Mountain Shadows International Montessori School is a phenomenal place for children to learn and…read moregrow. Head of School Lauren F, Assistant Head of School Jeff, and the entire teaching team are exceptional--caring, professional, and deeply committed to the Montessori philosophy. My son is in his fourth year at MSIMS and my daughter in her second, and both absolutely thrive here. It is also the only fully accredited AMI Montessori school in Colorado, offering a level of quality education you won't find anywhere else. I cannot recommend this school enough.

My daughter attended the school in 2020-2022 and our experience was far from positive. When we…read moretoured and applied in 2020, the school sounded fantastic. Unfortunately between the time we applied and the time we started, the seemingly wonderful head of school left and the board selected someone with no educational experience to replace them. A year later the other, fantastic, member of the original 2-person admin team left. My daughter started in YCC at 18mo. Several times my daughter came home with injuries (head injuries, bite marks) and no incident report or communication from the school. In 2022 we moved into one of the primary classrooms. My daughter initially had an ok experience in primary. But again we found out about several incidents from her that should have warranted an incident report, but never did. This culminated in her telling us that one child had hit and shoved her 3-4 times inn the course of a week. We of course brought this up and the teacher kept trying to tell us this was "normal behavior". We disagreed, and attempted to raise this with the head of school, who ignored us for weeks. In this time we had interactions with several other parents, where upon telling them of the issue we'd get responses like "oh, was it [kid]? My kiddo was getting hit by them too." One other parent told us their kid shook with anxiety about going to school and had to be kept home for a month as a result of bullying by this same kid. It became clear that the kid in question had bullied almost every other kid in the classroom, and the school had done nothing about it. Finally, we got a meeting with the head of school. He started by gaslighting us, telling us we were "complainers" and that he felt "nothing he could do would ever make us happy" - as if enforcing the school's own policies on bullying were too much to ask. We quickly ended the meeting after agreeing that the school would refund us the tuition we had paid for the two-month summer session we wouldn't be attending. The school refused to issue a refund until after the summer session, and then sent us ~$200. Half-day tuition at the school is ~$2,000/month. The refund is laughable and, in my opinion, an intentional fraud. In summary our experience was of an incompetent administration, classrooms that could not provide a safe learning environment for our child, a sudden termination of services and a wholly inadequate refund from a disingenuous head of school.

An amazing educational experience for both of my kids!!! I love the Montessori method, and the…read moreteachers here truly care about the children and are encouraging and supportive! The environment feels like family. I wish they went beyond kindergarten! The interior and exterior spaces are purposeful! Kids have the opportunity to use different size strider bikes on the outdoor track...bringing home More than just academic skills!!

If you are a parent who likes to be involved in your child's education, this is not the place for…read moreyou. When asked for feedback -- any feedback -- on my child's school activities, I was told, "no news is good news". When I requested once again for a two-minute stand-up conversation once a week when picking up my child, I was told that if they did it for me, they had to do it for every parent. Is that such a bad thing? As a parent paying a significant amount to send a child to a private montessori, I didn't feel it an unreasonable request for a teacher to talk to me and tell me about my child's day. When dropping my child off or picking her up, I was rarely acknowledged by the staff (not even a, "Hi"). The month that I volunteered to read with the children one day a week, the two owners never greeted me, acknowledged me, or thanked me at the end for my time. Thankfully another teacher at the school recognized that I had no idea what my volunteer duties were, and showed me what I was to do. At the end of the year, I couldn't wait for school to be over. Needless to say, we won't be returning.This was by far the worst scholastic experience...ever! I would never, ever recommend Blue Mountain.

My child attended Bloom for 2 years. In that time I was never able to speak to a teacher or the…read moredirector for a conference or check in despite asking countless times. I have dozens of emails I sent to the director asking about my child with ZERO reply. My child seemed relatively ok and other parents were enduring the same so we stayed and I continued to try to get communication which was non existent. Finally, one day my child didn't want to go to school and it was more intense (a new baby sibling arrived and I had asked how she was doing with the transition with, again, no reply.) When I dropped her off, I asked the teacher to again please have Abby, the director, contact me and that I was starting to feel unsafe with no communication- and to be clear, I was calm and friendly and had already emailed dozens of times with no reply. When I picked my child up that afternoon she had a note her backpack telling us she was no longer welcome at bloom since I said she was "unsafe". This was not what I said (but even if it was this is a totally unethical and uncaring response unheard of in any school setting) and when I went back to talk to Abby she was shaking she was so angry and was completely unable to have a reasonable conversation. She never took any responsibility for the total lack of communication or emotional care at a preschool and had zero regard for my child's feelings around an ending like this. She said I gave her staff "an earful" when I had simply said how my child was feeling and asked for a conference or a phone call. It was truly a mind boggling conversation. My child did not get to say good bye to her friends or teachers after 2 years of being there and we are at a total loss to understand what actually happened since this kind of impulsiveness is totally foreign to us as parents looking for safe, caring childcare. There is no communication with parents, they aren't allowed in the school, there is no violin program as advertised, and they are not members of the American Montessori Society which is also advertised on their website. All parents should know this before sending their child here. I am a therapist and used every skill I have to try to have at least an understanding of my experience and she was unable to respond in any kind of reasonable way for a school director of young children. I am heartbroken for my child and wish we had avoided this school.

Beware of this school…read more It is run by extremely rigid sisters (as in siblings, not nuns) who brook no divergence from their picture of the ideal "Montessori Child". At age 3 (a year ago) our child went through a period of intense anxiety when dealing with gender identity questions and the injury of a parent in a car accident. Bloom's response was to pathologize the child as a "problem" who was a "danger". When our child requested a pronoun change, Bloom's response was again to pathologize her, request psychiatric diagnosis, and chronically misgender her. It's been clear that for the past year, Bloom has been looking for a reason to expel our child. One day, our child became upset when a parent was a bit later than usual at pickup. Bloom claimed she became "violent" and "dangerous". They claimed she tried to escape the school. They claimed she had to be physically restrained. These claims are preposterous, given that our child is four years old and weighs 35 pounds sopping wet. The staff to student ratio at the time this occurred was 2 staff to 1 student (our child was the only child left at the program). No attempt was made to help our child feel safe. No attempt was made to try to understand or console her. In the words of our child's therapist, "it's too bad the school is so rigid and more space couldn't have been given to work with and address the feelings motivating the behavior." The director of Bloom called us that evening and said our child was expelled, effective immediately. She used this incident to claim that our 4-year-old was a danger to herself and others, and pounced on the opportunity to punish her in the cruelest way possible. This has been devastating to our child, who has had her friends, her school, and her routine ripped away from her for truly incomprehensible reasons. Stay away from this school!

Our older son (now 14) graduated from BVWS last year, having been here since his early years…read more Looking back, we're amazed at how the school shaped him -- not just academically, but as a whole person. He left with a strong foundation in math, science, and writing, but also with creativity, confidence, and a deep sense of compassion. The combination of academics, arts, music, and hands-on learning really gave him a well-rounded education that will serve him for life. Our younger son is now in middle school at BVWS, and he is thriving. Middle school can be a tough transition, but the small class sizes and dedicated teachers make such a difference. He feels seen, supported, and challenged in ways that bring out his best. The curriculum balances academic rigor with opportunities for growth through orchestra, theater, outdoor education, and practical projects -- things that keep him engaged and excited about learning. What stands out most is the sense of community. BVWS feels like an extended family where teachers, parents, and students truly know and support one another. It's a nurturing, values-based environment that helps children grow into capable, compassionate young people. We're grateful to have found a school that educates the head, heart, and hands -- and we would highly recommend BVWS to any family looking for something more meaningful than a traditional school experience.

This is not a review disparaging BVWS. It is about the lack of transparency and consideration my…read morefamily and I were given through the application and enrollment process. My daughter is no stranger to BVWS: she attended in early childhood and has spent a couple of summers there and loved it. When I reached out to the admissions director, (s)he expressed that my daughter would be welcome back and that there was space for her, so I submitted an application and she did a 3-day shadowing. To my surprise, my daughter's application was rejected. I spent several months trying to get a clear answer as to why, unsuccessfully. The following is a summary of events post-shadowing. My husband and I met with the teacher who discussed my daughter's shadowing experience and stated multiple times that (s)he "saw no red flags". I then asked questions about the founder's philosophy including topics that touched upon racism and how they have evolved, as my husband and I come from diverse backgrounds. The teacher answered them with openness and transparency, which further solidified my decision to send my daughter there. A week later, I receive an email, "after careful consideration...we do not feel that (student) is a good fit for our program." I requested a meeting to better understand the decision and sent numerous follow-up emails over the next 2 months to which I received no response, or the admissions director was sick, out of town, or catching up on work. Upon finally setting a meeting, I mentioned that I had emailed the teacher to get more specific feedback regarding my daughter's experience and if (s)he could be encouraged to respond. The response from the admissions director: "to be clear, I will be talking you through the application process...but not discussing re-opening the process". I thanked them and wrote, to "make sure I'm understanding correctly - you will not ask (teacher) to give me information about my daughter, nor will you speak about her experience at BVWS," to which I received no reply. On the call, the admissions director explained that the enrollment process was a collaborative, complicated and nuanced process. It included not just the teacher's opinion, but also input from ALL the Grade teachers, consideration on the age and maturity of the class, and the fact that the teacher is new to Waldorf teaching. If that were the case, then the shadowing, which caused disruption for everyone involved, was pointless and in fact, no new student could join. My insistence on following up was to have an opportunity for an open and transparent discussion regarding my daughter's application. If the teacher had told me during our debrief that (s)he felt the class dynamic with my daughter was not right, I would have respected the opinion. Funny that while my daughter attended BVWS there had never been any concerns raised. I can only deduce from the lack of response and transparency that this decision had less to do with my daughter and more about the questions I raised during our meeting with the teacher. In my last email after our final call, I expressed my hope that this experience be shared with the faculty and board as a learning experience and that I would always be open to dialogue. Since I never received a reply, I assume this issue had been swept under the rug. Though I know no big change will come of this, this experience will serve as a lesson when my daughter is older so that she may learn to advocate for herself with awareness and discernment. BVWS states they support DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and boasts that it cultivates a welcoming, inclusive community. A few qualities of inclusive leadership include fairness and respect, collaboration, empowerment and growth, and emotional and cultural intelligence, none of which I received. It is a shame that fear and avoidance of tough questions will now directly impact a 7-year-old's education. DEI has become very trendy in the past few years but simply taking a training without putting the principles into practice is not enough. Let's do better for our children and set the examples we want to teach them, not just have empty words on a website. That is when you muster the courage to step forward, not back.

After having had the pleasure of teaching in some of the finest preschools for 30 years, I can only…read morebegin to sing the praises of The BellaVita School. Nurturing, kind, loving staff with excellent ideas for their children to take off and blossom. Their staff loves what they do, they love the children, and they certainly teach respecting our earth and one another. If I lived in Colorado, I'd be clamoring for a position there. Luckily I can visit from time to time and know my precious grandson enjoys his weekdays there, encouraged every day to be as fully HIM as he can be. That's just how BellaVita runs. Any child lucky enough to be a part of this organization is reaping the benefits of their lucky stars.

I wanted to write a review a lot sooner than now, but I wanted to make sure that I had the time to…read moregive it the absolutely stellar and comprehensive review it deserves. This school, and it's teachers are, without a doubt, the cream of the crop. My son is 3 1/2 and I couldn't ask for a more amazing place for him to be when he isn't with us. I checked out every preschool imaginable and there is no other place like The Bella Vita School. The children are cherished and treated like the very special individuals that they are. They get to garden, help make meals, learn Spanish, dance, science and herbs, math, reading, art and music. There is a ton of outdoor time(great back yard space with wonderful play structures, slides etc..) and a low student-to-teacher ratio that is so very important to a healthy learning environment for academics, socialization and emotional growth. The curriculum is very special and beautiful and includes friendship studies, job days, journals, and emotion cards to name a few. The vegan snacks and meals that are provided are delicious and the healthiest you will find anywhere. They offer half day and full day programs, which are very flexible and an AMAZING summer camp as well!! We have loved spending time at the monthly family get-togethers and wonderful school events that are put on by the staff. All of the families who send their children there are very down to earth and a real pleasure to be around. Most important, my son is so happy to go to school and is always sad to leave! We can't recommend The Bella Vita School more!!

Our two-year-old has been going to Children's World over the past six months. Mona and Sam are very…read morethoughtful, patient, knowledgable and caring, and we can see how much effort they put into their relationship with each of the kids, as well as the parents. They have created a great environment for kids to grow, learn and play.

Ms. Mona is the best. I am so thankful I was able to get my daughter in this school. The amount she…read morehas grown academically, emotionally and socially in just one year is truly amazing. I have never had to worry once since my girl has started here.. I know she's in good hands.