In the world of education, where nurturing young minds is paramount, the recent actions of Glen…read moreMontessori stand as a glaring example of negligence and disregard for both two prospective students and our family. The administration and teachers of Glen Montessori have demonstrated a shocking lack of professionalism and compassion, turning what should have been a hopeful transition into a nightmarish ordeal for two qualified students and their dedicated parents. Maria Montessori herself once said, "The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind." It is with a heavy heart that I must highlight how far Glen Montessori has strayed from this ideal. Two weeks before the school year was set to commence, this school denied contracts to two well-qualified students whose family had gone above and beyond in their commitment. Despite the expense and stress of traveling back and forth from out of state on multiple occasions for interviews and a tour, and receiving nothing but positive feedback from the school throughout the past year, our family was abruptly informed that the students would not be admitted. The circumstances surrounding this decision are nothing short of disgraceful. While it may be the right of any private school to reject prospective students, the school administration's refusal to provide a clear explanation or even return communications regarding their denial is both unprofessional and unethical. This review will have to serve as our closure. It is a deeply disappointing display of incompetence and insensitivity that has left the students with scant options for appropriate education in their new state, just as they are about to face significant transitions in environment and culture. In the words of Maria Montessori, "The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist.'" Instead of embodying this ideal of fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment, Glen Montessori has chosen to operate with a disconcerting lack of transparency and empathy. The frustration experienced by our family cannot be overstated. We trusted Glen Montessori to provide our children with an environment that values and nurtures their potential. Instead, we have been met with an administration that is seemingly indifferent to the impact of its actions. It is truly shameful and unexpected that a school purporting to uphold the values of the Montessori method would fall so egregiously short. I urge prospective parents to consider these grave missteps when evaluating their educational choices. The failure of Glen Montessori to honor its commitments and communicate effectively reveals a profound disregard for the very principles it claims to champion. We are happy for other families who may have had much better experiences than we were offered. God bless them and forgive them for what ensued but we are confident that this may have saved us from some unbeknownst tragedy that may have occurred to our children while under their "care."

This school is opposite of nurturing, Non supporting of special needs of children, discriminate…read moreparents who challenge them and question their rules. They are so clumsy and non transparent. 4yrs back we took our 2.5yrs old shy and non English speaking child for their interview at this school. We were later informed that the spot has been taken and we cant get in. When we fought back asking for explanation why they interviewed us if the spot had been taken? They apologized and "qualified" my daughter to attend their 3-6yrs program. My son has been attending their birth-3yrs program last couple of years and be 3 soon. Last month we are hearing that our child is not ready to move to next class 3-6yrs in fall while they also wnt keep him in his current classroom few extra months after he turn 3yrs till he "qualifies". I have never heard of such a thing where a daycare kicks a toddler out unless the child is showing violent behavior like hitting kids, teacher, using foul language, damaging and breaking their property and refuses to follow rules, things of that nature.. Our child is none of that. All this time it was never communicated to us that there are such great concerns in his development. Last year we started questioning their policies on masking everyone 2yrs and older in school. We requested the school to provide transparent masks to teachers and make exemptions if the toddlers 2-3yrs old who are showing delays. They didnt accomodate any of our request nor addressed them with valid reaponse. They didn't like parents questioning the rules they make and are acting narcissistic. Because of us fighting for our child rights now our son is getting kicked out with invalid and made up excuses. The school has no moral or ethics. The school head is explaining to us that they 'don't want to work with us-parents', which is fine. But how could they put it all on my 2yr old child and say he didn't qualify to move or even continue there a bit longer? Such discrimination!!

My daughter started school at Garden Montessori in 2018- I couldn't be happier with the progress…read moreshe has made. The teachers are amazing and so dedicated to your child's success. Truly love this school. Our son will be attending with our daughter this year and we are so excited to see his progress as well. Children thrive here!

My son (Jack) has been at Garden Montessori for four wonderful years. I have been so impressed by…read moreGarden's many philosophies. They truly consider the needs of each individual child. During each stage of Jack's development, the staff worked with us (parents) to ensure that they were maximizing his potential. They strive for personalized excellence, and in doing so, Garden students have the unique opportunity to learn about their passions. For example, Jack is especially interested in the solar system. The knowledgeable and Montessori-trained teachers provided specific (solar system!) opportunities which allowed him to nurture this passion. Jack is so proud of his working knowledge of the solar system, and I strongly believe that is because he was provided with stimulating work related to this passion. Jack has also matured socially, and I credit Garden for this. He has developed a strong sense of justice (one of the many virtues that Garden instills), independence, curiosity, and kindness. While only in kindergarten, he is already an advanced reader, completes complex math problems, and loves to learn. I believe that this love of learning is essential for children to continue on to traditional school methods and beyond. We are so grateful for the incredibly gifted staff at Garden. They are attentive, empathetic, and knowledgeable. Every day I drop Jack off at school, I know he is in good hands.

Our experience at this school was universally terrible in every regard from the students, to the…read moreteachers to the absentminded and oblivious administration. This school is proof that anyone can start a school. There are much better options in the South Hills, as well as in the Sewickley and Moon areas. You are better off looking at them and saving yourself the frustration.

We were so lucky to find this place! I worried constantly about what environment was best for my…read moreson. As a former teacher I value education but as a mother I value nurturing and warmth. This place is a terrific mix of those qualities. He felt loved and safe and I felt good knowing he was learning and making friends.

Parents Beware. The Montessori practice/concept of this school is excellent. However this school in…read moreparticular does not model the Montessori way properly. The school may even ask you to abruptly remove your child from enrollment if your child does not meet their standards. This is applicable to children that just enrolled and are as young as 2 yrs old to ones that have been with them for multiple years since they were toddlers. Multiple children did not fit their version of a Montessori lifestyle. In turn, many parents were left without a childcare. I was one of the unfortunate. I also know many other families. Please be aware that the grass is not greener on this side.

My family and I toured almost every child care provider in our area and were beyond impressed after…read moreseeing Namaste's program. The atmosphere was so calm, like no other child care setting I had witnessed. The whole idea of Montessori was new to us. Upon enrollment of my 2.5-year-old daughter, I was invited to sit in the classroom for parent observation. The children's classrooms were set up to allow them to freely explore the carefully placed " works " arranged around the room. It was like watching my daughter become an independent little person right in front of my eyes. The next thing we realized was the incredible community-like culture. So many opportunities were given to become involved in our child's care and education. Even among the children themselves, there was an environment of kindness and pride, within that shared classroom community. Since that time, I have enrolled my younger son into the toddler classroom, while my daughter continues to flourish in the primary class. At three and five years old my children are spending each day learning about geography- through activities like map-making, science- through teacher-led classroom experiments, and their alphabet and number by journaling and counting tangible objects. This is all while building those foundational social skills that I believe they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. My family and I could not be happier to be part of the Namaste Montessori community!