My son started at GFM at 2 years old and has been attending for almost two years, and it has been wonderful to see his development during his time here. Initially we weren't sure if Montessori school was the right fit for him, but it has been the best decision we could've made. The teachers are caring and it's clear that they spend time building relationships with each child. During drop off every morning, I have to stop my son from running down the hallway as he is so excited to get into the classroom. Highly recommend GFM to other families looking. read more

It's been a year and a half since our four-year-old joined greater Montessori and we could not be happier! His primary teacher is so kind and the directors and staff at the school are great! The summer program has lots of fun activities for the Littles to keep their brains going! Excited to start a new school year this fall! read more

Corporate support - consistent with feedback from other parents, my opinion is that corporate (based out of state) is out of touch with the needs of our community. Excessive focus on profit and lack of flexibility has resulted in their inability to retain talented teachers due to compensation and it is causing disruptions to the care for the children. The other two Great Foundation Montessori schools in Irvine (part of the same corporation I believe) have also seen declining rating on Yelp, and it appears to be a systemic problem. Unless corporate is serious about changing their approach, this will be a revolving door for the teachers and administrative staff. Take care of the community and the people will take care of your business. (rating corporate support as 3 stars) Great Foundation Montessori Tustin - The current administrative staff has brought some stability over the past six months and I am cautiously optimistic based on what I have observed. Staff is open to feedback from parents and has implemented some positive changes. Current administrative staff and teachers are dedicated to this line of work and is doing everything they can to provide excellent care. It's not an easy job, and I admire the effort they've put in. Overall a very nice facility. (rating the staff and teachers as 4 to 4.5 stars) read more

We started our son at two years old, then had to switch to a new school 6 months later. It was such a struggle to transfer him since this school was so hard to get in back in the date. The facility itself is beautiful, and we initially felt confident in our decision. However, over the past six months, we've seen significant issues, especially within the school's management and staffing. Our son has had five different teachers in just six months. One by one, the caring, experienced teachers left -- and unfortunately, they weren't replaced with the same level of care or consistency. By the end of this period, dropping him off became an emotional struggle for all of us. Communication with staff dwindled to almost nothing, likely due to being severely short-staffed. We understand that early education professionals, especially in daycare and Montessori settings, are often underpaid -- but as parents, we are paying tuition that should reflect the value of consistent, quality care and education. We sincerely hope the school will take a hard look at its core issues -- particularly teacher retention and compensation. Caring, dedicated teachers are the heart of any good school, and without them, the children suffer the most. read more

Ms fabi is an amazing teacher! She teaches our child and does an outstanding job! Ms christina is another outstanding teacher that cares about the children! I would recc this facility if you want to know your children are safe and cared for. read more

It has now been about 3.5 years since my oldest first started here. From my previous review, you can read all about how amazing the staff and teachers were. How fortunate we felt to be apart of this Montessori family knowing our littles were in loving and capable hands. The school hit a bit of a rough period last summer, with a ridiculously high employee turnover due to the teachers being underappreciated. Which is sad because the teachers are the heart and soul of a classroom. We were definitely skeptical how things would play out but we kept our faith and stuck with them. When Ms. Angie came on board last Fall 2024, we could not have been more relieved and happy we stayed. She has truly been a godsend to this institution. My son has matured and learned so much since being in her class. Not only educationally, but also socially. Ms. Angie models to her kids how to have good manners, respect our peers and friends, and how to make good decisions. She's teaching them social skills that are infuriating and near impossible to teach a toddler, but because of her calm and patient demeanor and her consistency, I can see my son maturing and becoming a better little human because of her. This school is so lucky to have found her and they better hold on to her because she is truly a gem. Along with Ms. Angie, Ms. Samantha and Mr. Julian have been the best aid teachers to our kiddos!! Ms. Samantha is such a sweetheart, always so warm and kind to all the kids. I love how she teaches them gently, but also knows when to be firm during necessary times. Mr. Julian is the best! The kids all have so much fun being silly and playing with him. He does the best voices during storytime and sparks their imagination by leading them on pretend roller coasters or through a wild adventure. This Montessori used to be owned by a small mom and pop, but like all things now and days, got absorbed by a large corporation. We really hope they start appreciating and treating the teachers with the respect they deserve, so they'll stop leaving, and to stop only thinking about "the bottom line". Once they do, I truly believe this school can be great again. read more

The Great Foundation Montessori teachers and staffs provided excellent education and care for my daughter. She started when she was 2 years old and graduated when she was ready for kindergarten at age 5. All of the teachers she had were amazing. They have taught her to be independent and progressed in her education. The center is open from 7am to 6pm and we fully utilized this because my wife and I work a long shift. Only few downside is that this center and one other in the area are owned by a big corporate company whom is out of state. Because of this during the hanger fire, the out-of-state parent company sent out an email stating that they were planning shut the school down immediately with a very notice and alerted the parents to pick up their child within a hour or two. After that without any backup plans, they continued to closed the school which ended up for 2 weeks. This left my wife and I scrambling to find an alternative center that can take her while we worked. There was a very little or no communication with the school about when the reopening was going to occur. Unfortunately, this issue happened again during the hanger fire clean up about a month later again with no notice. My wife and I were very frustrated and dissatisfied with how these events unfolded and we were not compensated for this trouble. We had to still pay full monthly rate. Another upsetting thing we observed was that there were high turnover rate among teachers and admin staffs. Because the out-of-state company who owned this center didn't understand the cost of living in California, they under-appreciated and underpaid their teachers and admins compared to their local competitor. Which meant, during the last year, my daughter's primary teachers rotated 3 times and the entire admin staff 2 times. We felt that this disrupted my daughter's learning. With that being said, I would still recommend putting your child in this center because of the staff and the teachers. They are amazing and caring. My daughter has learned a lot. Hopefully, the first bad remark that was mentioned was one time occurrence, and hopefully that the parent company realizes the great potential in the current teachers and their staffs and start paying better wages and benefit so they don't have a high turnover of teachers and staffs again. read more

My daughter has been going for about 3 months and she absolutely loves her trachers Miss Fabby and Miss Christina. They both are so warm and caring with the babies (infant room). She has learned a lot of new words and songs at school. They also encourage independence and self-learning which I have noticed now my kid is wanting to do a lot of things by herself. The only down side I've seen so far is that the school closes or has early release at least once a month, which is something I haven't seen in other centers. read more

Boy, a lot has changed in just the past year! We are very sad to see this school turn into what it has become today. We had high hopes for a top quality Montessori in our community (even if our child moves on). Within the past year, amazing, qualified/certified teachers have left; and the few, newly hired staff either leaves after a month or may not have their full credentials/certifications. On top of that, they increased the tuition, which normally would not be an issue if they just maintained their original standards. However, increasing tuition AND having much less to show for it is infuriating. The only recommendation I have for this school is the infant and toddler rooms since Ms. Faby and Ms. Sandy are still there. Unfortunately, this Montessori location is starting to live up to the "only cares about shareholder profits" reputation. Get it together, guys. read more

Our son has been attending Great Foundations Montessori since September of 2023. We enrolled him when he was a little over 3, and opted for the structure and education that a montessori had to offer as a next step from a full time nanny. We were referred to GFM from a neighbor who had their daughter in the program and right away felt like we had made the right choice. From the initial tour and meet & greet, we could tell there was a great balance of education and fun. They also plan many fun activities and presentations throughout the year like water day, Hawaiian day, reptile day, police visit, trackless train, kona truck visit, pajama day, crazy sock day, etc. Lots of fun for the kids!!! The teachers really do care for the kids, and go the extra mile to foster an environment of community, friendship and learning. Our teacher for the year, Ms. Shima, was absolutely incredible (as are the other teachers!) Her lesson plans were detailed, exciting for the kids, and the projects they would work on were always a hit! From singing at circle time, to challenging jobs, we don't have a bad thing to say about our experience. She even made end of year memory books with printed photos and themes of each month. *cue the waterworks when I looked through it* We kept our son in their summer program, and I was SHOCKED by all of the fun things they planned over the short period of time. The Director, Ms. Sherlett and Assistant Director, Elizabeth, work tirelessly year-round to make sure the kids have an incredible experience. Ms. Sherlett is always the first person I see in the morning during drop off and the last during pick up. Huge kudos to her- she's an incredible asset to the organization and families. This year, we feel so blessed to have our son with Ms. Angie. She has a deep passion for education and extensive experience as a Montessori teacher. She is communicative, kind, patient, understanding, and genuine. She is a huge asset to the GFM team and families! One last note (and one of my favorite parts of GFM) is that we get updates via an app, along with photos throughout the week of what our son is learning, working on, class themes, etc. It's a great way to track progress and see your kiddos throughout their day. read more

The teachers are caring and dedicated, and the Montessori approach has helped our child grow in confidence, independence, and curiosity. The classrooms are nurturing and well organized, and our child is always excited to go to school. Highly recommend! read more

We had a traumatic experience with our first daycare. And when we transferred our little Summer to this place when she was 1yr old, we saw a big difference. And we're glad we found this place. Our little one had so much fun, she learned a lot, she was loved. Teacher Fabby and Teacher Christina did an awesome job!They communicated well and timely when our little one was not feeling well. I like the classroom set up. It's clean and organized. They always have fun activities for the kids. I especially like that there were only few kids in infant classroom, and the kids have enough space to play and learn things. Sadly we had to leave because another school which is closer to our home has an opening. We are grateful to Tustin school for the 5 wonderful months our Summer has experienced! I highly recommend this place. read more

My son started attending this classroom when he was just 4 months old, and he had a wonderful time with Ms. Fabby and Ms. Christina for six months. Due to a job relocation, we had to move him to another daycare. However, we are truly grateful for the time he spent with Ms. Fabby and Ms. Christina -- they took such great care of our little baby. I highly recommend this Montessori, especially with these two fantastic teachers! read more

I've had two separate experiences with this school over the span of about a year and a half. The first time I looked into this school was for my son, who was turning 4, and I was looking to transition him from a small in-home daycare to a larger preschool to prep him for kindergarten. The impression I got from the school at the time was that they were all about money, so I opted to send my son somewhere else. What led me to feel this way? A few things: - The girl who provided the tour stated the school maxes out the number of students per teacher allowable per state guidelines - The school was going to be taking over students from another Montessori that was closing and would be adding more staff, to again, maximize the number of students allowed - When we let them know we would not be proceeding with enrollment, the girl asked us to drive back and return their folder with marketing materials because they're expensive (With charging $1700 a month for 4 year olds they can afford a folder and sheets of paper for marketing) About a month ago, I decided to give this place a second shot, this time for my daughter. I tried calling a few times simply to get a quote on pricing as I didn't want to waste anyone's time with yet another tour if this place ended up being more expensive than I could afford. You can't get anyone on the phone here for a quote, so I caved and scheduled an appointment for a tour online using their website. After booking my tour for a month ahead (because it's impossible to get in sooner), I called two more times and left two detailed messages. Not once did someone call me back, even though I called twice at different times of the day and left detailed messages with my contact information and question. Last Thursday at almost 5pm, two business days before my scheduled tour the follwing Monday, someone called me and left a message saying "we don't do tours at the time you selected we have no idea why it allowed you to choose that time we need to reschedule". So it took a whole month for a call back to tell me the site wasn't accurate and with zero recognition of my previous voice emails? I was so upset that they called me two days before the appointment, saying their site was wrong that I didn't bother calling them back. It didn't help that they didn't return my previous voice-mails. They never attempted to call me again to reschedule either Friday or even Monday, so I assume they just canceled me. It does not leave a mother with a good feeling that you can't reach the company your child will be with all day long, or that they purposely max out the student to teacher ratio, or that they won't give the most basic information out which is cost. Stay away from this greedy school!! read more

BEWARE!!!!We wanted to love this school due to the hype and all the "great" comments we kept hearing about the location. However, our child faced an incident where she came home with a bruise. When we asked her about it she mentioned her teacher had grabbed her by the arm. She was in Ms.Ninas room 4 classroom. My husband and I decided to inquire with the school but unfortunately we got the run around with no video footage and no actual response from the main teacher or director Sherlett who told us footage was erased and waited 5 days to do something when they could of pulled the video footage the same day. Sherlett mentioned Ms.Nina said it could of happened during nap time. But When We finally heard back from Yasmeen (district director) who was only able to show us 5 min of the footage she chose. I must say Yasmeen kept communication with us regarding all the concerns however we never got an actual answer as to why My child 3yr old came home with a bruise after only being at the school for less than a week! Up to this day my child still brings it up that her teacher grabbed her! They say that kids can roam free as it is the Montessori way but they are forced to stay in their cot during nap time. read more

Before we came here, we did a lot of searching, but everywhere else seemed to be lacking. After the tour here, we couldn't sign up fast enough, and every single day for 3.5 years and through 2 children, they've completely lived up to that initial feeling and surpassed every expectation. The staff are excellent, and we've had great experiences with everyone. I can't say thank you enough to Ms Fabby, Ms Christina, Ms Nina, Ms Vanessa, Ms Josie, Ms Jessie, Ms Shima, Ms Shirley, Ms Lindsay, Ms Glancy, Ms Markie, Ms Treisa, and their fearless leader Ms Angela. We thank the Lord for being able to find and have our children attend such an amazing place. We're really going to miss coming here everyday. You come in, and you feel and know that your children are loved and in great hands. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more. read more

After 2.5 years we we're finally accepted! Right as we send our son to pre-k. Might as well get on the waitlist when you're thinking of having a child to get them in on time. Parents, "may the odds be ever in your favor!" read more

My husband and I booked an appointment online to tour this school for our infant. We booked the appointment for the week after the winter holidays, and we booked a full week in advance. I just got a call the night before our scheduled tour from a staff member who told us that they aren't doing tours due to coming back from the holidays (?), they don't normally do tours at the time we booked for, and that their infant waitlist is out to 2026. If your online system allows people to book tours for certain dates and times, those should be respected; otherwise, update your system to be accurate. We shuffled our work schedules to prioritize this tour. Separately - We had also tried to tour this school last August and never got a call back when we called twice and left a voicemail. If you read reviews, you can see this exact same outcome happened for another reviewer. Message received: potential, paying clients are not valued. Disappointed at the overt lack of courtesy and professionalism. read more

Bringing my son to this particular montessori was the best decision my wife and I made. We had looked for a montessori where we could be convinced of the teachers, facilities, curriculum and the management that would take care of my son safely. We had visited a few other places nearby and weren't convinced of the cleanliness and the focused care offered. My son was 1 year old when he joined class 1. The ratio of teachers to students were 1:4 here. They were able to accommodate his allergies and made him love going to the daycare. The focused attention and the ability to provide food catering to his allergy was a blessing in disguise. In fact when we moved away from our previous residence to a farther location, we could not find another montessori that came close to the offerings , teachers and management GFM offered. We have to drive 22 miles each way to drop him off. All worth it!! read more

Had high hopes for GFM based on recommendations from friends. Alas our 3-year old toddler only lasted a month here before we were informed that they did not have the resources to handle their behavior. After multiple conferences and assurances that the behavior was "age appropriate" and not a problem they recommended us to have evaluations done to assess for possible disorders, which we did. Prior to completion, one day upon picking our toddler up we were simply told they could not handle them any longer and "kindly" told us not to bring them back. No mention of the evaluation result or anything at all. Nevertheless we got the report back and were informed that his reactions and temperament under stressful situations was common and certainly "age appropriate" which is what we had thought all along. These days when asked about GFM our toddler, who has been using words more effectively, told us they thought the teacher did not like them. Taking this with a grain of salt, the conclusion we've reached is sometimes a teaching/school style does not fit a developing child and they may require a little more affection, attention, and/or structure than what montessori or specific teachers can offer. I've no desire to bash a preschool that seems to have positive reviews other than the fact that I am disappointed that they gave up so quickly on "age appropriate" behavior and didn't follow through on their promise to work with us. As full time working parents you can imagine the toll this had on our family while scrambling to find alternate options for daycare. YMMV but if u have a child with similar tendencies as ours I'd caution you to look elsewhere. read more

We love and appreciate this school from the bottom of our heart. Our two older kids all graduated from this school. The teachers they had here are all full of caring and love. Mrs. Angela and Mrs. Markie are always so welcome and warm. They offered big smiles when you came in and always hug and spend time with every kids at school. Also, Mrs. Glancy, Mrs. Venessa, Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Lindsay, etc...Every teacher they had are amazing. There are a lot of Montessori schools out there, but this one is the best without any doubt. When it came to the time to enroll our third boy to school, we thought of GFM immediately. However, since the Tustin campus had a long waiting list during that time, we thus send our kid to the GFM Woodbury campus thinking the two school will under the same management standard. But it turned out we made a biggest wrong decision. Our kid went there when he was 14 months and stayed there for almost 8 months. We had so many negative experiences during these 8 months. They have serious turnovers. There were always accident reports (My kid bite others or got bite/hit by others). My kid cried during the drop off for the whole 8 month and keep saying no school when he at home. When we finally had a chance to transferred him to Tustin campus, I was a little not sure how my kid will adjust and react in the new environment. Thanks to the director Mrs. Angela and Mrs. Markie from the front office, they offered us three visits to the class to let him familiar with the class and teachers. And also I have to give my greatest thanks to Mrs. Triesa, who is the lead teacher of room 2 and has been working with my kid so patiently. She has been such a blessing, not only helping my kid with adjusting the new school, but also let him feel he is truly loved and cared here. Mrs. Heaser, the helping teacher in room 2, she is also so patient and supportive. My kid never showed behavior issue again here. He is back to a happy boy like before. He waves goodbye to me with a big smile during drop off. He plays peek-boo with all the teachers during pick up. He shows me what he learned from school with love. When I mentioned his school and his teachers, he always says they like me! Thank you, GFM Tustin!! Thank you for all the love you give!! Thank you for creating such a positive environment and building the confidence for all kids! You really make the name of Great Foundation! read more

Our son attended this school for 2 years and we can't say enough great things about this program and the entire staff. They did so many great things for our son's confidence and the transition into kindergarten was seamless. So many people to thank but a special shout out to Ms. Nina who was his last teacher and went above and beyond to make sure our son was prepared. She cares deeply about the kids and, like the other teachers, really puts in extra effort. This is truly a school dirty that also cares for kids. read more