The Goddard School Of Frederick

My daughter has been at Goddard for the past two years. The current owners are wonderful, as is the director and staff. As a previous preschool teacher, my standards for a school for my own child were extremely high and I consider this school the best possible option. Believe me, I checked out every other school within a reasonable distance. None of them come close to the cleanliness, warm atmosphere, and educational standards we have seen at Goddard. I have a very bright little girl, but at 3 years old she is learning to spell, beginning to read, beginning to add and subtract, and her computer skills amaze me. We teach her a lot at home, but the teachers have been amazing when it comes to challenging and encouraging her. They definitely make it a point to let us know how her day went and she comes home every day with an information sheet about what they did in class, what she ate, when she napped, even what time they applied sunscreen before they went outside. I'm already agonizing over what we are going to do after kindergarten when she has to leave Goddard!

The Worley's are no longer the owners of the Goddard School in Frederick. There are new owners of the school, one of whom was a teacher in the Toddler Room.

I wanted to let other parents know my experience with the Goddard School of Frederick. In order to be fair, I have divided my review into 2 parts: teachers and owners. As for the teachers, I was pleased with their competency, attention to details, and overall caring attitude. Unfortunately, the behavior of the owners (Jim & Jill Worley) was nothing short of appalling. Prior to enrolling my daughter, my ex-wife and I agreed on splitting the monthly tuition cost. However, after two months, she refused to pay her portion. I spoke with the owners as soon as I knew that I might be late on a few payments. I was able to catch up most of the unpaid tuition for which my ex-wife was responsible. After two years, and nearly ~ $20,000, I had a remaining balance. I called the owners to let them know I would need a 2-3 months to pay the final bill. They responded that unless they received the full final payment in two weeks, they would take me to court, and charge me an additional $2700 in attorney, court fees, and collection agency fees. I wasn’t looking for a hand-out. I wasn’t reneging on an agreement. I simply needed a little understanding for a single dad with no support in the middle of the worst recession in my lifetime. Their uncaring, greedy behavior convinced me that they only saw my daughter as money in their pocket. I won’t tell you not to enroll your child there, but I think you should be aware of the way they truly operate. The following is a direct quote from the email I received from the Worley’s:

“If we do not receive payment by 9/30/09, we will turn your account over to the school's legal and collections process. As described in your enrollment contract with the school, under this circumstance you will be not only responsible for your overdue tuition, but you will be responsible for all legal, court, and collections costs associated with collecting the tuition due. These costs can mount very quickly. As a general guide, effective 10/1/09 your account will begin to accrue these costs. An approximate cost for this process includes:

• Attorney’s Fees: $1500.00
• Court Costs: $ 650.00
• Collections Agency Fees: $ 550.00

Total Added Costs: $2700.00”