What an absolutely amazing group of teachers! The atmosphere they created helped my son learn and grow more than was ever anticipated. They also bring a welcoming home and understanding attitude to the Montessori style that is a perfect fit. Thank you so much Discovery Montessori for helping with everything - we love you! read more

We absolutely LOVED our experience at discovery Montessori. We were there since they opened until my kiddos left for kindergarten. Ms Morgan is top notch and if I have more kiddos I will absolutely send them here again. read more

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Discovery Montessori. Since my daughter started attending, the growth we've seen has been truly incredible. She has reached important developmental milestones so quickly, and it's clear that this is not by chance--it's the result of a thoughtful, structured, and nurturing environment. What makes Discovery Montessori so special is the perfect balance they create between play, creativity, and real learning. The children are not only engaged in arts and fun activities, but they are also developing foundational skills in numbers, early reading, structure, and independence. It's amazing to see how much they absorb at such a young age. A very special thank you to Mrs. Ildy and her management team for their outstanding leadership. You can feel the care, intention, and professionalism in every aspect of the school. The entire staff is dedicated to creating a safe, healthy, and loving environment where children can truly thrive. The teachers are exceptional--knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely invested in each child's development. They provide individualized attention and consistently encourage the children's physical, neurological, and emotional growth with patience and expertise. As a parent, there is nothing more reassuring than knowing your child is not only safe and happy, but also learning and growing every single day. Discovery Montessori has exceeded all of our expectations, and I am deeply grateful for the impact they've had on my daughter's development. Highly, highly recommend. read more

Discovery Montessori - Art - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Ladera Ranch, California

Discovery Montessori is the absolute best daycare/school! I enrolled my then 8 month old and the teachers and staff were nothing but amazing. The school is so clean and well maintained .The teachers, Ms. Cristina, Ms. Nachelle and Ms. Kristina were so loving and you can really see how much they care for the children. They notified me on diaper changes, how much she ate and slept which was so wonderful to receive on a daily basis. The current management, Ms. Ildy, Evelyn et al staff were so friendly and so responsive on any questions. I can't recommend Discovery Montessori enough, it set very high expectations for me as a top daycare/school. read more

We had an amazing experience at Discovery Montessori. We used to live in the area and were back visiting for the summer with our three boys. We originally reached out just to find a summer camp for our older twins, and the staff were incredibly accommodating in finding a spot for them. The boys loved it so much that we ended up enrolling our youngest too. Every day brought fun, educational activities, and our kids genuinely looked forward to going. We'd absolutely recommend Discovery Montessori, and we'll be looking to enroll again if we make it back next summer! read more

My son has been attending Discovery Montessori since he was 18 months old, and our experience has been truly wonderful. Ms. Lorena was so loving toward both my son and me, and she brought me so much comfort every day at drop-off. Her warm, positive energy clearly had a beautiful impact on him, and one of his sweetest memories will always be the way she introduced him to Brown Bear. My son is now 4 and in Ms. Morgan's class, and she has helped him grow into such a strong, respectful little leader who speaks his mind with confidence. I love how much she cares for him. We even started doing "Ms. Morgan time" at home, where he and I listen to rainforest music and color together. It has become a special quiet time that he takes very seriously, just like he does at school. I have very high standards, and Ms. Ildy and the rest of the teaching staff consistently exceeds my expectations through its creative activities and thoughtful, everyday approaches to teaching. We have chosen to keep him here for another year, even though there are less expensive options, because this is truly the best environment for my son. I can't always protect and shelter him, but when I'm not with him, I know the school is caring for and loving him as if I were there myself. read more

Highly recommend Discovery Montessori. My daughter began in the infant room at about 14 months old. We toured many in the area and this was the only infant center I toured that I felt comfortable leaving my baby at. Under new ownership the facility has only gotten better with the warmth and communication that Ms. Ildy and the office staff bring to the experience. I had 100% confidence that, both in the infant with each of the Ms. Christina's and later the toddler/waddler room with Ms. Lorena, my daughter was well taken care of, well fed, loved, and nurtured. Her development soared and her personality shined. Great experience. read more

new management has brought such positive changes! The staff is caring, communication is great, and the school is clean, welcoming, and well-organized. My child loves coming here. Highly recommend. read more

We have been at Discovery Montessori for the past three years. I can not say enough about my son's teacher Ms. Letty and the new ownership. Love love! Not only is the school beautiful and clean, but the lesson plans and education has been amazing. I have two older boys who went to a different preschool, the things my four year old already knows is leaps and bounds ahead of where my older two were at his age. I would highly recommend this preschool to families looking for a safe, nurturing and education based environment. read more

I cannot say enough good things about the school. My son has been enrolled with them for almost 3 years now and under the new management, the school has gone from amazing to top-tier in so many ways. The teachers have all been there for a while, which gives so much comfort to me knowing that they know my son and my son knows them and feels comfortable when he is at school. I engage with all of them on a daily basis and I feel 100% comfortable leaving my son there for the day, knowing he's getting not only an amazing education, but also being cared for by teachers that truly care for him and love him. Since the school has been under new management, everything from the decor to the correspondence an communication with the parents to holiday performances and celebrations have gone to the next level. I get monthly emails letting me know what the curriculum moves for that month, things they are focusing on in a breakdown of every subject and what they are gonna be doing. I am so impressed that they have implemented sports and music classes, everything is just amazing. I have referred several friends to the school and I could not be happier that they are getting to experience this amazing facility in the best way I've ever seen it since starting with them three years ago. The director, front office staff and teachers are all exceptional. I can't wait for my son to go on to kindergarten next year completely prepared because he has been challenged at discovery Montessori and been taught at his ability, even if that means the teacher has pull him aside and do extra things with him so he is always learning and never bored. My daughter to be a new student with them in August. I wish my kids could stay here forever. read more

Deciding to send your child to daycare is a scary feeling. I was so nervous walking through the doors the first time with my 18 month old but it is honestly the best decision I have ever made for my child. We toured probably every daycare in the area and I am beyond glad we went with Discovery. You can tell every person here has a passion for what they do, and are happy to be here. Every single staff member I have met have been so wonderful and kind. Every child in every class you can tell is happy and excited to be here. My son being 18 months is in the youngest classroom with his wonderful teachers Ms. Lorena, Ms. Arely, and Ms. Hannah. While at first my son would cry because it was his first time being away from his parents, he now is so excited to go to "school". In less than a month I seen such a huge change in him. His language is so much more developed, he is now comfortable playing with children he doesn't know at the park, and he is starting to enjoy his independence. He use to always want me to do everything for him, but now he likes showing me he can do things himself. He loves being able to feed himself and will put out my chair for me to sit next to him. What I really love is I can tell how loved my child is here. He runs to his teachers when he gets there, when we leave the house he asks if we are going to "school" and then claps his hands when I say yes. I see his teachers hug and hold him. He is constantly looking at them and smiling. He blows them kisses when we leave, and is always so happy. Putting my child in this daycare truly was the best choice I ever made. I am confident he is safe, comfortable, and happy. I cannot recommend this daycare enough. We all feel our children deserve the best, and this is the best! read more

Disappointing experience with Discovery Montessori preschool. As a newly established preschool, the school's facility is still great. The classrooms and playground are modern, bright, clean, and cheerful. All started when the directors hired Ms. Rosanna, an extremely unfit teacher who was not suitable to be around young children. The directors failed to take any action against the repeated complaints of multiple parents regarding the teacher's harsh treatment of our children. Ms. Rosanna showed an obvious lack of enthusiasm and passion for teaching and displayed a disinterested and detached demeanor around the parents. She seemed to dislike being around children and failed to effectively communicate with the parents. She managed to instill plenty of fear and intimidation in the kids. I found her teaching method to be rigid and uninspiring. I know my son very well and knew something was wrong at every drop off/pick up. Then, I started hearing how classroom aids were uncomfortable witnessing Ms. Rosanna being mean and hurtful to the kids and were not allowed to speak up about it. Sadly, at Discovery Montessori no one believed the kids and the parents. The atmosphere of fear and intimidation was palpable in every interaction. My son didn't look happy anymore. I would receive classroom pictures throughout the day, showing a bunch of timid sad faces. I heard that she was threatening them with dinosaurs if they didn't nap in the afternoon. My son would come home fearful of dinosaurs' attack. She separated friends and forbid them to talk, play, and sit with each other. One time when I was putting on his shoes, my son told me that Ms. Rosanna hurt his foot when she puts his shoes on. Then, he told me that she hurts him when he had a potty accident and she had to change him. He would tell me that he didn't like Ms. Rosanna and he doesn't want her in the classroom. We suspected that she might be pinching the kids during diaper change based on the stories of other parents and my son's sudden resistance during diaper change. He also start pinching me when I asked him to show me how Ms. Rosanna play with him. My husband and I formally and informally shared our concerns with Ms. Shirley the director. She promised to review the classroom videos and formally investigate. However, she did not give us access to the videos and nor did she share the results of her investigation (if there ever was one). After noticing more behavior changes in my boy, I consulted with a clinical psychologist who confirmed that he was not making things up at this age. We requested to move my son to a different classroom. At first Ms. Shirley agreed and gave us a date but when the date came, she did not fulfil her agreement. She made lame excuses that everyone in the school forgot about the move. After She found out that I joined a wait list for a different school, she told me, at a drop off, that it's not worth it to move his classroom for the remainder of his stay at this school (still 6 more weeks left). I stopped verbal communications and began writing formal emails and requesting written responses. At that point, she took me seriously and agreed to move my son to a different classroom. Lastly, my son has life-threatening allergies to sesame documented all over his school records and carries an EpiPen. This was not communicated with the new classroom teacher. I found out that the teacher was unaware about it at one of the school's functions where plates of hummus were being served for parents and students. Luckily, I was there to protect my son but the new teacher had no idea of his condition. I assume Ms. Shirley thought it was trivial information to share with the classroom teacher since we were leaving in 6 weeks. Or, she might only care about your tuition to run her school and not the wellbeing of your child. My son no longer attends Discovery Montessori. However, the directors' and teacher's negligent attitude towards the safety and well-being of the children is both distressing and unacceptable. read more

If you are looking for the right people to care for your child, look no further! Discovery is a high quality school run by high quality people. After our 2.5 year old was crying daily at drop off at another Montessori, we found Discovery and were welcomed with warm smiles and good energy. The facility is bright and beautiful, the playground is the biggest open yard in the area, and the staff are passionate and dedicated. During our tours, we were greeted by bright, friendly, and curious kids. The staff and teachers are clearly experienced and well-educated. By her second day, our daughter walked in happily, excited to see her friends and teachers. She has been attending for about a month now and when we arrive at school she says "I'm home! Hi friends!" In the short time she has attended, we have seen wonderful growth in her confidence and behavior. She is more social, uses a wider vocabulary, is very polite and courteous, and has solidified her potty training. When she comes home, she loves to tell us all about her activities throughout the day. We love that they provide snacks daily, take excellent care of her and all of her things, and have plenty of events to get parents involved. Despite being a new school, as the kids go on to do amazing things Discovery will surely be highly rated and sought after. It is obvious that our daughter feels comfortable here thanks to the kindness and warmth of Shirley, Patricia, Maria, and the rest of the staff. Their dedication and open arms helped our daughter fall in love with the place, and it will for your child too. -Chad, Emily, and Ila Thomas Coto de Caza read more

We have been here for a while now, and have only the most wonderful things to say about the school, the staff, the activities and the way my child feels walking in and leaving her class. Miss Rosa Ana has been so kind and always brightens our day when we see her! read more

My daughter（3 years old） entered this school a month ago. Before she came here, she's still using diapers and we were worried about that （we tried potty training before but failed.The teachers here are so patient and they helped her a lot with potty training (keep reminding her to go to the restroom for more than a week). Now my daughter goes to the restroom herself and we are so happy with that. read more

We are so happy with Discovery Montessori! We have two children at the school, ages 2 and 3! We moved our 2 year old to get her closer to our home in Ladera from Lake Forest! They started in Ms. Maneet's class. Ms. Maneet, Ms. Daisy, and Mr. Race always communicated well about our child's day! She found comfort in their arms and would run to them happy in the morning! Communication about our youngest's food allergy was amazing in comparison to what we have had in the past at another local montessori school. We feel the communication with the program director Ms. Shirley is east, and she's approachable! We actually moved our oldest from another local Montessori in Ladera to here due to the positive communication and diligence with food allergies! Upon our second visit with our oldest to transition into Ms. Morgan's room my three year old actually asked to STAY! After only being at the school for less than 4 visiting hours total ! They asked to stay to take nap and we NEVER went back to our old school. Our eldest now comes home asking if she can go to school in the weekend, and makes gifts for her teachers! The communication with the team here is Fantastic!!! Thank you for bringing the joy back into my eldest daughter's day, before coming here and going to her other school she was drained and grouchy after school! I also love how clean they keep the rooms!! read more

Where to start, there are so many wonderful things about Discovery Montessori. People make the difference and from our first inquiry, to our tour, and over the last 4 months with our son at Discovery, Ms. Jessy always makes us feel welcome, cared for as individuals, and confident they are providing the very best care. Ms. Maneet, our son's teacher is a special kind of person and her love for toddlers is evidenced each time I drop my son off. He had a hard time adjusting to school from the nanny we've had for the first 1.5 years of his life but Ms. Maneet made the transition so smooth. Each day when he'd melt down she'd say something like, "Daddy loves you so much and he will come back. Daddy has to work but you are so important to him". The programming is also very well done. At holidays its not uncommon for our son to do some form of durable craft (i.e. mini canvas) that we can bring home and display in our home. Also, in the 4 months he's been at Discovery he now can count to 10 all by himself, sing the itsy bitsy spider (complete with hand motions), and make it most of the way through the alphabet song. I've dropped by in the middle of day to pick up for Dr. Appts and our son is always engaging in some sort of early Montessori activity under the watchful care of his teacher and multiple assistants. Since my wife and I both work full-time, we have him in extended care and Ms. Lilly is always so kind and its not uncommon for there to be multiple assistants playing with our son at a time. The amount of attention and care is superb! Lastly, the facility is brand new and absolutely gorgeous. Everything is very clean and tidy. The playground is very large and has a separate gated section for the toddlers and lots of shade cover. They also have a good mix of turf and concrete sections allowing all kinds of play to occur. Finally, its not uncommon to have the teachers playing with the kids (including Ms. Jessy who takes an active leadership role in the classroom, playground, and main office). A great school and a great place for your children to develop and grow! read more

The school is clean and well managed. Teachers are warm and professional. I see happy children all the time. Playground is large and Seems lots of fun toys also play structure for children. I recommend this school to my friends. read more

My son started going here just a few weeks ago and it's been one of the best decisions we have made for him. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to send my son (almost 2 years old) to school at this age. Just by the first week he came home saying new words and wanting to do things for himself independently. The staff and teachers are so friendly and sweet with my baby boy. They put my mama nerves to ease. We looked at numerous schools in the area for my son and this one definitely caught our attention. Not to mention, everything is super new and clean, we love it! read more

My daughter is almost 2 and has been going to Discovery Montessori for 3 months. She loves her teacher Mrs. Maneet. She treats my daughter with love and I know she's in the best hands when I drop her off. My daughter also enjoys all of the time outside with her friends. She's learning new skills like cleaning up after herself, washing her hands, potty training, and treating her friends with care and respect. read more

Discovery Montessori - Confident Independent Women - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Ladera Ranch, California

My two girls go to discovery and we've had a great experience so far... Ms Shirley is the best!! We love have she manages the school.

Both of our children (ages 2 and 5) attend Discovery Montessori in Ladera Ranch. The program is incredible and is run with such care, warmth, and dedication. All of the teachers we have been lucky to have are so warm and nurturing - they really take the time to understand each child and to nourish their minds and hearts. The administration is incredibly organised and involved - they know all of the children very well and are exceptionally responsive to any questions or needs. The program has so many interesting and stimulating activities for the children - it's a special place and we have felt so lucky to be a part of it. read more

I enrolled my 3 year old daughter here about a month ago. I'm highly impressed by the level of care shown to each student. I had parent teacher conferences today and I was pleasantly surprised at the level of feedback and detail they had to report back to me. I will personally speak very highly of Ms Morgan, Ms Larissa and Ms Jessie. They are wonderful all around. Highly recommend them. read more

I love to see children walk in with happy faces Every day. Teachers here are very professional and warm hearted. Facility is clean and new with Well displayed montessori materials. The playground is large with beautiful view. read more