I wanted to share my experience with Julia Brown School regarding my daughter's time there. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing and left us feeling that the environment was not supportive of helping children adjust and thrive. When my daughter was placed in a new classroom, she had been there for less than a full day before we began receiving calls asking us to pick her up because she was "not listening to instructions." As any parent knows, transitions to a new classroom can be challenging for young children. It typically takes time for them to feel comfortable with new teachers, classmates, and expectations. Instead of allowing her a reasonable adjustment period or working with us on strategies to help her settle in, the school seemed irritated by the situation and quick to remove her from the classroom. We were hoping the staff would demonstrate patience, professionalism, and a child-centered approach--giving her at least a week or two to adapt to the new environment. Unfortunately, that level of support and understanding was not demonstrated. Repeated calls to pick her up after such a short time in the classroom made it feel like the priority was convenience rather than helping a child succeed. Every child deserves educators who are willing to guide them through transitions with patience and care. We had hoped for a more supportive and professional approach from the school in ensuring that our child had the opportunity to adjust and thrive. read more

We've had nothing but a fantastic experience at JBS Silver Spring. Ms. Jones is absolutely perfect to lead this campus, we're so grateful for her leadership and kindness. The teachers are phenomenal and the campus is clean and neat. School communications are clear and prompt, there's always someone there to answer questions or concerns. One of my favorite parts of JBS Silver Spring is the community. We have met life-long friends both for the kids and us parents. Often when a child leaves JBS Silver Spring, we stay in touch with the family since the kids build such a close bond. I can't imagine us being anywhere else, it's truly our dream school come true. read more

My child has been attending JBS silver Spring the past two years and what an amazing school this is! This school provides children such a nurturing, safe and creative environment to learn. The educators are very attentive to the kids and know their kids very well. Every one we met so far has been so kind and caring and enjoy being with the kids. The Montessori curriculum has prepared my five year old to become such an independent, articulate and creative child. She is reading, excelling in math, science and many other general and social skills necessary to master. She now is excited to start the kindergarten program in the fall. The individual attention given to students and their families is commendable! My child is even learning sign language at this school and teaching us. There are so many great things about this school and I am always thankful to have found this school! read more

Our 4 year old daughter has had such a great experience here. Ms. Williams is such a dream, she is so pleasant and professional, she is always available with all of my questions no matter how silly I thought they were. Julia Brown is very sweet and very in tune with day to day activities as well, which was shocking because I figured she would be too busy to keep up with the goings on! The children are in a very clean environment and all of the teachers are very caring & nurturing. Mrs. Wakeman is a dream. She is so colorful and funny and cool-we were very lucky to have her as a teacher. Her energy was a perfect match for my daughter. They also are a TRUE Montessori school. I visited a few different schools that are Montessori BASED and as soon as you walk in, you can look at the busy bright colors and the overwhelming decor and you will know right away that you are in the wrong place (for us anyway). This school is owned and ran by Mrs. Julia Brown and her beautiful daughters and they do a really wonderful job. I can't speak highly enough. The only reason that we are not continuing is that we are moving to Arizona so now I have to start my search all over again. I highly recommend this school. read more

I have sent 4 children to this school because I have loved the experience. The administration is fantastic- informative, knowledgeable, focused on building a better school for your children. The teachers are also fantastic and I have enjoyed all of them. They are loving and completely dedicated to your children. It has been a wonderful school for my family. read more

I am the father of three children, all attended the Julia Brown School. In all my years as a parent at JBS, I was never disappointed. It is a very caring and safe environment; my children thrived there. I believe a lot has to do with the owners - a family - who are very committed. read more

I have heard about this place from various sources, like friends, random people sharing their thoughts about the curriculum of the school and how it aids hands-on learning for pre-school kids. I went ahead and tried it which I thought would be a perfect preparation for my toddler before starting kindergarten. The first weeks went well, only later things began to head downhill. My toddler's behavior began to change. The association with the kids there at the white oak location was horrendous. I started hearing things, like "I am so upset, I will kill you! What?!! I never spoke around my child this way. I later learned that it was picked up from kids at Julia Brown. Certainly not what I expected. And it did not end there! I received complaints that teachers would yell and hit kids on their head and backs which my toddler experienced several times. I only come to know about this detail after about two years when I had a conversation with my now 6-year old. We had already moved to a private school for kindergarten. I would not recommended this place at all for education needs. The quality has deteriorated over the years and people who work there are inexperience and brings a negative aspect to kids development. I wish I had never sent my then toddler there. I spoke to other friends of mine how their experience was at the other locations, like Olney and Laurel and received the similar responses. Teachers are mean to kids and do not address issue concerning kids that are ill mannered. Your best best would be a good christian school or anywhere else with high ratings, besides Julia Brown School. Every time we drive pass this school, I hear, " I don't like that school, that is a bad school." It hurts to have to hear this from a 6 yr old every time. Let's not talk about lunch I thought was being eaten each day. My kids always complained about being hungry after school. Learnt it was being thrown away when not eaten and no one was told. Don't waste your hard earned money at Julia Brown. read more

I enrolled my 3 year old daughter at Julia Brown over the summer of this year. My daughter has never attended a Montessori School and we were looking forward to this new experience. I am going to express my thoughts in two ways, the pros and the cons. I am going to began with the pros. I believe my child was safe, some of the teacher assistants were warm, and I'm sure she learned. There is a decent size parking lot for pick up and drop off and the school has its own private playground. The administrator assistant, Ms. Williams, can be helpful. There were many things that I was not pleased with as a parent and consumer of this school. 1) The teacher my daughter had was cold, not open to new ideas/strategies, and never kept in communication with me. 2) Parents' involvement or engagement is not a philosophy of this school. They do not want parents speaking to the teachers or the assistant teachers. This idea is senseless and cruel to me. Given, that my child spends 10 hours a day at this school, it only makes sense I would like to know about her day. The school leaders, their handbook, and any meeting they hold will remind you that speaking to teachers or assistant teachers is something they do not allow because they want teachers "to pay attention to the students." Teachers and parents will only speak during the parent-teacher conferences. 3) There was a VERY unprofessional incident between myself and the owner, Julia Brown's daughter. No need to draw out the details. I want to make it clear the incident was unprofessional and could have been resolved in a different matter. However, Julia Brown defended her daughter, who is also one of the managers at the school, and never apologized for their rude and unacceptable behavior. 4) The school does not allow children to be children. This school is NOT play-based at all. Very rigid and inflexible. I learned it was not a good fit for my daughter and removed her after five months being there. 5) The owner does not care about customer satisfaction. 6) The school does not encourage parental engagement. 7) Huge teacher assistants turn over and many whom left, informed me they did because of the way administrators spoke to them. The best part of this school was meeting awesome parents and the children are great. I can see how this school is a good fit for some pupils and children. However, it was not for my daughter nor did the school care to support my daughter during the transition from a play-based environment to their environment. I would not recommend this school to anyone. read more