Very hard working, caring teachers working here. This school really cares about the children. The owner is kind and respectful. She treats her staff well. read more

My nephew has been coming to Bright Star Montessori Academy since he was an infant and he is now 4. He is always taking about school and how much he loves it. Sometimes I am amazed by how much he knows and I like to ask him where he learns it from and most of his responses are from school. Today I got to pick him up and his teacher Ms. Nancy was so nice. Because of covid, everyone was wearing masks even students. Pick up is at the front door and only students and teachers may enter the building. I'm just happy that when I picked up my nephew he was so happy and told me about his day. His response is how I know that this place is a great school. read more

Bright star is the definition of the perfect preschool/daycare. I have two children who attend this school (1 yr, 3 yr) and I can't explain how much I love both the school and teachers. They truly care for the well being of the kids and teach them so many things. Just having my daughter in for a few months I noticed her education growing. They have taught my daughter her letters and numbers,months, and days of the week, along with so many other things. This school is everything Montessori and they are amazing with communication. My youngest daughter (1 year old) has an absolute blast with her teachers and her tiny baby friends, the teachers always keep me updated on what she does at the end of the day and I can truly say that the teachers are perfect at taking care of my children. Major green flags about this school is that they keep you updated about what your child does throughout the day via an app, notifies you about how many times your child has gone to the bathroom(diaper changes), how much they ate, if they napped etc. They always host amazing little parties for students and families and it's absolutely a blast. read more

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Our family loves BSMA, the staff is very friendly and you can tell they love what they do. I love that this school really shows that they care about the children and they don't just run it as a business. My daughters started in September 2021 with Ms. Samantha and they love their classroom. Ms. Samantha and Ms. Jennifer (director) are always ready to answer questions that I may have and offer extra love to my girls whenever they are having a rough morning. I also appreciate that they quickly got to know my daughters since they are twins I know it can be hard but they are able to tell them apart and learned their different personalities. I'm always recommending this school to everyone. Looking forward to more years here. read more

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My son has been going here since March 2021. I have unresolved PPA and I have generalized anxiety disorder. The safety of my children is my number one trigger. I literally worry about them all day. I can honestly say that when my son is at Bright Star, I am at peace and I can focus on work. This type of peace of mind is PRICELESS. I only wish they would accept older kids during summer so I can send my 7 year old there too lol. read more

I highly recommend BSMA My granddaughter attended for over 3 years and she loved it. The staff are awesome and are so caring & loving. I really like the curriculum, cleanliness and atmosphere. If you're considering a daycare where your child will learn, accelerate and be well taken care of, this is the place for you!!! read more

My son has been attending Bright Star since he was just 7 months old. He started out in the Infant Room with Miss Saide and Miss Rosie, who are just THE BEST! He received the absolute best loving care and learned so much from them! I may have cried on my son's last day in the Infant Room because I just love Miss Saide and Miss Rosie so much! My son went onto Room 2 and then Room 3 and all his teachers have been wonderful! My son has learned so much more than he would have if I'd kept him at home or with a nanny before starting kindergarten. I just love all the staff here and my husband and I always say that enrolling our son at Bright Star was one of the best decisions we ever made for our son! read more

I Love This Day Care They Have The Most Amazing Staff And They Are Very Clean.I Would Recommend This Day Care In A Heart Beat You Won't Regret It! read more

I would love my daughter to attend THIS. This was real Montessori from what I saw. I will tell you a secret about other places with the name "Montessori". It is not real Montessori. This is the real deal. read more

I have had two of my kids, a baby and 3 year old, attend bright star for nearly two years. Bright Star Montessori had been a wonderful learning and caring environment for my son and daughter. I cannot say enough good things about the teachers and principal. They have provided outstanding support, education and shown genuine care for my kids, and both have thrived and grown so much. We are very lucky to have found Bright Star and i would highly recommend it to anyone considering a day care and preschool! read more

This place needs a more recent review! I just want to say, I really loved this place. I highly recommend any new parent to take their child(ren) here if you need childcare. Everyone is so nice and loving. I was sad to withdrawal my son from here (he is moving onto another school this fall) If I could, I would have kept him here. I noticed a HUGE difference in his social skills and vocabulary after the first week. Additionally (he's 2 years old) he was very interested in potty training. Miss Monnette is the teacher in the 2 year old class. She was always so welcoming and always, and I mean ALWAYS made sure that my son was happy and comfortable. He had a hard time adjusting in the beginning but after a week or so, he was excited to go to school in the morning. I also noticed that he talked more, sings a lot, knows his numbers and letters and was more interested in potty training. This is priceless to me! I wish all facilities were like this one. They are honestly the best! read more

Bright Star Montessori Academy - He only looks mad bc he just woke up - Preschools Near Me - Walnut, California

UPDATE: my son advanced to the next class and is now with Miss Nicole and Miss Carissa. They're amazing and I feel so comfortable leaving my boy with them every day. Also I noticed soon after moving up he began coloring in the lines. I asked Miss Nicole and she told me she started having him sit next to older kids so he could learn from them. I also noticed his vocabulary exploded. They're learning continents. They read. They do jobs, which my son loves. Also, Miss Evelyn, the director, is amazing. My boy moves saying bye to her every day and showing her his latest art project. She's so good with him, and I'm impressed at how she remembers all the kids plus their parents. This is a truly impressive school. I'm so happy I stumbled on them. read more

I have two daughters ages 4 and 6 who have attended this school for the past 2 years. If I can give a separate rating for each year they've been there, I would. The first year for my eldest when she was 4 was good, her second year in TK was really good but then her last year as a kindergartner was just ok. For my youngest, her first year when she was 3 was not very good (she cried a lot and I didn't feel the teachers cared much about her as they let her cry until I got there) and her next year as a 4 year old was ok. Her teacher Miss Nicole was terrific but any other teacher who lasted there was boring and unfriendly. There was only 1 year that I rate this school high when my then 5 year old had Miss Janet as her teacher. She was very nice and approachable and provided high quality type work and challenging assignments and homework to my daughter. But then she left so the last year for my daughter has been with substitute teachers who aren't as challenging with their work and pretty much just let them color and play. There has not been much consistency with the teachers, going through new teachers every 3-6 months. Young kids need consistency and I was concerned, especially having to pay $1600+ a month for 2 kids. The school has not been consistent with providing high quality academic type work. I feel I've wasted money here. The food they serve is full of preservatives (frozen chicken nuggets, hot dogs, boxed Mac and cheese) My daughter has begged me sometimes to pack lunch for her since she thought the school food was gross. No school is perfect but this school needs improvement on maintaining consistency with staff, consistency with high quality academic work and needs to add healthier food choices. Miss Evelyn as the director was a sweetheart, memorizing every child's first names. However she lacked the skills in running the school with maintaining higher academic standards. I still attribute my kids' growing social skills to the school but I only wish it was better on some levels. read more

My daughter has been attending bright star for two years now. The director, Ms. Evelyn is super kind and approachable. Ms. Monette, Ms. Lily, Ms. Coco, room 6, Ms. Nancy, and Ms. Winnie are all caring and patient towards every children in the classroom, treating them almost as their own, and easy to communicate on all levels. My daughter has been extremely happy attending all classes and I am beyond grateful of all the teachers that have taught her, and always going above and beyond! Thank you!! read more

My son was enrolled to this Montessori when he was a little bit over 1 year old. He was at 2 other places before we found this place. My son got sick so many times when he was in the previous Montessori. Here I haven't see him sick. Ms Evelyn is very professional and attentive, I feel safe leaving my son there. My son loves his teachers as well. Now he is in room 3. read more

Bright Star is a great place. What made it stand for us was the STAFF! Ms. Evelyn knows everyone who comes and goes through the front door. She knows all the kids, and knows all the adults associated with each kid. This made me feel safe, to know that she is always watching. She's kind, caring, stern, and loved by all. All the teachers are excellent, like Ms. Monette, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Coco, Ms. Sara(h), Ms. Karla, just to name a few. While not everyone can agree on whether this/that teacher is good, but I think there is a simple and objective measurement... ...Here's what I have used as a report card for the teachers: ask your kid(s) like I did with mine. If they like the teachers, then they will listen and learn. They'll start to come home singing new songs, sharing new words, and telling you stories about their day. Then you're in the right place. read more

As my son's last week of school approaches, I am reflecting on all the great memories we've shared at this amazing school. My son was almost two years old when he started at Bright Star. All the teachers were so caring and attentive each and every day. Miss Rosie was the very first 'stranger' I handed my son off to and now I think of her as family. As my child advanced room by room, his skills really impressed me. At four he was writing, reading, adding, subtracting and even multiplying. My son will be attending public school in the fall and he is already further along than most kids his age. I will forever miss all the friends, parents, teachers and the Director, Ms Evelyn. I am forever grateful to Ms. Nicole, Ms. Carissa, Ms. Monette, Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Nancy for treating my son like their own! read more

As May 7 is the week of teacher appreciation week. Would like to take this chance to thank teachers at my son's pre-school. My son started coming to the Montessori BrightStar when he was 2 and half years old. It has been two years now, and he is graduating from pre-school this coming June. First, thank you for the teachers taking care of my little boy with patience and heart. specially thank you Ms Zoe for potty training and knowing when to intervene during drop-off so my husband can make the transition to work a little more manageable. Sometime my son cried when daddy dropped him off or he refused to go into the classroom, Ms Zoe always gave him a hug, talked him through, and redirect him to a fun activity after he says "goodbye" to daddy. thank you Ms Lauren for teaching my little boy the importance of respect. For a while， when I picked up my son, he was playing with other kids and he just pretended he did not see me, or refused to leave, and just kept playing ignoring me asking him to go home. But Ms Lauren found a way to make him understand that this is not respectful to mommy and what should be done instead. Now, my little boy gives me the proper greeting when I pick him up. Also thank you Ms Caitlin providing good suggestions about handling my son's certain inappropriate behavior such as yelling at home or talking too loud in public. I understand that lately some employment turnover has incurred, and there are new teachers. My husband and I are expecting to interact with them more because we think it is critical to our son's healthy growth and our younger one is going to preschool soon! read more

I pulled out my son from school for about 3 months for now and i feel this is the best decision i made in my life. My son went to a Christian preschool before this and we had to move so I enrolled him in this school because of the positive reviews. My experience has not been positive at all. In the two weeks my son was in the school, he went backwards both academically and socially. Before he was always excited to go to school and since he has been going to Bright Star, he has said how much he disliked it several times and how he does not want to go back. The teachers he had were not loving to him. My son reported that he was not allowed to go to the bathroom. The school denied this but he came home with wet pants more times in the 2 weeks that he was at Bright Star then the whole 4 months that he was in the other preschool. Also, they say they do not punish the children using time out but my son said that he was told to face the wall. The school denied this but when I visited, I saw a girl sitting on the chair alone for time out. Also, he started telling his baby brother things like "go away baby" which in his other school, he never had this behavior. Most of the time when I would go to pick him up, I would see him playing alone. We enrolled him back to a Christian school and we see the difference. Every day he is asking if he can go back to school, even on weekends. I feel like my child is genuinely loved and cared for and they have activities up until 6 o'clock and I see that he is learning in a team environment. As parents, please pay attention and trust what your kids are saying about their school. Pre-school is an important foundation in a child's early development. Your child should be in an environment where they feel loved and are taught to love learning and love going to school. read more

Bright star is a great place for my son. He is currently in the infant room and started when he was only 3 months old. They took care of him like the pros they are. They are very loving and attentive to the kids there. My son has never been hurt there so I feel very safe to leave them there during the week. Ms Sadie, Rosie, Evelyn, Lily and the director Ms Evelyn are great! read more

Great school, one of the best Montessori in my mind. I was hesitate to transfer my daughter to this school from a different Montessori in Walnut because she was scared by one of the teachers from the other school. My daughter would cry after seeing that teach. So we had decided to transfer our kid here hoping her new teachers, new classmates, and new environment would help her erase the unpleasant memory from the previous school. Only a few days after transferred to this school, she had already fully adapted to the school and began making new friends. The teachers at her new school were all super nice and kind to her especially Ms. Lily, who helped her to feel very comfortable at the new school. I could feel the genuineness from the teachers knowing they do care about the kids, not just pretending it when parents are here. Another good thing is that the school's tuition includes lunch and breakfast, so that we don't have to worry what to prepare for lunch for our daughter. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the school and would definitely recommend other parents to send their kids to this school. read more

We had 2 kids attend Bright Start Montessori Academy in Walnut, starting back in 2011 with our oldest through 2014, and then our youngest starting in 2015 through 2018 (today was actually his last day). So we've seen a lot over the years with changing the school's director, to many instructors coming & going, but overall we've had a very positive experience with Bright Star Montessori. The current director, Miss Evelyn, was originally my older son's teacher in Bright Star before she took over as the director. My son really enjoyed her class and we liked how she ran things in her class. We were extremely delighted to find out the news that she was going to take over as the new director for Bright Star. From that point on, we really saw a change in how the entire academy ran as things started to go uphill in terms of quality (inside & outside of the school), planning, student enrollments, and an overall more positive atmosphere. We had no hesitation sending our younger son to Bright Star. Miss Evelyn and the rest of the Staff are really accommodating to your needs and will work with you if you have specific requests or situations in regards to pickup and dropping your kids off. One huge positive was when Miss Evelyn became the director, lunches were then included into the monthly tuition at little to no additional cost from before, so that was a very nice bonus. I could also tell the food selection was much better and more healthier for the kids, so we greatly appreciated that. Miss Evelyn see's hundreds of kids every year, yet she memorizes just about everyone's name there and greets them every day when she sees them. You can tell that she takes pride in her position and for the academy, as it reflects positively to everyone. One last addition thing that we really found Bright Star to be such a benefit to our kids, was not only the social aspect of them being able to make new friends and do many activities, but their reading, writing, and arithmetic skills were far greater than others when it came to TK and Kindergarten in the Walnut school system. The methods Bright Star uses to help the children begin to read & write and count really works, and as a parent it has made reading to our boys much more enjoyable when they can interact and include themselves more in the reading activities. We're very great-full to Miss Evelyn for all that she has done for our kids at and at Bright Star, and would (and have, as others have sent their kids there) highly recommend Bright Start Montessori Academy in Walnut. read more

Both of my boys have been going to this school for several years. Most of the time, they are exited to go to school in the morning. Most of the teachers are wonderful. We can tell that they truly care about the children. There is just one thing I'd like to comment on: the teacher turnover rate is a bit high here. I'm not sure if it's also common in other schools. read more

My two daughters have been to this school. All teachers and staff were friendly and amazing to my girls! We're sad this year was our last time here now that my youngest is in kindergarten. I would definitely recommend Montessori to all the local moms! Ms. Carla, Ms.Tiffany, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Evelyn will be missed by our family. read more

My 2.5 yr old boy went to Bright Star since August, 2016. It was a tough start for him. But he gradually began to like the school because of the responsible teachers here, especially Ms. Michelle from his class (Class 2). She's such a patient and nice teacher to her students, very responsible and caring. Ms. Michelle speaks Chinese as well which helps a lot in understanding and communicating with my boy. She has also built up a good bilingual environment outside the family. I feel so lucky to find this school and have Ms. Michelle take care of my boy. read more

Unfortunately this is the worst school so far for my child. Ms. Karla is not caring towards children, and my child does not want to go to school ever since he started in this school. Instead of helping the child to understand what is right and wrong, she decided to blame them without the facts and without letting them know what is the reason. My child is unhappy in the school and it was the best decision to pull him out and he is very happy in the current school and has learned and progressed a lot both in academic and in his personality. read more

Leaving your kids somewhere for the day is quite stressful. After looking at a few daycare/preschool facilities, my wife and I decided on Bright Star Montessori Academy in Walnut. We knew that we would see him grow by following the Montessori program. My son started when he was about 18 months, and what stood out was that the teachers and staff did not change much in the 4 years of him being there. I think the BSMA staff did a great job at watching my son and providing social growth from all the staff (especially: Ms Evelyn, Ms Sadie, Ms Linda, Ms Monet, Mis Jinju, Ms Karla, Ms Nancy, Ms Sarah and Ms Coco) that worked with him. The staff altogether provided a friendly family like environment that made us feel like we did not have to worry about leaving our son at there during the day. read more

My kid has been in this pre-school for almost a year. Since I joined, I recommended it to two other friends, who also enrolled their kids. It is a wonderful school...so much better than my oldest kid's pre-school, which was also a Montessori. They take great care of my child and she learns SO MUCH. I know this review sounds bogus because it sounds like it's too good to be true, but it really is THAT GREAT! Ms. Timea is my daughter's teacher, and she is absolutely wonderful. We also love Ms. Jane who is always nice and cheerful, no matter what kind of day she's had. I have been recommending it to anyone in the area...it truly is a great school! read more

My daughter has been going to Bright Star for several months and she really enjoys it. They do a great job catering to each child and the curriculum is very diverse. We look forward to spending several more years at this school before she is old enough to enroll in Kindergarten. read more

My son has been going here for a year now and the teachers here are all excellent- attentive, caring and patient with all children. Ms. Lily is especially caring and I am super appreciative of all her help! read more

I am writting this review to inform parents. The school used to be great, before there were great teachers that would take the time and heart to teach and appreciate kids, such as ms caitlin and ms zoey. However, now many new teachers are quite the double face. They would say what ever you want to hear, but i was able to spot them couple of times doing the wrong things. I have talked to multiple parents, and have got to know that this teacher ms karla from room 3 will try her best to either change or kick the kids out of her room or school if the kid does not behave the way she wants them to be (robot). Also i have got many times were my kid will come home and tell me that the teacher deny them from eating food, specially on days were the food will be something sweet, as to prevent them to maybe get a little hyper. This teachers are expecting for kids to just stay there and do coloring all day, instead of teaching and interacting with them for learning, as what the school it is suppose to do. This does not feel like a montessory academy, rather like a day care center only. One of the teachers, ms nancy (new) bumped into my wife last time and did not even bother to say sorry, rather just kept walking,this is very rude, if the teachers themselves do not have the right manners or quality of a good person, i definitely will not trust for such a person to be teaching such atitude to my kids. read more

my kids outgrew this pre-school and left. but this is the only school they remembered. they remembered teachers' names. they remembered games they played. they remembered other kids and moms! They were happy here! we all can tell. thanks so much! read more

My daughter just completed preschool this past year. She was a little difficult---cried every morning for about 2 months or so AND probably at all the school events. The staff and especially her teacher Miss Coco always comforted her and put her at ease. I have 2 coworkers with children here and they also witnessed how caring the teachers were with my daughter. Besides what she learned academically, my daughter needed to know how to interact with other children in order to prepare for TK. Glad I brought my daughter here and I left to work knowing I had nothing to worry about, since she was in good hands. read more

great school, friendly staff, i send both of my kids to this place. highly recommend.

This is my daughter's first preschool, and so far, I think we did a good choice! She gives us endless surprises with her curiosity and learning. read more

I have loved this school! Everyone is so nice and helpful! Miss Evelyn and Miss Jennifer and Miss Stephanie have been fantastic with my daughter! We are still debating whether to keep her here for kindergarten later this year or put her in public school with her big brother. My only regret is not putting her in this school sooner or putting my son here before sending him to 1st grade. I've been through a lot of day cares, a private school and Christian school and nothing has come close to this! Thank you for all you've done for our family. It has been an amazing year! read more

My son started at Bright Star right after he turned 3, my husband and I toured other schools around this area and for some reason my mommy instincts kept telling me that this is it. First of cleanliness, right when you walk in, the place smells good. I Always see the staff cleaning and disinfecting the kids tables and floor. Second, they are able to administer medication if needed to. My son in asthmatic and I would never let him go to school during a flare up but if ever he needed the inhaler they can administer it to him before I get there to pick him up. If there's something you want them to keep an eye on, they will do it. Third, teachers at this place have a lot of patience, during my sons first days of school he never let me leave him, Ms. Karla in room 3 always saves the day and comforts him, and she did this for quite a while until he finally got comfortable while I take off for work. I trust all the staff in this school and never have to worry about anything while I'm at work, every parent just wants a peace of mind knowing that their children are being well taken care of and are safe. Bright Star to me is that place. My son is a happy, smart, friendly, polite, caring, thoughtful, and pretty well disciplined and I thank Ms. Karla, Ms. Yasmin, and Ms. Nancy for helping us mold him into what he is right now. He amazes me with what he has learned in school and how he applies it on a daily basis. Thank you for everything. Dominic will surely miss his room 3, but like he says, he is getting bigger and smarter so he has to move on to the big kids side. read more

I've taken both my boys here since they were 6 months old. Miss Saide and Miss Rosie in the infant room are THE BEST. They knew my kids better than I did, and are so patient and kind. As the kids move onto the other rooms, they seriously learn SO MUCH. I actually learn things from them when they come home from school as we talk during dinner time. For potty training, they'll let you know if they think your kid is ready to learn, then they'll work with you to plan out how best to tackle it. My son was potty trained within a week because they were so consistent with taking him to potty and he probably had only 2 accidents during that whole week! Miss Karla in room 5 is also an amazing teacher. She'll teach them Spanish and have a more structured class as they prepare to enter TK. They'll have show-and-tell day on Fridays.. and used to take fun field trips to Chuck E Cheese or Adventure City pre-pandemic. When the kids turn 4, you can sign them up for additional classes such as art and music. The art they make is super cool. They've had petting zoos, pony rides, puppet shows, etc and the kids love it. During the spring they'll plant seeds and learn about the parts of a plant.. there are beautiful big sunflowers that grow during that time. My 3 year old comes home from Bright Star singing the Star Spangled Banner. It has just been an amazing time at Bright Star and we were so grateful to have gone there and had all the teachers be there to help shape our kids. read more

Ms. Karla is one of the best teachers at this school. She is very attentive to all of her students not once has she ever been rude or mean to any the kids. She goes out of her way to make sure that all of their needs are met. She communicates with all of the parents to let them how each child is doing in the class. She is very organized and her class room setting is very inviting. I highly recommend her as a teacher to anyones child. And her assistant is one of the best as well thank you Bright Star for having Ms. Karla read more

This is my son's first preschool, he has been here for 4 months already, so far he likes his teacher Ms. Zoe & Ms. Lauren a lot, they both are very patient and care so much for the kids. my son was crying very hard when he start the school, Ms. Zoe always holding him and played with him, so he can get used to the school life and played with other kids. they always have kids to wash their hand before the meals or after bathroom. ( most school do not care if kids wash their hand or not) i am very happy that i made right decision to pick this school for my son. he's very happy to go to school everyday. read more