Diablo Valley Montessori School
Lafayette, CA
To see Department of Social Services records on this facility, click on its DSS Facility License # below.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
March 2011
Does anyone have reviews or thoughts about Diablo Valley Montessori in Lafayette? Anon
I have two kids, both of whom attended Diablo Valley Montessori School (DVMS) in Lafayette. Overall, it is a great school. Kids learn at their own pace, and get to choose their 'jobs'. This generally means the classrooms are peaceful because kids are choosing what they want to learn about, and they get to work with it for as long as they choose (within reason). They learn much more than A-B-Cs. They learn about nature, helping other people, other cultures, etc. It's a non-profit and the Board is parent-run.
They have very low teacher turnover. Teachers have a great deal of autonomy. I would advise observing at least two, before making any decisions. One teacher in particular was not right for me or my family (lacking warmth). In true Montessori style, preschool/pre-K kids typically remain in the same class, with the same teacher, for their entire preschool experience (2-3 years) so matching them with the right teacher is paramount.
It is not a new school. The campus is basically 4 or 5 adjacent houses that have been converted into a school campus. If you want a shiny beautiful new school, this is not for you. Kids don't seem to care about that. The upside of the converted-house-campus is that they have 4 different play yards and the classes rotate to different yards, which keeps it interesting for the kids. DVMS parent
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.