ECFE

sbabe214 · January 2011

Anyone do this w/your toddler? I'm thinking about signing up DS for next fall/winter. What were your experiences: good/bad, any details you can think of. TIA!

*sallymad* · January 2011

I did ECFE with dd for about a year. I liked it for the most part, with the separating class though the parent time got really repetitive so I found myself getting bored. Then they closed the ECFE program closest to my house so we decided not to sign up again. Overall I think it was a great experience for dd though, so I'll probably sign up again next fall with both kids.

AlishaMay · January 2011

I started the girls in ECFE at 3 months (we go through Mounds View District) with their Incredible Infants Class. We've really enjoyed it. We've learned lots about their development, and how to help them reach milestones, or overcome challenging stages (like separation anxiety) with fun little games. I've also learned that the teachers are highly trained, and are qualified to catch developmental delays or other things that you or LO's docs may not. This was the case for a mom in my mothers of multiples group. The teacher noticed that her DD was somewhat favoring one side over another, which she the mom had noticed a bit, but didn't think much of. She brought it up to her pedi and they said that she had a gross motor delay and one side of the body. They got her into physical therapy, and the district provided them with free at home occupational therapy. It never hurts to have more than one trained eye watching over your kids.

The only thing I can say that has even been close to a negative experience is that they sometimes get so used to fitting kids into a category or age range that they can limit them somewhat. Their teacher thought that they were too young to really pick up on sign language when I started teaching them and suggested that it may just frustrate them. However, I went with my gut, and now they are signing often to me when they want out of their exersaucer, when they are hungry, or are full, etc.

Overall, I'd totally recommend it! Plus, it's a great way to meet moms with kids the same age in your area. We've signed up for two more classes for next semester.

HannaB · January 2011

Any working moms take these classes?

sbabe214 · January 2011

HannaB:
Any working moms take these classes?

I think the times are pretty much during the regular work week. I'm looking at doing a friday am one because I have fridays off. Here's the link to ECFE:

https://www.ecfe.info/

Or google 'ECFE + your city'

Alisha: your twins are too cute!

ilovebijou · January 2011

I've loved the ecfe classes we've taken so far. Love! Love! Love! Aside from learning a lot in the classes I've also met wonderful moms and made great friends.

The class schedule depends on your district but we've taken classes during the day, in the evenings, and are going to take one on a Saturday next session so my husband can come with. You can also take classes in different districts they just usually give preference to current residents first but I haven't had an issue getting into a class in another district.

BeccaMarie · January 2011

I have an unpopular opinion around here in regards to ECFE, but I'll share it so you get both perspectives.

I live in the St. Paul school district, but the only ECFE classes remotely near to me are held in Hmong or Spanish (of which I speak neither) so I looked outside our district and tried a class in the North St. Paul district.

As a working mom, there was only one class that we 'qualified' for age wise and was held in the evening. (no weekend classes) It was a struggle to get there on time, but they didn't start classes later than 6:15. (and the children's teacher there *itched often about 'having to work evenings' - pissed me off because lord knows I work evenings and weekends - sometimes you do what you have to do)

Overall, I found the class a waste of time and money. It was massively over-priced and by the end, I dreaded going. Basically, I paid a lot of money to: play with my dd (I can do at home for free), eat snack (in-between dinner & bedtime) and hang out with a 'parent instructor' who babbled on and on about nothingness and wasted our time. Ridiculous.

I was hoping to meet some other moms in my area, but our class was small (no surprise knowing how horrible they were) and there were weeks that I was the only mom there (lots of dads). And when there were other moms there and we tried to have conversations, the 'parent instructor' would do everything in her power to maintain control of the environment and NOT allow conversations to happen.

I considered finding a class with different instructors and registering again this semester to give it another try since so many people seem to love it, but when I called for info, the sticker shock reminded me of why I was so frustrated last time. We can do a Children's museum annual membership, community center gymnastics AND an art class, all for the price of ECFE.

I wrote a very long and detailed evaluation at the end of the semester. I tried to be extremely constructive and fair in the comments I wrote, giving specific examples and offering suggestions. There was a box on the evaluation to check for follow-up, yet I never heard anything back. For what the class cost, and the time I put into completing their evaluation, I was very surprised not to hear anything back in regards to my comments.

For me, a working mom on a budget, ECFE was definitely not a good choice.

I hope you find an activity that works well for you and your family!

madalynnsmommy09 · January 2011

HannaB:
Any working moms take these classes?

Our city offers a couple classes in the evening.

Want a personalized experience?

ECFE

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