ICES Preschool @ Birney Elementary

My daughter started attending this preschool program on December and she has done great. Ms. Lisa is her teacher and she has been so patient with my daughter and her accommodations. My daughter currently gets speech services and she had a frustration on not being able to communicate or express herself. Ms. Lisa asked me if it was okay for her to teach my daughter basic sign language and I agreed. Since then my daughter now will use sign if she doesn’t know how to say something. Now she can express herself more and use words as well. Also Ms. Lisa and my daughter’s Theraphist are working together to reach my daughter’s goals. We are HAPPY PARENTS and our child is happier. I will definitely recommend the program to other parents.

We had been thrilled with this program, especially Miss Jill! She has a gentle loving spirit that put the most timid child at ease and an authoritative kindness that helped the most difficult children settle down. Our daughter flourished at this school where another school had failed. We knew we had hit the jackpot when we found this gem and the amazing Miss Jill!
If I had written this review 3 weeks ago, I would have given it 5 stars. However, since then, ICES has been a disappointment. It is very clear that they run the school solely for profit and that the bottom line is put above the needs and ideas of the parents and children.
The school was supposed to be closed the last two weeks of August for summer break and the parents were given ample notice to find alternative care. However, on July 22^nd ICES sent out an e-​mail (which didn’t even reach all the parents) that they would be closed the FIRST two weeks of August as well due to minimal enrollment. This gave the «minimal» amount of parents 9 days to find an alternative for the first two weeks of August. Good luck finding a program with that short of notice at the end of July. Not only is everything already full, but now your child has to be thrown into a new program with no notice and none of their friends. We were extremely disappointed and when we conveyed our concerns to ICES we received a very typical corporate response. If the amount of attendees was truly so minimal, it sure would have been nice to give these parents a heads up rather than dropping the news on us with only 9 days to scramble.
Then, on August 6^th we received another e-​mail from ICES stating that Miss Jill was no longer with the Preschool and that a new director had been hired and would be in place beginning the week of August 18^th. It also stated that dates for a meet and greet would be announced soon. It is now August 15^th and nothing more has been conveyed to parents. This means that once again ICES is waiting for the last minute to keep parents in the loop.
I’m still giving the Preschool 2 stars because Miss Kim and Miss Helen who will remain at the program are awesome and the new teacher may be great too (although we haven’t met her yet or even know her name). However, I give ICES zero stars. It is very clear from our experience that they are the ones pulling the strings at this Preschool. They will say their priority is to provide quality care to your children, but to us their priority is their bottom line.

Our son has been attending for almost a year and he has flourished in this great environment. The rich environment created by Miss Jill and Miss Kimmy have stimulated his natural curiosity and he’s often sharing with us the things he has learned in school. The parents and children there are great also as our son has made loads of new friends and has developed his social skills tremendously. Very ideal location as our older son already attends Birney Elementary as our younger will next year.

I have had both of my sons at this school and it is truly a gem! Miss. Jill is unlike any other teacher/​director. She is soo wonderful, loving, caring, and nurturing. The playground is wonderful and the children enjoy this school soo much! It is a very organic way of learning being Emilio Regio. It is a carefree environment that truly embraces each child. Miss. Jill is full of love and she believes all children are individuals, she is very accommodating to all different personalities big and small. It is not a big school, it is small and intimate and all the families are wonderful here!

My three-​year-​old son attends this fabulous preschool. Our family has lived in three different states during his life, and he’s been in four different care settings. We could not be any more pleased with this program, the fabulous teachers, and the overall vibe. This is the best program we have experienced, by a long shot. The other families are friendly and supportive, and the neighborhood and setting are great. It is such a blessing to drop off my son and to know that he’s not only learning and being well provided for but that his teachers also care about him!

We are so fortunate to have found this hidden treasure of a school. Previous to finding this school we had our son at a preschool in Clairemont with his older brother. When our oldest went into Kindergarten, we were fortunate to have ICES aka Wide World of Wonder recommended to us by a friend. In just a month, we realized what a difference a great school can have on a child. Our youngest was always very shy and withdrawn, partly due to speech delay; however, this school really has brought the best out of him.
The teachers truly take the time to get to know every kid individually and are so nurturing. They have an amazing curriculum in which my son comes home every day to share what he has learned. They do yoga, art, gardening and really see the child as a whole. He has made great friends at the school and so have we as parents. Going to school in the morning is never a battle anymore. Now the only battle we have is getting him to leave when it is time to go. Even his older brother likes to stay and play when we pick him up.
I cannot speak more highly of the teachers and feel so fortunate to be a part of the school there.