Our son attended Guidepost Montessori of Montclair for two years and we simply can't say enough…read moregood things about this school. The staff, while incredibly friendly, are absolutely amazing educators that care deeply for their students and help them to excel at their classwork. Our son is five years old but is currently completing 2nd grade math worksheets thanks to his guides and their carefully crafted lesson plans. I would like to highlight both Ms. Nuria and Ms. Eli who cared for and taught my son for the last two years. They are both amazing teachers and any parent would be grateful to have them as their child's instructor. I highly recommend this school and am grateful that we found this gem!

I can't begin to describe how disappointed I am in this place. They lie about what the tuition will…read morebe, payment processes, and their program in general. How can they associate their name with Montessori? Zero integrity. Bad business practices. Why would a parent bring their child to a place like this?

I regret enrolling my daughter here. Despite committing early (touring in Feb 2024, paying a…read moredeposit, and submitting all forms), the school's lack of communication, disorganization, and disregard for basic safety and hygiene created a deeply frustrating and emotionally exhausting year. From misplaced incident reports and unaddressed injuries, to administrative errors and tone-deaf leadership, this school consistently failed to provide a safe, transparent, and developmentally supportive environment. My daughter came home with swollen lips, unexplained bruises, missing shoes, and stories of peer mistreatment -- with no formal documentation provided, despite repeated requests. These were not isolated events; I have video/photo documentation, and other parents voiced similar concerns in meetings. The director's conduct was both inappropriate and hypocritical -- once sending me a photo of my 3-year-old with paper in her mouth and demanding I "talk to her about telling the truth" over a harmless joke (gum from dad), while gaslighting parents about emails that were never sent. We were made to feel like the problem, when in reality the school's tech systems, operations, and staffing plans were simply broken. Staffing was unstable -- the lead teacher left for maternity leave with no real succession plan. Parents were informed of changes through hallway gossip before any official notice. Other red flags included: * Poor nap hygiene (child's skin broke out); * No proper underwear/clean clothes sent home; * Unsafe food handling policies; * Lost orthopedic shoes due to mishandling after an accident -- only replaced after escalation; * Inconsistent behavioral reporting, with my child being singled out for normal 3-year-old behavior, while aggressive peer behavior went unaddressed all year. The school showed a lack of respect for working parents, sending critical updates (like school closures) late at night and offering no accessible options for required events (no childcare, no virtual options, last-minute notices). They ran meetings on free Zoom accounts that cut off mid-call, used free Gmail accounts, and misunderstood basic tools like unlisted YouTube links. My concerns were dismissed, incident reports were never filed, and when I reported this to the county, I was told it was "too late." Given how long and hard I tried to resolve these issues internally -- and my documentation of events -- this only added to the heartbreak. In hindsight, I should have trusted my gut and pulled my child out much earlier. If you're a parent considering this school, please ask hard questions about staff turnover, behavior policies, safety reporting, and operational transparency. And if something feels off -- trust yourself.

Will only state the facts that lead to this review…read more.. In preparation for our move to VA this year, my family and I have been searching for a suitable Montessori school within this area. After speaking with Cardinal several times via the phone we felt that this might be a great option. A few weeks ago, my wife had scheduled a school tour and staff meet with Cardinal's senior coordinator (not official title) to allow us to see a routine day at the school and view its operation. We scheduled the tour for a Friday, which we were told was not "normal" but would be allowed given the fact that my family had to drive 5+ hours to get there. The tour was locked on that Monday with a 0930 start time on Friday. We had no other communication from the school throughout the week and on Thursday afternoon, we hit the road after I had gotten off work and arrived in VA just after midnight. We were up the following Friday morning and arrived at Cardinal at 0910 to an empty parking lot, locked building, lights off, and no one on site... We sat, waited, and attempted to call anyone with no luck and no response. It was about 0930 when finally a car pulled up and a women was dropped off. She didn't engage us at all and simply walked into the school. My wife proceeded to knock on the door and was met by said women who appeared to be cleaning. My wife explained our situation to the women who simply laughed, nodded, and said that the school was closed due to a maintenance emergency. A few minutes later, another women arrived who identified herself as a teacher. We calmly explained how we were scheduled to meet with a Ms. Igera for our tour but had not been able to reach her or anyone else. The teacher looked surprised and quickly reiterated that the school had been closed for the last few days. She then pulled out her phone and said she would call the "school owner" who was already on her way to Cardinal. At approx. 0945 the school co-owner arrived and welcomed us inside. We explained, again, who we were and why we were there. She quickly apologized and then explained how the school closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to plumbing issues. They had sent all the students and staff home and were now back (Friday morning) in order to clean for the reopening on Monday. She didn't ask any further about the botched tour appointment, but rather tried to go right into her pitch for the school. At the end of the walk-through, we were on our way out the door when we asked for Ms. Igera to call us about the clear failure in communication. The Co-owner said she would, glorified her staff, and said she hoped we would consider them when we moved... Fast forward 2+ weeks later....we got that call.... And it was to schedule yet another tour at the school. Nothing more. The level of complete disregard, disrespect, and sheer unprofessionalism that went into this waste of time is truly astounding. For better perspective, here is a better overview of all my family and I sacrificed in order to simply VISIT the school and observe its operation. - late night drive 5+ hours after work. - pulled my 4yo daughter out of current school in order to see the Cardinal school and meet the teachers. - my wife is 7 months pregnant at the time of all this. And she had to make all these movements. - I scheduled a full day away from work to make this trip happen. - spent hundreds on gas to make the round trip. Along with paying for a hotel in order to stay overnight... The Cardinal school may do just fine in some things, but I find it hard to imagine what. The coordination, communication, and lack of accountability is frightening. To make a commitment to an outside family who is willing to spend thousands on the betterment of their children's care and education and then not even have the courtesy to communicate a simple appointment change is unacceptable. I would HIGHLY encourage any family seeking a Montessori program to move on and explore other options (military families or otherwise). I have nothing negative to post about the teachers who work here, simply the lack of efficient and effective administrative overview of the school itself. This was not a sophisticated encounter, but rather a simple and what I would image routine engagement with an interested party. If this is how they treat an unaffiliated party, how do they respond under higher stress situations? Who actually maintains the schools appointments? Who is charge of registrations? Etc... Bottom line, keep searching. There are other great options within this region of VA, as my family and I learned. So disappointed to leave a review of this manner on a Montessori related establishment, but title alone does not guarantee quality. I truly hope this review can bring about a greater awareness of the low standard practices at Cardinal.

Love the Montessori teaching philosophy. Met toddler teacher, observed class, must say my daughter…read moreloved it so much I had to drag her out! We submitted our paperwork, my daughter is super thrilled to start classes. They only give fruit for snacks! LOVE that! And they are familiar with ANA Nut Allergies. Which is awesome! They seem super easy to work with. Nut free, which is great! Very very nice outdoor play area. They have raised gardens for the children to 'work' in and an awesome enclosed court yard.

We have had kids here for over ten years and it has continued to be an amazing environment for our…read morekids to learn. There is a peace and a joy and an excitement that you can witness every time you go into a classroom. The social skills, the depth of learning and most importantly, the love of learning which manifests itself is priceless to us.

My son and nephew both attend this school and they both absolutely love it…read more My son specifically is a very high energy and strong minded child. His teachers have been very helpful in guiding him and guiding me on how to help him be his best self. They really do care and know what they are doing. He developed his speech more delayed than other students but now comes home every day saying new phrases and learning how to listen better. I am very happy with my experience here and would recommend this school 100 times over.

Beware of this school! Especially If you are a military family and your child may have autisum. Our…read moreson did a classroom visit and I thought he did well considering he has never been in any daycare and I explain this to Elisa Zago the Director of Enrollment and Outreach when I went to the parent visit. I had to follow up with them to see if he got in or not and she emailed me right away saying they wanted him to come in for a second visit. I thought it was strange but I went with it! idk how you can judge how a child is going to do or what they can do in a 15 min visit. Seemed very inaccurate to me. She said she would follow up with is but never did so I reached out to see because you we had not heard from them in about 2 weeks very unprofessional to me. I said Good Evening! I'm just following up about my son to see if he has gotten into your program? If not please let me know, so I can look into getting him in another Kindergarten program before spots are all filled up. Her response was thank you for your email. We are sorry but your son didn't make it into our program. We wish you the best. No explanation to why or not! I'm really upset because his pediatrician recommended this place thought it would be a great place for him to thrive but they passed judgment on my son without giving him the chance. As a military family this is disheartening. This is how they treat the people who serves this country's kids with a disability.

A team of caring and intelligent educators and leaders. We…read morehave been at The Springs for near a year now. We started the application process pre COVID and entered during the summer program which secured our slot for the fall, so my experience is limited to the Toddler Program (my child started at 22 months old) during the pandemic. For background, I have had my now toddler in a chain daycare (Kindercare) and a great in home daycare but those are true daycares vs a Montessori school so they are completely incomparable. I only have laudatory remarks about the professionalism and care of The Springs. Mr. Dan, The Head of School (HoS), and Ms. Katelyn the Assistant HoS are absolute leaders. Incredibly responsive to any request and communicative on all aspects of the school, I trust their judgment and appreciate all the efforts to remain operational during COVID. Our teacher Ms. Katelyn D., and her assistant teachers Ms. Belkin and Ms. Ethel are amazing with the children and my tot is THRIVING! I have sent emails late on a Friday or Saturday night to Ms. Katelyn D.,not expecting a response until the next working day, only to find a reply in my inbox within hours. Professional and dedicated, I feel a sense of team between the educators and parents as all focus is on the child. The Springs Montessori has me a true believer in the Montessori methods and although yes, it is more expensive than the other daycares my peace of mind for the well being of my child and results of my happy kiddo worth the price tag. Some perks: -A daily report of diaper changes/ what was eaten/ nap length so you can plan your evening -Catered lunches- no oops I forgot the lunch box on the table moments, such a time saver -Parent teacher conferences- yes for a TWO year old, it's awesome -Weekly photos of your child engaging in activities at school -virtual learning options -online portal to track your child's milestones and communicate on routine admin requirements Things to consider: -It's a school, not a day care, school schedules include seasonal breaks -when things get back to normal the kids wear a uniform, I love this but it does add cost -the parking lot is not great, it's busy! Between the parking lot and COVID mitigation, allot extra time for drop off/ pick up Bottom line- I love this school and my child loves this school too.

Would not recommend. They were not very approachable and do not try to work with the parent. They…read morewould always call me wanting me to pick up my child, because they claimed my child had a tummy ache or was sick. Upon arrival my child was completely fine. I was told once my child had pink eye. After picking them up, my child's eyes were NORMAL. Took them to the pedi. just in case, and was told nothing was wrong with their eyes. Not worth the crazy amount of tuition they charge. Find somewhere else, you DO NOT GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

We decided to enroll our son at Montessori of Chantilly because after going through a long list of…read morepreschools in the area, I really did not find a place that "felt right and safe" specially during COVID except for this one. I communicated with Ms. Kaltun, the director and I must say, after speaking to her once, I was "sold" at putting my son at her school. She is very personable, very kind and understanding, genuine and just listened to my questions, concerns and answered them confidently which gave me peace of mind sending my son over to a school during the pandemic. We then went to the school for a tour and met Ms. Komala, our son's primary teacher. At first meeting, our son felt very comfortable with her and he never forgot her name even tho it took us about 4 months before starting in class- she sure gave him a good impression and really showed us how much she cared for the children. I have so much good things to say about the school. I have recommended them to my friends and coworkers who also had good experience with them. Overall, this is a place that cares about our children, they do not look at them as numbers like all the others. If you want quality education and a safe place for your children, this is it.

I'm not sure if my daughter would have excelled to her current level if it was not for the awesome…read morestaff at the Montessori School of Chantilly. Her reading comprehension is strong and her attention is much improved. The thing that I really appreciate about the teachers is the fact that they want to learn more about the respective cultures of the student body so that they can prepare them for the diverse world that exists outside of the school. My daughter is part of such a warm and welcoming environment, so much so that they even invited parents to come in and contribute towards a special event yesterday to better understand and appreciate the importance of Lunar New Year to my family and the other families that celebrate. As a dad, I will always be thankful for that. Highly recommend.

Ivina R. Was an aid to thw teacher. She is also the same person who will tell a parent their just…read moreturn 3 year old does not have empathy. The same person that would finds all the negatives of a child and belittle them. She provided no engagement, no solutions or interest to work with the parents. She does not want to deal with children who are more active and may need more guidance. She is a poor and unprofessional child education personnel.

This is not Marie Montessori school. Teachers are not Montessori certified. Over price daycare…read more Also school is not probably clean in classroom on a daily basic

We had to look for a preschool during the middle of the pandemic and we knew that we wanted a place…read morethat was going to develop not only our son's academic skills, but his social emotional skills as well. Ms. Hana took COVID safety very seriously and took all the measures to make sure that the learning environment was also a safe place as well which was also a top priority for us. It was going to be his first time in a structured school setting so I really appreciated the smaller class size and student to teacher ratio because I felt like he was able to receive a more individualized curriculum and he was met at his academic level. When my son first started, he had very basic knowledge of his letters and sounds, but now we are almost to the end of our first year and he is reading simple sentences. He comes home excited to tell me what he has learned and about all his friends at school! I am so impressed with how much he has learned and grown thanks to Ms. Hana. Although we will be moving on next year to kindergarten, we are so happy that our son was able to get a good foundation for this upcoming school year!

My daughter has been attending Magnet Montessori for past 6 months. (3 years - 3 and Half) Me and…read moremy husband feel its been one of the best decisions we have made so far to enroll her. My daughter has grown so much during her time here into very sweet, talkative, helpful. Ms. Hana plans thoughtful activities for the kids all the time and is a very responsive director. She takes the time to get to know every child very well. I love that this school is smaller which affords the kids more personalized care as well as bring a "family like" feeling between parents, teachers, and children. My most favorite part is, I really enjoy receiving a art works, worksheets, home report and occasional pictures of my child. We have been very happy at MMPS. It is a gem of a school within affluent North Potomac/Rockville with still very reasonable rates relative to other preschool.