Westerman Preschool and Family Center, Ann Arbor | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

You’d think that Westerman Preschool would be great because it is administered by Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS), but you, like me, would be sorrowfully disappointed.

If you’re looking at the other reviews and thinking that it can’t be that bad, please keep in mind that principal administrators Kristin Crowe and Joann Serafano Telfer are new to their positions (principal and assistant principal, respectively) for the 2022-2023 school year.

When my child’s classroom was without a permanent associate teacher, I contacted the administration. I received no response. Later, I came to find that this was true of all parents who had raised concerns about the lack of a permanent associate teacher in their child’s classroom. The issue was not addressed.

It is not lost on me that the vast majority of the children attending Westerman are Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) and Head Start beneficiaries. By definition, that means that the students at Westerman are–to a great extent–made up of the most vulnerable or at risk children whose parents are the least able to do anything in situations like this. They either just take it or lose their childcare.

Instead of making Westerman better than other “childcare centers,” being part of AAPS gives Westerman the ability to be held accountable to basically no one, or at least, that’s how they act.

I strongly believe that this is and will be the best school for my son, who will be turning 5 this Sunday. Last night, he was very sad and cried a lot because he knew that today would be his last day of school. With tears in his eyes, he said, “Daddy, I want to spend more time with my teachers and friends!” I am truly grateful to his teachers for everything they have done for my son. He has learned so much and has had amazing experiences at this school. I hope he can stay in touch with his teachers and friends. I highly recommend this school to everyone!

Lack of communication, limited availability to do evaluations and meetings related to SPED, lost track of student’s document. We were in a 50 minutes meeting for MET/IEP today and principal could not take a minute to hop in to the virtual meeting. I had to ‘excuse’ the principal at the meeting because it’s already 50 minutes and we need to wrap up the meeting. We are working parents! Worst thing, it’s the school who suggest the meeting time. Unprofessional.