tl;dr: Montessori Matters was recently investigated for child abuse, refused to fire the teacher…read morewho hurt a child, and put on a corrective action plan by the state. We sent our daughter here as a temporary solution for the few months between when her old preschool closed and when kindergarten began. We liked the curriculum and the structure but the quality of the teachers wasn't quite up to our standards. They had immediate availability, seemed safe, were close to home, and we were assured that the teachers were well trained and had decades of experience with all sorts of kids, so we decided to enroll her. While she was there, her behavior started to change at home. She was moodier and didn't want to go to school. She said the teachers were mean. While we tried to figure out what was going on with this new school, our daughter came home and told us that a teacher hurt her. When we requested a conference with the director, Cindy, she didn't deny the accusation that Sally, one of her employees "may have been too rough" with our daughter but claimed that our daughter probably needed the behavior correction, and that the teacher wasn't really strong enough to hurt her too badly. She also claimed that our daughter was a violent child, even though she had never had a single report of hurting another person. We pulled the video surveillance that showed our daughter sitting quietly in the "watching chair" (their form of time out) when a teacher named Sally approaches her from behind, rips a fidget spinner from her hands and throws it across the room. She then wrenches our daughter up and out of the chair by her wrists and drags her out of the room by her arm into the hallway where there are no cameras. The next video clip shows 10-20 minutes later, our daughter curled up in the fetal position crying in Cindy's office. There were also two other teachers who witnessed Sally grab and hurt our daughter and lied to protect her. We asked Cindy what she intended to do to keep our daughter safe. She offered no solution and showed no concern for the well-being of our child. She even called me after the meeting and BEGGED US NOT TO REPORT THE INCIDENT TO THE STATE. As a mandatory reporter, she should know that her and I both had a legal requirement to report what happened to DCFS. In the end, the investigators agreed that Sally physically hurt our child but that it didn't meet the definition of abuse. The school was put on a corrective action plan, and to my knowledge, is still being monitored. Cindy was resistant to put Sally on leave or fire her when the investigation began. Her concern lies squarely with her business. She seems very nice but I do not trust her. Montessori Matters has had a lasting impact on our daughter an not in a good way. We've worked with other daycares and now kindergarten and have seen what it looks like when our child is loved and cared for by teachers. This isn't it.

We attended here as long as possible, had a great Montessori experience. Ms Cindy works so hard to…read moreaccommodate every little need (I had many detailed requests), and all the teachers are nurturing, understanding and supportive. Very good price too. I knew my baby would have a hard time adjusting and they eventually got her to LOVE school. They started potty training her before me, which was so helpful. Can't give enough thanks to all the care and hard work they do here. No complaints about this business at all.

My two kids go to Peace Rose Montessori school and after attempting several different schools, I…read morecan finally say we found the best, most cherished, loving, transparent and caring school. Ms Carmen, Ms Carla and all teachers and Assistants truly care for the children. The kids learn so fast, but above all, they are allowed to be kids, play, express themselves and build strong friendships. thank you all for your love and dedication!

I can't say enough about how great the school and staff is,I had both of my children in this…read moreschool(preschool and kindergarten) they have came such a long way & learned so much and can only thank the peace rose for this! Amazing environment like a family will will miss everyone!

Lightbridge Academy@East Brunswick I write this review as a…read moreconcerned parent and want to share my experience with Lightbridge Academy in East Brunswick. I enrolled my 2.5 year old child here and we had to pull out in a month's time due to negligence in many aspects. I am ok with that too but Regina, who runs the center, absolutely gives no value to your feedback ignoring everything you say. We are vegetarians and we explictly told not to share his food. To our surprise, they still let kids share food. I understand that it can happen with kids being kids. When we spoke to Regina, she absolutely ignored us. No parent will appreciate kids sharing food in daycare during COVID. There were multiple instances where kids did not wash hands after playing outside. Last Wednesday, my son came home compaining stomach ache which was followed by fever the very same night. We called doctor and they asked us to watch out till Friday but it did not improve. We went to Doc's office Saturday and got result Tuesday and turned out COVID positive. Nobody ever called us to check why my child was not coming to Daycare. Still, we called and informed daycare that my child was tested COVID positive. Next day, we checked with our friend whose child goes to same daycare but they did not inform them either to keep watch. If you are looking for daycare around East Brunswick, I suggest look for alternatives.

Lightbridge Academy in Milltown is amazing! As a first time mom to a baby born at the start of the…read morepandemic, I was so nervous about sending my baby to daycare. But I had such peace of mind leaving my one year old with the incredible staff at Lightbridge. The front office staff, teachers, and assistants were all the most lovely people and took such wonderful care of my baby. I loved that they had a well thought out curriculum and an excellent app where I could see updates about naps, feedings, diaper changes, photos, and videos. I also loved that they had a lunch option. It made my life so much easier to not worry about packing a lunch every day! They also had cute activities on some weekends, like "mommy and me" pictures. The center is very clean, and they take health and safety seriously. I'm so sad that we had to move and couldn't continue sending our daughter and any future children to this center.

This is my family's second experience with Apple Montessori (Hoboken Uptown) and has been another…read moregreat experience. The teachers are exceptional (Ms. D, Ms, Hill, Ms, Suero, Ms. Robertson, Ms. Williams and the rest of the staff in the toddler room), they communicate well with parents, and my child comes home happy every day and loves to share about his day. The only areas for improvement are that the parking/drop off situation could be better, and would love to have a class list shared so we could socialize with other families. That said, with daycare the most important thing is the development, safety, and happiness of your child and Apple nails it on these!

Bank street is the standard in Head Start Education…read more It did not take long for my partner and I to realize we made the right choice for our son with Bank Street. From day one the entire staff made us feel safe and welcomed us with open arms. Our child has developed wonderful relationships with his classmates and teachers these last few months. Classrooms have one lead and two assistant teachers - the environment is very intimate and close knit. There is structure, yet the children are encouraged to rotate activities at their will. Lots of group and individual reading - such an important habit to develop at an early age. The children are also assigned "jobs" for the week- our son raves about how well he is as the "line counter" The children visit Tompkins Square Park for daily outdoor playtime, weather permitting of course. Parents receive weekly newsletters dedicated to the recent learning and happenings in the classroom - we love these since it gives us a closer look at the projects the kids have worked on and what to expect for the following week. An applause to the chef who is always leaving a mark - our child loves the cous cous (recipes are shared throughout the year). Parents are given a lunch calendar. The opportunity to join a council and team up with staff is great as well. Reiterating how much they value family involvement in the classroom. The leadership at BSHS is astonishing, Director Willis is always communicating with families - no matter the time of day or night. She masterfully manages all operations for BSHS. I truly admire her tact and skill. Thank You Willis, if there were more YOU's in this world we'd all be in a better place. Bank Street Head Start will not disappoint you - If you have the chance please enroll your kid(s) here. Solid learning, emotional and social development. What more could you truly ask for your little person? BSHS has played such a impactful role for our family in such a short period of time. I sincerely do not know where we would be without them. Our 2nd child will definitely be a student at Bank Street. Good luck to all!

My son had the best time of his life at this school…read more He had it very rough during the first few MONTHS of school. He cried and cried and cried every morning, everyday for three or four months of school. His teachers, Terry and TA-Joanne were patient, caring and understanding. Their everlasting efforts of trying to gain his trust had finally paid off and I had never felt so grateful on the day that my son waved good bye to me and told me he loved going to school. The school had a great staff. The teachers are college graduates and TA are all professionally trained to care and assist within the classroom. Every morning, children were allowed to explore and "play" with any activities of their choice. The only rule is you must clean up after yourself. Their morning activities includes art and craft, play dough, dramatic play area, blocks, puzzle, or simply being read to. When the weather permits, the children were allowed to go outside the secure area of the building for 45 minutes of physical exercise Monthly sing-along where parents are invited to attend with their children. Most importantly, they have awesome extra activities such as children yoga. Students also visit the Third Street Music school in the East Village regularly for sing-along, music appreciation, and group activities. Food is cooked and prepared on premises by staffs that are licensed by NYC DOHMH where they ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use fresh, and healthy ingredients to cook for our children. During the summer, they shop at the Farmer's Market to get low-price organic fruits and vegetables. Academically, they encourage children to learn through play which I also believe is the best way for children to learn. Children are being read to everyday to encourage and to establish the love for reading. And I can't believe I almost forget to mention those field trips to the farm, different museum, Highland Park, puppet shows and much more. Today my child is a sweaty but confident little boy who loves to read, play legos, and wanted to become a robotic engineer when he grows up.

Hamilton Park Montessori has been an incredible environment for my son. The school's headmaster…read moreAlexa comes from a successful history of running Montessori schools and her strong reputation is well-known in Central New Jersey. Our son's head teacher Michele is an extraordinary teacher. Most notably, she takes the extra time to write us notes on our son's progress (good and bad) without our prompting. Most importantly, our son is happy and making strides in his development. Just the other day we were amazed that he drew a story on his own that was extremely detailed. He was barely able to make a stick figure not too long ago.

I love watching how my little girl thrives in this environment! She is able to socialize, "work"…read moreand loves her teachers and friends. She looks forward to coming every day!

Went recently to an open house to obtain some information on their program and I am so glad I…read morewent! They provided a tour and I was informed of their recent upgrades and what additional upgrades were to be expected. The staff were professional and attentive to my questions. What I was most impressed with was their curriculum, including the ratio of teacher to students. I left feeling that the staff really cared and that it truly was a nurturing environment.

Because of covid we were forced to put our child in a larger day care. Something we were very…read moreuneasy about. Cynthia the owner is very nice and explained all of the protocols and everything they are doing to keep our son safe. This put me at great ease and I am very happy with the staff and the app that they use to keep us in the loop everyday. Overall this is the best place for my son and he is super excited to go there everyday. Highly recommend!

My older daughter attended Children's Academy for two years before starting Kindergarten, and still…read moretalks about how much she misses her preschool. She's already learned in preschool many of the concepts she's now seeing in Kindergarten, which speaks to how well the school prepares students. She even learned to read during her last year there, and it's been incredible to see her reading progress with the strong foundation the school gave her. The Children's Academy is one of the few true Montessori schools we found in the area. The classrooms are set up with stations like Practical Life, Math, and Language, and the children have the autonomy to choose their activities throughout the day. At the same time, they learn structure and social skills, like taking turns, sitting on "The Line," and resolving conflicts using the "peace rose." The teachers are what makes the school truly exceptional. Many have been at the school for decades. They are deeply attentive and caring, and I'm constantly amazed by how well they know each child, even down to details like their favorite stuffed animal. All the teachers are Montessori-trained and continue to stay up to date with best practices. There's also a strong sense of community. The school has been around for a long time, and there are parents who were students themselves whose children now attend the school. There is a Parent Association that organizes fundraisers, field trips, and events, which adds to the close-knit feel. Another huge factor for us was the flexibility they offer. There are before and after care options, as well as coverage during school holidays, which are important to us as two working parents. We couldn't find any other Montessori school in the area offering this. We love the school so much that our two younger kids now go there. If you're considering Children's Academy, I highly recommend attending one of their open houses. They host open houses once per month on the weekend - the fact that the teachers take time from their weekend to do these open houses also speaks volumes! We are so grateful to have such a wonderful school near us, and recommend it frequently to families looking for a preschool.

I am incredibly pleased with my son's experience at the Little Room. He thoroughly enjoys…read moreattending, often requesting additional days due to his enthusiasm for school. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to his teacher, Mrs. Lambert, who is truly exceptional. Also, thank you to Mrs. Massi, Mrs. Chubbs, Mrs. Haxton, and Ms. Olive, along with any others I may have missed. You have all made Mikey's first pre-K experience a truly wonderful one. Choosing this program for my son has been one of the best decisions I've ever made!