Peartree Preschool

During my family’s stint at Peartree, three assistant directors cycled through. I’m sure there have been more since. My son had a great first year and summer, then in his 2nd year, Peartree’s true colors began to show. There is a quiet judgment about issues like too much screen time, and whether or not they still use a bottle or a stroller. One main goal of Peartree is to be an elite pre-school where the children who attend feed into private NYC schools; another is to network amongst the affluent members of Harlem so they can barter and grow their organization. But buyer beware, although they promote progressive education, they don’t actually tend to the individual needs of all students. Instead, if your child or your family doesn’t fit into the mold of a model Peartree student, the administration works their magic to kick your child out, using language such as “We’re not able to meet his individual needs.” This couldn’t be more true than with students who need more support, and/or who have a disability. I was disheartened by this because of the progressive education marketing, as well as the promotion of a teacher with a dual degree in teaching and special education. When asked if they could create a log to record the behaviors in school that I did not notice at home, I was told the teacher was too busy working on a log for another student. When asked if they thought my son needed an evaluation, I was told no they just believed it was his behavior. When questioned about my son’s complaint of a teacher grabbing him forcibly and leaving nail marks in his arm, the claim was dismissed in less that 24 hours. When my son’s first year teacher called me to warn me about all the shenanigans taking place behind the scene, I didn’t want to believe her. However, by March of his second year I received the speech about my son not being welcomed back...a few days before my requested special education evaluation. If your family has connections of interest to Ms. Adusei, congratulations you’ve found your preschool! If not, they have no qualms about treating your child like an expendable entity. There is also high staff turnover.