I have found myself typing this out in text messages and my Instagram inbox so many times in the last month that it just seemed time to write it down more thoroughly and permanently.
This year both of my girls are attending Kids Village. It’s Reese’s third and final year, and Loney will (most likely) follow her lead and do three years there too before kindergarten. Yeah. Reese will be in kindergarten next year???? It’s weird, idk.
Here is everything I have to say about Kids Village and our experience there the last two years. How I chose it, what the process is like, how it functions, prices, pros and cons, etc. If there’s anything I didn’t cover, let me know so I can amend it!
How I Chose Kids Village
Because I’m Danica I had started thinking about preschool basically the day Reese turned a year old. I care a lot about education, socialization, and organized programs. I kept an eye out for preschools in the area and talked to my friends with older children to find out where they sent their kids to preschool, when, and how much they generally paid. A few of the cool people in my old neighborhood posted on Facebook about their kids attending Kids Village and how much they loved it. It really stuck out to me and I felt like I started noticing the tags in everyone’s windows. Haunting me.
After seeing enough positive reviews and doing some online research and comparison I felt so so good about Kids Village. For one thing, I felt strongly that Reese was ready for preschool and I wanted her to attend as much preschool as possible (for both of us lol). Kids Village was one of the very few options that will take kids at 2.5 and without requiring potty training. Another thing I loved was that they are very academically focused – some kids really need the socialization of just playing with toys in a lowkey basement preschool, but not Reese and not this extra mom. The moms I followed/talked to shared that they loved how Kids Village had their kids reading before kindergarten. SOLD.
Registration, Tuition, Logistics
Kids Village is a pretty high demand private preschool. I had a friend ask me about Kids Village in April and go in to find that they only had waiting list availability for the upcoming school year. Existing students and their siblings get first dibs every December for the following school year (meaning I reserved Reese & Malone’s spots for this school year 2019-2020 in December of 2018). Then open registration begins when school resumes in January. When I signed up Reese I went the very first day that registration was open. I took home the forms and returned them a few days later after I had obtained the vaccination verification from my pediatrician’s office.
Tuition for Kids Village is definitely pricier than most preschools, and it’s only offered 2 (Tuesday/Thursday), 3 (Monday/Wednesday/Friday), or all 5 days a week.
- Tuesday/ Thursday $169 per month
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday $219 per month
- Weekly half days (am or pm) $369 per month
- Half day Kindergarten $369 per month
- Full day Kindergarten $639 per month
- 1st-3rd Grade $639 per month
- Sibling Discount of 10% off second tuition (Loney gets 10% off because Reese is already a student)
The AM block is from 9:00-11:30 am. The PM block is 12:30-3:00 pm. Pickup and dropoff is 15 minutes before and after the start/finish times, so for our PM dropoff we come between 12:15-12:45, and pickup is 2:45-3:15.
For Reese’s first year (Little Sprouts age 2.5-3) we did Tuesday/Thursday afternoons. The second year (Sweet Peas age 3-4) we upped it to Monday/Wednesday/Friday. This year is Loney’s first year and Reese is also doing Waterford Upstart’s online reading program so I decided on Tuesday/Thursday for both of them.
VALET BABY + Safety
Another HUGE pro of Kids Village is the valet dropoff/pickup service. You drive behind the strip mall to the rear entrance to drop and retrieve your kids during the valet window and you don’t even have to get out of your freaking car!!!!! It was a huge sell for me when I had tiny baby Loney and didn’t want to haul her in every time I had to walk Reese in/out, and honestly it’s only gotten better.
They are super secure and their primary concern is safety. You have to use the nametags to dropoff and pickup, and they walk the kids to your car and help them in to prevent kids running into the road. You have to unbuckle and buckle your own kids for obvious safety and liability reasons, but it takes two seconds for me to pull into the Buckle Zone, snap the buckle, and get back on the road. This is also when we do our famous Instagram series “Carpool Karaoke.” It’s legit been a connecting, memorable time for us the last couple of years.
If you prefer to walk your kids in, or need to pick them up outside the normal pickup time you’ll still need your tags to get into the locked building. Even my little escape artist couldn’t get out if she tried, and no one could pretend to be me to steal my kids. Idk who would want them, but they couldn’t get them even if they did.
Kids Village uses an app called Smartcare for teachers to communicate with parents about what they did that day, upcoming events, and even if your kid got injured (Reese once got a nice lil scratch on her chin from jumping off her chair onto the table lol). You also use it to pay monthly tuition and manage your account. At any point you can look up to see where your kid is – in their classroom, in the Music Room, enjoying a Cooking Workshop, wherever. I mean, who cares, I’m at Target.
Pros
I’ve already mentioned that they take kids at 2.5 even if they’re not potty trained, they have valet, and they’re a very structured academic environment. Another thing I love is that they have a really big staff/faculty and we love them all. They have TONS of aides, and I was shocked how they all knew Reese’s name, even when she wasn’t wearing her apron. (Oh yeah, another cute thing is they all get bags and aprons with their names embroidered on them s’cute.) They have their main teacher but they also rotate through workshops that each have 1-2 teachers, such as cooking, physical education, reading, science, music, and more.
Every month they send home a mini-report card with the tasks they worked on that month in each workshop, as well as the chosen value for that month and they get a rubber wristband if they achieve enough mastery. They do Parent-Teacher Conferences midyear, which may seem ridiculous to you but I am all about it. Her teachers both years had real feedback and analysis for us to look at, such as her writing skill compared to September and goals for the end of the year. I love assessment!
One of my favorite surprises about Kids Village was how many fun events they do to involve families. Every Halloween they do their Humanitarian Haunt Carnival where you buy punch cards/tickets to participate in fun activities and all of the proceeds go to their humanitarian foundation. In December they do Christmas in the Village and it’s adorable AF, with Santa and treats and cute activities. They also do an over-the-top graduation which I love so freaking much. They wear cap & gown, sing songs and walk to receive diplomas and throw their hats and it’s amazing. They do class parties for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter that involve parent volunteers, too.
Also? Can I just say that Kids Village looks basically like Disneyland on the inside and they decorate to the nines for every holiday and they always have bomb a$$ homemade food at each activity. I care about that kind of thing and I feel like that’s part of my tuition payment going to work. Not mad about it.
It’s also really important to me to have both girls on the same schedule. I freelance work from home, so carving out that time where they can both be at preschool with one dropoff and one pickup was essential.
Cons
It’s expensive. I won’t lie that I sometimes cringe when I see that withdrawal, especially now that they’re both in. If you’re looking for a more casual, low-key, affordable preschool then Kids Village might not be right for you.
It is highly structured with lots of transitions. For kids with low socialization or problems with transitions or a variety of adults, it could be too overwhelming. One of my friends found that a small preschool with just one teacher was a much better fit for her anxious child. For my kids, it’s perfect, but I recognize they’re weirdos and this can be a con for lots of parents.
Kids Village is a private preschool/elementary school, which means it serves a LOT more kids than your average preschool. So compared to your 6 kid in-home preschool it’s going to be chaotic. You have to wait in the pickup line, get to graduation early to get a front row seat, etc.
Overall we are so so so happy with Kids Village. It’s been the perfect fit for us. I would encourage you to research multiple options, talk to lots of friends you trust, and don’t try to force your kid into the preschool experience that everyone around you is doing. Listen to your mom gut and go with the choice that feels right, whether that’s doing home preschool, joy school, a small local preschool, or an intense one.
Kids Village – we love you. <3
