My letter to Cuddle Time:…read more
First let me say that I am extremely disappointed in your sudden decision that our son is not a good fit for your group. I understand that as his father I have a biased opinion, but I do not believe he is outside the norm for most 2 year old boys. Yes, he has a lot of energy, is inquisitive, loves to climb and explore. No, he does not currently take naps as he sleeps 12 hours at night.
I understand that it would take some adjustment for him as well as for you and your group due to this, but forgive me if I'm wrong, isn't that part of the learning and growing process? Aren't children constantly forced to adapt and grow into new surroundings? Isn't your program designed to help them with their first school experience?
From my understanding, it sounds as if you want a child that is already pre-programmed to fit in. We are happy to work with Owen at home in order to have him be more receptive to naps. We were hoping that you would also be willing to work with him as well. However, you state that he would need too much attention and one on one interaction. Once again, I thought that this would probably be a normal situation whenever a new child his age comes into your fold.
However, beyond my frustration with your view that he would not initially fit in with your strict and ridged guidelines (which I am not judging as I do believe routine and rules are important to establish for children) is the fact that you had already accepted us into the school. Due to this, I have changed my work hours and my wife has altered her work schedule so that Owen could attend your pre-school.
Yet only a few days before his first day, we are informed that you don't think this will work, hence leaving us high and dry for options? And the reason is that our son would require too much one on one attention initially?
I will say that this is extremely unprofessional. When we initially met we explicitly told you that Owen did not take naps. You were able to observe him during the 1 1/2 hours we spent at your facility. Yet there was no mention that these issues would be cause for him not working out.
It is somewhat interesting that when I last spoke to you, it was mentioned that you had almost given our spot to some of your current students / parents that were looking to take up those vacancies. I have to wonder if your decision is based off of the fact that you would prefer to have a child that is already familiar with your guidelines, which would make your job easier.
Obviously I am hurt that you don't think my son is a perfect fit for your school. That comes from being a parent, who loves and wants nothing but the best for his son. However I am also extremely frustrated that he wasn't given a chance and that you weren't willing to provide him with some extra attention and effort during this transition. I guess this is how things work. Children often get left behind and in this day and age are not afforded an opportunity. It is upsetting that at the age of 2 he is already experiencing this from you and your facility.
It is not like he is a special needs child. He is a typical, rambunctious 2 year old that just needs a little more attention initially. He is an extremely intelligent child and picks up on things quickly. He isn't even 2 1/2 yet, so many of the rules and guidelines (not walking on the grass if it is wet, not swinging on the indoor swing, not dumping out toys in order to play with them, laying down to nap for 2 hours) are still foreign concepts to him. It isn't that he would be unwilling to adapt, he is just unfamiliar with these ideas.
Yet after our initial meeting, I had honestly thought that these new concepts were things you would be working with him on. I had thought that this was something he would have been provided at your preschool. That there would be nurturing and teaching.
To be honest, we were extremely impressed by your facility which may have caused us to overlook other concerns regarding your demands on the children. However, as new parents we are realizing that we need to trust our instincts and should have realized earlier that it might not be a good fit for us.
I am relieved to know how your operation works from the get go and that I will not be investing my time, money, or hopes for my son with you.
I will certainly reflect my disappointment in my online reviews of your establishment: this is not a threat, just the reality of business in today's online world. It is important that other parents be made aware of your strict policies, your unwillingness to provide extra time and attention to those who need it, and expectations that children be pre-programmed to fit in with your rules.
I will also say that you will be the ones that will be missing out, as Owen is an amazing child. He is filled with compassion, wonderment and intelligence. He is truly a loving and caring little person and deserve to be in a situation where he is wanted.