My child just aged out of a few years at MCS. I see our family entered the school just after the…read moretransition to the current operator, Ms Li. I have nothing but positive things to say about her and the staff at MCS. She took over the operation just as we hit Covid and the work they've put in to keep things running -- and then make capital improvements and prioritize grounds care on top of it -- I see the love they put into their place. As far as the schooling goes, I'm happy. Really enjoyed the small size, multi age classrooms, and their commitment to the Montessori Method. "I've got friends..." who tried Montessori schools elsewhere with poor results -- but none of their schools sounded like MCS at all. For my two cents, the environment MCS cultivates daily is safe, considerate, honest, and supportive. I'm on my only child so preschool research wasn't a major priority for me. But now, having seen my child grow through MCS and the instruction Ms Li provides-- both to students and staff -- I would recommend any parent consider this school. It's the real deal. I've been so impressed. And because I'm clearly a MCS fan, I'd like to add my own thoughts regarding the ownership transition. I didn't experience the old owner everyone loved. I did experience some parents choosing to leave the school, in part, because of the results of the change. I liked the school enough to stay here as long as i could. My thoughts today: (1) everyone seemed to like the decisions of the old owner; (2) he sold it to the owner; (3) today the new owner seems to have it under control and is putting her mark on it -- sounds like the old owner made another good decision. Since we started at MCS, I've seen a consistent child-first atmosphere from the staff that does not compromise on the child's experience. They've not kept around staff that did not fit. They have invested In the building and landscaping. And they even have a little monthly newsletter now. It's an awesome little school and you deal right with the operators. I love it. Plus Ms Li is really on it about the Montessori Method and she walks the talks. She's a real professional.

I highly do not recommend Montessori Center School under the new ownership of Ms. Li and her…read morehusband, John. Positive reviews are from years ago before Ms. Li and her husband John bought the school. If you notice all parents sharing having a similar experiences. And please read Ms. Li's responses, pointing the finger back at the parents. The gaslighting and lack of accountability by Ms. Li and her husband are not acceptable. There's a reason they always have openings. We had ongoing issues, and every time my wife or I tried to bring something up, it felt like we were met with defensiveness instead of a real conversation. We often left those discussions feeling dismissed and blamed rather than heard. There was no genuine engagement with parents. We were asked what we could contribute to the "community," but we never experienced any real sense of one. Communication felt controlled and one-sided. After we set boundaries around comments we felt were inappropriate, our child was removed from the program without notice. As far as we know, our child had done nothing wrong. It was abrupt, upsetting, and incredibly disruptive for our family. This was not the supportive, respectful Montessori environment we were expecting.

This 32 year old school is a phenomenon and a rarity. It's a Cooperative School - meaning it's set…read moreup for high parental involvement, family support/education, and daily opportunities to interact with the kids, parents, teachers, the owner/administrator, the on campus Speech & Occupational Therapists, and even the PE Coach! The teachers are wohighly trained, warm, & friendlyThe school has had to make adjustments for Covid, of course. My grandson was in a public developmental preschool for a speech delay. It was only 6 hours a week and I was shocked at how little parental involvement, communication, and education existed. I placed him in Creative Bridges the remaining two days a week. Long story short, I ended up placing him in Creative Bridges full time, which was a wonderful decision I learned my grandson was way behind with both his fine & gross motor skills, and had numerous other issues needing investigation. His speech and confidence absolutely blossomed at Creative Bridges. Long story short, he was just diagnosed with autism at age 4 & 1/2 years old, but is still thriving at Creative Bridges.

Let's talk about the problem at CBCP, her name is PAM. Pam has an opinion of your family and child,…read moreshe has a plan for your family and child, and when you do what parents do, and make your own decisions for your family and child, PAM is not happy. When we made a decision to try out an early morning developmental program for our son that Pam advised us not to do based on 10 year old experiences she had, we were on her black list. When the day came to pick up our children and next year registration packets, we were not given one. When confronted, she said that we had made the decision to take him to a different program and therefore she didn't give us a packet. This all came after we sat down to have a meeting with Pam to discuss that the developmental program (for our speech delayed and autistic son) would be before her school hours and only have him arrive about 10-15 minutes late. On another ocassion she told me how unfortunate it was that I was homeschooling my 4 year old since "kids do not learn from their parents". These are a few of my experiences with Pam and lest you think it was just our family, I can assure you I have yet to meet any current or former families of CBCP that have a delightful thing to say about Pam. Her ship floats on the backs of the amazing teachers who out shine the dark little rain cloud that Pam is. I am here to leave anyone considering enrollment in CBCP the favor I wish I had, DO NOT DO IT. What might you consider doing instead? Head north to Northern Ave and make a left turn toward Central, there you will find the small gem called Crossroads Preschool. Go anywhere else, really.

My kiddos attend this school and it's been a wonderful experience for both of them. The teachers…read moreprovide classic Montessori instruction and work with each kid to know where to push them and where to help them. Very happy with our experience here!

This small school is a gem. My wife and I toured several Montessori programs in central Phoenix…read morebefore deciding on MCH. We love the staff, the curriculum and the other families that attend. Our son started in the beginner program where we saw him grow leaps and bounds developmentally and socially. He is now in the Primary program, and everyday I'm impressed with the knowledge he brings home and how articulately he is able to express himself to adults and peers alike. All of the lead teachers are Montessori certified, but the primary classroom has 2 leads, both certified and a kitchen assistant who cooks with the children and an outdoor assistant. Compared to the other schools we visited the children have more opportunities because of this arrangement. The school is private, so there is tuition even at the higher grades. However, we noticed that because it stayed private when all the other Montessori schools we toured were charter, it seemed to stick closer to the traditional Montessori curriculum we read about in our research. Children were not tested in any standardized way, and the teachers seem more able to truly follow the child. At one of the Montessori charters we saw 5 year olds doing standardized test practice during our tour. Yikes. Another thing we love about this school is how close knit the community is. When we toured we found out that one of the teachers attended the school and all of her children have been through the program, the director's husband was a student there and all of their children attended the school, etc. There is only one of every classroom so the children all know each other. Our son loves all of his friends and speaks of school excitedly everyday. On the weekends he begs to go to school to play with his friends. We have been so pleased with MCH, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a caring, small and diverse school community.

Safety: The kids are dropped off and let into a gate with…read morehundreds of other kids before school. No one really directs students where to go. It is also very open. After school kids are let out in the front of the school where several adults are standing. Anyone can take your kid. Education: This school does not invest in your student. If you did not start there in kindergarten they have no interest or the capacity to teach your student. The teachers state the classrooms are too large and only have one teacher and no aid so they don't have time to support each kid. The classrooms are old and the principal comes on a little too strong. He uses scare tactics to push kids out of the school to maintain the A rating.

My daughter has been going to the madison school district for 7 years - since kindergarten - and I…read morehave had nothing but amazing experiences with the teachers, the staff, the admin, the curriculum, the performing arts of tap and theater that my daughter thrives in. We are open enrollment for the madison district due my work. I cannot say enough positive about the district. The parent involvement is incredible! I've not seen this level of involvement anywhere else. The parents truly care about their student and other students. The longevity of the teachers and staff says it all about the madison district. It's a wonderful place to be for my daughter.

My daughter was in Ms Katie's twos class this past year and we absolutely love her. She loves her…read morebabies so much and everyone at the school is so welcoming.

Very happy with this school. I really like that the infants are broken up by age group in 3 month…read moreintervals so the babies are only around other babies at developmentally similar levels. All of the teachers have been very professional, personable, and have showed great care for my son. The #1 thing I tell people about this place is that my son always comes home from school well rested, fed and in a good mood, and what more could you ask for from a preschool?

This is my daughters second year at Little big Minds. I could not be happier with the school,…read moreteacher and the director. My daughter was extremely shy, going into school, so we were nervous about her making friends. She has made so many great friends and her teachers have helped her navigate. In addition to all of the social benefits of school, she has the added benefit of learning Spanish here. She really is picking it up so well and it's awesome to see. Little big minds is a great community, and it seems like all of the teachers know who she is. It really is a great school and that is coming from someone who used to teach!

We ended up choosing this as a back up to our first choice preschool for our daughter, after…read morerealizing we would probably be on the wait list for a year or so and we didn't want to wait. A friend's son had gone to Encanto location and she had always raved about it so we checked it out among others when searching for our second choice option. This ended up working out perfectly because with the new location, that actually was right by our house, we were guaranteed to be able to get a spot, unlike the other locations (and most of the top choice preschools) which had wait lists. We are so glad our first choice wasn't available so we were able to find and look into LBM uptown, it has been nothing short of incredible for both our daughter and myself. The teachers and director, Heyli, are truly amazing, as is the owner, Pilar. They really care about the kids and it is very obvious. Even the teachers from the other classrooms know me daughter and are friendly to me as well. You get a true sense of community from them and the other parents, on spring break some of the parents and kids met up twice to get the kids together and hang out, it's already that type of community. Adding to all this the language factor and we just couldn't be happier. Our daughter is thriving and we are definitely going to stay until she ages out. If you are considering LBM, just do it! :)

ZERO STARS! ZERO STARS! ZERO STARS!…read more Before considering to work here and ask questions thoroughly. They put kids ON TIME OUT. That's absurd. Also, when I was applying, the director was "nice" but once I got the job her attitude changed. Very inconsiderate, very disrespectful and rude because when I was scheduled to do a "TB test" she immediately thought I did a no call no show! Then fired me. Didn't even give me a chance. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. (Also I tried applying again and the disrespect is through the roof!)

Our 18 month daughter has been at PPP for 5 months after being cared for at home for her fist 13…read more Months. It has given us such piece of mind having our daughter at PPP each day. The professionalism and care of the staff has been exceptional, especially during the challenging economic and covid times. Margot (the director/owner) has been a great coach to us as the parents and to our daughter as she transitioned from home care to day care, walking us through what to expect as our daughter started and adapted to preschool. By the end of the first week our daughter was cheering (YAAAAAY!) when we got to school and does a stomping dance as we walk toward the entrance. We've also learned that if we pick her up during afternoon recess, she cries because she's not ready to leave. This is a great, clean, and well-organized center that our whole family appreciates. Margot runs a tight ship and you can see how much she cares by how involved she is with every classroom and coordinating drop off and pick up. We have watched out daughter grow mentally and physically as she learns to interact with other kids, follow directions, and do arts and crafts. I'd highly recommend PPP and it was a shining light standing out in the limited daycare/preschool options in midtown and we are glad to have found it.

We have 2 children that attend CHP and it is a wonderful preschool! It is family run with teachers…read moreand staff being long time caring employees. It is a holistic education, with strong academics, lots of play, cultural studies, art, science, emotional intelligence, music, soccer, yoga, health, and the list goes on. The food cooked on site is organic and real food that the children enjoy. There are performances by the children, family events, holiday events, field trips, and more. Our oldest child has started K and was very well prepared coming from CHP. We are so happy we found this gem for our children!

We loved this school. Teachers and staffs are caring and loving. My child was more than ready…read morewhen he went to Kindergarten. Each kids became good friends in class. The school really combined learning and fun together. Parents can rest assured to place their child with this school.

We have been very happy with our experience at Shadow Rock. The director is great at communicating…read morewith parents and the teachers are wonderful. They all truly care for the children. My four yr old son does the half-day program and looks forward to going each day. They keep the kids busy with so many arts and crafts and play, plus they have a HUGE outdoor playground- something our last preschool was lacking. If education through play is your jam then THIS is the place to go!

Our son has attended this preschool for three years and it has been a wonderful experience! It's a…read moreplay based education but he is learning so much (counting to 100, learning to write his letters, science experiments, art projects, learning about different cultures, etc) and is ready for Kindergarten! The teachers are phenomenal, caring and good listeners, great at communication. I would definitely recommend this school to parents!