Hi, I tried both with my 2.5 yrs old baby girl. My girl joined DMK when she was 20 months and she loved it almost at once, to the extend she would drag us towards the playgroup area on weekends. She was in accompanied group called Tworiffic. Good teachers, loving children, warm and nice atmosphere. Sometimes it felt too regimented, kind of now we paint a girraffe, now we play, now we do this. But I suppose toddlers thrive on routine, so my girl was super happy. Also, there is plenty of space, and kids have some unstructured play.
Then for summer I wanted to try the new school to be able to make up my mind for the new school year. And despite the great brand new facilities I was disappointed. A different teacher who later was not there told me about the class, thre age group etc, so I happilly signed up my daughter. Then when we showed up, we ended up in a group of kids where my girl was the oldest, and others not even walking, plus she has been to a playgroup before for over a year. So the activities were boring. The teacher was nice, but a bit unprepared and cold. After 2 sessions we decided to try an older group which turned out a disaster. Apart from the fact perhaps my girl was protesting a lot because she was thrown at a deep water to go it alone in group with kids up to 5 yrs old, I also struggled to find out exactly what was going on in a class lasting 3 hours. The school knew this is the first time my child is going to a class with no assistance. The teacher simply refused to speak to my helper picking my child back from school despite me asking twice (otherwise I have to call the school every day). Since my girl is not yet talking we ended up hearing stories from other kids on the bus back home. Then we were told off for not showing with my girl when the the class changed, but the school forgot to tell us now we had to show up every day, not 3 times a week. Then after that, they told us they have no more spaces for the following week so we needed to move my girl to yet another afternoon group, or leave a week gap between the school. Then they said she was really happy and not crying and promised to send pcitures, but never did. But what really made it for me, when my child came screaming from the class, with wet clothes, poo all other herself smelling, and snots all over her face, looking miserable. I know it is not normally the job of teachers to clean unaccompanied toddler but leaving my child sitting in her own poo, uncleaned for the whole class, this is just undygnifying. I can perhaps understnd if this was a class of 30 kids in a public school with one super busy teacher, but here? at the most expensive private kindergarden in DB, with 8 kids per class? More than surprising. What was supposed to be fun, turned out to be a very damaging and expensive ordeal for my girl. Overall, I was very unhappy, and took my girl out this school. Another child who went previously with my girl to DMK was also taken out MOntessori that same week.
So, for us, DMK is a far better option on all accounts.
Anna