Primrose bethesda has been the best decision I made as a parent I could have made. This institution…read morehas given my son the best head start for him. He started about 1.5 years old. Im that time my son has blossomed academically & emotionally. They taught him spanish, math, science and more. He started reading at 2.5. The staff here are very caring. Everyone knows every student name. They really build a community that my son made his first best friends and favorite teachers here. They listen to parents & students. They also create an environment that encourages growth & safety for all. Staff here are mindful & pleasant to work with.I know my som will do well in elementry school because his first introduction to school was Primrose Bethesda. Ms. Sandra Castro, Ms. Maddie, Ms. Ellen & Ms. Lizzy have made a huge impact on my son life. I am very pleased with our experience here.

I would like to leave the highest positive review for Primrose and mostly all the teachers, admin…read more(Ms. Danny and others) and principal (Ms. Castro). The amount of love and passion they have for children is truly all a parent can ask for, they are kind and the kids feel it and as a result grown in an environment filled with positive interactions. I highly recommend it. Want to shout out in particular Ms Mary, Ms Laura, Ms Gloria, Ms Adriana and truly ever single staff member I encountered there.

We couldn't be happier with the program overall!…read more We have three kids: one has graduated out of Family Academy, and two are still attending. We started our oldest at home with a nanny, but moved him to Family Academy when he was three. We started our second at Family Academy then, too (he was 10m). Our third baby started at Family Academy when he was 5m. So between them, we have worked through all of the classrooms. We have been thrilled with Family Academy and, even though our nanny was fantastic, I don't doubt for a second that our boys (and us parents) were better off with them in the program. The teachers at Family Academy are incredibly nurturing, patient, and communicative, and the student body itself has been great and diverse, too. The teachers helped us navigate many issues, as first time parents, in a way that was child-first and also encouraging for us. This spanned everything from wondering if our kids were hitting speech milestones, to navigating potty training woes, and inevitable illnesses. We've found Ms. Rima and all the teachers to be great allies, understanding, and helpful. The boys are also constantly doing arts and crafts (even when we would've thought they were otherwise too young) and the Montessori classroom has been wonderful, too. No doubt our oldest was beyond kindergarten ready when the time came! I really only have one less than perfect score to give and, even then, it has been absolutely fine. I don't love that there's no field or big open area. I used to worry that our boys would feel cooped up. But I've seen over the years that they're all perfectly happy and fine with the schoolyard set up. So this was me worrying about something, but it hasn't been a problem. 10/10 I recommend Family Academy to everyone in our orbit!

I give my highest and most heartfelt recommendation to the Family Academy of Bethesda. My son has…read morebeen here since he was just three months old and stayed until almost three years old, when unfortunately we had to move away due to work relocation. If it weren't for that, we would have loved for him to stay here as long as possible. It's hard to put into words how incredible this place has been for our family. From the days when he could barely lift his head, to learning to walk, talk, sing, and share stories about his day, we've watched him grow into a happy, curious, and confident little boy--all thanks to the loving care and nurturing environment of Family Academy. He not only learned language and knowledge, but also good manners and a true love of learning.The teachers are absolutely amazing--kind, patient, and so easy to communicate with. My son is a slow and picky eater, yet they always gave him extra time and gentle encouragement. They care for each child as if they were their own. The administration team is just as wonderful; they know every child by name and engage with them warmly every single day.What makes Family Academy so special is not only the quality of education but the genuine love and attention they give to every child. The environment encourages exploration, creativity, and curiosity about everything in the world. I could see every day how happy my son was here.I am deeply grateful for everything the Family Academy has given to our son and to our family. This school is truly a treasure in the community, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly to any parent.

I recommend this school to everyone that is looking for a serious and true Montessori program. In…read moreMD any school that claims to be Montessori has to be approved by the state and has to have at least one Montessori-trained teacher. However, I have heard parents complain sending kids to Montessori is a waste of money because it's just a name to sell the school. So, not all state-approved Montessori programs have good quality of education. So being aware not all schools are the same, I toured 3 Montessori schools: Lone Oak, Manor and the Woods Academy. I found the Lone Oak Montessori on AMI website and Woods academy on AMS website. Manor was recommended by other parents and it seems to be a popular choice when it comes to Montessori preschools in Bethesda area. I took my 3-year-old son with me to all the tours and he loved the Woods the best because we were allowed to walk into the classroom and had very brief interactions with the students and teachers, to observe and also play some toys in the classroom while parents were talking to the director, Mrs. Gerber- who is very knowledgeable and experienced about Montessori programs and part of the reason we chose Montessori is because of her expertise and experience. After the tour, my son wanted to go back the next day because the classroom was just so fun and interesting for little kids. My son is happy every day and cannot wait to tell me what he learned in school. The teachers encourage independence, good manners, trying new things/food, healthy snacks, and creativity. They are caring and loving but also very firm when giving instructions. My son learns new things/facts each day and not just merely playing with expensive toys. For instance, he came home one day start singing "The family of the Sun," and talked about all the facts he learned about planets and I was amazed. And three weeks later, he started to learn the sounds of alphabets and try to read! The teacher told me she would advance any student if s/he is ready so there is no need to wait till 4 or 5 to learn how to read. The other pluses but not major factors are- 1) facility, it's a school so it has it's own gym, music/art classrooms, library, and playground. It's very spacious, clean and well-maintained. 2) it has PE, music and art classes once a week for 30 minutes. The school has a very strong art program. 3) faculty and staff are very friendly and they know student by names. I felt that students are given a lot of attention because of its small classroom size. The only downside is the tuition. It is about $2K more than other schools I checked/toured. We've been happy with our choice and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good preschool in Bethesda. If you want more information about the Montessori program, check out the blog: http://woodsmontessori.blogspot.com/

This is a very good private school in the Potomac and Bethesda area. I went here for Montessori…read morethrough 8th grade and loved my experience here. There were incredible resources and the teachers were awesome! I definitely recommend looking here for your child.

We had a great experience! The teachers are warm and attentive, and we really appreciate how often…read morethey send emails and photos - it meant a lot to feel that connected to our daughter. The curriculum clearly works! Our daughter is more than ready for kindergarten. She's already reading and working through math problems, and she runs in happy every morning. Highly recommend.

Have had a great experience with BMS' kindergarten program. Our child has grown so much and comes…read morehome every day excited to share all the new things learned and fun had. Interesting activities and caring, long tenured teachers make the difference. Highly recommended!

Sent my second here, so just updating my review!…read more Her experience was just as lovely and my love for the place still stands. Bethesda Prep you are a sunshine, rainbows and magical unicorns kinda place. 5/5 stars.

I highly recommend Bethesda Prep Over 2 years I looked for…read morean excellent preschool for my son and I found that here. The Directors Melissa and Sonia are AMAZING, always welcoming, very kind, open to help us with our son needs. The whole team of teachers is beyond amazing too! they are very professional, very caring, supportive and always looking for what is best for the kids, but most importantly the method that they use to teach is very appropriate for each age. Their curriculum is Excellent, all the activities that are included and plan daily are great and also fun for the kids. Since my son started I can see how much he advanced in knowledge, skills, and socialization. My son is loves it here and loves his teachers and I believe that this is the best reference to know the excellency of this preschool. I can't be more happy and grateful for finding this wonderful and lovely place! Is 100/10.

BNS is a half-day, up-to-5-day-a-week cooperative preschool. We are now on our second of two pretty…read moreactive boys attending, so we have experience with all three grade levels. My family has been very happy with the school and teachers. All three seem very warm and comfortable with the students, and the addition of so many parent volunteers means that the ratio of adults to students is kept very low (e.g. 3-5 to 1). It also has allowed some really interesting enrichment in the afterschool programs, like foreign language and sports, which have been a lot of fun for the kids. The program is mostly play-based, and the kids do a lot of hands-on art and music activities. The kids get a solid foundation in basic social skills, attention, larger civic engagement (community help and volunteering) and school-skills like raising hands and taking turns. I have seen daily oral reading with the students in all classes and the beginnings of child reading and writing in the 4-year-old Mighty Oaks class. Math seems to be mainly games-based; using shape-tiles to promote spatial skills and counting by 1s, 5s, and 10s up to 100. Science has been a real bright spot in the curriculum. The kids in both 3s and 4s classes regularly do experiments, collect and categorize things in nature, etc. A few weeks back the 4s class used their apples for snack to break apart the various parts of the apple and discuss how those parts related to the life cycle of the plant. I've often had both my 4 year old and 2 year old talking about things they've learned in school and I've seen my youngest really develop from toddler talk to much more complex sentences with a lot of concepts he's learning in class. I'm confident my oldest will be well prepared for kindergarten next year, which is impressive considering it is only a half-day program. Co-oping is more challenging as a school structure than your basic drop-off daycare, but it gives a great opportunity to see your child learn in ways a parent-teacher conference would not provide.

We absolutely LOVE BNS!!! Everything about the school from the staff to the fun and creative…read moreprogramming and wonderful facilities make it a truly fabulous community. Our kids love it and we can't recommend it highly enough!

I cannot imagine a better first school experience than Crestview! I have nothing but praise for…read morethe loving and supportive teachers, beautiful classroom, and community of families who are a part of this fantastic preschool. From the very beginning, my children adored this school. At age 2, they were welcomed into the classroom and encouraged to explore the activities at their own pace. The older children provided an excellent example of how to behave and my kids loved observing the older kids who could already read and write and sew! As my kids grew, they were so excited to finally be able to independently work on these activities themselves, and, in turn to give lessons to the new younger children. Even in the kindergarten year, the 4th year at this school, kids come home every day excited by the new things they've learned! More than anything, I am consistently amazed with the way the children are taught to assist and respect each other. The friendships from this school have lasted far beyond graduation, as have the values of being good members of a community. I attribute my kids' love of learning to the wonderful introduction to school that Crestview provided them.

Amazing school. The teachers go above and beyond with the children and do a phenomenal job keeping…read morethe parents involved and creating a sense of community. We were so sad we had to move so our children couldn't keep attending. We miss you, Crestview!

My kids don't actually go to the school, but I walk by this property pretty much every day on my…read moreway to work. The staff seemed like they are on top of it, and the kids always seem like they're having lots of fun! Just wanted to shout out a local school!

My 3.5-year-old twins have been attending BCDS in the past 18 months, and it has been a blast! The…read moreprincipal and teachers are very loving, caring and full of energy, especially Ms Bionca, Ms Suzy, Ms Lorena, Ms Nicole, Ms Isabella, Ms Briona and many more! They took so much care of my girls, always ready to share about statuses, progress, issues, and tips/guidance with parents! Originally we selected the school because it was just walking distance from home, but then we realized how convenient it is. it offers nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacka, have before and after care, and never close (except federal holidays)! that's critical for busy working parents! My girls loved their teachers so much and a lot of enrichment programs offered in school so we don't have to send them elsewhere to take dance, Karate, or soccer! lots of holiday events and even swimming/water fun during the summer! High recommend to all!

When I lived in Bethesda when my son was 3 years old, I toured Harbor School along with 40 other…read moreBethesda area schools (that's not a typo, actually 40), and Harbor school was my favorite of the 40 for early childhood education. I have 17 years of experience as a recruiter (mainly Microsoft, now Nike) and am honed in evaluating talent -- with schools, checking everything out, the student art on the walls, how the kids look, how the teachers interact with the children, how the environment feels, all of it. Harbor School is a special place in that the teachers are really exceptional -- exceptional care for the students, expertise, there's a healthy genuine feel to the school, the students look good. It's not a fancy hyper modern place, but note that it also doesn't come with a fancy hyper modern 40k tuition price tag. The school is real, and I think a gem. Sadly for us, we moved too far away from it, in Middleburg VA now. Our 6 year old is a bit school avoiding and so I recently called up Harbor School, where our dear friends with a 6yr old and 3 yr old attend, and I asked Andrea if she would be willing to tour me and my son again, let him be in the classroom of his best friend, let him see how his younger friend, the 3 year old, is also in school. She was gracious in allowing it, I spent a beautiful 15 minutes in the pre-k class, 2 students productive and engaged at each station. The 2 teachers were lovely, on the ball, inclusive to my son, it was just a wonderful visit. One of the teachers with 27 years of experience at the school. We got to see the art room, music room, the maker room with loads of hands-on crafts, and we spent 15 minutes outside at the playground in the back -- lovely space. You could pay more for a school, and help fund facilities that go with it, but common sense would advise checking out this lovely school that has keen focus on what matters most: recruitment of wonderful staff. I also valued the small teacher to student ratio I saw, which set the whole thing up for success. In terms of kindness/sensitivity/expert knowledge at the younger years, I'm definitely impressed with Harbor School. End of day, I think a young child benefits most from being surrounded by excellent compassionate teachers vs a shiny perfect gym that some schools with higher tuition offer. Apparently Harbor School is moving in a year, but I think this is a school that would be worth chasing after wherever nearby they relocate to. Being at Harbor School again yesterday I literally contemplated could we reasonably do the drive from Middleburg...sigh. But for Bethesda area parents you're in a lucky situation feels like to me, wherever they move, because they are taking their teachers and philosophy and humane student:teacher ratio with them.

Amazing school with amazing teachers. They care and love for your child! Wonderful start for any…read moreyoung child!

Glenbrook is a wonderful place for children to grow, play, and learn. (Disclosure: I am a board…read moremember.) One of our kids has just finished, and we have no concerns about his Kindergarten readiness. The 2nd child loved his first year and is looking forward to the next two. We've met many wonderful children and their families and gained a lot of good friendships. We are a play-based preschool. We are also a coop, which means that we rely heavily on parents to volunteer in the classroom and participate in the operation of the school. So it's not ideal for parents who have very heavy schedules. But if you like to be around children and watch what happens, you will absolutely love being here.

Glenbrook is an amazing preschool and community. My children grew and matured with the support of…read morethe wonderful teaching staff and I made lifelong friends.