Love it! An excellent Montessori institution in Creve Coeur, MO. There are numerous options in…read morethe St. Louis but if you are looking for a safe, clean and caring environment definitely pay HOPE Montessori in Creve Coeur a visit. The facilities are excellent and Susie Shelton-Dodge is the Headmistress and is wonderful and very approachable. They do have before and after school care which is included in tuition. They participate in numerous field trips. The menu in the cafeteria also has very healthy items. The summer camp is also wonderful with numerous fun activities but my favorite part of summer camp is the swimming lessons. They do have a very nice swimming pool on campus (fenced) and teach swimming every day during the summer. Lessons are dependent on ability and age. There is even parent observation day at the end of the summer. No this place isn't cheap but well worth the money. Overall my favorite aspects: 1) Before and after school care 2) Summer camp swimming lessons 3) Small class sizes 4) Safe, diverse and comfortable environment

Our experience started ok. Our son did pretty well but eventually started sharing how some kids…read morepicked on him. These kids tended to be from affluent families and made fun of his clothes or shoes. There became more concerning issues when one child was being threatening towards the children in the class. When we expressed concern the teacher became defensive of the other child and it became very uncomfortable after we had built what I thought was a good report. I found out later that the teacher was close with the other family and even went on a ski trip with them. The director also showed little concern for these more serious issues. I also had to address the fact that my daughters class never washed with soap and water but used hand sanitizer instead. Both of my kids would express that the wrong kids were often disciplined and others got away with whatever they wanted. Every day I asked them how school was and they had nothing good to report sadly. It was hugely disappointing for the amount of money spent there.

We absolutely love Hope Montessori. We came from another school and this has been night and day…read moredifference. My kiddo no longer is begging to come home, we are not having huge meltdowns after school, etc. He is so regulated and so happy. Not only that, but he is already learning so much. We have had only the best experiences with Mary Denise. She is so thorough and communicative any time I've had a question or concern. She puts so much thought and care into where to place a child when they come to school, and what is in their best interest. So much of the staff have extensive experience with early childhood development and education, and it really shows.

Juila Bagby from front desk is so arrogant and rude when communicating with parents. MaryDenise &…read moreJulia Bagby are not ready to take feedback given and when questioned they are like talking like my office my rules. Worst daycare and management I have ever seen/heard. Problem No:1 I scheduled a meeting with head teacher as I was told by one of the class teacher that I need to message only head teacher if I need to ask anything even for basic questions like how was my son's day? As a parent I am not supposed to talk with any of the 4teachers in the class and message only head taecher. When I message the head teacher she don't reply. No communication at all regarding the kid. I was told that in the meeting scheduled that teachers in the class except head teacher are "NOT TRAINED TEACHERS." There are 26-27 kids in the class and if you have any question you need to ask only the "HEAD TEACHER". Then it is 27 kids to 1 teacher which is against the Missouri daycare rule. ProblemNo:2 No teacher in the class invites your kid/parent. There are different forms of welcoming. Some people talk/ smile/ gives expressions etc... as welcoming gesture I don't see anything in the school. when kid enters the school no Good Morning's/ communication. When kid is leaving the school no one says bye/have a good day. One good day my husband was so upset on teachers way of welcoming or receiving the kids and he told verbally that my son's last day is end of February(this was on Friday). Trust me we didn't even discuss about withdrawing from the school. Mary Denise didn't ask why/how/ any question. Problem No:3 So my husband on jan6th verbally told MaryDenise(management team) that my son's last day is end of February. We didn't give filled withdraw notice form and they didn't ask for one. 1) Now they are saying that my husband told my son's end day is February. But, they are not accepting that they didn't hear it properly. And they gave all his belongings on jan 30th (Monday) and feb 3rd(Friday). 2) They are saying that they don't need withdrawl form to be submitted. Then what's the purpose of it?? Changing rules according to their wish. 3) Now they are saying it is one month notice of verbal communication from jan6th. In that case my husband gave verbal confirmation on Jan 6th. Why did Mary Denise/Julia Bagby said my son's last day is Jan30th ? Feb3rd? and gave all his belongings? According to what they are saying one month Should be on Jan6th right?

I am a believed in the Montessori Method but after seeing what my kids learned here in 4 years, I…read morequestion now its implementation. I was told by the teachers that my daughter was a great reader and had mastered math. I trusted what teachers said until one day I realized that in second grade she couldn't read or perform simple math problems. I was not the only parent with this experience and in that year (after COVID), over 30 children left the school. If you are considering this school, follow up closely your children or you might be surprised at the end.

CMS is dealing with the pandemic with grace, understanding, and intelligence. They've taken great…read moremeasures to keep their staff and students safe. It makes me proud to be a parent of a child who attends CMS and I am confident in their ability to keep her safe, while allowing her to grow and help her reach a new level of independence.

CAC Montessori was a truly wonderful place for our son away from home. He loved going every day,…read moremade friends, and grew into a confident and curious little learner. The teachers were warm, caring, and deeply invested in the children's growth and well-being. We're incredibly grateful for the love, care, and guidance they provided, which gave him such a strong foundation as he transitioned into kindergarten.

Both of my children attended CAC from ages 2-5 years old. The staff is professional, kind, and…read moretruly cared about the development of each child. My kids loved going to school every day, and I saw such growth in their social, emotional, and cognitive skills. I was very happy with where they were at the time they had to start kindergarten. The curriculum is well-rounded (includes music and spanish), engaging, and fun, offering a great balance of playtime, Montessori style learning, and creative activities, they have lots of fun events throughout the year like Splash Days, Bounce House, Bubble Bus, etc. In addition they also offer extra programs like gymnastics and dance. Highly recommend if you are needing care for your kids.

I still remember my daughter's first day at Hope. She was 15 months then and wow..time sure does…read morefly. She is now ready to move on to elementary school this fall. We could have not found a better place for our daughter.Under Ms.PAM WORLEY's amazing leadership, her team of commendable, dedicated montessori teachers work wonders with the kids. I could go on and on about every single teacher at hope that has made such a positive impact on my daughter...a special mention to Ms. SASCHA and Ms. SYDNEY....you guys rock!!!! I thank everyone at Hope Montessori Academy,LSL as my daughter steps out of Hope as a confident smart kid ready to face the challenges ahead. I strongly recommend Hope LSL.

My child was enrolled here at Hope Montessori Academy half-time for a month with the intent of…read moretransitioning him to full-time at the end of July. We decided to pull him for several reasons. 1. He was often dirty after coming home. Most days, no one bothered to clean his face after lunch, which bugs me to no end. I've had experience with multiple daycares and a dirty-faced kid is often a sign of neglect in other parts of the school. Not sure who is at fault - the teachers, or the director who doesn't hold them accountable. A clean, happy kid is what I expect when I pick him up, and this expectation was often not met. 2. The staff knew that he still needed help potty training, but one of his teachers we talked to seemed to not mind - she said just bring in extra underwear and shorts. However, we were asked by the director and his other teachers on several occasions why he hadn't been potty-trained and why he was still having accidents. Clearly, the teachers don't communicate amongst each other their expectations for my child. 3. Depending on the day, your kid may not have the same teacher. This is to be expected sometimes, but not as frequently as it did while we were enrolled there. This is confusing for any child and makes it difficult for your child to build trust with their teachers, not to mention build trust with you as the parent. 4. I felt that, since we were half time, we got half time treatment, even knowing that our kid was going to be full time by the end of July. As discerning parents, you should know that not all kids are afforded the same level of care and treatment based on how much you're being billed for their services. 5. My kid was setup to fail on more than one occasion by teachers (and directors) whose judgment should be called into question. Example: my child (2 years old) had a fascination with a bird in one of the classrooms. If you're half time, you have to pick them up by 12:30 PM - no big deal. However, when I went there to pick him up he had been removed from his normal class and was the only kid in the same classroom as the bird. This made him very excitable. He happened to have an accident at the same time, so the teachers were trying to change him. Being that he was in an excitable state, he was running around and wouldn't let anyone pick him up. They finally gave up and told me to take him home as is, with a dirty diaper on. Clearly, the teachers and director used very poor judgment when removing him from his classroom to take him into this room. Further, they refused to change him - going back to the often-dirty face cited above, this was no real surprise. Just a little background: my kid was at a "traditional" daycare for several months before. As an example, our teachers told us that he was the only kid they've ever seen that never, ever hit another kid. Overall, they felt his behavior was pretty typical for a two-year old. I thought that this school could help elevate my child, but I was wrong. To be clear, I'm not blaming the Montessori system, which I believe is good for children and a great child development system. However, Hope's neglectful and misguided implementation of the system leaves a lot to be desired. If you send your kid there, buyer beware. Hope may have a gleaming exterior, but it serves as a shield to its true, dystopic nature.

Amazing place, peaceful environment, very helpful teachers, lots of freedom and an amazing campus…read morefor students to play in during recess. Highly recommend it . I learned a lot from it. Montessori is great for kids any age to learn.

From the owner: A Montessori education is about more than excelling in academics. While it is true that our…read morecurriculum is academically rigorous, we take pride in educating the whole child. Our ultimate goal is to help each child construct a unique and meaningful existence, to become the best adult he can be. We offer Young Children's Community, Primary, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary education serving children ages 14 months through 12 years. Montessori provides mixed-age community classrooms, so the youngest children have the opportunity to look to the older children as role models, and the older children flourish with this responsibility. As each child grows within his classroom, he takes on greater responsibilities within his community and develops richer relationships with his peers.

Christina had an opening for us when our other daycare shut down the classroom. Incredibly…read moreaccommodating and enjoyed everyone. Our child loved attending, enjoys her ABC's, knows her 123's and made some great friends. Thank you for everything!

As of February 2017, our daughter has been going to the Creve Coeur Kindercare for nearly two…read moreyears, ever since she was 6 weeks old. Even after moving out to Ballwin, we've kept her at this same Kindercare location because of the bonds she's made with the other toddlers and her teachers. WHY WE CHOSE THIS LOCATION: When we were looking for daycare for our daughter, we did a lot of online research. Some of that research was looking up ratings for each place, like you're obviously doing now. Throughout the reading-up-on-reviews process, we kept in mind that negative reviews are often more common, as people with great things to say about places tend not to be very vocal on Yelp or Google. We also looked at data that's less subjective or disputable. What incidents were reported at the locations you're considering? Are they licensed? Are they accredited? (There's a good description of accreditation and why it matters here: http://www.kindercare.com/about-us/who-we-are/accreditation.) I encourage you to do as much research as you feel comfortable with. This is obviously an important decision. So, we saw that, at the time, the Creve Coeur Kindercare was licensed, accredited and even working toward a second accreditation (I think it has gotten it, too, since then). We saw it wasn't too far away from home, so that was nice. We visited a couple of other locations nearby and, to be honest, they seemed dirtier, or more chaotic, or less safe. That's partially where that accreditation comes in. The weekly rate did seem like a lot until we did more research and we saw that it was competitive with other daycares' rates. Yes, it is still a decent amount of money, but the safety and education of your child is worth it. And again, it's nowhere near the cost of Montessori school, for example. Plus, rates go down on your child's second and third birthdays. SAFETY & FOOD: [This section was deleted to save space. Please speak with the location for these details.] CURRICULUM: Each day, teachers will send home a report on your child's activities, what they learned and how they acted. It's really helpful to follow along for those parents who are interested. Our daughter has responded seemingly very well to their teaching style. Her communication skills are very advanced for a child her age, and she has really taken to learning as much as possible. Of course, it's hard to say if this is just our daughter or if this is Kindercare's doing, but I just had to brag on my little girl some, I guess! Again, when you visit, ask what the kids are learning at the time. They have lesson plans they follow, so the answer should be an easy one to get. Also, in case you're worried, they don't have TVs in the rooms, so they won't just be watching Barney all day. STAFF: Everyone has been wonderful to me. I like to stick around when I drop my daughter off and when I pick her up and talk to her teachers. I'll ask how she did, what her mood was, if she did anything (positive or negative) noteworthy. All the teachers have seemed invested in our daughter's care, education and growth. Some have decades of experience with professional childcare, even at Kindercare. Others are going to college to study it. The woman who previously managed the location was wonderful, but recently left to pursue an altogether different career. Her replacement is very kind, knowledgeable and vibrant and, while I'm no expert, she seems to be doing a fantastic job in the month or two since she started. BONUS: Once a month, on most months, the center will host a "Parents' Night Out" where, for an extra $15, they will feed and watch your child until 9. This is a wonderful way to have a built-in date night on the cheap, especially for people like us who don't have family close by to babysit on a regular basis. They also provide crackers for the ride home, which really come in handy with kids once they need snacks to keep them civil during car rides. There are plenty of smaller details, but this should cover the bulk of it. To be fair, this is the only daycare we have ever brought our daughter to, so we don't have any other experiences to compare Creve Coeur Kindercare with. But I'm just happy that my daughter is safe and learning everything she can in an environment that is well-suited to her. I hope this covers any questions you may have about the location. Good luck with your little one!

I have three children currently attending Oakhaven and we absolutely love it. It's a wonderful…read morecommunity and our children adore it. The school itself is beautiful and has an amazing playground outside with beautiful trees and a gazebo. The kids can learn at their own pace and move as far forward in subjects as they want, always able to challenge themselves. They also still teach cursive writing, which I love.

I used to go to this school and I miss it so much, love the style of teaching, the teachers, the…read morefriends, and most of all the environment they're teaching in, it's a very hands on type of working and I rate it 100000000000/10 I miss OakHaven so much and recommend it to anyone and everyone.

This is a community that respects children and fosters self confidence through a thoughtfully…read morecurated environment in a pleasant natural setting. The educators and staff are passionate and dedicated to the wellbeing of the children and love to share about what the students are doing and learning. We have sent all three of our kids here and if we had a fourth we would send them too!

After our first parent teacher conference we are convinced this is the best school for our little…read moregirl. She's already showing more confidence and independence as well as an increased interest in nature. During the parent teacher conference we walked away with more knowledge of how our little one learns and ideas for what we can do at home to promote her continuing development. The teachers were supportive, kind and genuinely interested in our thoughts and questions. The teachers are experienced, insightful, and passionate. They clearly care about each child and learning is truly individualized. The setting is a one story ranch house which provides a cozy, at home environment. The backyard is one of a kind...There is tons of room to explore with multiple different play areas designed for kids of different ages. Hearing the teachers say that outdoor play is very important made me realize the purposeful planning that went into every element of this learning environment. Dropping her off at Greentree Montessori is a breeze because the teachers greet her at the door and she is excited to start her day. But picking her up is slightly more difficult since she has started saying "more" ... as in she doesn't want to leave. If I'm going to trust my first born child with anyone outside of our family, I can say confidently that this is a place I can trust. We are recommending Greentree Montessori to our friends and family.