Choosing this Montessori preschool was one of the best decisions we made for our son. Ms. Sheila…read moreand Ms. Maribel create such a loving and supportive classroom environment. He learned so much and progressed beautifully. We truly saw him grow both academically and socially during his time there. They genuinely care about each child and treat them like family -- they have become like a second family to us. Sadly, we had to leave for personal reasons, but we will always be grateful for the foundation and love they gave our son. We couldn't be happier with our experience and highly recommend them to any family looking for a nurturing Montessori environment.

My son currently goes to Sheila's In-Home Learning School. He is about to be 19 months old. I…read moresigned him up a little after he turned one, and it was the best decision we've ever made. During his first year, we had a nanny who was amazing, but it was difficult to work from home and I felt like he wasn't getting exposed to things that could help him learn while I was working. We really wanted to make sure Marcus, like any other parent, could go to a school that was organized, had rules, and took their job seriously but also a place where he felt comfortable and could socialize. These daycares are so important for the safety and development of our children. When Marcus first started, he would just sit in the corner in his little chair. He had just started learning to walk at home, but when he started with Sheila, he was just taking everything in. He's our first child, and there are no other children around us. His cousins are far away, so the only children he saw were one-offs at the library every other week with the nanny. Within the first week, we were already seeing great developmental jumps from our son. He started walking more, becoming more social, saying more words, and signing things we weren't teaching him at home. He was coming back with new things and even teaching us and we keep up with his learning too. It's been such an amazing and fun journey watching him really grow while at Sheila's. Sheila and Maribel are so great and sweet. They've built a really great community. The parents in this organization are so welcoming and nice. We have a group chat, and everyone supports each other. I think they're really trying to raise good human beings. I see that because Marcus was the youngest when we started, and all the kids were so sweet and welcoming. They would call him "baby Marcus," and I think that's how he gained confidence to play with other kids and toys. When he first started, he had huge separation anxiety and wouldn't go to my mom, grandparents, siblings, or cousins at parties. He would just sit by my side more than other children his age. Moving to daycare really opened him up, and it's just fun to see. He's wanting to connect with others and he's just really smart. I know that has a lot to do with our daycare. We looked at a couple of daycares, but we chose Sheila because she had a set way of doing things that made sense. I appreciated that there were clear goals. For example, when we dropped him off, you had to close the door behind you. They don't slack on that and that makes me feel assured that they are safe. There are a couple of reasons why I chose Sheila: - The facility is really clean. - They have great updates to the space inside and outside. - great age appropriate toys, and learning materials. - The pricing is affordable. - They are consistent with their schedule and routine. - They tell you exactly what you need to prepare and bring. -the community As a first-time mom, dropping off your child at daycare is daunting. Sheila walked me through everything: you need to provide diapers, wipes, a water bottle, and a bed sheet. He would never nap with us, but at daycare, he naps consistently and does really well. He always comes back with a clean diaper. After about a month, he was thriving. Now, when I drop him off, he doesn't even cry. He walks over to Maribel and Sheila, and when I pick him up, I see him putting his toys away before running to me. It's so sweet to see. I can't say enough great things about Sheila and Maribel. The priority is: do you trust this childcare? Yes, a hundred percent. Do I trust her with my son's safety? Yes. It's because of the rules she puts in place and how strongly she enforces them. The consistency of Maribel--you can tell she's going to be there long-term. We feel extremely lucky and happy!

My daughter was at Gateway from age 3 to 4 (graduated to TK) and it was such a great experience…read more This was her first step into care/schooling outside of home so I was particular in what I wanted for her: Clean facilities: Due to covid, I couldn't go inside but I did a video tour, reviewed classroom videos, and was able to sneak peeks from outside. We felt good about it what we saw. After she was enrolled, we were allowed in a few times for family events and I was thrilled at the space. Neat, clean and organized. (The outdoor play area has shade for the kids and soft padded areas ... no tan bark!) Learning and Development: I'm amazed at how much my daughter learned over the year. They focused on the things you would expect like ABC's and numbers but also STEM experiments and social development (managing feelings, consent/boundaries, and relationships). Celebrations: when searching for schools, I came across a number of them that didn't celebrate holidays, birthdays and the like - which was a little sad to me. I understand it isn't for everyone but I wanted my daughter to be able to celebrate the fun stuff... gateway was an awesome place for that. They hosted a really fun Halloween event, a few family events and an adorable graduation ceremony (caps, gowns, awards, flowers, goody bags and all!). Teachers: They are truly wonderful. My daughter absolutely adored her preschool teacher (we had teacher Jianna) and I know all the parents in the class felt the same. She took the time to really build relationships with each child and work with them on individual needs. We had a parent-teacher conferences and I always appreciated how thorough her assessments were. Overall, I we have a lot of great memories at Gateway and I'd highly recommend.

I was a bit concerned with some of the earlier reviews here. BUT thankfully, this is a great…read moredaycare and we have both our kids here (2, 4). ALL of the teachers that we've encountered seem so friendly and you can tell they truly love kids, love what they do, and are so caring. The infant teacher that takes care of my son truly loves him SO much, and as for my 4 year old, the teachers are always on top of how she is, what she's doing, what she likes/dislikes, what she needs work on. The facilities COULD use some updates, but honestly, staff & kids are what's most important, kids don't care that much about amenities. I can tell my kids are really thriving here and would highly recommend to anyone! I think the only gripe was that it was a bit hard to get a hold of them for enrollment, but it's only one main office staff and I'm sure she has a lot to deal with dealing with parents, general office & building maintenance, etc. Took some persistence over email and over phone. The contact info on the site is updated so just keep trying!

Our son went to CMS from 3-4.5 years of age. We were impressed from the beginning, even when we…read moretoured the school. The teachers are so caring and compassionate. They really take the time to know the individual child. Our son learned so much while there. He knows how to write the alphabet, spell & read a few simple words. He learned some Spanish & Tagalog too. He also made some great friendships along the way! Communication was always great, from emails, the ClassDojo app & at drop -off/pick-up time. We will miss CMS but plan on sending our younger child there when it's time.

To start with a story: At dinner, our one y.o. dropped a cube of avocado, on which my wife…read moreinadvertently stepped. While my wife and I were freaking out to cleanup, our three y.o. gleefully shouted: "you made guacamole!" This is one of many instances when we know our daughter must have picked up from school a new word, logic, and/or a proud sense of optimism that we grown-ups have taken for granted. And also perhaps because they just made guacamole in class a few weeks ago. Right from the start, CMS challenged our notion of needing to choose : between academics and play; between a family setting or classroom-like environment; between one-on-one attention and structured curriculum. CMS offers the best of all worlds! Our daughter joined CMS when she turned two. We will never forget the first day when two older classmates welcomed and comforted our daughter -- shy and trepid about the new environment into which she was about to venture. The teachers are kind, patient, and demonstrate extensive experience working with youngsters. When we were potty-training our child, we appreciated the school complementing our efforts. We enjoy the opportunity to chat with the teachers about our child's progress when we drop off and pickup everyday. Whenever there is an incident at school -- big or small -- the teacher or director will notify us right away via SMS. Since going to CMS, our daughter has brought home words, phrases or ideas which we, as immigrants, would not have thought of teaching her at home (or even knew ourselves). As much as we are glad that she now has a good command of language, we are even more appreciative of her enthusiasm to learn and ask questions. She has been more expressive -- well, generally -- but more importantly, about her feelings and emotions. I can see that the CMS encourages kids to solve problems and resolve conflicts with civility. What our daughter loves: 1. her friends at school 2. her teachers 3. birthday parties 4. singing and dancing 5. learning Spanish 6. running into friends at nearby playgrounds 7. art! What we love: 1. the weekly, hand written schedule that tells us the curriculum and what to prepare for the week. 2. a diverse class 3. a portfolio of school work that progressively challenges her writing and math skills 4. our kid exposed to language and culture markedly different than that with which she is familiar at home. 5. our three y.o. correcting our English pronunciations 6. chatting with parents at nearby playgrounds -- and getting the sense that they feel similarly about the CMS. 7. the artwork our child brings home! The best endorsement we can give is to send another child to the same school. And we are planning to do just that when our baby turns two next year. Who knows? We might even start making guacamole together at home.