Goddard School Indianapolis North

We chose The Goddard School in June 2025 because we believed it would provide a structured learning environment for our daughter. Unfortunately, what we experienced over time was deeply disappointing — and concerning enough that we withdrew her in April 2026. This location presents itself as a learning center, but in our experience it operated far more like a daycare. My child’s artwork even deteriorated. Very little intentional learning, children often running freely during inappropriate times including while others napped, and an environment that consistently felt understaffed, poorly managed, and unstructured. The turnover rate among staff was noticeably high — and in our opinion, that starts at the top. As our concerns grew, we moved our daughter to part time just to limit how much time she spent there, while we took on the responsibility at home of making sure she was still learning the way she should be at this age. No parent paying premium tuition should have to do that. The incidents that led us to immediately withdraw her came down to basic care. She spent an entire day in wet jeans without being changed. When I addressed it with her teacher, Asya, I was told they were understaffed and she “couldn’t leave the classroom.” When I asked why someone from the front desk wasn’t called to grab extra clothes from her cubby, the answer was simply that they “didn’t know.” This was consistent with a pattern — Asya repeatedly had no awareness of what was happening in her own classroom when concerns were brought to her. To take it further, she was caught telling more than a few lies on parents to save herself. In a separate incident, after picking my daughter up and taking her to my workplace, I discovered dried feces still on her skin and throughout her underwear. She had not been properly cleaned after using the restroom or checked at all. Beyond the physical care, after bringing concerns to leadership, the tone toward our daughter noticeably shifted. She began showing visible fear and discomfort around Director Angel — and on her final day, we personally witnessed interactions that felt intimidating and emotionally inappropriate toward a child. We met with the owner, Tana, hoping for accountability. Instead, we left feeling unheard. The response to every concern was either dismissive or an attempt to talk us in circles —even interrupting us mid conversation to laugh at a joke. The suggestion offered for our daughter’s situation was essentially to isolate her rather than address classroom structure and healthy boundaries. This school’s leadership is unaccountable — and that filters down into everything. Since withdrawing her, we’ve visited other schools. The difference was immediate — well-behaved, respectful children in structured, intentional environments. That experience confirmed what I already believed: this is a management issue. You cannot teach what you don’t possess, and from every interaction we had with leadership, it’s clear the foundation isn’t there. Which is why Claire was sent in to “rise up the community” but she cannot be the only genuine person to lead that mission. I understand staffing challenges — I’m a local business owner myself. But when families are paying premium tuition and trusting a nationally recognized franchise with their children, basic care, communication, and structure should never feel optional. They recently reached Level 3 on Pathways to Quality. Our personal experience did not reflect that as we were enrolled in the full transition. The teachers stayed the same and the skills didn’t seem to get any better. I’m sharing this because I wish someone had shared it with me before we enrolled. This is a critical stage of development. Our children deserve to feel safe, supported, and genuinely guided — not just supervised.

Safety and care are the two most important things I look for when searching for childcare. I've always felt both of those things attending Goddard. My kids feel so loved by their teachers and enjoy going to school to see their friends every day. Any parent knows the burden of cooking for kids, so it's a relief to know our kids eat well at school when they regularly remind us our cooking isn't as good as Ms. Shelby's. We've made great friends with other parents and the staff. Our oldest was set up so well for Kindergarten, education-wise, but also in her ability to listen and to adapt to new and different situations. I am very thankful for the school!

As a mom, finding a school that truly “gets” your child is everything, and The Goddard School does just that. The teachers are so creative and caring, and they give the kids space to explore, imagine, and grow in their own way. My child has blossomed here, not just academically, but emotionally and socially too. I also love how the staff work with parents. It feels like we’re on the same team, all focused on helping our kids thrive.

We absolutely adore The Goddard School! It feels like home, the teachers are amazing, and our child is always excited to go each day. We love being part of such a warm, caring community!

Our child loves The Goddard School! The program is fantastic, full of exploration, creativity, and fun learning. Every day they come home excited to share what they discovered.