My daughter is finishing her second year at Hagerstown Children's School, and she has learned so much! She has been reading since she turned 4 and can talk with authority about her favorite planets, dinosaurs, and continents. She is very independent, so the Montessori model of "follow the child" is a good fit for her. This year she began to manifest some struggles with emotional and sensory regulation, and her teachers (Ms. Susan and Ms. Allie) and the staff (Ms, Heather and Ms. Brenda) have been very patient, supportive, and creative as we work on these challenges with them and other caregivers. We are so grateful for their love and concern for her wellbeing, not only now but in preparing her to move into public school for kindergarten. Thank you, HCS! read more

If your wondering if HCS is the right fit for your child, go no further! Hagerstown Children's School has gone above and beyond our expectations. From the Administration to the Teachers and the new amazing facility, you will not be disappointed. Our girls have been attending HCS for a total of 5 years. HCS has done a wonderful job preparing them for kindergarten as well as nurturing the life skills they need to be independent. Take a tour today, your children are going to love it here! read more

A beautiful, clean and caring place to begin my child's educational journey. I highly recommend this Montessori based school for children age 2-6. I have had 3 children go to HCS, all from age 2 through Kindergarten. The emphasis on personal responsibility, kindness and respect for others filters over into our children's home life. The staff is well educated in the Montessori way and the hands on learning has proven to be an excellent choice for us. New work for the children is changed out regularly, keeping the kids interested and excited to go to school. Topics such as famous artists, classical music, poetry, China, Egypt and so many more teach the kids without them even know they are learning! read more

Excellent facility and caring teachers. They also are on a safe street with a safe exit and entrance method, and plenty of parking. They are very kind and compassionate on the phone. read more

This place has a ton of potential. Unfortunately they seem to be about money at the end of the day. We decided to take our daughter out of school a couple months before school started because of the increase in Covid-19 cases both in MD and in the country. Our reason was to protect our child, our family, our daughters grandparents, the teachers and the wider community. And although many businesses and organizations are bending their policies because of Covid, and are understanding that families are in both a health and financial crisis, HCS refused to refund us even though our daughter did not attend one day or receive anything from HCS. They stated their policy and told us they have a tight budget and needed the money ($567) to buy supplies. So basically they said that they will use OUR money to buy school supplies for their school even though OUR daughter isn't attending. One would think that they'd be sensitive during this time, but instead we were met with them digging their heels in and refusing to refund us, and using our money for their own interests. In doing so they lost us for next year as well as any chance of our younger daughter attending in the future. In the long run they traded ten of thousands of dollars for a few hundred. read more

My son is in his second year at HCS and loves going to school every day. The staff is phenomenal; anytime I've had a question for the teachers or office staff, I was always given a thorough and knowledgeable answer. The curriculum is diverse and offers so much more than others that we looked at in the past. I love that the school celebrates diversity and offers young children the chance to learn about different cultures throughout the world. This school is truly one of a kind! read more

Very professional and friendly. My daughter was in their 2-year-old program, and loved it! I found the teachers to be very kind and informative. My daughter learned so much. read more

I, unfortunately, had to pull my son out of HCS early because of the extreme rudeness of the staff. During orientation, one particular teacher stood out to me; and not because of her wonderful personality but because of how cold and dull her demeanor was. I said to myself, "I hope that is not my son's teacher." In the end, this particular teacher (Ms.Susan) became his teacher for the school year. I told myself perhaps I am just overreacting and she may be a wonderful person. After a while, I couldn't shake this feeling that she is not a good fit for my son and well any toddler in my opinion. My four-year-old is very eager and excited about school and here is a woman that covers her ears at the slightest sound of kids shouting. I brought my concerns to Heather Tosten, the director and she suggested a meeting to have a one on one with Ms. Susan. After this meeting, I thought things would go better. After a while, I got tired of my son always being upset about something. So I decided to volunteer to see how a typical day goes. All in all, things went well, but that is to be expected when a parent is sitting in the room. I was able to see Ms. Susan's demeanors is pretty much the same all day. Now to the straw that broke the camels back. Before Christmas break, I heard my son crying during pickup. You know that cry when your child is in extreme distress. You usually wait in a line, and the teacher calls your child. As a parent, I could not stand in that line waiting when my son clearly needs me. I walk into the classroom to locate him and see that he is clearly distraught, nose running tears down his face yelling "I want to go home." I told him to come, and all of a sudden Ms. Bitter Susan suddenly approaches, and I tell her I need to find out what is wrong with my son. She then says "I will tell you what is wrong" in the rudest tone of voice. So at this point, I'm getting irritated with how she is treating me, and I'm already disturbed by no one caring at all about my child while in their care. I explained to her sure that's nice that you can tell me, but I would like for my son to come with me right now. She gets closer to me as if she wants to hit me. She then says okay, but I need to go to the office. I responded, with "who are you talking to ...as if I am a child." I then tell my son to get some tissues for his face. Then here goes Sour Susan telling me I NEED TO GET OUT OF HER CLASSROOM RIGHT NOW. You have no idea how furious I was at that point, but I'm in a classroom filled with toddlers, so I dug deep in my soul that day and walked away with my son. I yelled at the Director and asked for my son to be moved to a different classroom. They claim there were no open spots for him and they offered me half day or three-day schedule. My son went full day 5 days a week. Why should I settle for less after one of their teachers was extremely out of line? In the end, I figure if Ms. Susan would get like this over me being concerned about my child. Then I could only imagine how she treats the children when no one is looking. Her assistant Ms. Allie is no better just a younger version of Ms. Susan. Both of them are rude and mainly never regard your presence. I would not recommend either of them teaching toddlers. By no means am I saying this is a bad school just a few unpleasant staff members? I am also disappointed with the Director for not pulling through for a customer. If all of the staff were like Ms. Alieta, then this would be the perfect school. She is the sweetest most gentle person I have ever met. If your child gets Susan Hoelschen and Allie Cox, GOOD LUCK. read more

This is our fourth year and second child that has attended Hagerstown Children's School. My husband and I love the staff and the nurturing, yet independent education they provide. ALL of the teachers and staff care for each and every child as if they were their own. We will definitely be sending our third child to HCS next year! I will continue to recommend Hagerstown Children's School to anyone looking for a fantastic early education experience. read more