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Foothill Ranch, CA

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Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

4.5 (51 reviews)
Updated over 3 months ago

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Edgar A.

I highly recommend this school. We have 2 little ones here and both have grown and learned so much. They teach everyday skills to help them be independent and we couldn't be happier being here.

Total Citations for Guidepost Montessori Foothill Ranch per California Department of Social Services website

Based on our personal experience of having our child enrolled at Guidepost, I would not recommend this school to any parent. While we are extremely grateful that our child's teachers were outstanding the entire time we were there, we cannot say the same about the corporation that owns all Guidepost schools, Higher Ground Education, Inc. Our child was enrolled for 10.5 months; and during that short period there were a total of 3 Heads of School, several teachers and other administrative staff resigned, and abuse allegations were made against one teacher. On March 9, 2023, we received communication from the Head of School that a teacher's aid was put on administrative leave. The e-mail was very vague and spoke about how the individual needed a break to recharge for an undetermined period to reflect on her journey in education and take some time to herself and her family. Within a week, more information came out through other parents (not the administration) that there were allegations that several children were affected by abuse from this teacher. Trigger warning: Per the police report filed with the Orange County Sheriff's Department (Report DR# 23-008774), "On 3/9/23, [head of school's name redacted] was approached by seven of her employees who were concerned about a teachers aid named [teacher's name redacted]. The employees felt [teacher's name redacted] was being both physically and verbally aggressive towards the students. The employees stated [teacher's name redacted] would verbally abuse the children by calling them "losers" and telling them to "Hit other children because they deserve it". They also alleged [teacher's name redacted] would also slam kids down on their feet hard and slam them on bicycles seats when asked to ride a bicycle." Unfortunately, several teachers reported these allegations to the prior administration sometime at the end of 2022, but due to the administration turnover, these allegations were not taken seriously until March by the new Head of School. This negligent oversight enabled the abuse of children to continue for months after the first allegations were made. We are extremely lucky that our child was not directly affected by this teacher; however, after the abuse allegations came to light, we had severe anxiety dropping off our child to school. Every day we worried that a teacher outside of our child's two teachers would harm our child. There was one day that both the lead and assistant teacher were out, so we did not have our child go to school that day because we did not trust anyone other than our child's teachers. During the 10.5 month period my child was enrolled, the school received 3 citations. One citation was because a child was left out in the play-yard without any supervision from staff (4/10/23). Another parent, who was picking up their own child, had noticed the child was alone on the play-yard without any staff present. Please visit https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch/FacDetail/304371143 to view citations and reports filed for Guidepost (Type A Citation Total: 1, Type B Citations Total: 6). As for security, there were no working cameras. In fact, there weren't any cameras installed in the front exterior or playground area. We received communication on May 17, 2023, that front exterior cameras were installed and that two exterior cameras would be installed in the playground. It took two months after the abuse allegations to get the cameras installed and working. Also, to enter the school only a short numerical code is required to enter and most of the time, no employees were monitoring who was coming into the school. The lack of monitoring made us fearful about the ease in which someone could gain access to the classrooms. Our child's teachers were outstanding despite all the challenging events that occurred, but it was difficult to see them not being taken care of by the administration. We truly hope Higher Ground Education will provide better benefits for the teachers because they are the heart of the school. The only reason we did not leave after March was because we trusted and loved our child's teachers. They showed better leadership skills than the administration throughout those 10.5 months. The administration has demonstrated a complete and utter disregard for the safety of children. Enticing parents to leave positive reviews in exchange for raffle tickets further demonstrates that the priority of the school is rooted in preserving its reputation, and not in the safety of children. Guidepost knows no parent is going to write a bad review in exchange for a raffle ticket and intentionally uses raffle tickets as a mechanism to garner positive reviews. I am deeply disappointed at the administration for the way they handled the abuse allegations and in the way they have handled the safety of children at the school and the well-being of their teachers.

Foothill Ranch Guidepost!
V P.

Carnival day at school! Thank you team for hosting. Our kids had a blast! Bouncy houses, artwork, painting, popcorn, cotton candy, were all great!

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Ask the Community - Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

My daughter's birthdate is Feb 9th,2019. We are looking for preschool during 7/29-8/9, is this timeline acceptable?

Hi Bonnie, We can potentially assist with a short term enrollment. Can you please call our office at 949-340-1695 and I would be happy to assist you!… 

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Our child was enrolled into Ms Arti and Ms Hasseini's classroom when she was 5. She had moved from…read moreanother Montessori school traumatized by a teachers old school strictness. We had known 2 families from different Montessori's that had moved their older kids 6 years ago because of similar experiences and they thrived here. We had a similar transition, it was seamless and a big relief for us. Both teachers are very nurturing, caring and assertive. She was happy, peaceful,excelled and was excited to go back to school. We couldn't be happier for her. Ms Prerna and Richa ensure a nurturing environment here. Staff takes every feedback seriously with good follow up on issues brought. I loved that they offered - learning the basics of 3 languages as part of their weekly curriculum. (Spanish mandarin and Hindi) - the kinder room got them on working on creative projects and presentations. - they had field trips to the park - their summer program was fun too ! They made smoothies, learnt about bugs, had a carnival, movie day etc - food is offered at a reasonable price. A menu on the offerings are given every month, u can choose what days food could be bought. Most of the food is bought from Costco, rice is made onsite and pizza is ordered from the plaza they are located For extra fees they exposed them to classes that saved us time on car rides! - yoga, teacher is excellent fun and loving - Bollywood dance class! - sports teacher that exposes them to different sports. As an occupational therapist I love their program and their environment. They celebrate the silliness and fun with gentle structured care that fosters both academic and social emotional growth. Inspired by Ms Arti and Ms Hasseini my child wants to be a teacher! That in itself is the highest praise. Highly recommend this school! Grateful for businesses like this that have the heart and skill set! Thank you Scholarshine! We are forever grateful.

We love this school. But what matters most is that our daughter loves this school even more. She…read moreenjoyes coming in to play and learn. This place has been great for her development and growth. Thank you Miss. Geetha and everyone that consistently go out of your way to make this place great

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Scholarshine Lake Forest Montessori - Our students are so excited to share their work with their parents, proudly showing all they've learned and created.

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Scholarshine Lake Forest Montessori - Our Mother's Day celebration was filled with smiles today. Moms enjoyed a wonderful time with their children, sharing activities.

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Heritage Montessori School of Lake Forest - Our son at Summer Camp

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4.2(68 reviews)
1.5 mi

We have had such a wonderful experience with Heritage Montessori daycare and are so grateful for…read morethe care, effort, and thoughtfulness that goes into the program. Ms. Karla is incredibly helpful, organized, and hardworking as the director, and it really shows in the way everything is planned and communicated. The teachers are very involved with the children and are hands-on with activities, which makes the environment feel warm, engaging, and supportive. One of the things we really appreciate is the strong focus on educational activities. The children get to do many crafts and special projects, but what stands out is that the crafts always seem to have an educational touch behind them. We have seen other daycares where crafts are more generic or less focused, so it is very nice to see activities that are both fun and meaningful for the kids. The daycare also offers many great extra options for families, including book club, early drop-off, and afternoon care, which makes the program very convenient and flexible. There are also lots of extra special activities, and we love seeing the creative projects the kids bring home. The facility itself is beautifully decorated and has a charming artistic, homestead feel that gives it a lot of character. Another highlight has been the weekly video recaps. Seeing the kids participate in activities throughout the week is so wonderful and gives parents a special window into their day. We also really appreciate that the daycare advocates for and emphasizes no screen time for the children, which has been such a positive and refreshing part of the program. Overall, this is a caring, creative, and well-run daycare, and we are very thankful for everything they do for the children.

The best decision we ever made to join our little kid to HMS lake forest. He was just two when we…read morestarted and Ms.Tamara was his first teacher, she has that warmth and kindness to her that you cannot ask for a better first teacher to your kid ever. Ms.Maryam was his second teacher and she is the perfect combo of challenge, education and play, my kid started reading letter sounds and words at just 3 years old and makes friends wherever he goes, all thanks to this amazing school. They have introduced every festival there to these little munchkins by celebrating one every month, we loved celebrating and learning so many different cultures.

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My daughter attended here for their elementary program and absolutely thrived. You're not only…read moregoing to get superior education but you are joining a family. A family, spear headed by the lovely Ms. Maha, that will have you and your child's best interest, both in school and out. Ms. Cherish is AMAZING. She knows how to teach in a way where my daughter was confident and wanted to come home and share what she was learning every single day. That speaks volumes in terms of a different montessori she used to attend. She is attentive to your child's specific needs, both educationally and personally, and to be honest I could not have asked for anyone better to help guide my daughter throughout her upper elementary education.

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Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch - preschools - Updated November 2026

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