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As Promised, this is to report on the daycares & private schools I visited in STT last week (June 3-6). I'll preface my comments by saying that I'm offering MY OPINIONS, based on MY research. I also apologize in advance for not being brief. So, here's what I found out:
DAYCARES: I only visited 2 daycares. I planned to visit more, but unfortunately I could not find most of them, and ran out of time. The ones I visited were Little People's Learning Center & A+ Preschool.
1) Little People's Learning Center: Located in Havensight, near town. For starters, you are risking life & limb just turning into the driveway of this place! The facility is managed by a very nice lady (Ms. Maynard), who is very proud of her center. That said, I found this daycare quite dirty, unorganized & unstructured. It is licensed for kids aged 2-6, probably 50 total. There is really no playground. It costs $10,000 per year, and payments can be made over 10 months. I would not send my daighter here.
2) A+ Preschool: Located above town. It is licensed for 90 kids, ages 4 months to 4 years old. It claims to be "highly academic", and is layed out to accomplish that goal. In fact, there are actually classrooms complete with desks in the 3-year-old rooms. Apparently, the 3 & 4 year old kids spend 1 hour a day in those desks. They have play time as well, with plenty of playground space. The baby room appeared neat & clean, and the ratio of staff to babies/kids was the same as in Florida. Tuition ranged from $280 - 340 a month, depending on age & whether the facility supplied lunch. The classrooms were neat, organized & well-stocked with toys, etc. I would consider this facility.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS:
1) St. Peter & Paul: Located in town. It's a Catholic school for kids aged 4 (preschool) through 12th grade. This year there were approximately 260 kids who attended. It is fully accredited with Middle States Association for all grades, and graduates have been accepted to some excellent stateside schools (i.e. Harvard, Georgetown, etc.). It offers the A BEKA program for pre-school & kindergarden. Computer & language courses begin at pre-school level. Religion courses are required. The school campus is gated, with a large, paved courtyard. The classrooms seemed organized & structured, even for the last day of school, which is when I happended to drop by. Tuition ranges from $3,200 - 4,600 a year, depending on age and whether the child is affiliated with a local Catholic church.
2) All Saints: Also located in town. It's a religious school for kids aged 4 through 12th grade. This year, they had almost 500 students. Religious courses are not mandatory. Languages are required from Middle School on, and computer skills are taught from 1st grade. The classrooms were very neat, organized and traditional, i.e. old desks in neat rows, facing a chalkboard (even for the kindergarden class!). The students were well-behaved, even for the last day of class. Unfortunately, I could not get tuition information during my visit.
3) Antilles: Located near the Red Hook area (I think!). The premier school on STT, according to almost everyone I spoke with. It is a beautiful campus, almost like a summer camp or university campus stateside. School had already ended when I visited, so I could not observe any classes. The administrative staff that I spoke with, however, were EXTREMELY professional and courteous, and gave me a very good idea of the classroom structure and curriculum. The school accepts kids from aged 3 through 12th grade. Computer skills are taught from age 3. Foreign language (Spanish) is a requirement from middle school. The classroom environment encourages analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, versus rote memorization and recall. Tuition ranges from $10,000 - 13,000. a year, with optional payment plans. This year's graduates are headed off to Harvard, Georgetown, Emory, etc. Great School!
4) Montessori: Also near Red Hook, although I was somewhat lost when I found it! I LOVED this school. It was layed out like an eco-camp for kids. There were separate buildings scattered up the hill, housing 1-3 classrooms in each building. The classrooms were extremely neat, organized and stimulating. I observed about 6 classrooms during my visits. I'm not very familiar with the Montessori program, but was very impressed with how well-behaved and engaged the students were in the learning process, even the 3-6 year olds. Classroom sizes were small, and the teachers (most from the U.S.) were so attentive, personable and CALM! The campus is located on 5 1/2 acres, with plenty of wildlife. There were tropical birds, cats, chickens, etc. The school presently takes kids from 2 1/2 years through 6th grade, but plans on opening a high school next year. It will probably take a few years to establish accredidation, although I'm really not sure how that process works. I did not get tuition info.
That's it! I did pick up some literature from most of the places I visited, so feel free to ask questions. I'll try to answer them.
Ansley
Posted : June 10, 2004 2:30 am
Hello Ansley,
Thank you so much for your posting! I wanted to add that from the VINOW website I went to the All Saints school website. Anyway, they state that "The tuition in 2002-2003 ranges from $3320 to $4320 per year". I couldn't find any tuition info for the Montessori
Did you feel that any particular school was unsafe or unsecure? Could you walk in off the street into the schools or was there some sort of security? Did the schools seem to have enough outdoor activities? Also, did you see diverse classrooms or were any schools made up of one background or another? I am hoping for a diverse classroom.
Do you know how they handle difficult kids? My daughter is going into Kindergarten and I am seriously considering homeschool because she is behind with basic skills and has delayed social skills. My son has done well and I definitely want to send him to a private school. Anyway, enough questions for now. Thanks for all the research. I do hope you find a good day-care. I will be staying home with our 5 month old. This is first for me, I am leaving a programming job to be a stay at home mom. I am attempting to very organized, but this move is stressful and I decided to leave the school stuff for after I arrive. I hope it isn't a mistake, but we did try to contact the schools by phone with no one returning our calls. I assumed that during the summer they would have even less outgoing communication. I will keep my husband on it though!
Teresa
Posted : June 10, 2004 4:02 am
Topic starter
Hey Teresa,
In response to your questions, both of the in-town religious schools did not seem as safe as Antilles & the Montessori school. For example, St. Peter & Paul had a big gated door for the entrance, which led out onto a busy street with some scruffy looking characters hanging around. The door was open when I arrived. Maybe because it was the last day of school, but I would have preferred a little tighter security.
I don't think All Saints even had a door or fence to secure the premises. It is not located on as busy a street, however.
Antilles appeared pretty safe to me. Better neighborhood, less traffic and people around. As I mentioned before, it's layed out like a college campus.
The Montessori school is somewhat off the beaten path. It is also gated. It seemed safe as well.
Regarding outdoor activities, I don't think the in-town schools offer much in that way. Both are essentially concrete campuses. I don't think they have organized sports either, but could be wrong. The Antilles school has plenty of space for outdoor activities, and competitive sports programs. It also has a nice playground for the younder kids. The Montessori school has lots of property, and a couple of playgrounds. I'm not sure about organized sports, though.
I can't offer much info re: difficult kids. I can say, however, that the children I saw at the Montessori school were soooo well-behaved, calm and interested in their individual activities. You might want to inquire more about their program.
Good luck with being a stay-at-home Mom. That is certainly a noble endeavor, one that I am not cut out for at all (type A personnality)!
Oh, one last thing, some of the schools do have waiting lists, so you might want to expedite your research so you don't end up not being able to enroll your kids in the school(s) of your choice.
Ansley
Posted : June 10, 2004 12:48 pm
Hello Teresa and Ansley,
You can pretty much walk in off the street into any of the schools; most have fences of some form around them. Sts. Peter and Paul and All Saints are concrete schools/play areas as mentioned; kids usually play jump rope, play ball, hang out or run around the school area during recess. Antilles and Montessori have more outdoor things to do then the two in town-schools. Classrooms at the private schools are in general diverse. Teresa, schools usually have school psychologist or counselors which are usually called on to help with difficult students, ADHD, learning difficulties... if your daughter already has delayed social development you might want to consider a combination of school and home school as not to further delay her social skills by keeping her from other children; a unique option might be to home school her and also look into something like the Water Island home school group; which is a group of less then a dozen home school students who are home schooled together and do a number of out door activities including getting scuba lessons so the children get to interact with other children in a structured environment while still being home schooled. Read about them at
http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1075613537
All the schools named have some types or organized sports as for as the last time I checked; flag football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer... depending on which school it is has some or all of these. Antilles has all of those mentioned and others like dance and wrestling.
--Islander
Posted : June 12, 2004 6:25 am
Ansley,
Are you still considering the move or have you decided? Our move is getting closer, yet still so much to do! Neither I nor my husband have had much luck with calling the schools. I am sure my husband is going to have to stop in and talk to them if they are still open during the summer. Otherwise, I am seriously considering the homeschool for my daughter and attempting to get my son in a school this fall. The homeschool group starts late October and ends in July. Many of the kids live aboard boats and usually head away from the VI during hurricane season. I liked what I read about them. At least my daughter could have some interaction with other kids without being overwhelmed.
As far as staying at home with kids... well I never wanted to until we had a difficult time finding day-care. I will try to continue my education and when all the kids are in school, I will definitely go back to work. I do want to get back into my artwork in the meantime. Maybe during nap-time? 😉
Thanks for all the info.
Teresa
Posted : June 19, 2004 9:28 pm
Teresa,
How old are your children? I have one daughter who is 13 months. We're hoping to move down in December once my husband gets his visa approved (we still have a 4 month minimum wait). We may end up having to live in the BVI for a bit if he doesn't get approved quickly enough!
Posted : June 20, 2004 1:03 am
Hi Rachel,
My kids are now 7 years-old, 5 years-old, and 5 months old. Are you needing day-care? Ansley has been doing the research in that area. I will be staying home - hopefully. If I find a job that I want to do full time, then I will be looking for day-care as well. Good luck on everything!
Teresa
Posted : June 20, 2004 3:36 am
Topic starter
Hey Teresa,
Yes, we're still considering moving to STT. Just not in the immediate future. We have some tasks to accomplish here, before we go anywhere. Hopefully property will still be "affordable" if and when we decide to go.
You mentioned your daughter was a little behind developmentally & socially, and that you're considering home-schooling her. I don't know too much about home-schooling, but I would advise checking out the Montessori school on the island. Since seeing that school, I've done a fair amount of research on the Montessori approach to education. I'll leave you to make up your own mind about whether the approach may be right for your daughter, but also with my impression of the kids I observed at the STT Montessori school: calm, engaged, stimulated, self-motivated and interested in learning. I was definitely impressed, so much so that I am looking for a similar program in Florida right now for my daughter.
Anyway, I wish you luck in whatever you decide.
Ansley
Posted : June 20, 2004 11:20 am
I'm currently a stay at home mom, in addition to running my own business and telecommuting to several consulting projects that I have.
My daughter goes to day care a few days a week. The montessori she goes to focuses on arts, music and foreign language. I tried to spend the day painting with her but I almost lost my mind when she tossed a bowl of bright red paint onto the white walls. That's when I remembered "Oh, this is why I send her to daycare".
We're not in a rush, school wise, since our daughter is only 13 months old but it's great knowing what the options are. My husband wants to homeschool (I was homeschooled since my parents were horse trainers and we traveled) but while I know I turned out fine, I don't know if I know how to teach her how to read etc. I just plan on taking our time when we get there and figuring things out. It's just great meeting other mothers prior to the move!
Posted : June 20, 2004 2:22 pm
Ansley and Rachel,
It is great to meet everyone by using this board. I will be posting about my new experiences on St. Thomas this August. As the baby gets older, I will probably send her to day-care once or twice a week for some interaction with other babies and so she isn't too clingy to me. I want her to gain some independence. My 5 year-old might benefit from the Montessori. I will look into it. Thank you both.
Teresa
Posted : June 20, 2004 2:56 pm
Being the father of a 3 y.o son and 1 y.o., daughter, and having gone through the frustrations of finding safe, reliable daycare when we moved to the US, why, with ssoooo many expats having gone before, doesn't someone think of doing home care for 3-5 infants / children and earning a bit for their troubles. Call it a sort of "kid pooling", you know, like car pooling! I will be moving down to STT with my wife and two kids this week and think that if you could find a group of mothers willing to rotate the home care responsibilities, it would seem to solve alot of people's dilema. What'd you all think?
Andre
Posted : June 22, 2004 4:33 am
My husband and I will be moving to STT in Sept/Oct. We have 10 month old and I was thinking of possibly doing just what Andre suggested (once we get settled, of course!!). If anyone is looking for possible childcare, please e-mail and I will keep in touch till we get there. THANKS!! amy =)
Posted : July 6, 2004 9:05 pm
Amy,
Email me or add me to your list. I will be moving in August to STT and soon after will be looking for a job and day-care. My husband has a job, but I most seriously can not just be homebound. It is a good idea Andre. You all will have to go to the get togethers so we can all meet.
Teresa
Posted : July 7, 2004 2:54 am
It would be great if we started a playgroup even. It'd be nice for the kids to have other friends as well if they're not getting right into school or daycare.
Posted : July 7, 2004 11:26 pm
Just a reccomendation. Expose your children to the various ethnic, economic and cultural groups in the island. I do reccomend home schooling as opposed to public schools but remember that you children will be living in St. Thomas; dont make them a private community of Mainland expatriates. At certain schools, children stay within their percieved "group." Blacks with blacks, Indians with Indians, Frenchies with Frenchies etc... This behavior is usually reinforced by their parents.
The reason I have such an affinity for All Saints Cathedral, the classrooms are diverse and the children accept each other despite their ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For exampe, the following is the demographics of my seventh grade home room class (18 students): half black, one Jamican, one Jewish, one East Indian, one Palestinien, two Frenchie, one Puetro Rican, one mainland white.
Just keep in mind the implicit messages our children recieve from our choices for their betterment.
Posted : July 9, 2004 6:13 pm
Bob,
I completely agree with you on exposing the kids to all ethnic, economic and cultural groups. My kids are actually part Japanese, although most people would not think so by looking at them. I want them to learn about all cultures and especially learn a foreign language like Spanish.
My husband is Episcopalian and we had called All Saints, but from what we understand the school is almost full and until I am on island with the kids (August), we can't enroll them. I was very impressed by the culture diversity. I would love for them to go to All Saints, but I don't know how possible that will be this year.
Thank you for your input.
Teresa
Posted : July 9, 2004 11:49 pm
Hi, This is Andre again.
We've been on island for several weeks now and I couldn't agree more about exposing kids to other cultures. I don't think it's so much that we need to seek it out, but rather guard that we don't put up barriers preventing it. For every born St. Thomian you meet, there's almost an equal number from other islands or countries resident here, so you will have no problem encountering diversity.
I myself am of mixed parentage and cherish having had so much rich history growing up. Now, I have the heritage, of the things Hollywood movies are made from, to pass on to my kids, and hopefully grand kids. Wow!!!
We haven't fully explored all the schooling options yet as my wife will stay home with the kids to help them adjust to their new environment, at least for now, but the idea of home day care sounds appealing. I know we'd be interested in it. Maybe we should keep an informal register of who's interested?
Andre
Posted : July 12, 2004 11:32 pm
Andre,
Keep in contact. I wouldn't mind watching some children a couple days a week. I grew up helping with my mom's day-care and have three children myself to put on my resume! 😉
Teresa
Posted : July 13, 2004 1:45 am
I wasn't suggesting putting up any barriers to other cultures, merely suggesting starting a playgroup. I'm American, my husband is Canadian, our daughter's Godmother is Indian and her godfather is Puerto Rican. We're definitely a melting pot family!
I know how hard it is to be a stay at home mom (or like me, a work from home mom) and it's always nice to meet other mothers. Especially when there is already a message board like this that has introduced so many people.
That being said, I leave for the pre-move visit in 4 days!
Posted : July 13, 2004 4:08 am
