Little Tigers Preschool Inc

They talk about kids in front of and to them in ways that are unacceptable. And unfortunately, little is done to address it.

Our 3 yr old initially some trouble w/ the potty, which they seemed to make worse. Eventually he became fully potty trained—everywhere but at Little Tigers, which we thought was strange. After another exasperated teacher informed me my son had 4 accidents in a day (opposed to maybe 1 every 2 wks outside of this facility), I was frustrated. Then I noticed they left him barefoot. He peed on his shoes (but they did not call or email) so he left crying, wanting shoes. So I emailed the manager, Baishali, w/ 3 weeks’ notice, hoping this was adequate. Yet I never received a reply—not to inform me she got it or to inquire about why we were leaving. Bottom line: they don't care.

Today, my husband overheard a teacher say (in a bully-like tone) “[My son’s name], go on the potty. Everyone ELSE goes on the potty—why don’t YOU go on the potty?” And just after this (to another teacher): “I’m so glad this is almost over. No one else is going to deal with this. When he gets to school, they’re going to have to put him in SPECIAL classes.” At least we learned more about why my son was having accidents at LT; as a former therapist, I know public shaming does little for self-esteem and often leads to behavioral issues.

My husband interrupted “that’s not the right way to talk to [our son].” The teachers responded that they were talking about another student (as if this was ok). My husband left but returned to talk to Baishali, who was not in. Again, he heard them talking to our son in a harsh tone. So I picked up our children and took them to another center—I was not going to leave them with people who talked to and about them like this.

I wish I could say I was surprised but I was aware they did not like my son for several weeks and tried not to see it. In a conference they left us waiting 15 mins for, they informed us our son (who knows all of his shapes and colors, several letters, and can count to 15) hardly knew any shapes, colors or numbers. They attributed his ability to identify a hexagon to him possibly overhearing someone say it first. Thus they discounted his knowledge—something people do when they do not like others. Their chart also showed he could only count to 4 (again, he can count to 15) but they told us he only knew 3 numbers. Studies show when teachers are not invested or do not believe in children, they underperform. This was substantially underperforming for my son, yet they could not acknowledge what little he did in front of them, which was even more telling.

Baishali also allowed a teacher to whine in front of me about changing a pullup they asked that I put him in (which I did not agree w/). So I also realized there was a problem with the culture of this place. Teachers clearly do what they want and talking to Baishali was unlikely to help.

When I called in, Baishali stated the teachers corroborated their story of talking about another student in front of my son (which they had plenty of time to get straight) but she admitted they were not honest about how they talked directly to him, apologizing for this. She was not sorry enough to call me to check in and learn more however; I had to call her. She was not sorry enough to ensure my $240 deposit would be returned after I gave ample notice but had to withdraw my kids for unacceptable treatment by the teachers. And she was not sorry enough to ensure those teachers offered my son the apology he still deserves.

The way teachers talk about children when they are not around (and especially in front of them) impacts how they treat them. And directly shaming is even more harmful. Chances are they will do this to your child as well. Yet they will not care enough to truly address it; their policy is to inform parents they have talked with teachers while offering a hollow apology devoid of efforts to make it right.