Episcopal Early Learning Center at Good Shepherd

The front office is disorganized. We confirmed a tour via email and phone, but showed up to no director and the assistant who wasn't expecting us. Then, on our first day, the teacher had no idea she was getting a new student (even though we completed registration and finalized our start date six weeks in advance). This means our toddler didn't have a cubby for his belongings, a name tag, or a familiar welcome from his teacher - a disappointing first day for a new kid and disheartening experience for us as his parents. Additionally, the center uses a live stream camera, which is a wonderful feature - except that I saw unfortunate interactions between the teacher and my child. Other than story time, it didn't appear that there was much teaching going on at this location; children sat at tables with toys while teachers merely oversaw the classroom like babysitters. More importantly, I witnessed numerous violations by the staff of ELC's own handbook. I recorded all of these violations, including, but not limited to, withholding outside time as a punishment. When my son couldn't complete a developmental task, such as zipping up his coat on his own, the teacher punished him for it rather than teaching him how to do it (or communicating with us as parents that she expected this). I also saw my child left unattended in the classroom multiple times and that's when we quickly pulled my son from this location. When I discussed the reasons for our departure with the director, she was very understanding and indicated I was not the first parent to bring these concerns to her. I could never recommend this location to anyone considering the 3 year-old classroom.

I have had two children in school at ECS, Good Shepherd and would recommend them to anyone. Especially during this time of the pandemic, they have been careful, attentive, supportive, and wonderful. Both my children are developing friendships there that I hope endure into school. They will miss their teachers desperately, since they fall in love with them each year. Their curricula are well thought out and open for parent inspection. They host parenting nights and childhood development courses. Before social isolation began, they were hosting seasonal activities that seek to involve parents and children with other families at the school. They use advanced digital tools for parent communication and have active classroom video monitoring so there isn't any wonder or secrets. Their accountability and training are top notch. 5 stars.

Our child has been at Episcopal ELC from 14 months of age to nearly 3 years. The classrooms are clean with lots of windows, the playground is large and mostly shaded (a must for Florida!), and most importantly of all: the staff is happy and consistant. Unlike our intial corporate run daycare where the afternoon staff changed out daily depending on the headcount, the staff at ELC is stable and consistent. It's such a pleasure to see the same faces day after day and to have your child know ALL the teachers. Now, given the pandemic, having consistent staff (and not interchangeable people from various facilities all around town) is a safety measure for my child and helps avoid unnessary exposure. I cannot recommend this facility and their staff enough.

Good Shepherd ELC is definitely 5/5 stars. I am saddened by the negative reviews - I assume they are fake or bots, so please disregard them. We have had our daughter enrolled in ELC for 3 years and have had nothing but an amazing experience. It is safe, clean, friendly, welcoming - the kids and teachers all appear very happy. I have recommended this daycare to all my friends. I honestly believe it is the best daycare in the Riverside area. I do not have a single negative thing to say about ELC.