We have two children attending the Village School ("School"), and have been there for over 5 years…read more When our first son started there at the Primary level (at 3.5 years old), it was not our intention to stay at a private Montessori school. However, each year, we saw our boys thriving at the School; not just academically but in their overall development as a person. This is a result of the experienced and dedicated teachers, principal, and staff. The Village School is one of very few Montessori schools in Bergen County that goes to 8th grade. We chose the School initially for this reason, in the event our children stayed on beyond Kindergarten. The School fosters a caring community environment within the school and beyond. It is an ethnically-diverse population of students, with many mix marriage households. The School was (and has been) proactive since Spring of 2020 in complying with COVID requirements to re-open school; so the students were able to start school in September in-person (for those who chose to do so). One week after the March, 2020 lockdown, the School was up and running for virtual learning; keeping a full day school schedule. The teachers worked tirelessly from June to September to get their classrooms re-oriented and ready for in-person learning; which is from 8:30 to 2:30 Monday to Thursday, with Friday being a 100% virtual school day. Despite the challenges this year, our family feels that our children are still being nourished socially and academically because of the support from the Village School.

An amazing place! The Village School is exceptional, not just with its curriculum and academics,…read morebut truly educating the whole child. It teaches not for the child to memorize, but to master and understand fully the concepts. They also hold executive functioning as a corner stone in its approach to education, something many children are loosing these days. It has structure, a robust and rigorous academic curriculum, and their enrichment programs harken back to what we used to have as children (woodworking, maker space, sewing, engineering, robotics, chess). They also teach Spanish beginning at the toddler level all the way through to eighth grade. We couldn't be happier that our children have thrived there and call it home.

My daughter went to TLE in Waldwick for a little over 3 years (from 15 months old until 4 years…read moreold). It was a rollercoaster of an experience for us so I wanted to share a very honest review and include both pros and cons for those of you looking for a daycare for your littles: PROS - Hours: Households with working parents will find the long hours at TLE extremely helpful - Food: Lunch is included with tuition and the quality/options are decent - Location: Very conveniently located in the heart of Waldwick with a large parking lot; interior space and playground are very roomy and well equipped - Cost: Very fairly priced compared to other daycares in the area - Ms Val (Toddlers) and Ms Claudia (Preppers): These 2 teachers happen to be exceptional there, and their care for and attention to the children is unmatched CONS - Staff: With the exception of Ms Val and Ms Claudia, the rest of the staff we encountered seemed unseasoned and unmotivated; pre-school in particular was a revolving door of teachers, one lazier than the next (MANY times my daughter came home saying she watched Curious George or other cartoons during the day for long periods of time) - Curriculum: As my daughter advanced there, it became increasingly clear that TLE is a daycare first and a learning center second; workbooks were repetitive and unstimulating, and again, screen time was waaaaaay overused (the TLE brand had a big marketing push over the last year, with a constant barrage of emails flooding my inbox to purchase gear or plushies for my child, and a branded cartoon called "Bubbles and Friends" quickly became a teacher substitute in the classrooms vs an occasional educational aid) - Communication: Many times, parents were notified at the last possible minute of things that were due to the daycare, what Learning Bag (ie, Show and Tell) items for the week were, etc; the app that they use was very rarely updated with important notifications in a timely manner, and sometimes entire days would go by without any photos posted - Nepotism: The 4 main leads/directors at this location are sisters, so if you ever need to escalate a situation, it's useless unless you dig and find out the names of folks at corporate (which I had to do a few times--the corporate people I spoke to though were always helpful once you could connect with them); additionally, I never once met/saw the owner, LynnAnn, in our 3 years there, which I found very odd So, all in all, decent daycare, but once your child requires more than a babysitter, I would not recommend TLE.

UPDATE: A parent I know just called me and told me the Teacher who was the one who was HIGH on…read moreDRUGS is calling people telling them this isn't true and for people to write good reviews I HAVE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS from this incident from my phone and home cameras PLUS a text message from her saying how sorry she was ... I am MORE THAN HAPPY to share these just message me! ***They haven't had a review in YEARS (take a look at the dates it's true) .. So I'm sure they will now get some positive reviews from their friends & to be honest it doesn't faze me .. as long as PARENTS know the TRUTH on where they are sending their child*** I have been unsure of writing this review for well over a year. Years ago this school was great (I sent both of my children there) But this year I had to pull my youngest child out of that school. I had a problem there with a teacher who was on drugs (and STILL works there) .. she watched my children at our shore home (which is on the bay/water) while we were out she got HIGH on either heroin or prescription drugs (I STILL have videos and photos to prove this if this school DARES to argue).. we came home early thank GOD and my daughter who had access to our filled hot tub on our deck and the open bay ... my daughter could had fell in and died if we didn't get home when we did.. I noticed with this "teacher" when she feel off the chair holding my child I told her to go lay down (I didn't realize yet) then she put my daughter in the tub with her clothes ON with the water RUNNING... I stopped it quickly as I was getting her out of the tub she went to my little one who had a donut. She took the donut from her & began to smear it on her face. My little one began screaming & I ran to her. I asked her what did she take she began to slur her words and said "I just did a teaspoon" (so I'm believe it was heroin .. I even looked up videos on how people act and it was EXACT). then said her ex-boyfriend stopped by (but we checked our outside and inside cameras and no one showed up) then she quickly she passed out.. (again thank god we got home or my kids would be alone and her passed out) My oldest saw it all and scared the hell out of her. The girl told me the next day she was sorry that she had 8 shots of tequila (I don't even have tequila in the house & she did not smell of any alcohol) ANYWAY the school was aware of this and did NOTHING. Now ACADEMICALLY ... I just recently had my daughters new school teacher conference & she has made SUCH a progress in just 3 short months .. I was worried she might have had a learning disability it wasn't that at all it was because that school was a place to just play NOT LEARN. She did not learn ONE thing the last year she was there. The books they sent home of the children's work was never complete.. because they never did work with them. And the teachers are always swapping or getting pulled there & the classrooms have ZERO constancy or classroom management which makes the children out of control. Parents this place is a disaster .. so sad because they use to be so wonderful... & pulling my daughter was the BEST decision I could have made for her... please watch your children for their safety & learning... and most importantly NEVER let them watch ur children in your home! ***RESPONDING TO COMMENT BELOW*** ... this is beyond untrue ... when this incident happened the front desk WAS notified (the girl at the desk even told me how that teacher got similar at their past holiday party) .. they promised me they would keep her away from my daughter ... so we stayed stayed in the school because my daughter was comfortable & we've been going there for 7 years between both my kids ... there were 3 times I found her in the room with her and flipped out.. then one day my daughter was sitting in the front by the sick room when I picked her up bc this PERSON took her class outside to play (when it wasn't this teachers time to be in the playground) so my daughter was removed from playing with her friends & had to sit alone at the front desk. This teacher was then promoted to more responsibility in the school and I said I was not comfortable because she would see my daughter everyday and when I told Lynnann about it many months after she had NO IDEA of what happened ...... then Lynnann didn't return my calls or text messages but instead she pushed the responsibility of handling it to the girls in the front! Again, best decision because my daughter is now SAFE without me worrying and actually LEARNING

We love this gem of a school hidden away on beautiful Cottage Place in Ridgewood!! Both my children…read morewent here and thrived under Ms. Chizuru's gentle, yet structured guidance. Day after day Ms. Chizuru works with little minds and bodies on numbers and reading and motor skills and art. Take a Tour! See for yourself how calm and peaceful you feel as you step into Ms. Chizuru's Little Crane school. This is what your kids will experience EVERYDAY of their young lives!!

littlecrane is a tiny gem of a school , my two young grand children go there ,they are both eager…read moreto go each day and show a big improvement with their ability to play /work on their own and with others. Ms Chizuru and staff are wonderful caring and nurturing. What a wonderful start for young minds.

Outstanding nursery and pre-k school. We have had 2 children come up through these halls and they…read moreare the best in the area. Our kids have received top notch care and leave positioned to excel as they make their transition to the elementary school. The owner Mr Jim runs a very professional organization, is fair but firm and we are thankful to to have this wonderful establishment we have continued to count on.

My daughter attended Lollipop for almost a year (due to COVID, her time was cut short). However the…read morestaff is phenomenal, the facility is clean, and there were many opportunities for parental involvement. With such a great establishment, I think they would greatly benefit from diversity outreach- both staff & students.

We are so grateful we found the Montessori Learning Center (MLC) in Ridgewood - truly the best…read moreMontessori school in the Bergen County! As soon as we met Ms. Effie and toured the school, we knew it was the perfect fit for our toddler. The teachers at MLC are truly special - they genuinely care about each and every child. In one year, our toddler went from hesitant and shy to incredibly confident, independent and social. Most importantly, he developed a true bond with his teachers. Shout out to Ms. T, Ms. Angela and Ms. Ellen, who greeted us with smiles and positive energy at drop-off and pick-up! We also appreciated MLC's flexibility as we figured out the right schedule and cadence for our little guy. They worked with us every step of the way, making us feel like family! We are so thankful for the love, patience and support they've shown our little boy, and us! We look forward to watching our children grow here! We couldn't recommend MLC more highly!

Ridgewood Montessori Learning Center has been everything we hoped for and more. From the moment we…read morewalked through the doors we knew this was the right place for our son. The teachers are exceptional -- warm, attentive, and clearly passionate about the Montessori method. What stands out most is how communicative the staff is. We always feel informed and in the loop, whether it's a quick update at pickup or a note about what our son worked on that day. The consistency in the classroom has been remarkable -- our son has genuinely bonded with his teachers and you can see it in how confidently he walks in every morning. He's learning so much, growing in independence, and most importantly he loves being there. The community here -- both the staff and the other families -- is something we didn't expect but are so grateful for. This school is a hidden gem in Ridgewood and we plan to send all of our children here.

We had looked at other preschool options in Ridgewood and really felt the Ridgewood Co-op stood out…read moreamong them for us. We were very impressed with the staff and the encouraging and positive environment for our child. The staff is very dedicated and, since it's a co-op, there's also a very involved community of families which give the co-op a supportive community feel. You also get the opportunity to be involved in your child's education and the teacher's do a great job updating you and sharing pictures so you never feel like you're missing important developmental milestones. I'll also say, although I might be generalizing, that the parents really care about the overall wellbeing of the school and the children; in other preschools that we've viewed we got the impression that the parents were competitive with each other instead of collaborative which was a differentiator for the co-op. We've had our son in the school for two years and the school has helped him to develop socially and academically. The teachers pay special attention to our child and have helped him to build his confidence and independence. I highly recommend this school.

I have nothing but positive things to say about the amazing staff at the Ridgewood Coop Nursery…read moreSchool. All of the teachers are seasoned professionals who truly care for the wellbeing of every single child. The staff is caring, thoughtful and kind! Many have been there for a very long time with exceptional experience in not only teaching the building blocks of early education, but thoughtful life lessons of kindness, inclusiveness, and friendship. The music teacher, Mrs. Pillow, is also a talented and dedicated artist who has well prepared and interesting classes. The concerts are great! Everyone has demonstrated so much positivity. I would highly recommend for anyone seeking an educational, learning environmental based on play and friendship for their young child.