We wanted to like this school. But staff refused to acknowledge constant bullying by one of the…read morestaff's children. They gaslit my son into thinking that if he were more friendly and compassionate he would get along with a very manipulative and entitled student. They taught Montessori principles but when it came to one of their own children, they expected families to look the other way or "understand" the complexities. We thought the environment would be great for our rather shy son, but we were raklroaded by passive aggression. Also staff tends to talk to parents about other children... Very inappropriate. If you decide to send your child here, RUN at the first hint of these behaviors because it will only continue. My wife and I discussed these matters with staff, but they continued to ask what my son could have done to mitigate the bullying. We finally had enough and decided to leave. Our son is thriving in fourth grade and we feel supported by teachers who are not compromised by their own personal issues. ​

My 2.5 year old son will be attending OCMC in the Fall. Montessori education is awesome! Parents,…read moreI highly recommend you check out OCMC. Their mission is to make Montessori education affordable for the local community and to share the philosophy of Maria Montessori on educating the whole child. You will not regret it!

Military Montessori school. Your kids will come out with superb manners but will lack any…read moreindividuality. Poor communication as well. Please, if you decide to enroll, talk to the primary teacher who will be actually teaching your child as the front desk is there to give you a false sense of warmness.

My son (32 months) loves JBS-Columbia, and so does mom & dad. This school has provided us with a…read morelevel of comfort indescribable. Since enrolling a year ago, our son's Intellect has grown tremendously, the environment helps to balance and support his energetic nature and curiosity for learning. The teachers are calm, tenured and caring. The parent community is wonderful as well, we socialize with one another and make sure to catch phone numbers when we find our that our kids are really good friends. We are deeply appreciative of the JBS' community!

Absolute gem of a school. We've had 2 girls that graduated from here and their academics and…read moresocialization have exceeded our expectations. They are ahead of their peers and more importantly have developed into caring and compassionate children. Both Ms Burkhardt and Mrs Jones are exceptional teachers who really care for their students. Our girls loved going to school here and we couldn't have found a better fit for them. Casa also has a wonderful before and after care program that is super flexible and provides a safe and fun environment outside of the classroom. This school has our highest recommendation and provides so much more flexibility and care than other preschools we've visited.

When we started searching for a preschool for our oldest daughter over 5 years ago, I stumbled on…read moreCasa on a local blog. We went to an Open House and within 5 minuted I knew this was where our kids would go. We met Mrs. Burkhardt and Mrs. Jones and could immediately tell how much they cared about the kids. We loved that it was a family run school and that their teachers and staff had worked there for decades. We put in an application on the spot and didn't look at any other schools. Our oldest daughter loved her 3 years and Casa and her younger sister couldn't wait to get to Casa. Now their brother is anxiously awaiting his turn. Casa is truly like a family. Our kids have had Mrs. Burkhardt, Mrs. Jones and Ms. Burkhardt and each one of them is a fantastic, caring teacher. Everyone at Casa clearly cares about all of the kids. I appreciate that they have pushed our girls to try harder and tailored their work to what they are interested in. I am always amazed at some of the work that comes home. My first grader is doing some of the same math that I see my 2nd grader bring home from public school. We consider ourselves so lucky to have found Casa. My daughter gets upset when I pick her up "too early" from school so that is how I know we made the right decision. We will be sad when our time at Casa is over, but luckily that is still a few years away!

I wouldn't recommend this school. Most students have a family connection to the school, so there is…read morenever any accountability to the promises they make. When leadership is called out they do nothing to even acknowledge that they made a mistake. Communication is slow, and the whole school is completely disorganized. We didn't really notice this until one of our child's classmates pointed out that the only students who stay enrolled at Barrie are student's whose parents work at the school.

This school is highly disorganized, unsafe, and, as other parents have noted, does not provide…read morestudents with learning differences with enough support. It promises parents everything and delivers absolutely nothing. My children are the same age, were put in different classes and then one of them was mistakenly put in an entirely different grade from their sibling this year. Neither the school nor the teacher disclosed the issue or tried to figure out a solution, I found out and tried to address it. Their response and action essentially caused emotional damage to my child that they continue to talk about 6 months later. There are no safety measures on campus, as a parent, I was never informed about any procedures - fire drills, armed strangers on campus or active shooters, nothing. Before and after care is basically outdoor play with little supervision (depending on the teacher). If I had known about the quality of the education, the lack of safety, lack of support for IEPs...I would never have enrolled them. Learn from my mistake and find another school or daycare for your child/children

My daughter attended this school for two years. It's an amazing school with great staffs.read more

We are very grateful to this school for accommodating our daughter after the year had already…read morestarted, we don't expect they can do this for everyone but it's one of the reasons we loved it so much. The director of this school is amazing, she pours her heart, time, work, and love into the school, kids, activities, events, and ceremonies. The teachers are excellent as is the quality of the education. The behavior expectations are strict, but their methods are objectively effective and the teachers use proper disciplinary techniques (our daughter never complained about teachers shouting, yelling, or being mean like at other schools she's been at). Our 5 year old finished pre-K and is able to read, do math, and also learned history and geography. We recently took a long road trip and she often talked to us in the car about things she learned in school about the different states we visited, or historical figures we mentioned (She learned a lot about MLK, for instance). The school is wonderfully diverse, there is no religious affiliation so our daughter was taught equally about all religious and cultural traditions during the different holidays. We loved all the events, and ceremonies we attended, in the year our daughter was here we went to a few seasonal concerts were the kids sang and danced, as well as a trunk or treat, Halloween parade, earth-day activity, and a surprisingly robust graduation ceremony! We absolutely recommend this school to anyone in the area, preschool is a very important developmental stage for children and this school did a fantastic job setting our daughter up for success in K-12!

I was immediately overwhelmed by the love and craft in the classroom. I had the opportunity to tour…read morethe school very last minute after my husband a few days prior toured and said this school is special. I didn't realize how special until I saw it in person. Alice's true authentic Montessori school was warm and inviting. Unfortunately due to distance from us we decided may not be the best fit, but assure any parent her attention to detail and sections for children to focus on math, cursive, and art was nothing less than a beautiful display. The children are able to water flowers and do arrangements, have access to beautiful grounds and nature. Highly recommend and if location / travel time from where we live in Columbia was more feasible would have enrolled our daughter. A must for any parent looking for AMI teaching!!!

A wonderful guide, a great community, true Montessori practice (which is proven to work better for…read morechildren than Montessori-ish alternatives), and a place that offers great Montessori education without creating the warped sense of normalcy that children with predominantly super wealthy classmates are at risk of developing. Finding that all together is hard, but also so important. My toddler loves and is benefiting from practical life work, and so needs the grace and courtesy and independence that great Montessori primary programs can foster. I'm so, so grateful that Apple Ridge and Ms. Alice are here for him.

We have been *beyond* pleased with Guidepost Montessori! The staff are all loving and welcoming,…read moreand we feel our daughter is safe in their care. On the occasional morning when our toddler decides she does NOT want to go to school that day, I can usually hear her tears turn to laughter before I even leave the building. Separation anxiety is normal in small children, and the guides at Guidepost know what they're doing! We enjoy their frequent, clear communication as well as their hours, campus equipment, and the various specialty activities that they offer such as a yearly Saturday pool party or pajama days. If you're in the market for a daycare or preschool that will teach your child(ren) REAL life skills such as cleaning up after themselves as well as subjects such as math, science, and reading, Guidepost is the school for you.

Being in the military, we have moved around a lot and have experienced many different childcare…read morecenters. Guidepost BY FAR has been the best experience. I had 2 children enrolled for the past 2 years and have been blessed to interact with all the staff in the different programs from Nido to Childrens House. They are all absolutely wonderful, especially the Director Caroline and the Assistant Director Liza. Staff go out of their way to assist with difficult transitions and they even show up to birthday parties when invited! I was a sceptic of the Montessori based curriculum but after seeing my kids make huge progress, love learning and teaching us things they learned, and really THRIVE, I am an avid believer. This place is more than a childcare center, this is an extension of family/friends that I truly trust to care for my children. It has been an amazing experience.