The Dillon Child Study Center at St Joseph's College

Reviews (11)

• Review from the Spring 2023 Early Education Survey

  August 2023

  Review: Dillon was a magical place for our daughter. The building is great, with big bright classrooms, and the outdoor space is unmatched in the area. The school has wonderful specials, including gymnastics, music, and pottery. Our daughter was in an ICT classroom and really benefited from the diversity (of all kinds). Above all, the teaching staff is beyond excellent. We had two wonderful years here and would highly recommend the program. Amenities: Has outdoor space, Has after-school options What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? Nothing

• Experience with Clinton Hill JCC or Dillon Child Study Center?

  February 2023

  Our daughter attended Dillon last year [the 2021–2022 school year] and it was a mixed experience. Some positives (lovely classrooms and campus, caring teachers, loved being in the inclusion classroom, enjoyed getting to know the families), some negatives (highly erratic communication and repeated confusing policy changes from the administration, some questionable/underwhelming curriculum decisions, a lot of extra asks of parents without clear impact). That said, while we were underwhelmed/annoyed by the parent experience, our daughter loved school, and her Dillon 3's year set her up extremely well for public school pre K this year.

• Experience with Clinton Hill JCC or Dillon Child Study Center?

  February 2023

  My daughter attended Dillon last year when she was 3, and we absolutely loved it. Amazing staff, and great little campus. Strict COVID protocols then - not sure about this year or next - which helped us stay safe throughout the year, but not everyone’s cup of tea. My only complaint was that after-school ended at 5pm sharp, which was tricky for two working parents.

• Experience with Clinton Hill JCC or Dillon Child Study Center?

  February 2023

  Our son is in his third year at Dillon (and attended their Toddler Program pre-pandemic) and we have nothing but good things to say about the school. The teachers are amazing--thoughtful, communicative, patient and so welcoming. And we love the school itself with the huge play yard, gardens and observation booths (since it's a part of St. Joseph's college, it's a lab school--students use the observation booths with one way mirrors for class research and they let the parents in them as well so we can observe our child at school without disturbing him/her). The family community is lovely and we especially enjoy socializing with everyone at the fall and spring parties they host in the school yard (complete with bouncy houses, pony rides, face painting, etc etc). Our son will be sad to leave after this year as he moves on to kindergarten!!

• Experience with Clinton Hill JCC or Dillon Child Study Center?

  February 2023

  We loved Dillon so much!

• Review from the Spring 2022 Early Childhood Education Survey

  July 2022

  Location: Vanderbilt Ave Type of facility: Preschool, 3K, Pre-K Review: We had heard such wonderful things about the Dillon Center and were disappointed. They appear to be riding on a pre-COVID glow. The education was very good and our child flourished, but nothing we saw of what they were doing in school seemed so distinct from what you'd get elsewhere. They described being child-led a lot, and in the info session told (outdated) stories of when a child had sparked a series of lessons and experiences, but when it came down to it they didn't seem to actually go down a child-led rabbit hole once all year. My child loved their teachers and the families were really nice. But ultimately we regretted our choice due to frustrations with the administration. Their COVID policies were irrational and changed regularly without forewarning. We wished we'd chosen a more convenient program that was more family oriented and hadn't relied so heavily on reputation and professed pedagogy in our choice. What amenities does the facility have? Has outdoor space, Has after-school options What would you change about the program, if anything? Is there anything you would like to add about how the school is handling the pandemic? Their COVID policies were irrational and changed regularly without forewarning.

• Review from the 2020–2021 Daycare, Preschool, Pre-K, and K Survey

  July 2021

  Review: We've been happy with the Dillon Center. The teachers seem excellent - caring, diligent, energetic. My child has clearly learned lots of important social skills from them, and has made wonderful friends. The facility has large classrooms and a lovely big outdoor space - all of which helped during Covid. The school has been around for 70+ years so feels very stable, its leaders are very confident and capable, and it is very well organized. Most of all, everyone seems to really care about the kids, and my child has loved it from the start. Facility amenities: Has outdoor space, Has after-school options What would you change about the program? Hopefully the afterschool program will be back next year. Is there anything you would like to add about how the school handled the pandemic? Protocols were reasonable and well-communicated. Classes were kept separate, no visitors in the building (including parents), staggered drop-offs, and the kids wore masks most of the day.

• Review from the 2016/2017 PSP Daycare, Preschool, PreK, Kindergarten Survey

  July 2021

  About the facility: Has outdoor space, Has afterschool options Review: Dillon is a play-based program in a great facility. The school is big, with bright, beautiful classrooms and its own outdoor space. The curriculum is play-based, but the days were very structured and organized. It was a very good fit for my energetic kid. The teachers were able to channel his energy and teach him to regulate himself, while not limiting his big personality. The biggest drawback of the school was that it was not very friendly to families with two working parents (extra long summer break, random days off, no early drop off and after school ended at 4pm), though next year there will be a new afterschool program that goes until 6pm. What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? The director of the school is not very responsive to parents' concerns. This could have been more of a problem, but we ended up not interacting with her much. Also, there has been quite a bit of turnover in the teachers in the past few years.

• Review submitted via the PSP 2016 PreK Survey

  December 2016

  We're at Dillon in the Inclusion Class through a CPSE placement. My son is 2012 and in a mixed age class (some students started the year at 2 others at 4.5) of 20 with 4 wonderful teachers: head general ed, head special ed, and two assistant teachers. My son has thrived at the school and this particular class is so lovely it's a really special place - the teachers all focus on what is best for my son and what will help him meet his goals. It's not a traditional public school pre-K setting (i.e. they don't do literature exercises like I've seen in some pre-Ks, which saddens me actually), but it's a great setting if you want play-based, experiential learning and/or have a child like mine with a disability who needs extra support. t has a GORGEOUS outdoor space - I would bet it's the best of any Pre-K in the area. About the facility: Has outdoor space, Has afterschool options What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? My only concern is that related services don't seem like they're given as consistently as they're supposed to be. additionally, they don't provide meals and students with IEPs can't really attend after school this year (which only goes until 4) but next year they're working with the university to make after school accessible to all and available until 5/6 Review submitted via the PSP 2016 PreK Survey

• 2014 Daycare/Preschool PSP review

  November 2014

  Length of Time: Full day Child's Age: 3-4 years Review: We love the Dillon Center. It is a long established lab school, with a play based, Bank Street philosophy. They have student teachers from St Joseph's College, where they are located. The fact that they are a lab also means they have observation booths where parents are welcome to watch their children in class. We have found the school and staff incredibly experienced and warm--her teachers have been working there for 15 years plus. We wanted a focus that was NOT academic--no worksheets, no push for early literacy or phonics-so this is the right fit for us. Every day children walk in and there are multiple options--many kinds of block, art and sensory experiences to choose from. They have music, story time and yoga. They also play outside in the playground/yard twice a day. Our daughter is happy to go every day, and goes to after school soccer and gymnastics there as well. To ease transition there is a very long phase in, but most kids were comfortable fairly quickly. While we don't get a lot of feedback from her teachers on a daily basis, we feel confident that they would let us know if anything was wrong, and from seeing her and the other kids together, things seem to be very smooth. Recommend (Hi/Rec/DoNot) Highly recommend Would you send your child again? Absolutely

• 2012 Summer Camp Survey

  September 2012

  Camp Dillon Child Study Center Clinton Hill Day Care or Sleep Away-- Day Camp Program: Summer Parent-with-Toddler Program Age of Child: 2 Likes: My daughter learned new songs and created lots of pieces of artwork. It was a nice thing for her to be able to do with the nanny during the hot summer days. What would you change? Would you send your child(ren) again? Yes Do you recommend? Highly recommend Do you have any other information to add? The program is very open ended but they pack a lot in the 2 hr sessions--water/outdoor play, bubble playtime, crafts, snack time, story time, etc. Review from 2012 Summer Camp Experience