loves her friends and teachers there, especially Ms. Ruby. She is bilingual and has not had much english vocabulary before going to Goddard and now she is on par with other kids. We are moving out from the area this August and are sad that she would miss her friends/teachers here and certainly, we would miss this place that we greatly trust for our child-care. I'd strongly recommend this place to anyone looking for a high-quality day care. You'd not be disappointed. read more

Our daughter has been attending the Goddard School for the past 1.5 years in both the preschool and pre-K classes. We have been so happy with the school! She has truly thrived there. The curriculum is creative, educational, and hands on. She's grown with her imaginative play, has learned to read, and do early math! Cholan and Angie are both great to work with. If you have a question, they get back to you very quickly either through email or phone. We receive daily communication on the classroom goals, themes, special events, and pictures of her day. The school is safe, clean, and well organized. After learning that kindergarten would be remote learning, we were so relieved to find out she could stay there for the school program in a comfortable, safe environment while I go to work. We've been elsewhere and I will tell you, you will not be happier! read more

Okay, this is just my two cents from touring this daycare/school. I have only toured two so keep this in mind when I'm making my comparisons. I wouldn't have even said anything but I think it's important for parents to know. The Goddard school was similar to the other school I looked at, which was for my infant son (newborn class). They talked about cleanliness and the teachers. Things they had that other schools didn't, baby yoga and sign language. My better half went earlier in the day and I went after work to check the place out real quick. Since the place was closing there were no parents or babies left in the infant room. My first red flag was that no one asked me to put on shoe covers. This seems pretty standard for a baby room from all schools and my better half did mention that they made him wear shoe covers earlier in the day so it seems after hours there is a different policy. The director and 2-3 teachers came in to talk to me and they were all wearing their shoes in the baby room (no covers). They had lesson plan cards taped to the wall, which I liked, but when I asked about the history of the teachers I found out they had only been there 2-3 months. Second red flag. A teacher who no longer worked in the infant room came and talked to me so that means they either put the newbies in with the infants or people don't stay in that room long. Either way it was unnerving. They also talk about warming milk/formula up for the infants and hand feeding them. I asked what happens if more than one is hungry (1:4 standard ratio). They said they have to tell them to wait while they are warming the milk for the other babies and then they put one in their lap and hold the other one, which seemed really dangerous juggling babies like that (another uncomfortable moment). Plus, how do you tell a five month old to "wait" for his bottle because another babies is heating...then "wait" again while his is heating. Like you can reason with an infant! ‍I asked about baby yoga and how they get infants to do this..they said tummy time is a form of yoga (okay....so I get this for free at home) So there wasn't much that was crazy special for me at this school, at least for the infant room which was smaller than the other one I had gone too. On top of that there were red flags for me in which they didnt adhere to their own policies after hours and their teachers have not been there long. I did appreciate the lesson plan which girls with 2-3 months experience can turn to when their at a loss on how to entertain a baby. Again, I only viewed the infant room and it was only to tour so I can't speak to people who have had their babies there. Just reporting what I saw. read more

My 19 month old twins have been going to the Goddard school for a month and a half. Although my son has a hard time being dropped off my daughter is so excited to get to class. My son is warming up to the idea of being without us and is engaging well in all the activities they have daily. Ms.Jenni is amazing with both of them. They truly adore her! We love the daily reports and picture we get. A previous review stated the ratio is 10:1 that has not been our experience. As a matter of fact that was one of the first questions we asked before choosing to enroll them in this school. The ratio is actually 4:1. My husband was very hesitant to enroll them in any kind of child care, he took a year and a half off to stay home with them because he did not trust anyone with them. Although my husband is very particular (as am I) with how our children are tended to he seems to be pleased with the care they receive as well. Angie the director has always been available to answer any of my questions via email and the owner / director Cholan has always responded to my emails promptly and or directed me to whomever could answer my questions. read more

I agree with the reviewer who had a bad experience with Cholan. When I left he was incredibly rude and attacked my integrity as well. He looks at the school as a business investment and has no history with child development. Children are shuttled around all day from classroom to classroom to be within ratios. There is no consistency for teachers or children. I feel bad for the children that come here. They need to stay in one class all day with one teacher. Children and families shouldn't just be seen as dollar signs. For the cost of Goddard there are much better schools out there. Keep looking for your child's sake. read more

My toddler has been attending the Goddard School at the South Portland location for almost a year and she loves it. She looks forward to going to school everyday and has been learning a lot. We are very happy with all aspects of the school including the curriculum, a spic & span building, the owner, Directors and teachers. As my husband and I are in the essential worker category and are required to work on site, we have needed the childcare services during this Covid 19 lockdown. We are very thankful that the Goddard School remained open and we are extremely impressed with the health and safety protocols that was implemented and are being followed. Parents must drop off the child at the main entrance, temperature scanning is required for all the children and very strict hand washing procedures are followed. Any child with a cold, cough or fever is not admitted into the building. My observation is that most of the children in the school seem to be healthier than they were prior to the pandemic. Our experience has been very positive pre and post pandemic times. I highly recommend this school for anyone looking for a preschool. read more