Aurora Child Development Center

Don’t send your child here! The Director Ms. Gladys was very mean and even pulled my child’s hair and shouted at him to do his homework! Total abuse happens here and I am very disgusted that this place is still open!!!

I’m not happy with Aurora CDC because my daughter wasn’t happy at all. At the beginning she was just ok when we dropped off in the mornings but we never saw the enthusiasm and later it was a battle to take to school because she used to cry and beg me no to let her there…
–She said: «please take me with you I don’t like here» … mmm… Why?. I started to wonder and begin to observe and pay attention more carefully to the school and environment, One day my husband dropped off my daughter and Miss Gladys and Miss Nora were there and smile and greeted them then he left and came back in less than 5 minutes quietly and he Heard Miss Gladys said: Quote, «I have no time to deal with one child because I already have a lot to do with other 15»… I thought that as a teacher they should try to talk more to the kids and that’s why they have assistants to help each other, right?
That is a Bad Attitude from Miss Gladys, No agree and no good.
They were more details that I found and saw that I wasn’t agree so I think that is time for Miss Gladys to retire because she doesn’t have the patience with the kids anymore.
Parents: please contact The Child Services Licensing Center at 408−324−2148 and request information about Aurora CDC history and you will find that has several citations for bad behavior and attitude with the children.
We Finally removed our daughter from this school and at new school that she goes she doesn’t cry or make scenes and wave us saying good bye with a smile and walking alone to the room.

My son went to Aurora for two years, he is now in Kindergarten, and a friend referred me to Aurora. My son got so much from this program; the main thing I have noticed is the high level of his reading. So many children in his Kindergarten class do not know how to read let alone are at his educational level. I am very pleased with the fact that I am not one of those parents with a struggling kindergartener. Preschool is so huge for children since this is their stepping stone to how well they will do in school. He also was taught how to write and spell his name, which made it easier for me to teach him his last name. My son was so excited when he was able to do his workbook that all the big kids were able to do. He was always excited for school and after he graduated he was sad to leave. My son says his favorite things about preschool were the jobs (I loved seeing all the different jobs their were to help him learn different skills) work and of course playing outside. He adored his teachers, and so do I. I am so glad I found Aurora and I would not have chosen any other place, it is hard to trust people with your children but when it came to my son’s education I am blown away with how much he has learned and how far ahead in class he is now because of Aurora. Ms. Gladys, and Ms. Pandora do a great job with the children!

My daughter lasted almost 7 months at Aurora CDC, and most of that time she was not happy there. She often complained about the director. I figured she was exaggerating how «mean» the director was. I thought a little discipline would be good for my kid. Unfortunately I was very wrong. The type of discipline administered at Aurora CDC borders on cruelty.
I finally removed my daughter due to an incident between her and the director that occurred on November 20, 2014. What should have been a simple disciplinary action turned into a complete collapse of communication, made worse by a harsh punishment.
The episode left me so upset that I reported Aurora CDC to the licensing board, who sent out an investigator that confirmed most of my suspicions. In response, the investigator issued a Type-​A citation (being the worst type) to Aurora CDC. As part of this action, Aurora CDC must have parents of children still attending sign a form acknowledging this citation occurred.
What continues to bother me is that Aurora CDC’s director is trying to cover up this event by misleading it’s clients and blaming my child for her incompetence. First, let’s consider the event that lead us here:
It began when my daughter opened the front door to go out for the noon play time. Since it had rained that day the director decided the children would stay indoors. Nobody told the children this, yet.
The director approached my child and told her to shut the door, in a harsh tone (confirmed by another teacher). She then grabbed my daughter to lead her away, at which point my child said, «don’t touch me.» The director became upset and put my daughter in the library and had another teacher sit with her for a time-​out.
The teacher sitting with my daughter was given explicit instructions to «not let her out until she’s ready to speak with me (the director).» This occurred at 11:50am. For 2.5 HOURS my daughter sat there, not given lunch or nap time. Not until my wife stopped by, at 2:45pm, did they feed my daughter.
I understand there needs to be discipline, but denying food for that long is incomprehensible. When I questioned the director the next morning, her response was that «the teacher was in charge of the situation» and she didn’t know what was happening back there in the library. REALLY?! You’re the director and you don’t know what’s going on in your own school for 2.5 hours?! This isn’t a large school. There’s about 14 students, and the director doesn’t go back there to check on the condition of a child?! Not acceptable.
When I spoke with the teacher who sat with my daughter for most of the time-​out, she confirmed several things:
1. The director ordered my daughter kept in the back UNTIL my daughter was ready to speak ONLY WITH HER;
2. my daughter told the teacher she was hungry early on,
3. my daughter calmed down in about the first 20 minutes, but was afraid of speaking with the director;
4. she, the teacher, was worried for my daughter’s safety, and felt the director was taking this too far.
Now let’s consider the cover up:
1. The director never made an attempt to contact me or my wife at any time during this incident (I have all the phone logs to prove it) as she should do if my daughter is acting up as bad as she implied. Can’t believe she thought she could get away with treating my daughter like this.
2. The director refused to take responsibility for administering the time-​out. She basically threw the other teacher under the bus laying the blame on her. Really, teachers can hand out such harsh time-​outs without the director’s consent?
3. The director told the investigator that my daughter refused to come out and eat with the rest of the children. But she never told me that when I spoke to her the day after the incident. Furthermore, the teacher said only the director could suspend my daughter’s time-​out.
Sadly, it appears the director will sweep this incident away and it will be business as usual. Remember that mandatory form the parents must sign? Well, in an attempt to keep them from READING THE DETAILS, she’s been telling them that it stems from my daughter’s refusal to come out of the room to eat. And, it’s working.
Parents, please DO NOT take your children to Aurora CDC. I encourage you to contact the Child Services Licensing Center at 408−324−2148 and request a copy of Aurora CDC’s history. It has been cited several times and all accuse the director of having a bad attitude in disciplining children. Based on my observations and interviews with the other teachers there, the time has come for the director, Gladys Davisson, to retire.

As a child that attended Aurora’s child development center I cannot in good conscious recommend parents bring their children here. I was treated harshly & with a great lack of respect that would be considered child abuse. For example I was denied the use of restroom & the «teachers» would speak to me harshly (I was 4 at the time) often yelling. They also claim to teach here but don’t teach the children anything.

My five year-​old son has been attending Aurora for the last three years. He will be attending kindergarten in the fall and I am confident that his years at Aurora have prepared him well for kindergarten. I have an 8 year-​old daughter who attended a different preschool because we lived somewhere else and while her experience was fine, my son’s experience was exceptional. Here are just a few of the reasons I rate Aurora so highly based on my comparison to my daughter’s preschool, other schools I visited and from experiences my friends have had with their children.
1. There are three teachers (Gladys, Nora, and Pandora) and so the school is small and personal. It is bigger than a home-​based daycare but smaller than an institutional preschool. And it is in a charming house, which is warm and welcoming.
2. The preschool has individual based instruction so each child is working on reading, writing, and math at his/​her own pace. In comparison some preschools simply hand out the same worksheets for all the children to do regardless of level or skill.
3. Nora teaches the children words and songs in Spanish, which is a nice bonus. And Pandora is kind and friendly and she always greets the parents and children with a smile.
4. All the activities, which they call jobs, are developmentally appropriate, engaging, and educational. My son loves playing with this tile board where he practices putting the numbers from 1 to 100 in order. He thinks it is a fun game.
5. The children learn to sound the letters of the alphabet in addition to identifying the letters. Learning the sounds of the letters makes the transition to reading so much easier.
6. The children are taught to be independent and free thinkers. At certain times throughout the day, the children get to pick the activities (or jobs) that they want to work on and they are self-​sufficient. They take out and put away their activities without prompting.
7. Gladys sets the standards for behavior. She lets the children know when they are misbehaving but I have never seen anything inappropriate as noted by a previous reviewer and I come in at all different times of the day given my flexible work schedule. I think perceptions of what is appropriate discipline vary greatly so you will need to judge for yourself. Gladys disciplines but also praises and hugs the children. It has been a good combination for my son.
8. The outside playground has a huge tree, which provides shade for most of the playground. There is a play structure and a grassy area for the children to play on.
9. There is no television on site so no TV shows or movies.
10. There are no teacher-​in-​service days or days off during regular work days. The school is closed on major holidays so it is very convenient for working parents.
11. The tuition is very affordable.
12. The days and hours are flexible. Your child can attend part-​time, full-​time, 5 days a week, 3 days a week etc. And if you are scheduled for just 2 days a week and you need to drop off your child an additional day on occasion there isn’t an issue.

Aurora has been substantial in the development of my child. I have never seen any of the teachers mistreat our kids and Mrs. Gladys treats all of them like her own. I live walking distance to the school and have shown up unannounced many times and always have been impressed by the actions of the teachers. We will continue to support Aurora because they are great. BTW, Notice there is only one bad rating. To me, that means there was an issue with an angry person and not with the school. Thanks

I’m completely embarrassed. I thought I wrote a review of Aurora a year ago! My son has been with Gladys, Julie & Pandora for two years now, and I’m completely at a loss when, after kindergarten, we’ll need to leave.
I was disappointed with all the Montessori schools we visited — except Aurora. It always feels welcoming when we arrive. Kids and teachers have smiles. There’s lots of life to the class without being stifling.
Gladys is amazing. She understands a child’s mind. She gives them unconditional love without coddling, lets them grow and learn the ways they learn best rather than teaching to the lowest common denominator, she guides rather than tells them what to do. She’s not afraid to discipline — or to hug and smile.
Julie is the definition of even keeled. Nothing will cause her to raise her voice. She’s unflappable. The students love when she’s guiding each child through their jobs because she’s so patient.
Pandora’s the gatekeeper, always greeting each child and parent with a cheerful hello, always caring how each child’s day is going and enjoying helping the kids grow and share and play.
We decided to keep our son full time with Aurora even though he attends kindergarten at the local elementary school. Yes, that’s how impressed we are with Aurora.