Sadly, "Bedford Mom" is misinformed. A "Charter School" is a taxpayer supported Public School. Discovery Time School has ever and always will be a non-profit private academic school. The Board's mission is to run a fiscally responsible, high quality institution that is committed to expanding its programs so that students of all ages have the opportunity to have an education where deep learning and joyful community are central to the school. It is unfortunate that many fear change and view it as a "tarnishing" of the past. We disagree. The change that is happening is proof of the solid foundation and methodology that the school was built on. It is run by volunteers who donate all of their time and talents to this goal. But, you don't have to believe me. Come and visit. Talk to our "little primary school students," and see if they think ours is a wasted effort. For all the energy some people put toward maligning honest and noble intentions, they would do better service to help out our hardworking staff and wonderful volunteers. Our most expensive programs (which would enable any child to attend from 6:30am-5:30pm Monday through Friday) cost $2.75 per hour. You can't even get a high school babysitter for that price. We are working on secure funding strategies to make it possible for any child to be able to attend regardless of their families income. Of course, these things take time--especially in a recession. But, we have faith in our mission. Reviews like "Bedford Mom's" are just going to be a part of our history. We welcome visitors any time. Go to www.discoverytime.net for more information, or call 814-623-2818 to schedule a tour.
The teachers and helpers at this school are wonderful. Unfortunately, the reputation that was built by many years of wonderful service as a top-notch preschool and kindergarten to our community is being tarnished by the desire by some members of this organization to become strictly a "charter school". They have recently decided (early 2011) to either not offer child care on non-school days or to offer limited hours. For working families, this is just not realistic. Even in the 3 yr old preschool program, your child is expected to only require care from 8:00-3:00 - "wrap-around" care is an additional fee on top of the monthly fee you already pay (which does not include any non-school days - if they offer childcare on those days, it costs an additional $22).
Discovery Time Preschool and Kindergarten is an accredited private school in Bedford,PA that is able to offer scholarships through CCIS and Learning Lamp. Now in its 25th year of operations, Discovery Time emphasizes child-centered learning through active hands-on activities. Our teachers integrate lesson plans with monthly themes that emphasize a love of literacy and learning.
