Our experience with Brighton Montessori has been incredible…read more My son started shortly after he turned 2. We wanted more than a daycare. We wanted Montessori practices and principles. And it was immediately apparent that Brighton Montessori offered this. We looked at a few different options before choosing BMS and there was a startling difference. In the other daycare centers, the children were running around yelling, a few crying, one kid was climbing up a bookshelf, etc. When we came and looked at BMS, the kids were playing quietly in groups with their "work." Within a few weeks of my son attending BMS he was picking up his toys, pushing in his chair and saying "thank you." All that said, this is not to imply that BMS is strict and quiet! The children are allowed to be children! They run around outside. They sing songs loudly! Everyday my son comes home and proudly show me his artwork. They play play play! The teachers are also fantastic. They are some of the most gentle, kind and compassionate people I've met. My son adores them. He gives them hugs when he leaves for the day. He arrives at school and feels comfortable telling them all the things he did that weekend. He respects his teachers but sees them as allies, not a threat. This is entirely due to their respectful interactions with our children. I could go on and on. There are halloween parades. Christmas cookie parties. They help you with potty training (if desired). They have communal lunch and snack time. It's just a wonderful, caring, family-oriented environment. Please go visit and see for yourself!

We looked at a couple places for our pre-schooler, and this was by far the best. The staff is very…read morededicated and nurturing to the children. Our child enjoys her learning experience and seems to thrive in their setting. Highly recommend if you can afford to do it!

We enrolled our child at Milford Montessori when he was 4 and it was his first school experience…read more From day 1 he was labeled as "busy" by the lead teacher. It only snowballed from there. They insisted that we contact a specialist after a month of school (3 days a week). After requesting information from the school regarding a supposed incident to relay to the specialist, we were ignored for weeks. However, the school had no issue writing incident reports requiring our signature about the smallest things after that point, such as him jumping on a book. Yet we never received an incident report requiring our signature the day our child had an injury to the face from falling into a cabinet, interestingly enough. The specialist was a large expense out of pocket, but both his pediatrician and that specialist stated it is common for 4 year olds to be "busy" and that the teachers should be working with students instead of seeking out medical evaluation at this age. Suddenly, my child started crying before school, which was uncharacteristic up until that point. This is when we decided to make a change for him. When we informed the school leadership we were switching schools, they did not ask why, did not seem to care, all they did was wish us the best and told us his belongings would be outside waiting for us in a paper bag. We are now able to watch our child at his new school via livestream video whenever he is present in class and he is no "busier" than any of the other 4 year olds there. I would think twice about enrolling your child in this school.

From the owner: Milford Montessori prepares children for life by cultivation within the child his/her own natural…read morecuriosity and desire to learn

Daycroft is a school unlike any other…read more The Montessori philosophy is the foundation of what makes Daycroft so amazing. The kids that attend Daycroft are genuinely some of the nicest kids I've ever met. There is a huge emphasis placed on the "culture of kindness" and it shows every day. Children are treated with respect, and therefore respect one another. When behavior issues arise, children are counseled through it by their teachers, not simply punished. There is an emphasis on understanding and empathy rather than control. A HUGE reason this is possible is the faculty to student ratio. Every grade-level classroom has two full-time, certified teachers. The class sizes are nearly always 20 kids or less, so that's a 10-to-1 ratio max most of the time. When they go to specials (music, art, gym, Spanish, library, and technology), each class is split in half (half go to music and half to art, for example, then they switch) to preserve that ratio- unless the class makes more sense to have more kids (such as gym or orchestra). Daycroft is a school where everyone knows everyone by name- students know and are friends with other students at other grade levels, teachers know students' names in grades other than just the ones they teach, and specials teachers get to teach the same kids for up to nine years. The bond that is created with such a close-knit community is special. Daycroft is a family.

Our family has been at Daycroft Montessori for four years and are starting our fifth year. We…read morehighly recommend the school. We annually renew our decision to enroll at Daycroft due to the following: 1. The Montessori philosophy: mixed-age classrooms, children work uninterrupted on learning activities that they freely choose from a teacher-created set of options, children primarily learn by working hands-on with a myriad of subject-appropriate materials rather than verbal instructions from an instructor, and work plans designed for each individual child to the point that, depending upon the needs of the child, work plans can range from daily to weekly in duration. 2. Two teachers in each Daycroft classroom. This translates into a ratio of approximately one teacher for every 10 students. 3. The extraordinary religious, racial, and ethnic diversity of the children enrolled at Daycroft. For those of you reading this review who are new to the Montessori philosophy, let me explain that Montessori means disciplined choice. There is zero chaos in a Daycroft Montessori classroom. There may be a quiet hum, or happy chatter, but no chaos. From their workplan, children choose which item to address when. They are taught how to effectively focus and not interrupt other children's work. Because workplans are individualized to best fit their learning style, the children become deeply engaged. Before they move on to a new activity, the children must clean up their current activity. So, classrooms are tidy, calm, and, at the end of the day, everything is back in its place. We particularly love the diversity of the Daycroft families. Because it's so diverse, children learn experientially about the many skin tones, religions, & ethnicities. The teachers invite families in to share their rituals, foods, and experiences. Parents have the opportunity to become as involved as desired. I've volunteered in the classroom and my husband has volunteered in after-school. (There are quite a number of after-school activities for the children.) Daycroft has two locations. The Zeeb campus is K-6. Our family's experience has been at the Zeeb campus, which is where I will focus my review. The building is in excellent condition; bright, clean, and well-designed. It includes the K-6 classrooms, a robust library, media center, well-appointed art room, music room with risers and instruments, multi-purpose room (used for lunch, spanish, and after-care), kitchen, gym/auditorium, science room, sickroom, and administrative offices. All classrooms have smartboards and other types of technology (computers, etc). All children at Daycroft have Spanish twice a week and upper grades learn additional languages, and the etymology of language. Musical instruments are introduced at an early age, and increasingly sophisticated instruments are added as the children progress through the grades. There is an orchestra, choir, and band, and the children perform a concert semi-annually. Annually, in the spring, there is an all-school musical that is amazing. Every child is involved - creating the sets, singing in the chorus, and/or being on-stage. At Daycroft, children have choices appropriate to their age and abilities. All subjects are taught extensively and deeply throughout the children's time at Daycroft. For example, geometry and algebra are introduced in pre-school; each year, a child's learning of such subjects advances in sophistication. Because the children have individual workplans and uninterrupted worktime, they progress at their pace (with the teacher's encouragement and guidance, of course). What the children learn at Daycroft is far advanced from what my husband and I were taught at the same ages in our own school experiences. The administrative and teaching staff are always available to the parents. Two years ago, our daughter hit a personal "bump in the road". We spent time with her teachers and the head of school to work through this and found the experience to be very gratifying. All of us worked collaboratively to help our daughter traverse the situation successfully. From a distance, I've noted this scenario repeated successfully with other children at Daycroft. All children, at some point, will need some extra attention and the Daycroft staff has the time and commitment to provide it. From a physical perspective, children have gym three or four times per week. Plus, of course, recess. At the Zeeb campus, there are two playgrounds with age-appropriate equipment - one for lower elementary and a second for upper elementary. Zeeb has a garden, pond, and wetlands for the children to use in their curriculum. Some classrooms also include yoga daily for the children which has been a wonderful thing. Check out Daycroft Montessori - you'll be glad you did.

My son goes here for daycare and has been going for roughly a year maybe a little over and wow has…read morehe learned and flourished! He is 19 months old and learning so many words and dances and songs colors shapes every milestone you would want your child to learn, plus some. He loves going to school and practically runs out the door when it's time to go! When I come to pick him up he runs and gives me a big hug and then tries to go back to coloring or playing! He loves the teachers and has always adored the director Raj. He's made close bonds with them and will continue going because I have no complaints and he definitely doesn't either! THANK YOU GREEN HOUSE!

Our twins went here for almost 2 years before we moved out to CA. We loved it and so did the kids!…read moreWe started there when kids were just about 18 months and Ms Andrea helped them ease in a new setting, as they had never attended a daycare before. Kids learned to make friends and be social. Later they graduated to Ms Lily's class where they learned to be more independent and take care of themselves. I was amazed at the tricks they learned in school about putting on their own clothes and shoes and hanging them on hangers after coming home. All the other teachers are also very loving and caring. Ms. Mary was my son's favorite! Moreover the owner Mr. Raj is very helpful and accommodating. Once we forgot to hand over their lunch bags and he ordered some food for them without even a second thought and did not even charge us for it. The school field trips are a great learning and exposure opportunities for kids, sure we paid a little extra for them but they were worth it. My kids still remember their apple orchard field trip from Fall 2018. I realize how nice they were when their current daycare here in bay area does not offer them. They also took kids on a walk almost daily (weather permitting) which was good as kids get to have fresh air rather than being in the same room whole day. Kids also played outside on warmer days' evenings. Additionally they offered swim lessons in summer if you are interested. Overall it was an all-round development for my twins and I wish we could be there for the rest of the time till they start kindergarten.

Northville Montessori Center is a second family to us. The kids are taught crucial skills in…read moreaddition to the expected math, reading, etc. - leadership, self-motivation, care for the environment. Great teachers, excellent program. A place to help develop anybody into the best person they were meant to be.

My son started going there this year, as such he is too shy! And scared how he is going to adopt…read morewith the new environment. But to my astonishment, he loves the school and teachers. But this is very good for our expectations.

Even though our son doesn't qualify for Montessori due to some developmental delays, Karen was so…read morekind to still spend time with us showing us the place and then help us research for a more fitted place for our son. She is very kind and caring and this shows because it wasn't in her interest to help us. We are very grateful for you Karen!!

I remember the first day where Karen Lumsden invited us over after school to see if the per-scool…read morewould be a good fit for our daughter. We were searching around and weren't sure where to enroll her. She walked us around various classrooms/activity areas/yard etc. while one of the instructors interacted with our daughter. We really loved it and we got the feeling they really cared and knew what they were talking about. Lot of places may say they do Montessori, but do they? It was a plus to be super close to the school. I also think for the quality education and life skills our daughter gets, price is more than fair. We already see positive changes in our daughter. She is more curious and she loves going to school. She has also less reliant on her teddy than before. I give them 10/10 as we are very satisfied with them. Recommending them to another parent is not hard for me.

On August 7th around 12:45 PM, our son fell near the slide at school. Staff noted it wasn't serious…read moreand let him continue his day. That evening, he was in severe pain, and we took him to the ER. Thankfully no fracture, but he is still in pain days later. What's most disappointing is the lack of empathy and compassion shown afterward. Instead of proactive care and follow-up, the response felt dismissive and indifferent. Parents trust schools to not only ensure safety, but also to treat children with genuine concern when accidents happen. Sadly, that trust was broken in this case.

The MMC is a special place with caring people. I am so blessed to have went there my whole…read morechildhood up through the sixth grade.