In Support of Allen Creek: Testimonials
Francesca had a wonderful experience at Allen Creek. She learned to express her feelings in a very positive way. The environment was very nurturing and gave her the confidence to immerse herself in a bigger world. She has an October birthday so the 5 year old program was a perfect fit. She now is a thriving Kindergartener at Emerson School.
- Anna Weller, Allen Creek alumni parent
Allen Creek has been a tremendous resource and collaborator for our early childhood program, The Discovery Center. Our staff have greatly benefited from the trainings and involvement with the Allen Creek staff. Their insight and expertise have given our staff the confidence and validation to meet many of the everyday issues in early childhood education.
- Debbie Belcher, Director, The Discovery Center
We could not be more grateful that we found Allen Creek for our son. The developmental leaps he has made since attending (3s and 4s program) have been astounding. The parent groups and the support from the family consultants are invaluable. We feel so much more confident as parents and are amazed at how well our 4 year-old can express his feelings, work to resolve conflict and act with compassion. The scholarship program makes it possible for our family to be a part of Allen Creek and we are so thankful for that.
- Becky Winkler and Binod Dhakal, Allen Creek current parents
This is a story about a girl who was “different” – very tiny physically, with a disability and black skin. At first, Harrison didn't know how to relate to her. But things changed and he applied what he learned at Allen Creek and at home. For example, Harrison defended her when kids made fun of her speech. He told a friend at school that she couldn't help that she had a hearing problem. Recently, she was waiting in line at the cafeteria and got sick. She was embarrassed. She went to the nurse’s office. Harrison happened to be in the nurse’s office at that moment (because he lost one of his baby teeth). He walked up to her, looked her in the eyes, and said, “I hope you feel better soon! Sorry you are sick.”
- Wayne and Cheryl Baker, Allen Creek alumni parents
My daughter started at Allen Creek this year. I am so grateful for the kind attention to the children and the parents. Decisions are made with conscientious foresight and a clear desire to give the best to the children. I’m happy (and relieved!) my daughter gets to start school in such a gentle way. The classroom is calm and fun and filled with opportunities for the kids to learn, play and express themselves. At the same time, Allen Creek builds community among the parents and supports the parent-child relationship in a real and tangible way. Also, I deeply appreciate the scholarship program that makes it possible for us to participate. Thank you to the creative people who make up this truly unique school!
- Andrea Hill, Allen Creek parent
Our kids, besides developing learning skills, and a solid foundation in academics, learned about their rich emotional lives. They learned how to recognize their feelings, and learned appropriate things to do with their feelings. They practiced empathy and worked on the skills needed to be part of a community. These skills are easiest to learn in childhood and form the foundation of emotionally healthy adulthood.
Our children's teachers were very sophisticated in their understanding of early childhood development. They were incredibly effective in supporting the children in forming a safe, vibrant, emotionally healthy community within the classroom. This is an ideal learning environment.
We loved the twice monthly Wednesday night meetings with the other parents in our child's classroom. Having child development specialists who were observing weekly in our child's classroom present at these parent meetings meant we had a supportive environment for airing our concerns about our kids and sharing our successes.
As parents at the school, you have to be willing to take a chance and examine your parenting style, which most likely came from your parents, and which probably has strong points and weak points. All these ideas are based on the most current understanding of early childhood development, which is profoundly compassionate in its outlook. Allen Creek Preschool is an amazing school and a unique learning environment. It's one of the gems of Ann Arbor.
- Daryl and Cathy Weinert, Allen Creek alumni parents
