Which Montessori Preschool?

Hi Talia,

Our daughter has been at TRIS for the past three years and we absolutely love it.  The staff is great, the multicultural community has been wonderful and my child has developed a love of languages. The school is a "fundamentalist" Montessori program that is true to the model (which we love).  The school also has a rich art and music program. I can't recommend it enough!!!

Hi Talia! We completed a year at Grand Lake Montessori with our 3.5-year-old son. While we appreciate the Montessori philosophy, we found some practices at GLM didn't align with our expectations of the approach.

Our main concerns were around classroom management - specifically the use of a "green chair" for behavioral correction, which felt more like traditional timeout methods rather than the intrinsic motivation approach we associate with Montessori. Our son, who is typically very social and outgoing, struggled to connect with the lead teacher and mentioned sitting in the chair multiple times some days.

We also noticed challenges with social integration, as many children had existing friendships from previous years. Our son felt most comfortable with one of the assistant teachers who provided physical comfort when he was upset, while the lead teacher didn't feel physical comfort was appropriate. It was disappointing that emotional support wasn't consistently available when our son needed it.

The deposit timing was also challenging - it was due three weeks before OUSD decisions were released, which for us meant forfeiting $3,500 when we got into TK. I can understand that they are struggling with budget issues given California's TK rollout, but this felt like a blatant disregard for our family's finances.

Lastly, you should be aware that GLM had a licensing deficiency reported to the state department of social services earlier this year due to briefly losing track of one of their toddlers.

We ultimately decided to transition to TK, but wanted to share our experience.

Best of luck with your decision!
Pete

We have our two kids at TRIS (2 and 4.5) and have loved it. The quality of the teaching staff is impressive, and many of our kids teachers have been at the school for many years and either have their kids or grandkids at the school and/or previously had kids there. It's a small and warm teaching community, and all of the teachers know our kids and have relationships with them. There is significant language immersion, and if it's important to you, opportunities to really lean into the spanish or french. The school also has an elementary and middle school program, so you have the option of a long term school home. Finally, the parent community has been great. When we started at the school we were new to the area, and felt very included in the community (playdates, birthdays, whatsapp chats). It's very "true" to the montessori approach, and the culture and values of montessori are all embedded throughout the school and community. Finally, I'll note our daughter is already doing some basic reading, and some addition. They are very strong academically, and able to scale up with children when/if they are ready.  

Cons: It's expensive, and the sibling discount is tiny. There are many extra days off school (for example, on Memorial Day weekend, the school is closed both the Friday before for a "Teachers Work Day" and the Monday holiday). I think all 4 Mondays in January the school was closed - so definitely get a copy of the calendar and make sure you have coverage. 

Hello! 

I’ve got a preschooler at Rockridge Montessori and can’t speak highly enough of the school. The school has met our kid exactly where they are and adapt with us as they grow. This includes conversations about how our child thrives more in smaller class environments (implying a discussion about which classroom we got placed in) to the interests our kid has (a strong aptitude to everything mechanical), to accompanying our kid in the autonomy phase and what that means for our potty training approach. 

Our household is a bilingual household and we even have the teachers a list of key words our child uses to make sure there is consistency between school and home life. 

Lastly, when there is a transition or event at our home, we inform the school ahead of time such that the school can prepare our child alongside us for an upcoming event or transition. The teachers are true partners. 

 

My kids attended Oak Grove Montessori, which is sister school of Rockridge. I like the fact that it's affordable than all other Montessori schools and has free lunch/snacks and the best schedule for working parents ( 7:30 am to 6 pm), typically it's 9 am to 5:30 pm for us. They are managed by the same owner, so i assume it's same philosophy - flexible/caring/easy going. My older one graduated and my younger one has started since 1.5 years old.

My older child started at RMS at age 3.5 and my younger is currently in RMS, starting at age 1.5.  I like everything about the school--the academics, how they cater to working parents (good hours, optional care offered in most vacation weeks), the extra activities students can sign up for, how they prepare them for elementary school socially and academically.  The teachers are very effective, competent, and kind.  The other parents are great as well.  I find the administration to be generally organized and helpful.