The Goddard School

The Goddard School Cascade is truly the best preschool in the Grand Rapids area. We have been to a few preschools and this one tops the list. The staff has been nothing short of exceptional. Our current 4 year-old reads, writes sentences and has met all of her kindergarten milestones yet still has an additional year of pre-k. We owe this progress to Goddard. We also have an 18 month-old who has gotten the most amazing, loving caregivers and if there’s ever a concern, they are proactive and cognizant of any individualized changes with her. We sincerely appreciate the security in this facility, the pristine cleanliness and the overall impeccable organization from the director and office staff to each of the classroom teachers. Miss Jessica is truly a gift and if your child is lucky enough to snag her as a teacher, consider yourself very fortunate!
5 7 years ago (24-05-2018)

The ladies in the infant room have gone above and beyond to provide the very best care for my baby girl. It is such an amazing feeling knowing that my baby is loved, and taken care of so well by all of these ladies. All the smiles my daughter has, and the love she shows to every one of her teachers shows just how much the ladies do to make my baby, and all the babies in the infant room feel loved and safe. Thanks for helping my little one grow the last 10 months! We love you all very much!
5 7 years ago (18-05-2018)

My son started at the Goddard school 6 months ago! We absolutely love all of the teachers, the director, the assistant director, and the owner! We walk in everyday to a friendly good morning, how are you, and how was your evening, and leave every night with a warm good bye! I’m so thankful to have such amazing people in my sons life! He has learned so much in the short 6 months he has been there and we look forward to what he will learn in the future. Thank you to all of the Goddard’s employees for making the Goddard school such an amazing place to attend.
5 7 years ago (17-05-2018)

We had to move to MI due to work. Our previous Goddard school was absolutely amazing. The school owner(s) took pride and the teachers were superb. You could tell that based on kids' liking to school. We went by brand name and tried to enroll in this same school because it was close to my work place. Even before we moved our residence from our previous neighboring state to MI, I booked an appointment (which was 5 hour one-way drive) to talk to director and owner. At this point, I had not even looked for an accommodation, because I did not want to miss out on the admission at the "Goddard." We drove from neighboring state and we were almost 10 min away from the school (and 30 min from appointment time), and director tells me over the phone that if I am late, she will leave. I had explained to her that I am having a long drive of 5 hours, one would think she would be considerate. We reached well in-time, she showed us around, we were impressed with the school cleanliness. However, she mentioned that owner had left already. We moved to Grand Rapids soon there after, eager to enroll my kids and we paid the fees and deposit that were due. I would drop my kids daily to school in the mornings. I have never seen or met the owner at all during the time my kids attended there. Apparently, (per director) the owner steps in little later after I drop kids and leave school a little earlier than my pick up (truth being, the owner has few other side businesses and she is busy giving TV interviews). Our kids did not like the school a bit. There is no lunch (even after paying high fees). The teachers are overburdened and they have to heat the food that parents send to school with their kids. Moreover, they do not have patience to wait for kids to finish their food. After some 20 - 25 minutes, they close the lunch break. My kids got the food back home every single day. I never got to meet the owner to raise concerns. This is glorified baby sitting at best. When my kids attended previous Goddard, they were so thrilled and happy and they had learned so many things. I had to take them to school on the weekend just to show that it was closed - that was the level of interest they showed in the previous school. But with this Goddard school, they dragged their feet. Email was the only way to reach to the owner. She mentioned that she was going to remove handwriting as well, because we don't need them! She was not willing to address my concerns. Luckily we got to know one another good school in Cascade. It was lesser priced and worth every penny. Kids loved to go to that school. We quickly unenrolled from this Goddard school. Unfortunately, parents do not really know what other schools have to offer. They feel that this school is the best. Unless you explore, ask around and get feedback from parents, you will end up in a school like this. Other better schools have so many fun and games activities that the kids learn many things and get home lot of arts and crafts. Hope this helps.
1 7 years ago (02-05-2018)

The staff are so warm and friendly. They truly treat my child like their own and celebrate there growth with them.
5 7 years ago (21-05-2018)