Rosary Preschool

Since we moved to Hawaii we have been trying to find the right place for our daughter that is 3. We try another major chain day care in the island and the detail to attention wasn't there. It was just a daycare without any really love and attention and education. Now to Rosary Preschool. We moved to the area and we were scared about the education that our daughter was receiving and we came across the preschool. I grew up going to a Catholic school and I wasn't sure how they were going to be. So far it has been an amazing experience.The sisters are caring and loving. They are flexible and take the time with the children and they are patient. My daughter is finally been educated properly. She takes home homework and is learning so much while she is there. I am extremely happy with the education and care they provide.

It's the official second week of school since my 3 yr. old daughter has started her school life. (: So far, so good. Rosary Preschool is run by the Dominican Sisters who are amazing, helpful and oh so dearly friendly!There are three classrooms, two are for 4 yr. olds and one are for the 3 yr. olds. They have a conference room (area) as well, which I'm sure they'll be holding their Christmas Program there this years, I'm sure they've held it there from the years before. Also a great play area space located in the back of the school.The 'whole' preschool is not much, but it's enough for the toddlers to easily get used to & nothing is ever too far or too near. (:My daughter already loves school and enjoys the activities and lessons she's learning. There's always three teachers to each classroom & they surely do care for each child dearly. The atmosphere is so calm with patience, it's lovely. (:They also have the option for the kids to bring home lunch, or they had a monthly meal plan, which is approved by a nutritionist to set what is served on what day. Oh, the kids are eating the goods too I'm telling you! Shoyu Chicken, Chicken Adobo, Mac & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets...yeah so good right! They get really healthy snacks of fruits/crackers/cookies w/ milk &/or juice. So good!(:

Rosary has been the school for my family from when my parents decided to send me there 31 years ago. They uphold strong Christian values, being a preschool run by Dominican sisters. I sent my oldest there and so did my sister in law. My other son is finally 4 years old and I'm very excited for him to start school there as well. They are one of the most affordable on the island and there's no frills or fuss.

I just happened upon this page but was compelled to respond (to one of the reviews). My child was in the very class disparaged here by Catherine F. Out of a class of 17 four-year-olds, there were 14 boys. Yes, only three girls, one of whom was away traveling with her family for two months! Suffice it to say that the teacher and teaching assistants had their hands full. But, as if a room full of little boys was not enough, one of the boys had an apparent hyperactive disorder, which the school was dealing with, and another looked to be about eight years old and his presence sort of dominated the class. Nevertheless, the class was reasonably well-ordered. It was far from the chicken coop you find in "classes" at many other pre"schools". Indeed, when my kid had some disciplinary issues, the teacher diligently and meticulously documented them and passed them along in memo form via my child's class folder. The behavior was addressed, and my child improved.All of that having been said, though, what do you want? This is a preschool, for goodness sake. You cannot send the kid to the Principal's Office or give detention or anything. And, it is not really true that they do not isolate a misbehaving child as Catherine F. maintains. I witnessed it. But, what are they going to do? Isolate the kid forever! There is only so much a preschool can do short of expulsion, that is, permanent isolation. At any rate, no one was in more of a position to be sensitive to the situation... Our child was one the girls, moreover, the baby of the class, a three-year-old October baby that was placed in with the four-year-olds because the class for the threes was full! So, all in all, this was a situation that, indeed, was not easy for us or our daughter.Despite that uneasy backdrop, our daughter progressed nicely, and, even though she could have started kindergarten the following academic year (this year), we (decided to follow the new law a year early and) sent her to the Rosary Preschool for a second year. They "graduated" her into the other four-year-old class. Academically, over the last couple of months, they have begun working on, in math, addition and subtraction and, in English, subject-verb agreement and be-verb conjugation! Impressive!Bottom line, the Rosary Preschool may very well be the best preschool on the island in terms of value. It is hundreds of dollars more affordable than anywhere else. Meanwhile, the facility is very good, a real, quaint little school building, and there is real teaching going on. Moreover, there is no one I would trust with my child more.Bottom, bottom line, when our daughter started at Rosary Preschool last academic year, we lived sort of nearby in Pearl City. Since then, we moved to (the far east Moanalua side of) Salt Lake halfway through last year, and we now, as of a couple months ago, live all the way in Kaimuki, and yet, through both of these moves, we never for a second considered pulling our daughter from the school. It is that good!

If you have a 4 year old boy new to this school. DO NOT CONSIDER THIS SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILD. If you have to choose this school make sure you have a 3 year old girl that will follow through to the 4 year old class, I guess your experience would be MUCH better than mine. The discipline practices are extremely liberal. Too many issues go unresolved with bad behavior. Everything from pushing, biting, hitting, punching, fighting, throwing objects, temper tantrums and disrespect . The kids that behave this way have no consequence as their practice is not to isolate a misbehaving child. There is no telling the child he/she is being bad & no timeout. The kids in my child's class that were a problem in August 2012 are still a problem in April 2013 with all the above behaviors.