Our Experience at Patience Montessori: A Cautionary Account…read more Our time at Patience Montessori was unfortunately marked by significant concerns regarding the care of our child and the overall environment of the daycare. What should have been a nurturing, supportive partnership turned into a stressful and unhealthy experience for our entire family. Mismanagement and Poor Communication From the beginning, I had concerns about the center's management. When I approached the director to discuss issues such as classroom transitions, choking hazards, teacher turnover, and the handling of pumped breast milk, I was met with a dismissive and defensive attitude. Instead of engaging in a constructive dialogue, the director consistently deflected responsibility and placed blame on parents or staff. Communication at this daycare was a recurring problem. Any concerns raised were typically ignored or met with hostility. Over time, it became clear that the director only engaged with me to point out what she believed I was doing wrong as a parent--including breastfeeding choices, carrying my child, or even my child removing her shoes at school. This level of intrusion into parenting decisions felt entirely inappropriate and overreaching. High Staff Turnover and Questionable Hiring In just six months, my child had six different teachers in the toddler room. This high turnover created instability and was never proactively communicated to parents. After the sixth teacher, my child--previously happy to attend--began crying at drop-off and describing the new teacher as "mean" and "scary." I later learned that this teacher refused to offer milk based on a personal belief that another child might mistakenly drink it. Shockingly, she had cycled through twelve different daycare centers before arriving at this one. Concerning Treatment of Children and Staff More alarming were the reports I heard directly from staff members, who confided in me about the director's behavior. They expressed discomfort with being sworn at in front of children, being pressured to operate over legal child-to-adult ratios, and being given questionable directions, including how to minimize parent-teacher interactions during drop-off. On multiple occasions, the director interrupted private conversations I was having with my child's teachers under the pretense of needing to "talk privately" with them. This left me feeling that transparency with parents was being intentionally avoided. Emotional Wellbeing and Child Development One of my deepest concerns was the director's approach to emotional development. Patience's philosophy, as described to me, discouraged staff from comforting children in distress. Staff were reportedly told not to hold, soothe, or validate a crying child's emotions. "She needs to be on her own," they were instructed. This rigid interpretation of the Montessori philosophy felt, to me, like emotional neglect rather than encouragement of independence. Montessori education values independence, yes--but not at the cost of compassion and emotional support. Children deserve comfort and guidance as they learn to regulate their feelings. What I witnessed and heard about at Patience Montessori deeply contradicted those values. Final Thoughts What I hoped for was a nurturing and professional childcare environment--one that would support my child and work with me as a parent. Instead, I encountered a toxic culture, a lack of professionalism, and a director who was more interested in control than care. Ultimately, we had to find a new daycare where our child could feel safe, supported, and understood. I share our experience to help other families make informed decisions and to advocate for higher standards in early childhood care.

My daughter absolutely loves Patience Montessori! Ever since we've started we've been nothing but…read moresurprised at how much she's learned and progressed. They really focus on social and interpersonal skills as well as practical skills to help your child in everyday life. She's learned really great things regarding the alphabet and numbers and all of the things that will prepare her for kindergarten. The teachers seem happy to come to work and there hasn't been much turnover of staff since the chaos of COVID died down. One thing I do want to mention is that I know that Patience Montessori gets some variation in review. And our experience has been that a lot of this has to do with implicit racism. We have felt this racism as a product of taking our daughter to a black owned school. In our experience these reviews are not representative. Patience is a very direct person, but she has decades of experience under her belt and she works with parents to make sure that the parents and the school are working together to provide the students with the best chance of success. The state auditors seem to hold Patience to an arbitrarily stringent standard. For example, one time Patience had to reprint all of the sign in sheets because it said "sign" instead of "signature". This doesn't really seem reasonable note indicative of how well the school knows or complies with state standards, which seems to be more than some of my friends' kids' daycare. We love Patience Montessori and would definitely recommend it to others. If I had a second, there is no doubt in my mind that they would go here.

Our 2.5 year old daughter has been attending Square One since October 2019. She is always so…read moreexcited to go to school and Sarah and Mattie are absolutely incredible with her and the other kiddos. I highly recommend Square One Learning, it has truly enhanced our daughter's life more than we ever could have anticipated.

We are heading into our 2 yr old daughter's 2nd week at Square One and we couldn't be happier with…read moreher experience with Sarah and Keith. The space is adorable--they had me at the little red schoolhouse--cozy but not cramped, bright, and in a separate building from the owners' home, so the space is entirely devoted to the kids. The nap and imaginative play area downstairs is actually restful and dark, unlike some other home daycares or centers, where cots are squashed into the bright main play space and kids who are not sleeping are making noise in the same area. Meals are civilized and wholesome, and it's so nice not to have to pack lunch and snacks or pay a premium for served meals. The curriculum Sarah uses provides fun early learning experiences and promotes the values we hold dear: learning through play and nurturing relationships with caring, interested adults, a balance of structure and free play, healthy, calm, and social meals, and stimulating experiences involving movement, imagination, art-making, the outdoors, and music. Sarah has been extremely communicative and accommodating, allowing us to bring our daughter to come and experience the program for a couple hours one day before enrolling, and staying in close touch now that she's started there. We feel so lucky to have found this sweet place with such a great mix of the structure one might look for in a center and the personal care and cozy environment of a home daycare.

I used to take my kiddos here for a while after finding out that they would hit my babies . after…read morebringing that to the attention of the supervisor Jenni she did absolutely nothing; she instead called my kids liars and proceeded to take no action, I would randomly walk in sometimes to pick up my babies and would walk in to watching the care givers shake, and once spank a kid . All of this was brought to the attention of the supervisor and she once again denied . THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY WORKING CAMARAS IN THIS FACILITY . While dealing with this inconvenience I would also see them constantly smoke marijuana on their breaks and returning to daycare to care for these kids drugged out! I later on wrote a review to bring awareness to everything that was happening in this facility . They reached out to me multiple times to get it taken down and even threatened me . I decided to delete the review since I was tired of getting harassed with false accusations after several bad reviews were posted by different parents . I decided to delete the review and the following day they were paying people $15 gift cards to write positive reviews to help with their complaints. THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN OPERATING DAY CARE AND THEY NEED NEW STAFF ALONG WITH BETTER MANAGEMENT. This is screenshot proof of my review going viral on the internet . They later on proceed to say all those negative reviews were from me . Although all of these reviews are from Previous employees and parents. Please be aware of the people you allow around your kiddos would hate so see this happen to other families .

We love this place, we have been taking baby since he was 6wks and we love it. We were going to…read moreanother one close by on Havana an Mississippi and that place was horrible. I found this one and by the grace of God they had space for my baby, he will be 1yo and he loves it here

My 3 year old daughter attends LUMP, and she absolutely loves it! They have a play-based curriculum…read morethat helps them develop their social skills, independence, team skills, listening skills and prepares them for kindergarten. The Director and Teachers are wonderful. We especially love that this is a cooperative and encourage parents to be involved. We love the culture and engagement from everybody.

I started teaching at Lakewood United Methodist Preschool (LUMP) in August of 2022. I have worked…read moreat 3 other schools, and none of them hold a candle to LUMP. The director and support staff are incredible, the other teachers are wonderful, and the families are amazing. I could not ask for a better work environment. The play-based curriculum is set up so that every child will blossom. We truly care for each and every child and do all we can to make sure they feel welcome and cared for. Their success is all that matters to us. Please come check us out!

This school has been an incredible experience for our family. It was the very first time our…read moredaughter was outside of our home, and we couldn't have asked for a better environment. Our family has been connected to this school for over 30 years, and every experience has been wonderful. The classrooms are bright and welcoming, and the teachers and assistants are truly loving and attentive. Our daughter even learned to speak English here, which was such a milestone for us. We also love the family events and summer camps. This place is a haven for kids, and we highly recommend it to any family looking for a nurturing, enriching environment. We will be sending our second daughter here when the time comes.

We've had a truly wonderful experience at Mapleton Montessori. The smaller school environment is a…read morehuge asset; it allows our child to develop strong relationships with all the teachers, students, and the director. Our child absolutely loves their teachers and friends and genuinely looks forward to school each day. We really appreciate the updates on her progress, which helps us feel connected to her learning journey. Mapleton also does a great job of creating opportunities for parents to engage with the community and observe their child's activities

My sister's daughter has been going here for just over a year. She lives right there in Fox Hollow…read moreand can walk back and forth from the school. My neice is only two and a half and she knows her colors, shapes, animals and can count to twenty. She gets excited when we tell her it's time for school. She has friends there and the teachers teacher very well. Basic discipline is enforced and the kids definitely don't rule the teachers. I see no signs of crazy wokeness and politics is left at the door. Which is an absolute deal killer for us. The price is reasonable for the level of care the children get there. The security is also solid and the process of coming in and leaving with children is highly regulated. My sister and I feel very safe leaving her there. We both highly recommend this daycare/school.

When I would pick up my grandchild, a lot of times the room she was in was very chaotic and l…read moredidn't feel there was enough personnel for the amount of children present. The potty training can be improved. The facility could use a good deep clean. I didn't like the fact that I had to pay a full week of service when they would close & have early days off. On the positive side, the pictures they uploaded & communication was good thru the app.

We absolutely LOVE Temple Sinai Preschool! My son started at 15 months and is currently in his 3rd…read moreyear with them. From his first day of school it felt like home, I will never forget walking him down the hall and was amazed that all of the staff members knew my name! They have exceeded our expectations in every way. He enjoys art class, library time, music class on top of his daily classroom activities. The thought that they put into their activities is invaluable, I am constantly impressed by the quality of their teachers. I cannot say enough good things about Temple Sinai, they are the best!!

Our three children attended Sunshine House...a total of six years. One really gets to know a place…read morewell over such a period of time. The staff is excellent...deeply caring and skilled. The school is a small neighborhood location and is a great scale for kids. The facilities work very well with great real-life experiences for children and great prep for elementary education. The playground is very popular with fun activities, trees and equipment. Kids love the trike and scooter loop. There are playhouses, lawns and lots of discovery. Inside activities are well structured. Many staff have been there for years and are invested in the kids and the school. I've read a review that called the school a "scam". Clearly a flame and makes no sense. Take it from someone who knows quality and care when he sees it. If you're looking for a school close to CU and on the west side of Boulder, you should certainly consider Sunshine House.