Hazelwild Farm

While I have not had a chance to visit the farm or take classes, I wanted to give them credit for their excellent customer service. I contacted three stables in the area and all but Hazelwild gave me the runaround; requesting call backs and emails only to be told in the end that they were available for the service
I was requesting. My time and effort were wasted and I ended up having no time to develop an alternate plan. However the Hazelwild staff were responsive and let me know the first time what they offered and that they were unavailable for me. I can’t say how much I appreciated that.

This one star review is focused on the administration of the Hazelwild Country Day School. We have had no complaints about the teachers, some of whom likely share our concerns about the administration.
The most serious gripe we have is the complete and utter lack of communication between administration and parents. This past school year some extremely serious allegations were leveled by a student against a teaching assistant. The school made no effort whatsoever to communicate about the case with parents, who instead heard about the allegations through the grapevine. The administration was content to let information be passed between concerned parents instead of taking charge and providing assurance that the situation was being handled properly. Parents who simply want to know if their child’s school is a safe place should not be forced to wade through information and figure out what is true and what is rumor. When I asked the director of the school what was going on, she confirmed that the allegations had been made and assured me that once the investigation was complete she would communicate with parents about the disposition of the case. She estimated it would be about a week. Three weeks later there has not been any communication.
In another recent instance, an overnight accident at the school’s entrance caused a power outage. The equine center on the property announced its closing just before 3am, however no effort was made to alert preschool parents. The school administration felt that it was fine to let parents drive to the school to find out it was closed. It is understandable that with no power the school could not open, but it is unacceptable that zero effort was made to tell parents about the closing.
Sadly, the hard work and dedication shown by the teachers (one of whom quit because of the way the abuse allegations were handled) is overshadowed by an uncaring, uncommunicative administration who are prone to bouts of unprofessional nastiness and greed (we had a disagreement about their unreasonable assessment of a late fee when the first day of class one month fell one day after the due date. I was told with a sneer that I should have mailed my payment).
I decided to write this review upon finding out that other families shared our concerns and had had similar experiences when dealing with the administration.
If I had it to do over again, knowing what I now know about Hazelwild, there is no way I would send my child there.
UPDATE: Since I originally posted this review, the school year has come to an end and still no word from the Director. The only change I am aware of that has been made is that staff has been let go, seemingly for speaking up. If letting staff go for being conscientious is the school’s HR policy, it would seem that their desire to make money trumps their desire to safely educate the preschoolers who attend the school.

Phenomenal preschool and amazing summer camp. The staff are all amazing people who really love and are passionate about what they do– and it shows! My daughter adored the staff and will continue to attend the camp now that she’s too old for pre-​k.

As I walk my daughter to class at Hazelwild, I am filled with a calm and peacefullness of knowing that she’s going to have a WONDERFUL school day. At some point during the day my daughter may gaze at the horses, or be obliged to allow the ducks to pass. There’s a goat there that thinks that he’s a part of the staff and almost seems to keep watch over the children.
I love Hazelwild Farm and my daughter will surely miss it when she starts Elementary school. My son still misses it, still. Picking a a child who attends Hazelwild is a treat. Kids there learn something everyday. If they’re not learning Spanish, they’re prepping for ‘Show & Share’ on Friday.