Making the decision about where to educate our precious children is one of the most profoundly…read moreimportant parts of being a parent. Our goal was to have our daughter in a place where she would love being just as much as she does our home, and where she would develop academically and emotionally without the stress of repeated assessments. Our desires for her have been met and have been exceeded in ways we never dreamed they would. To explain the beauty of VMS is impossible to do in a short review and yet it's quite simple; the school is a place of peace. Some concepts are only understood when they are experienced first-hand. Come see the way the children operate like a well-oiled machine, how the teachers are keen observers who gently guide when they meet in small groups and individually with children and how they facilitate peaceful interactions between even the youngest children. Come see the carefully planned, stimulating environment which encourages creative learning and freedom of choice within a structure specific to each child. Walk the grounds and breathe in the air of the field, around the lake, in the garden and in the forest habitat beside the school. My truest, most heartfelt desire is that our country would experience this type of educational structure for the well-being of our children. Maria Montessori would be proud to know her legacy is being honored by Village Montessori School at Bluemont.

This is an incredible school that stays absolutely true to the Montessori philosophies and embraces…read moreeach child exactly where they are. The entire staff is child-focused and you can tell they truly enjoy what they do. The setup of the campus is nothing short of incredible. The children are given so many experiences they could never have inside of a "regular" classroom. The whole-life teachings are truly the way I wish all education would be designed. The empowerment, life skills, and sense of self your child will gain from this environment will benefit them even more as they get older. The elementary children are given even more opportunities to blossom with school plays, field trips, and maximizing their developing intellect to create "joyful scholars". Additionally smaller class sizes allow the children to be able to investigate and subject more deeply so they gain mastery of a concept as opposed to just a basic understanding. The staff is also very open to questions and brainstorming sessions to secure an environment for your chid to flourish. The kind, knowledgeable, and warm way in which they interact with students and parents alike is a beautiful example for any education system. I have 3 children who have attended Montessori programs spanning nearly 20 years- this school is the very best and I am so grateful to have found it.

So glad we came to MLMS! After two years of frustration with the local public school system, I…read morechose to homeschool our son. I found homeschooling was not for us. Being a mom is hard work but being mom and the teacher of a very active boy was just not for our family. We looked into the private school options and MLMS was recommended to us by close friends. I researched the Montessori Method and felt it was the best fit for our family. We were warmly welcomed into the Mountain Laurel family. Throughout our sons first year, I participated in workshops at the school and was asked to help at school events. We really were began to understand the Montessori method and how we can incorporate these principals into our home. I really wished we found MLMS years ago.

My younger two children have been enrolled at MLMS since they were very young. My son started in…read morethe toddler program, and my daughter in primary. They are now 10 & 12 years old, and have blossomed academically and socially at this school. Their math and reading skills are strong, and they are excellent at solving problems. I've found that math is actually one of the strengths of MLMS, as the concepts get presented in a concrete way, allowing for a firm grasp of the material. Later, as more abstract thinking is required, being able to return to a strong spatial foundation is greatly beneficial. The opportunity to master skills is available even above their current grade level, and being able to demonstrate that mastery to the younger students in the form of lessons is an excellent way to cement those skills and to form personal confidence. One concern I have had at times was that my children were falling behind in one area or another, but this was always addressed as it became apparent. Recognizing when one needs help in a particular area, and then moving to meet the challenge of addressing it is a skill in an of itself. Successful adults do this all of the time. The physicist Richard Feynman pointed out in one of his discussions of mathematics that early math does not proceed in an orderly fashion. You can often learn the concepts out of the traditional order, finding that it is often possible to derive ideas in multiple directions. Much (though not all) of early learning is like this - you can attain more strength in one domain, and then address another as you note available challenges. This is one of the great strengths of the Montessori system.

My daughter was in Pre-K and Kindergarten at Winchester Montessori School 2017-2019 and we had a…read morewonderful experience. My daughter was fortunate enough to have Mr. Drenning in Pre-K before he moved on to another adventure and Mrs. Sheehy briefly who was also wonderful as was her honorary "teacher's helper" Doogan. Her experience at this school prepared her well for public school where she has already been placed in GT classes and has advanced three grades already and is now a freshman in high school at 12. Thank you WMS for paving the way for a bright future for my daughter

I had two gifted children that I removed from Frederick County Public Schools because this school…read moresystem refused to meet their educational needs. Had they been delayed they would have received the attention they needed but because they were advanced they were ignored. Gifted kids can't be ignored. They stop trying and end up failing. My children LOVED Winchester Montessori. I did too. I never saw them happier. They were excited to go to school every day. They learned so much. Montessori schools are not for everyone. It is a child lead educational approach. If your child is not motivated to complete their work they aren't going to learn. I loved the teachers here. I thought they were fantastic. Both my kids went from hating to read to asking me to buy them books. They finally love to read. Both are reading advanced novels. This change was fast. The class did chemistry (MEL science kits). Mrs. Sheehy really knew how to get the kids excited about learning. My oldest is in 7th grade now. My daughter is a 5th grader. We left Winchester Montessori because we moved out of town. After attending Winchester Montessori for two years, both my children have been placed in the GT programs. My oldest has been placed in classes 2 grade levels above his own. My daughter is working 1-2 grade levels above her own depending upon the subject. Frederick Country claimed my kids were simply average. They weren't. They were ignored. Thanks to Mrs. Sheehy and her school their education has skyrocketed. Thank you!

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.

My son loves Circle of Life Preschool. The teacher, Ms. Sarah, is wonderful and goes above and…read morebeyond for the children and their families. The school is very affordable and the small classroom size is great for COVID safety.

My daughter loves attending here and making new friends. It was wonderful to put her in the program…read moreafter a year and a half of Covid and being home with her. I appreciate the thorough Covid precautions. The teacher is amazing. The co-op style works really well for our family. Love this school.

If you are wondering why tuition is increasing check the pockets of the new head of school…read more Unconstitutional firing of employees, telling students to "drink their spit" and several broken bones on the play ground every year due to the children being unsupervised.

We were in the process of searching for a school for our two children and initially believed we had…read morefound an ideal fit. The school is small, situated on a beautiful campus, and features thoughtfully designed, inviting classrooms. Unfortunately, our experience with the admissions process was disappointing, as the school appeared dismissive and showed little interest in engaging with us regarding the potential enrollment of our children. Pretty disappointing.

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.

Absolutely top notch!! Monarch provides a fantastic educational and nurturing experience. Our…read moredaughter has attended Monarch for the past 3 years and it has been such an amazing school. We were looking for a Christian Montessori program and this is, in our opinion _the best_ option in northern Virginia. They not only provide a wonderful Montessori style education, they provide solid Biblical teaching for these young minds. We have been consistently impressed by their care, compassion, professionalism and exceptional teaching. Some examples of the positives, though the list could go on and on: - the fabulous caring and attentive teachers. They care about your children like their own and they pray for your children and your family. Ms. Jacqueline, Ms. Sharon, Ms. Yoon, Ms. Brielle, Ms. Sophia to name a few. - excellent leadership and administration, Ms. Grace is extremely organized, communicative and detail-oriented. This school tries hard to stay open even when Fairfax/Loudoun counties are closed for their countless holidays which is great for working parents. They provide optional extracurricular activities during the school day for pre-K such as soccer, French class and piano lessons. - the teaching! We were so impressed when our daughter started talking about what red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets do in the human body. wow! - Biblical teaching; the kids memorize Bible verses, are taught Bible stories and worship songs. Our 3 year old memorized the Lord's Prayer! - we have made such wonderful friends with the other students and families attending Monarch - all the extra touches - they put on a wonderful Christmas show every year, make special crafts for the holidays that I know we will treasure forever and host things like Mother's Day breakfast. Our daughter has to graduate otherwise I wish we could keep her here forever! This school is such a blessing to us and to the community! We thank God for Ms. Grace and Monarch.

It brings me tears to my eyes when I think about how Monarch, Ms. Grace, Mr. Phil and their staff…read morehave helped mold our children to who they are today. I can't believe it's been 9 years already with our 3 kids. In 2012, when my daughters were 2 & 3 years old, we've interviewed several pre-schools in the area and this school is the best! Their Christian Montessori education is excellent and provided our kids a firm foundation of learning, growth and character. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, Monarch maintained the highest level of precaution, safety measures, and made us feel safe during that time with our youngest. I will miss the songs, Christmas programs, Thanksgiving luncheons, the arts/crafts from my kids, parent-teacher conferences, and our kids' stories of what they experienced during school. I was always surprised by what they were able to accomplish at such a young age. My fondest memories will be our kids' birthday parties at the school with the puppet shows, oversized balloons, cupcakes, storytelling, and the walk around the globe song. Monarch is an extension of our family and we will miss them very much! My youngest kid just graduated from Kindergarten last June 5th at Monarch. My daughters who are now 11 & 12 years old are doing very well in school - thanks to the Monarch's education and influence.