My first experience with Montessori was 10 years ago, with my son, at a Montessori school in a different state. I was quite disappointed with what was touted as Montessori and the results I saw with my son. The freedom that comes with the Montessori method didn't suit him, as he would take advantage of it by reading books all day instead of participating in lessons. At the time, my priority was simply having someone take care of him since both parents worked. As long as he was safe, that was enough. I didn't think much more about it until it was time to put my daughter into daycare, as our parental leave was coming to an end. From the options available, enrolling her in a "private school" seemed like the best choice, hoping she would learn something and not just play all day. I first placed her at the Brushy Creek campus, because they have classrooms for babies. The price seemed steep for just feeding and changing diapers, but again, I figured you pay for quality. Well... I was surprised by how quickly she was developing. She started walking at 10 months old, communicated her needs through sounds and sign language, and got along well with other kids. The benefits of socializing her early were obvious. I started thinking there might be more to Montessori than I originally thought. It wasn't until we transferred her to the Cypress Creek campus, closer to home, that I truly realized how wrong I had been about Montessori. At Guidepost Montessori at Cypress Creek, I saw just how incredible the Montessori method can be when done right. The school has provided an exceptional learning environment for my daughter, with a strong focus on individualized education and fostering independence. The Montessori philosophy is clearly evident in every aspect of the school's approach, from the thoughtfully prepared classrooms to the well-structured activities that promote creativity, critical thinking, and self-discipline. Her teachers, Mrs. Ebelia and her assistant Alex, have been amazing. They are both professional, caring, and highly qualified, creating a warm and supportive atmosphere for the students. I have seen remarkable growth in my child's confidence and ability to tackle challenges on her own, and I attribute a lot of that progress to the nurturing environment they've created. One of the standout aspects of the school is the abundance of activities they offer to bring the community together. Whether it's events for families, parent workshops, or school celebrations, Guidepost Montessori does an incredible job of fostering a strong sense of connection and engagement between parents, teachers, and students. Additionally, the diversity of my daughter's classmates is remarkable. She is surrounded by children from various backgrounds, which enriches her learning experience and broadens her understanding of the world around her. The communication between the school and parents is outstanding--I'm always kept informed about my child's progress and any updates regarding the school. The leadership at Guidepost Montessori is also worth noting. They are approachable, proactive, and genuinely care about the development and well-being of the students. It's clear that they are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards in education. Overall, I couldn't be happier with our choice to enroll at Guidepost Montessori at Cypress Creek. It has truly been a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend it to any parents looking for a nurturing, innovative, and effective learning environment for their child. read more

I need to begin this review by clarifying a misunderstanding I had when enrolling my kid at this school. It is NOT named after a dinosaur. In fact, there are no dinosaurs named Montessori, Montessorous, Montessori Rex, Montessoridon, or even Montessoridactyl. I think Montessori is Italian, actually. Next obvious question: Were all dinosaurs Italian? This is hotly debated amongst anthropologists even today. My theory is that yes, and that what actually killed the dinosaurs was not a meteor from space, but rather a meteor-sized meatball. All evidence is forthcoming once I can find a scientific journal that will publish my thesis. Anyway, back to the review of the school. Hold on to your butts... My kid has been attending Guidepost at Cypress Creek for about a year and a half. He started in the toddler classroom and is now in Children's House. (They call it a house, but it's actually a classroom. I don't know why. When you reach out to admissions, you can use that as an icebreaker. You're welcome). My partner, my kid, and I have all been very pleased with both classrooms. Montessori schools treat their students as fully capable people with their own agency. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, but somehow they make it work. When you watch a classroom in full swing, it's like a well-oiled machine. The students are working either independently or cooperatively. They are cleaning up after themselves, being respectful towards others, and are highly attentive towards their classwork. They are very clever girls and boys. This is a testament to the excellent guides (their term for teachers, there's your second icebreaker). It sounds impossible but, uh, the guides find a way. The administration is also wonderful. They are pro-active with their communications, and we always feel in the loop. Almost every day there are optional extra-curricular activity options on the school grounds, which is super convenient. Things like art, gym, and soccer. The school is a great size. It's small enough that it feels like a real community. I think all of the guides know our kids' name, even if they aren't in his class, and they know both my partner and me. There are frequent classroom-wide and school-wide events, both in person and remote. There's an outdoor playground, of course, and a garden area that gets frequent use. All of the children participate in maintaining it, which is cool. Tuition is reasonable, even though it seems like they've spared no expense, so that's nice. Well, readers, after careful consideration, I've decided to endorse Guidepost Montessori at Cypress Creek. We like it enough that we will be enrolling our second kid when he's old enough. The question wasn't so much whether we could but whether we should, and even that was silly because the answer was obviously yes. The lack of actual dinosaurs is disappointing, of course, but I'm not going to deduct stars for that. I haven't found any school that has them, so it wouldn't be fair. read more

Guidepost Montessori Cypress Creek has well-equipped facilities, excellent work group, and guides who are absolutely caring and nurturing! There you will find a safe environment with very well trained personnel to provide your children with security and all the care they need to feel at home and THRIVE. I am very happy to be a part of the Guidepost Montessori family read more

We have had our 3-year-old enrolled at Guidepost Cypress Creek for over a year and feel strongly that it is the perfect fit for our family. Some examples to highlight the impact we have seen include... Communication: * Extensive weekly emails regarding all current and upcoming events * Head of School in-person discussions daily with parents * Written notes and feedback * Parent - Teacher/Guide Conferences with very detailed expectations and outlines of success Care for children: * I have seen all staff wipe noses, clean up accidents, gently guide and respectfully redirect behavior, and just show genuine care for so many Guidepost children (not just mine). * All kids can have a bad day (just like adults) and never once have I witnessed a staff member address an upset child with anything more than respect and kindness (even amid a vivacious tantrum) Creative learning opportunities: * My child is not the typical "outdoorsy" kid and used to be very hesitant outside, but in the last 6 months especially he has been drawn to the outdoors and has really opened up his willingness to actively play outside. He talks about larva and butterflies, feeding birds, watering and gardening, the life cycles of insects and animals, and so many wonderful things, all of which he is learning and absorbing from his time at Guidepost. * The classroom has such amazing work opportunities that explore so many different areas and help give such a well rounded Montessori education (with a lot of fun worked in to it). The Guides thoughtfully change out the work MONTHLY and the kids genuinely look forward to going in and getting started each day. * The beauty of such attentive Guides is that they can see where interest is growing and areas of struggle may be and they can then help the child to really work on both. * There are different extracurricular opportunities that are now available as well like yoga, art class, soccer and more! We are able to try out so many different things thanks to the opportunities offered. Strong staff and leadership: * Without being asked or beckoned, the Head of School, Lauren Horn, once heard me address our Guide and start to ask a few more than normal "drop off" questions and she came speed walking over and stepped into the classroom to assist the Guide so that we could have those extra couple minutes in the hall (without making me feel rushed, or the Guide to feel torn, and still making sure the classroom was moving smoothly) - she just knew and was on it. I was blown away by this. * I have never heard Ms. Lauren speak rudely or with anything other than respect and kindness to the Guides. I have seen her applaud, praise and encourage her team. Also, in looking at the current team, it is obvious that she has fought to have the best Guides possible for this school. We have had some interactions with all Guides in each classroom (and like them all), but specifically Ms. Ebelia, Ms. Olivia, Ms. Deanna, and Ms. Nicole have all taught and led our child in a classroom. * I have been blown away by these amazing teachers. The care and love they show to all the children is unparalleled. I have witnessed such magical moments of true care from each of them (from sitting in a quiet area when my child was overwhelmed - just reading with him and helping him to regulate his emotions, to singing songs to help ease rough transitions, to remembering obscure toddler mentions and actually taking the time to talk with my kid and show him how important his interests are). I can't imagine our children being with any other people than these wonderful Guides. Community and family involvement: * I never thought I would look forward to my children's childcare social events, but I genuinely do. We feel like we get the opportunity to participate in our kid's school life and meet other parents, interact with the Guides, and learn so much about Guidepost, and Montessori methods. It is also nice that it doesn't feel required - so if we can't make it we aren't the bad parents that just don't care - but instead, we just couldn't be there... simple as that. * I feel like we are part of a community now and not just parents that write tuition checks. I feel it is important to speak up when you see someone doing a great job and truly making a difference, so that is why I am choosing to write this all. The staff at Guidepost Cypress Creek are truly one in a million and we are so grateful that we get the opportunity to have our children there. read more

I have been meaning to post a review on here for a while but life with a toddler is always busy. We enrolled our daughter at Cypress Creek originally because a friend recommended their toddler program and could not say enough good things about Ms. Ebelia the lead guide. We were very impressed with her and the way she ran her classroom. You will not find a more caring and dedicated guide to care for your children. When my daughter was in the hospital, she reached out to us many times to show her support. She was always going above and beyond. We were so sad when Gwyn had to move out of her class because we loved her so much. There have been some big changes at this school over the last year and all for the better. There has been more of a community feel and that was not always the case for the school as a whole the previous year. The new head of school Ms. Lauren has really done a great job turning things around. She is always there. She is either available up front, busy assisting in one of the classrooms, or planning family events and extended day opportunities. As a parent it has been nice to be invited to join in on helping support the classroom and be a part of what our children are learning. We get weekly updates from her with all the activities planned and information about what the children are focusing on in the classrooms. There have been some fun playground playdates and even a music event! These have been great to be a part of and have made it so easy to get to know some of the other families. We also really love our daughters' new teachers in the Children's House. Ms. Deanna is so excited about the lessons she has planned for the kids and is great about sharing these things with the parents. Ms. Nicole is so sweet and great with the kids. You can really tell they both enjoy what they do. The team at Cypress has even gone the extra step at pickup time to make sure our parking lot is safe for the families because of an issue with the middle school parents and traffic it brings to the area. You can really see they all love their jobs and want to do the best for all kids involved. We definitely recommend Cypress Creek Montessori and are excited for all the fun fall learning and activities ahead! read more

We have had a tremendously positive experience with this school. Our son is in the toddler class and has just been thriving in the four months he has been there. The director and every single teacher has been patient, informed, and excellent in distracting and diffusing the typical toddler shenanigans and my son comes home every day with new songs, new knowledge, and a sincere want to return the next day. I've read the other reviews in Brushy Creek and I can't comment on the owner--never met her. But the director of THIS school is phenomenal. She communicates promptly, directly and fairly. The tuition was recently raised, but it is still very reasonable and an extraordinary value. Preschool research is to be taken very seriously; we toured over ten... This is where our child belongs; put it on your list. read more

We have really enjoyed having our son at CCMS. Yes, CCMS is owned by the same owner as Brushy Creek, but under completely different management. If you search under Department of Child and Family Services, you will see that they've had one citation. Ms. Laurie is the current director, and she has the school running well. She is invested in the children doing well at her school, is friendly and involved. She welcomes parent feedback and is extremely communicative via phone calls or email. Like I said, this has been the right choice for our 4 year old son. He thrives in the environment - it gives him the confidence to know he can accomplish things and explore his own interests. I highly recommend the school! read more

We started at this Montessori school when it was Cypress Creek Montessori School (CCMS) and we really liked the small classes and the teachers were awesome! Less than a year ago, the school was acquired by Guidepost Montessori. As with most acquisitions, there was some staff turnover, which was very unfortunate as we really liked them. Guidepost has since updated the school, purchased new classroom furniture, and streamlined the curriculum to adhere more strictly to the Montessori style curriculum. Overall, we are happy with the Guidepost team and would recommend this Montessori school to others. read more

There is just too much to say about this place... I was always told- If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all! Just steer clear for your sake and your children's sake!!! read more

Both of my daughters have attended this school, and we just couldn't wait to get our second one there! Imaging my surprise the first day my daughter came home reciting the Chinese alphabet! They even get to plant a garden and harvest it! Both of my daughters knew all the continents at age 4! It is always exceptionally clean. Every teacher there is invested in the natural development of the children. The work stations are phenomenal and help optimize the development of the children. My first child went on to to Public School and was much farther advanced than her school mates. My youngest still attends until summer, when she will graduate. We just cannot say enough positive things about this school and the quality of teachers and staff there. Truly this is an excellent school and I would highly recommend it to anyone needing quality care for their child. read more

I recently enrolled my 4 year old son to Cypress Creek Montessori School. He is more sensitive suffers from separation anxiety, and the teachers and director have been phenomenal at handling drop off. They are so nurturing and loving, making him more and more comfortable in a short period of time. I can really care that the staff CARES about each student, and the parents. They are committed to accommodating my needs as a parent, and they also offer suggestions for making the transition to a new school as smooth as possible. It's a small school environment, which I love because of the personalized and individual attention they provide. The student teacher ratio wonderful, and I am confident that my son is in good hands. read more

The original director Tonya was wonderful and very professional. After she left in 2012, this place started to have a big turn over. They were short of people including teachers. The current director was a toddler class teacher and promoted to be a director after another director (replacement of Tonya) left. After so many turn overs, we decided to send our second kid to a different school. read more

Absolutely HORRIBLE..... We enrolled our sons in late June to start on 8/25/14. From the time we enrolled to the start of school the director and two teachers were replaced....red flag. When we called to schedule a trial date they had no record of our enrollment. We informed both the former and new director of some behavioral issues our older son has had and they both agreed to work with us as long as we made valid efforts to correct the concerns as they came about. We received a call and an e-mail from the director just 5 short hours after we dropped them for their first day of school and we were told that my children could not return. SHAME ON YOU....you gave up on my son after just 5 hours? No second chances for a little boy who can't stay steal at nap time? You should be ashamed of yourselves for handling my son this way and making him feel unwelcomed just hours into his school experience. read more

My daughter started here part time in June. She is 23 months old and in the toddler class. She is absolutely loving it! As a teacher I have been very happy with the growth and development of my child both academically and socially. The director, Ms. Tonya, is personable and attentive. I never have any doubt that my child is being taken care of and stimulated. She is in the toddler class and all of her teachers are amazing. Ms. Mitsy is very calm and My daughter loves her. I have seen a huge growth in my daughters language development since starting school here. If you are looking for the Montessori experience I would def. recommend cypress creek Montessori! read more

My son attended CCMS when he was 4. He then went on to Kinder at Purple Sage Elementary and found that it was not challenging as it was at CCMS. He learned a tremendous amount while being taught by excellent teachers. His younger sister is attending and she has just blossomed. She attended the toddler room with Mrs. Laurie and really enjoyed it. We then moved her to Crenshaw's Athletic club so she can learn gymnastics and swimming and found her academics declining. We have since moved her back to CCMS into the Primary class. My wife and I could tell her academics is improving in the short time she has been back. Her baby sister will be 2 and will attend in September in the toddler room. Besides the great teachers, the director Mrs. Tonya Hallam, is an excellent person to trust our children with. She is attentive and very caring. My wife and I are grateful for how she cared and cares for our children. Enrique read more

We started our son here last August in preparation for kindergarten and have been extremely pleased in his progress while attending. His writing skills have increased tremendously, and he has also mastered his sounds and is beginning to read three letter words. He will be attending kindergarten this school year and as he leaves CCMS, we will be excited to start his sister here in the fall. read more

We are thrilled with Cypress Creek Montessori! It's a wonderful school and we have had wonderful teachers for two and half years. My daughter and son have been attending. The school is small, friendly and very focused on making sure each child gets the opportunity to advance or catch up if needed. The principal and teachers have been phenomenal. special days were tons of fun - the International day, zoo day, pizza and pajama day, splash day, mother's day, father's day and many more! I highly recommend Cypress Creek Montessori! read more