We're finishing up our fourth year at PGDS, and my son is going to start soon (my nephew is there…read moretoo). I can't say enough good things about this place (and I even waited four years to write a review just to be sure). For starters, though, there is a good chance you need to know this: the preschools in this area are fantastic. Your child will be fine, and you're doing a good job. I looked at 12 schools before choosing this place for my daughter who has a September birthday and misses the MCPS cut off (little did I realize how big a deal this is). I almost didn't consider this school because it has a Christian affiliation and my family is half Muslim and also not religious. Surprisingly, I found this school to be just the right amount of religious (do charity, be a good person, take pics with Santa) and non of the crazy things I thought it would be (like the documentary Jesus Camp). I was also surprised to find that the student body was very ethnically and even a little religiously diverse. When I was looking at schools, I really wanted a preschool as opposed to a daycare, and that is what this school is. My daughter would start class in September and stay there and have the same teacher all year. (Camp was more flexible, but we also loved that experience too!) The teacher retention at this school is incredible. Another thing, they are not strict about potty training by a young age in order for your child to move up a grade. (This is an important thing, but I didn't realize it would be when I was looking at schools.) So, back to my point about the September birthday, this school has a fabulous transitional kindergarten for kiddos born too late to go to MCPS, but too old to be in pre-K again. It was the perfect thing for my kiddo, and I'm grateful that her teachers (in all the grades) focused on not just learning but fun, kindness, understanding emotions and being a good community member. The families that attend here are fun too, and an added bonus to my daughter making friends is that I did too.

My son has attended PGDS from 3 years old - Transitional Kindergarten. My daughter is currently…read moreattending Pre-K here. I am so glad I found this school. The most important factor to me is that I feel comfortable leaving my kids here and I know that they are in good trusted hands. All the teachers they have had so far are amazing. Our favorites are Miss Gina, Leslie, Indira and Megan. The office staff (Bekah, Jackie and Angela) are very accommodating to our needs. Miss Karen who runs the aftercare is a gem. My children come home with a good balance of learning and playtime. There is a good mixture of History, Geography, Math, Science, and Reading in the curriculum. Their facility is clean. Their tuition rate is competitive as well. My daughter gets extremely excited when she knows she is going to school. The only con is that their Spring and Winter breaks do not align with MCPS.

How my heart sings when I think of Geneva Day School! The warmest, most kind, caring, and…read moreconscientious environment for little scholars to learn and grow. . . Am proud to have family as "graduates" of both the preschool and extracurricular activities. Am thrilled to have visited on many occasions, most especially for family events. I love the emphasis on Art, Mindfulness, Environmental Education, and Physical Education. Such traditional, pre-academic training (known to us as the "Geneva Method") is shaped by passionate professionals who love what they do and, yes, love the children. . . I am especially touched by the beautiful curation of Monarch Butterfly gardens; this Maryland Green School campus promotes environmentalism and invites exploration at every turn. . . I cannot recommend more highly this hidden gem of Potomac. Much gratitude for all you do!

Geneva day school is an expensive glorified daycare. My child is okay. But, I wanted to post this…read morereview to alert other parents because most have no clue what is going on in the school. I was impressed by the brochure and website. But, when I asked my child if you did this...or did you do that?....based on the brochure. Answer was no, no...nothing, none of those! So, they are very good at marketing with fancy flyers and brochures but sadly nothing is going on. If your child is underdeveloped....can i assure you it is likely due to this school. We had made this mistake before when we thought oh...we are paying solid $$$, so probably kid will have solid fun and development. We paid solid $$$, but we got just minimum daycare from Geneva. We have seen some really good programs....so we have very good perspective on when schools are just for minting money and when school really put 100% or 200% effort to help with child development. Cmon guys....it is not hard. At least, do what you say in your brochure. How hard is it to give some bubbles, playdoh, slime or bug catching kit to kids? They cost pennies. If you will just leave the kids in the playground for free play all day....that does not help with their development. My child just reported me that some kids were CRYING ALL DAY!!!! Seriously? Where is the money going?

Caring staff, organized school, never a doubt in my mind about the Montessori education being…read moretaught here.

I caution anyone who is considering sending their kids to this school as a former student. I went…read morehere from Pre-K through First grade. I was very shocked when I first learned about what Montessori education was supposed to look like, because it was nothing like what I experienced at this school. This was a while ago, but the administration is the same First, majority of the teachers would scream at you for the smallest things. Once, I was coloring and a kid put down a stencil after he finished using it, so I picked it up to use it. Immediately, Mrs. Barshay screamed at me, without explaining what I did wrong (I still don't know what the issue was, the other kid looked confused too) and sent me to the principal's office. One of the few kids who was exempt from this treatment was another teacher's child and someone whose parents donated a ton of money to the school (made clear to us, since they put a sign with their name on the playground.) Things like this would happen on a daily basis to multiple kids and the administration received complaints. They would simply allow it, cultivating an incredibly toxic environment in which young children are forced to walk on eggshells and feel ashamed It's very possible that they have better teachers than Mrs. Barshay and Mrs. Hamm now, both of whom would act like they were dealing with adult criminals and not children, but just know what this administration is willing to enable.

Outstanding daycare. My son is happy here and I feel they are teaching valuable skills for his…read morefuture. The staff is wonderful. I feel that they genuinely care for him. This place has a great vibe.

Little Acorns is wonderful school with warm, caring, and dedicated staff who ensure the safety,…read morehappiness, and development of our children. When our children first started at Little Acorns, their teachers helped the transition go very smoothly due to their efforts and support. The teachers communicate with parents at drop-off/pick-up as well as in a daily email with updates and photos about the classroom's activities. The director, Libbi, provides excellent, timely communication about upcoming events, activities, and updates. We couldn't be happier with our children's experience at Little Acorns as they always share about how much fun they have at school each day! I highly recommend Little Acorns to families looking for childcare, from infants all the way through preschoolers.

We had to look for a preschool during the middle of the pandemic and we knew that we wanted a place…read morethat was going to develop not only our son's academic skills, but his social emotional skills as well. Ms. Hana took COVID safety very seriously and took all the measures to make sure that the learning environment was also a safe place as well which was also a top priority for us. It was going to be his first time in a structured school setting so I really appreciated the smaller class size and student to teacher ratio because I felt like he was able to receive a more individualized curriculum and he was met at his academic level. When my son first started, he had very basic knowledge of his letters and sounds, but now we are almost to the end of our first year and he is reading simple sentences. He comes home excited to tell me what he has learned and about all his friends at school! I am so impressed with how much he has learned and grown thanks to Ms. Hana. Although we will be moving on next year to kindergarten, we are so happy that our son was able to get a good foundation for this upcoming school year!

My daughter has been attending Magnet Montessori for past 6 months. (3 years - 3 and Half) Me and…read moremy husband feel its been one of the best decisions we have made so far to enroll her. My daughter has grown so much during her time here into very sweet, talkative, helpful. Ms. Hana plans thoughtful activities for the kids all the time and is a very responsive director. She takes the time to get to know every child very well. I love that this school is smaller which affords the kids more personalized care as well as bring a "family like" feeling between parents, teachers, and children. My most favorite part is, I really enjoy receiving a art works, worksheets, home report and occasional pictures of my child. We have been very happy at MMPS. It is a gem of a school within affluent North Potomac/Rockville with still very reasonable rates relative to other preschool.

we have had our daughter here since the school opened. We love being able to drop her off at 7 AM…read moreand know she is safe throughout the day. It's such a clean school having just opened less than two years ago and the team seems to guide the kids to such good rules for living. She is only 18 months but is such a good little helper at the house. We love that she has had an awesome sleep schedule since starting. She also has not gotten sick much from School, which seems to be the thing parents worry about the most.

I have both of my kids at Guidepost Bradley Hills right now - one in the infant class and one in…read morethe 3-6 class - and we've had a really great experience overall. There was some staff turnover in my older child's classroom last school year that wasn't ideal, but the current team is fantastic and seems really committed for the long haul. The teachers are caring and attentive, and it's amazing to see how much progress both kids are making, especially when I compare to peers at other schools. My 3y/o is writing words already(!), and my infant is getting way more attention and support through bottle-feeding transition, crawling, teething, etc. than we ever got at my eldest's first school. 7a-6p hours are great for us (both working parents), and above all, both of our kids are happy and genuinely thriving here. As a parent that's all I can really ask for.

We moved from Nevada in May and have been incredibly thankful to have found Creche!!…read more All I can say is WOW! The teachers & staff here are the best - so sweet, patient with kids, fun, and just radiate light! There's different class options based on age. There's a great playground and outdoor space that the preschool is able to utilize as well!

My oldest daughter attended St. Francis Creche for two years and my youngest is in her third year…read moreat the school. I could not be happier about the quality of the program. We attended two other preschools in the area prior to moving to Great Falls and ending up at Creche. I can say without hesitation that Creche offers the perfect balance of hand's on learning combined with an emphasis on learning through play. The teachers are warm, nurturing and collaborative. My daughter struggles sometimes with emotional regulation. I speak with her teacher regularly about her progress. We share strategies and observations and have teamed together to collaborate on her success. In addition to the positive overall learning environment, Creche offers a strong sense of community for the parents, which is unique. The school sponsors social activities throughout the year and the parents have many opportunities to get to know each other, which is beneficial to the kids. My older daughter left well prepared for kindergarten and I have no doubt that my younger daughter will be as well.

I recommend this school to everyone that is looking for a serious and true Montessori program. In…read moreMD any school that claims to be Montessori has to be approved by the state and has to have at least one Montessori-trained teacher. However, I have heard parents complain sending kids to Montessori is a waste of money because it's just a name to sell the school. So, not all state-approved Montessori programs have good quality of education. So being aware not all schools are the same, I toured 3 Montessori schools: Lone Oak, Manor and the Woods Academy. I found the Lone Oak Montessori on AMI website and Woods academy on AMS website. Manor was recommended by other parents and it seems to be a popular choice when it comes to Montessori preschools in Bethesda area. I took my 3-year-old son with me to all the tours and he loved the Woods the best because we were allowed to walk into the classroom and had very brief interactions with the students and teachers, to observe and also play some toys in the classroom while parents were talking to the director, Mrs. Gerber- who is very knowledgeable and experienced about Montessori programs and part of the reason we chose Montessori is because of her expertise and experience. After the tour, my son wanted to go back the next day because the classroom was just so fun and interesting for little kids. My son is happy every day and cannot wait to tell me what he learned in school. The teachers encourage independence, good manners, trying new things/food, healthy snacks, and creativity. They are caring and loving but also very firm when giving instructions. My son learns new things/facts each day and not just merely playing with expensive toys. For instance, he came home one day start singing "The family of the Sun," and talked about all the facts he learned about planets and I was amazed. And three weeks later, he started to learn the sounds of alphabets and try to read! The teacher told me she would advance any student if s/he is ready so there is no need to wait till 4 or 5 to learn how to read. The other pluses but not major factors are- 1) facility, it's a school so it has it's own gym, music/art classrooms, library, and playground. It's very spacious, clean and well-maintained. 2) it has PE, music and art classes once a week for 30 minutes. The school has a very strong art program. 3) faculty and staff are very friendly and they know student by names. I felt that students are given a lot of attention because of its small classroom size. The only downside is the tuition. It is about $2K more than other schools I checked/toured. We've been happy with our choice and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good preschool in Bethesda. If you want more information about the Montessori program, check out the blog: http://woodsmontessori.blogspot.com/

This is a very good private school in the Potomac and Bethesda area. I went here for Montessori…read morethrough 8th grade and loved my experience here. There were incredible resources and the teachers were awesome! I definitely recommend looking here for your child.

Great and affordable cooperative nursery school with helpful, caring, and nurturing preschool…read moreteachers and staff! Highly recommend Rockville Community Nursery School (RCNS)!

What a wonderful co-op preschool! My son is in the 3's class with Ms. Sofya this year and we…read morecouldn't be happier! What we love about this school is that they offer a 5 day/week program with an aftercare "lunch bunch" option. (They also have a 2, 3, or 4 day per/week option). So, my son has school from 9:30 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. Monday-Friday. I don't think that any other co-op in Rockville has this much schooling for the 3's age group. Another great thing about this preschool is that they have the option to BUY OUT of the co-oping duties! This year is especially busy for my family because we also have an 8 month old baby and we are very limited on time. (I love this school's flexibility!!) RCNS' location is beautiful. It is surrounded by wonderful green space and a fun playground! My son enjoys playing there with his friends when his aftercare is finished. (During this time, I enjoy socializing with the other parents!) In all, I would highly recommend this preschool for parents looking for a co-op with a more flexible schooling option! We are so happy that we decided to come here!

When I lived in Bethesda when my son was 3 years old, I toured Harbor School along with 40 other…read moreBethesda area schools (that's not a typo, actually 40), and Harbor school was my favorite of the 40 for early childhood education. I have 17 years of experience as a recruiter (mainly Microsoft, now Nike) and am honed in evaluating talent -- with schools, checking everything out, the student art on the walls, how the kids look, how the teachers interact with the children, how the environment feels, all of it. Harbor School is a special place in that the teachers are really exceptional -- exceptional care for the students, expertise, there's a healthy genuine feel to the school, the students look good. It's not a fancy hyper modern place, but note that it also doesn't come with a fancy hyper modern 40k tuition price tag. The school is real, and I think a gem. Sadly for us, we moved too far away from it, in Middleburg VA now. Our 6 year old is a bit school avoiding and so I recently called up Harbor School, where our dear friends with a 6yr old and 3 yr old attend, and I asked Andrea if she would be willing to tour me and my son again, let him be in the classroom of his best friend, let him see how his younger friend, the 3 year old, is also in school. She was gracious in allowing it, I spent a beautiful 15 minutes in the pre-k class, 2 students productive and engaged at each station. The 2 teachers were lovely, on the ball, inclusive to my son, it was just a wonderful visit. One of the teachers with 27 years of experience at the school. We got to see the art room, music room, the maker room with loads of hands-on crafts, and we spent 15 minutes outside at the playground in the back -- lovely space. You could pay more for a school, and help fund facilities that go with it, but common sense would advise checking out this lovely school that has keen focus on what matters most: recruitment of wonderful staff. I also valued the small teacher to student ratio I saw, which set the whole thing up for success. In terms of kindness/sensitivity/expert knowledge at the younger years, I'm definitely impressed with Harbor School. End of day, I think a young child benefits most from being surrounded by excellent compassionate teachers vs a shiny perfect gym that some schools with higher tuition offer. Apparently Harbor School is moving in a year, but I think this is a school that would be worth chasing after wherever nearby they relocate to. Being at Harbor School again yesterday I literally contemplated could we reasonably do the drive from Middleburg...sigh. But for Bethesda area parents you're in a lucky situation feels like to me, wherever they move, because they are taking their teachers and philosophy and humane student:teacher ratio with them.

A wonderful, caring school. It's a great foundation for young learners. The teachers are very…read moreexperienced, caring and kind. Students are embraced. Each child gets a lot of individual attention. They feel accepted and comfortable, so they truly learn and form meaningful relationships. The student-teacher ratio is amazing and makes such a big difference. They are up to date on growth mindset, mindfulness, hands on learning, flexible classroom space and sitting options, inquiry based learning, use of technology, etc. It's a traditional school with an innovative learning program. It has structure, but it is personalized and flexible to accomodate each student. We are in our final year at the Harbor School and very sad to be leaving this wonderful place.