My son attended this "school" for a very brief period thankfully. I wish I would've taken heed of the other reviews here. This place and its director are a danger to children. Not only is there no communication to the point it can be classified as secrecy, it is insidious in its harm. Beyond tough love which is not what any parent wants for their child in a day care/ school setting. Just as a small, albeit horrible, example, my child, a toddler, went without food without any alerts or information or alternative given to the child. It is just so disgusting and heartbreaking. Another review had it spot on when it said it is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I hope other parents take heed of the warnings and the parents that do take their children there currently dig for more information. Never is secrecy and lack of information a good thing especially when it comes to children. And as previously stated, this is an insidious institution. Please please please do not take your children to this place. No child deserves to be harmed emotionally and physically. read more

Do yourself, your child and your family a favor and RUN away from Papillon, and specifically its owner/director Ms. Damarys. There are several other reputable schools in the area that are healthier, happier, and offer a much better education than this one. Looks ARE deceiving here. Papillon is gorgeous. It's the main selling point of the school. Sadly, it's all smoke and mirrors and the pretty exterior masks a VERY ugly interior world for kids, teachers and parents alike. Yelling/Aggressive/Hostile Environment. This is one of the biggest problems at Papillon. Ms. Damarys will YELL at a young child, bring them to tears, and then yell at them again to 'STOP CRYING!'. She bullies students, and also regularly bullies her staff. Ms. Damarys has been known to be aggressive and hostile towards teachers and parents, but this behavior is even extending to the kids. And the environment is very secretive/controlling. There is no access for parents to see what's really happening inside the school, or even communicate with the child's teacher: every call, message, reminder, concern must go through her. Dangerously Understaffed (and extremely high turnover). If you like your child's teacher, don't get too attached because they probably won't last the year, and they will spend the year with a receptionist (or similar) as their 'teacher'. Because Ms. Damarys treats her staff (and people in general) so badly, they leave.. as they should, because no one should be subjected to her regular aggression and shaming. The children are often times left without a teacher, and new 'teachers' with ZERO credentials are used to fill those spaces. NONE of the 'teachers' there are certified for montessori (the shelves are covered in montessori lessons and tools, but they are not being taught at all!) and I doubt many of them have teaching licenses of any kind. Kids in grades 3 or 4+ don't have a teacher at all, and work independently from workbooks all day. Inconsistent. Because there are no checks and balances, no administration, no systems and no consistent rules, whatever rules Ms. Damarys creates today can become invalid the next day, and there is no warning or reasoning. This creates an unstable, anxious environment. The inconsistency of the school matches exactly the inconsistency of Ms. Damarys's own personality and moods. The environment is unstable because the person running it is unstable. The kids are the ones that suffer. Disappointing. There is always a lot of overpromising and under-delivering at Papillon. Everything seems wonderful at first, and there are many promises of what's to come. You come in filled with hope. But for sure, a small percentage of the promises will ever happen. For sure, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. It's not if?, it's when? Strong education. Apparently it was, years ago. But parents agree that even that has been on a sharp and steady decline. Math and reading are the only subjects being taught, and even then, kids are taught to regurgitate an answer onto a worksheet, not truly understand or discuss the concepts (you could probably do this at home for free.) Papillion is in serious decline, and there are other schools cropping up that offer a much better education, without all the stress and fear. Fear. The main sense among the students is fear, the opposite of what school should feel like. Deceptive. Ms. Damarys is a master of deception or duplicity. You'll come to tour the school and meet someone and something amazing.. smart, creative, visionary, competent, caring (maybe even a temporary 'staff') but be warned that there is an extreme other side and you will for sure experience it sooner than later... but only AFTER you've already paid the non-refundable tuition for the following year!! read more

Great school!!! My kid has learnt so much in this school for 4 years. The staff and Director are very attentive, highly recommended.

A wolf in a Lamb's skin. This school is nothing Montessori. Higher tuition than other private schools in the area. Uncertified teachers and rude school director. Beautiful garden.... read more

We joined excited for our 3 year old to continue his Montessori exploration in this beautiful space. A series of incidents made us start to doubt the merits of the school, and our experience culminated with a disaster. We were called midday and told to rush to the school and bring a change of clothes. I walked into the school only to find my child penned into the bathroom and left in his soiled clothes clearly distressed. The headmaster shouting that this was unacceptable and asking about his potty training in front of his peers. I held my son tight and ran out of the school. A school, its administration, and teachers should be a partnership with you as the parents. We simply didn't get that here. We didn't feel connected with the school, its administration, or its teachers, and we didn't have the transparency we wanted. Our child went to school all day, but we didn't receive any meaningful information from his direct teachers on how our child's day went or what our child did all day. As a matter of fact, we were not allowed direct communication with the teachers without the headmaster present monitoring the conversation. This lack of information became all the more concerning for us towards the end, when we were concerned about why our son did not want to attend his "new school". For the last few weeks before we pulled him out, he complained about people saying and doing mean things to him. He also vocalized in the mornings that he did not want to go to the "new school". As responsible parents, we raised our concerns to the administration, and were met by passive aggressive and at times outright defensive responses. We were made to feel uncomfortable (and frankly, at times, scared at possible retaliation) for having raised our concerns. Surely enough, our son was right. Two months after he joined, the school pulled him out of his class and put him in a new class unexpectedly and without our knowledge. What he called his new school was in fact a new classroom with a new teacher and a different set of friends. The negative reviews all over the internet are true. Sadly our experience at this school was traumatizing. We wish we had read Glassdoor and other reviews written by teachers that have left the school before we joined. read more

I am shocked to read the reviews here. PAPILLON MONTESSORI IS THE MOST WONDERFUL HAVEN FOR CHILDREN. I feel a complete partnership with both teachers and headmaster. Perhaps some parents prefer getting photographs and text messages hourly about their child's progress, however, that does not allow for faculty to focus on your children, and also raises a number of privacy concerns; Montessori is about empowering children to independence, and if I, as a parent, needed hand-holding, then I would not be setting a very good example for my independent child. I am a parent who cares deeply about their child's safety, and feel beyond comfortable with my child being at Papillon. My daughter has been there since she was 18 months old, and to say that she has thrived would be an understatement. She is kind, courteous, and wise beyond her years. At three, she is not only reading and fully potty trained, she is empathetic, shows concern for her peers, and absolutely adores her school. She is IN LOVE with her teachers and headmaster, and speaks of them often, even asking to video chat with them on days when we don't have school. She also loves her classmates, worries for their health when they are absent, and tells me the sweetest stories about them. The campus is unparalleled; they have monkeys, fish, tortoises, chickens, rabbits, and so on. The children often are outside for lessons, and are totally immersed in nature. It is like a jungle in the middle of a big city! I wish I could work there, as the environment is so serene! I also want to set the record straight regarding homework: the only work we do at home is for Reading Club, and the requirement is 5 minutes a day for your child's own betterment. I'm not sure why someone would think this is a bad thing. Don't we invest all of our time in our children and their future? I would hardly classify this as "homework". I'd like to add that in the time of this pandemic, this school has been SO COMMITTED to the student's health and safety while also being so careful as not to damage them mentally, as I have witnessed at other schools. The children are neither fearful of each other, nor of the faculty. They are not masked on the playground in the 90-degree heat, either, and guess what - no coronavirus, thank gd, in the school since it opened back up September of 2020! Anyone with a bad thing to say about the headmaster neither understands nor appreciates the constant planning and sacrifices made to ensure that our children were back in school living as normal a life as possible. In summary, this school is incredible, as are its faculty. If they had a high school, I'd keep my daughter there until she was ready for college. I never want to leave. read more

My son will be going back for his second year here soon and I feel relieved, as I go back to the office, that I can leave my son in his second home. This school has the absolute best atmosphere if you want your kids to grow up wholesome, creative, independent, and capable of making their own decisions. Let's be honest, the public school system is set up to teach children how to follow orders and be disciplined employees, with very little room or none at all, to exercise their initiatives. The Montessori method at Papillon is what your child needs during those crucial first years. The educators don't treat them as adults--they respect their intelligence. We move a lot so I don't know if we will be able to stay for years to come but as long as we are Miami Beach residents, we will keep our child here. As a multicultural, young mom, I was happy with the overall inviting, good vibes of the school. I was a little concerned when I saw a few reviews about qualifications and made it a point to ask and it just so happened that the staff member I spoke to, had 2 master's degrees. Did I mention they have actual rabbits on the grounds? read more

Papillon Montessori - Our second home for learning/growing - Montessori Schools Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

This is the most amazing school for your child. Our son have been going here for 4 years and we have seen an incredible growth in him both as a student and as an individual. Everyone at the school truly cares for each and every student which creates very stimulating and rewarding environment for your child. Our son has become an expert on managing his time, homework and his in and out of school schedule. The level of education is tailor made for each child's level to ensure they continue to advance their learning. In addition to the education they also give your child a very strong foundation of empathy, responsibility and care for others which translates in to being a much better person both in and out of school. The head of school is truly an amazing person. We could not be happier with choosing Papillon for our son. read more

The school is located on a beautiful property. The school has a large variety of plants, animals a magical tree house and warm and loving teachers. The kids are actually learning incredible things at a very young age. The reading program is AMAZING and my daughter was reading by 3 and a half. My daughter is now 6 and is reading chapter books for pleasure. I would recommend this school to many parents. If education is important to you, then you should look at this school. Highly recommended! read more

Papillon Montessori - Field trip! - Montessori Schools Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

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I was looking into touring this school and spoke with someone on the phone about it. I asked if they assigned homework to 3-year-olds, and she said that yes, they send worksheets home with students to complete daily. When I asked if this practice is compatible with Montessori, she said, "I'm not here to explain to you why we assign homework, and the tour isn't going to go over that either. It's just to see the classroom, so either you want to see it or you don't. If you have a problem with homework, this isn't the school for you." So, if you have a problem with homework OR being treated super rudely, don't consider this school. read more

This school is truly a disaster! Do not get carried away by its beauty, because you will regret day after day of sending your son to this place. The director Miss DeMarys is super rude, she has even cut me the phone, that level. Se is so rude, so cold, so cruel, so unprofessional that i can t believe it. They never tell you what boys do there, nothing about nothing (activities, nap, toilet, lunch, nothing) you can only communicate via email and they rarely answer. In 1 year that was my son there was never 1 meeting of parents. From day 1 this lady De Marys is constantly threatening me that this is not the school for my son in case of any questions I ask him (of course, we pay the year in advance and sign a contract where they do not refound you under ANY concept, even during the covid where they had ridiculously "classes" 30 minutes a day with literally the same content every day!) Definitly this "school" don´t knows nothing about Montessori, im sure the teachers are not certified and no one there is friendly once you are inside of the program. It is the least Zen and least calm and least understanding and loving that I have never seen in my life. Speaking with the mothers of my son's companions, for half a year more than half the course had been mainly due to the cyclothymia of the woman in charge of the school who is supposed to contain children and parents. Not 1 mom is satisfied with this lady and the dynamics of the school, they all agree on the mistreatment but they stay to finish the year or because the children are already fond of their friends. I'm not really a conflictive person but they don't even let you consult anything, they take everything in a bad way and I had such a bad experience that I don't wish ANYONE to go through this so bad experience. Realy seems like a military dictatorship for children and parents . A real disappointment, a continuous lack of respect towards the parents that I really don't want to imagine how they should treat the children. Needless to say, my son never wanted to go there. The lack of love, empathy and violence that they handle is evident from the first day that they already have your money, seems to be the only thing that matters to them. For sure they don't know ANYTHING about education. read more

I recently decided to leave the school mid-year due to a disagreement with the staff. I felt that the staff involved, including the head of school, acted unprofessionally. I requested for a refund in tuition for next semester and I was refused. I expressed in email that I would not be returning and that I would comment about the recent negative experience online. My email was followed up by a phone call by the head of school threatening to post negative comments online about my family and I. This was a response that I was not expecting and even more unprofessional then anything that I've ever experienced. A simple apology could have prevented anything from ever escalating. read more

My son has been at this Le Petit Papillon for the last 4 years. It has been an amazing journey of learning, development, and self awareness. When he started at the school he was a shy little boy whom was more of a follower. Through the years he has developed into an assertive and brilliant leader. Just this year he tested a grade higher then the grade that he attends. The ever loving staff led by the principal Ms. Damarys constantly show how they care for all the children. It is beautiful to see my son grow in such an incredible atmosphere. read more

my daughter attended the 2014 school year we had a terrible experience where we felt completely disconnected, as parents from the school. At no time can you speak to anyone during school hours to discuss your child's progress or to answer any kind of questions for that matter . The headmaster miss Demarys makes a lot of excuses, as well as her staff to avoid meeting you. It can be up to two weeks before you can get in front of a teacher or the principal . There is no school office where you can ring the doorbell go inside and chat with staff about any kind of urgent issue . It can be weeks before you receive any email or get any kind of Progress report on your child . It is extremely hard when you cannot walk on the campus at any time to talk to a teacher. The teachers are in fear of the headmaster, you cannot email or call them directly at any time... Everything must go through the headmaster. I had a $15 late fee and my daughter was suspended without notice and I was locked out of the school grounds. There is no teacher/parent communication it is a scary feeling when you are supposed to be entrusting a school with your children. Ms damarys should let someone else run it better... I wish I had read all the negative reviews before I committed my child there. She's at a new school this year, what a difference!!!! I'm so happy and definitely realize le petite is not a good place read more

We found LPP 2 years ago through friends when we had just moved to Miami. It took one visit and we were in love. We didn't need to visit any other school. We had never seen school grounds like this, beautiful, impeccable and so well taken care of. Both of my kids now attend LPP and could not be happier, which for us is the most important. The Papillon staff is so caring, kind and attentive. We were immediately welcomed by the school director, who was so kind and lovely to our daughter during the tour and we have loved her ever since. The time and effort she puts into her school is remarkable. My children have grown so much in the short time they have been at LPP. The environment is peaceful, positive, kind and caring all while teaching the kids great leadership/confidence building skills as well as an excellent academic curriculum. I could not recommend this school more. We are so happy to have found it. read more