Trilok School

Reviews (5)

• Review from the Spring 2023 Early Education Survey

  August 2023

  Review: Our experience with the school unfortunately went from fine to very very bad, over the course of two years. To start with the positive, there are (or were) some very lovely teachers at the school, who truly care about the students. Our child's 3s teachers were great (both left), and her first 4s teacher was also fun, lively, and really supported our child's creativity and love for learning. The administration, though, is a total mess, which led to a series of worsening conditions. The director has been MIA from the school due to personal reasons, and yet did not hire a replacement. The "education director" is no longer in the country, so how can she provide true direction? The communication with parents was not good. The school would constantly change schedules and change the days that the school was closed. We would receive one email with one set of information, then two days later, would receive another email with completely different info. This made it very challenging to be working parents! The administration also micromanages the teachers. Our 4s teacher quit in the middle of the year because she could no longer tolerate being an employee. There was terrible communication about the leaving, and the parents had to band together to demand a response. The director's original plan was to move them all to be with a former assistant teacher with no credentials and very little experience. After many challenging conversations, our child was moved to a class with a relatively new teacher, who was not well-suited to teach her age group. She was a disciplinarian who gave our child age-inappropriate work. Any discussions we tried to have about this (and other issues) were met with extremely high levels of defensiveness. Eventually we gave up, and with only a few months left, we decided to grin and bear it. The worst situation happened later in the spring, when a two-year-old somehow got out of the school by themselves and ended up on the sidewalk alone! While the child was not hurt (but found outside by their parent!), this is completely unacceptable. It led to the DoH shutting the school down for the smaller kids for 4 weeks--an utter disaster for all the other parents. Many of them left, and the school ended the year with a handful of kids. The school also has an inconsistent approach to health policies. Our child was sick at school and we were never notified. When we got home, we tested them for COVID and it was positive. Because we weren't informed earlier, other children were unnecessarily exposed. Two other kids in our class tested positive within the next 24 hours. It has been a deeply distressing year for all of the parents involved. I would not recommend this program to anyone. Amenities: Has outdoor space, Has after-school options, Provides meals What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? The administration needs an entire overhaul. It needs to be run like a professional organization. They need actual policies, strong communication and a culture where they actually support their teachers.

• Spanish Immersion 3s Program

  March 2021

  Our son goes to Trilok which is in Clinton Hill. It’s a five minute walk from fort greene park. They do English and Spanish in their syllabus. We love the school... they’ve been amazing during covid and my son loves going to school. He talks in both english and spanish.

• Trilok for preschool (age 3)

  January 2021

  My son went to pre-school at Trilok for a year and a few months, from when he was just after 2yo to just after 3yo (until March 2020 and the pandemic shut things down) and he also did camp that 1st summer when he was nearly 3.) At the time, he absolutely loved it and it was a perfect fit for him. We moved from Manhattan mid-year from a school that was far more restrictive, so it was liberating for him. They have outdoor playground spaces and a great garden, the kids were outside a lot during camp and summer. They had them dance daily and encouraged movement. The preschool classes were always full (I believe there were 4 full classes) and the number of students wanes in the upper grades. They have a solid commitment to sustainability. There seemed to be a high turnover of teachers and I can speak to that privately.

• Welcome to the NEW 2018 Kids Group!

  December 2020

  We made the decision to come back and put him back in school. He goes to Trilok here in Clinton Hill. It’s an amazing school, the teachers are incredible and the kids are all very sweet like minded individuals. They get temp checks and sanitizing everyday and no one else is allowed to enter the school but the kids. They have taught them to wear masks all day and through yoga mats have also taught them social distancing. Whenever I take W. to the playground he just keeps his mask on now, he’s so use to it because of school. And the important is he is thriving. He came home after the first week and started counting to ten all on his own. He came back the next day and started counting to ten in spanish!! It was the best thing we could’ve done for him.

• 2019-2020 Year Review

  January 2020

  Trilok is a small school that operates in its own building on the border of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. It has a strong arts base, as it first emerged out of a fusion with an arts organization. The principles of the school are based on Gahndi's vision for the world. The younger classes are most full/abundant because they have a 2's program that allows rolling admission throughout the year. They change the programming of the day/class based on what my child liked immediately. It's a warm and nurturing environment, with a mindfulness perspective. It's a great fit for my kid who is energetic; they encourage a messiness, authenticity and vibrancy I didn't see in other preschools that also wanted to lead with mindfulness. It felt like it truly was structured around the kid rather than some lofty ideals. For instance, the kids play with an array of toys, not just wooden blocks. My car and dinosaur loving toddler appreciates this. They also just started a farm to table lunch program, which is amazing. My child has been there a year and a half and we are considering sending him next year as well. Their school goes into upper grades and is now even expanding into high school. The upper classes are far more sparse. My child is turning out to be a really social, gregarious kid, so I don't think the upper classes are going to be a right fit for him. But for a child who is more gentle or sensitive, or needs more attention, I imagine it would be an incredible fit for a family looking for individual/small group learning. The school is diverse and run by an Indian woman who was a classical dancer. All the parents are really creative-minded and lovely. … About the facility: Has outdoor space, Has afterschool options, Has early morning hours, Provides meals … What would you change? I feel like Trilok is a bit of a hidden gem, because their strength is not marketing. In the pre-school grades the teachers feel more like care-givers rather than teachers (not sure that they are even certified teachers) but that was fine for us because we wanted more of a play based program.