Recent experience with Ducks Nest on 41st St?
Hi all
we are considering sending our daughter to the 41st street ducks nest location in the fall. While the space seems magical, I wanted to hear recent experiences about the size and the teacher kid parent connection. Our kiddo is pretty sensitive and has some separation anxiety that is helped a lot by having another adult who she can stay close to. I wonder about how big the campus is and how much the kiddos feel connected to a particular teacher and how much people have a sense that the teachers really get to know the kids? Wondering also about how much opportunity there is for parents to feel close to the teaching staff? Thanks!
Jan 16, 2024
Parent Replies
Hi, I currently have two kids at Ducks Nest 41st and we’re very happy with it. My kids sometimes have problems at drop off but that is a lot more about my leaving than the school, they are always happy in the classroom. The classes are on the bigger side but the student teacher ratio is low, 20 kids to 4 teachers. The classes all mix in the yard which seems overwhelming because there are so many littles running around, but when I stop and watch individual kids, you can see they all have an opportunity to engage with what the want to do and enjoy themselves. I appreciate the chance for the kids to learn from the other age groups too
The teachers are amazing! I think that as parents we sometimes have unreasonable expectations of how the classes and kids relationships should work at a certain age but the DN staff has the child development backgrounds to really help each child thrive. My kids have special connections with teachers in their respective classes but also have relationships with every teacher at the school. The school administration and teachers are always open to connecting with parents. I encourage parents that have concerns to reach out and I think they’ve all received positive responses and help.
We also have a vibrant parent and family community which adds to the warm, cozy feel on campus.
I have only good things to say about Duck's Nest 41st. We were there for 3 years until graduating to elementary school this year. Class size average based on our experience was 18-20, with some of the children attending for only part of the day or only a few days a week. Typically each class has 3 teachers but occasionally 4. Total of 4 classes, in 4 separate areas. There’s an onsite art teacher they work with weekly in the outdoor art studio. As well as a stable group of teachers who substitute.
The teachers know the kids very well. My child would tend to gravitate towards one favorite teacher each year, but loved all of them. The school makes an effort to move one teacher from a class up to the next level class with the group the following year, for continuity. And many of the teachers have been there for years.
Whenever there was an issue we wanted to discuss, teachers were available and interested in helping figure out how to address it and help with it. If you do end up there, I would recommend reaching out ahead of the start of school to discuss strategies for the first weeks / month. They send some ideas in a parent welcome packet about it, but I’m sure they would be willing to work with you directly about how to make the transition easier for a sensitive child.