We had to look for a preschool during the middle of the pandemic and we knew that we wanted a place…read morethat was going to develop not only our son's academic skills, but his social emotional skills as well. Ms. Hana took COVID safety very seriously and took all the measures to make sure that the learning environment was also a safe place as well which was also a top priority for us. It was going to be his first time in a structured school setting so I really appreciated the smaller class size and student to teacher ratio because I felt like he was able to receive a more individualized curriculum and he was met at his academic level. When my son first started, he had very basic knowledge of his letters and sounds, but now we are almost to the end of our first year and he is reading simple sentences. He comes home excited to tell me what he has learned and about all his friends at school! I am so impressed with how much he has learned and grown thanks to Ms. Hana. Although we will be moving on next year to kindergarten, we are so happy that our son was able to get a good foundation for this upcoming school year!

My daughter has been attending Magnet Montessori for past 6 months. (3 years - 3 and Half) Me and…read moremy husband feel its been one of the best decisions we have made so far to enroll her. My daughter has grown so much during her time here into very sweet, talkative, helpful. Ms. Hana plans thoughtful activities for the kids all the time and is a very responsive director. She takes the time to get to know every child very well. I love that this school is smaller which affords the kids more personalized care as well as bring a "family like" feeling between parents, teachers, and children. My most favorite part is, I really enjoy receiving a art works, worksheets, home report and occasional pictures of my child. We have been very happy at MMPS. It is a gem of a school within affluent North Potomac/Rockville with still very reasonable rates relative to other preschool.

An absolute gem in the heart of Georgetown. The teachers are incredible and balance being nuturing…read morewhile encouraging independence. My daughter attended for three years and was not only incredibly competent but very self-assured starting Kindergarten. My son currently attends and has grown by leaps and bounds year over year, he loves going to school every morning--the most important indicator of an amazing establishment! The teachers are tenured and the parent group is inclusive and fun! We consider ourselves very fortunate to be a part of the GMS community!

Amazing school with dedicated, experienced teachers who create an ideal place for preschoolers to…read morelearn and develop life skills

This has been one of THE BEST decisions I have made for my children. I have two that go to…read moreGuidepost Montessori at Hampshire and hands down the progress that I have seen in both of them is truly amazing. The staff is warm and welcoming - answering any and all questions - AND I can tell they truly care about the children - all of the guides know the kids, and whenever I walk into the school, the administrators tells me all about the kids' day and what milestones they've achieved...and I'm not talking about just their designated teachers, it's all of the staff. I was running errands over the weekend and two staff members ran up to me and the kids to say hello, they were excited to see them and it was the weekend! I know it takes A LOT of patience to work with children daily but I truly feel that the administrators at this school genuinely care about the students.

Ivina R. Was an aid to thw teacher. She is also the same person who will tell a parent their just…read moreturn 3 year old does not have empathy. The same person that would finds all the negatives of a child and belittle them. She provided no engagement, no solutions or interest to work with the parents. She does not want to deal with children who are more active and may need more guidance. She is a poor and unprofessional child education personnel.

A wonderful place to send your kid. Caring staff, beautiful grounds, bright classrooms with lots of…read morenatural light, and play oriented education. If we can afford it, we'll send ours there as long as we can.

An amazing, child-centered school that supports exploratory learning and kindness in a small,…read moretight-knit community! I would highly recommend their pre-school to anyone in the Greater Annapolis area!

This wonderful gem of a School is tucked away in a neighborhood in Alexandria. My children (3…read moregirls) all attended school here through 6th grade. The experiences they shared and the knowledge they gained was immeasurable. All successful adults now, I feel I owe a forever debt to their early education and the staff at MSA. The school has been beautifully refreshed and it looks better than ever!

Both my children have attended Montessori School Alexandria (MSA). My eldest went there from 2001…read moreto 2004, finishing in kindergarten. He had a excellent teacher and had a great education. When he entered first grade in the Fairfax County public school system, he was ahead in his reading. Flash foward 11 years later when my youngest enters MSA's primary program. I will be the first to admit that she is not the easiest of children. In her second year of the primary, we started having serious discussions regarding our child's behavior which included striking teachers and outbursts of anger. Preliminary diagnosis pointed to ADHD. While our daughter was about to come off a wait list at reputable local children's hospital for further assessment--at the encouragement of MSA--the school informed us that she could no longer attend the school because she posed a danger to the other students. I would advise that while MSA does an outstanding job of teaching children who are compliant and on point with their emotional and educational development, the school is not equipped to handle a child that would require an IEP at a traditional school. Nor are they patient for a child to receive the care they need, despite being in a community where there is a long wait time for providers who can assess conditions such ADHD. Just be warned that if you think your child is ADHD or has other behavioral issues, the staff may not have the resources to assist your child.

Making the decision about where to educate our precious children is one of the most profoundly…read moreimportant parts of being a parent. Our goal was to have our daughter in a place where she would love being just as much as she does our home, and where she would develop academically and emotionally without the stress of repeated assessments. Our desires for her have been met and have been exceeded in ways we never dreamed they would. To explain the beauty of VMS is impossible to do in a short review and yet it's quite simple; the school is a place of peace. Some concepts are only understood when they are experienced first-hand. Come see the way the children operate like a well-oiled machine, how the teachers are keen observers who gently guide when they meet in small groups and individually with children and how they facilitate peaceful interactions between even the youngest children. Come see the carefully planned, stimulating environment which encourages creative learning and freedom of choice within a structure specific to each child. Walk the grounds and breathe in the air of the field, around the lake, in the garden and in the forest habitat beside the school. My truest, most heartfelt desire is that our country would experience this type of educational structure for the well-being of our children. Maria Montessori would be proud to know her legacy is being honored by Village Montessori School at Bluemont.

This is an incredible school that stays absolutely true to the Montessori philosophies and embraces…read moreeach child exactly where they are. The entire staff is child-focused and you can tell they truly enjoy what they do. The setup of the campus is nothing short of incredible. The children are given so many experiences they could never have inside of a "regular" classroom. The whole-life teachings are truly the way I wish all education would be designed. The empowerment, life skills, and sense of self your child will gain from this environment will benefit them even more as they get older. The elementary children are given even more opportunities to blossom with school plays, field trips, and maximizing their developing intellect to create "joyful scholars". Additionally smaller class sizes allow the children to be able to investigate and subject more deeply so they gain mastery of a concept as opposed to just a basic understanding. The staff is also very open to questions and brainstorming sessions to secure an environment for your chid to flourish. The kind, knowledgeable, and warm way in which they interact with students and parents alike is a beautiful example for any education system. I have 3 children who have attended Montessori programs spanning nearly 20 years- this school is the very best and I am so grateful to have found it.

Choosing a preschool for our child was very hard, especially coming from overseas. Today we are…read morevery happy with our choice of Full Circle Montessori School. The teachers and staff have consistently exceeded our expectations in making our child adjust to the new environment and making learning fun and engaging. Adjustment time was needed (very sensitive child)to fit into a new environment. But with a welcoming and comforting environment, our child adjusted to school very well. Also, with the thoughtfully designed curriculum that promotes both academic readiness and essential social-emotional skills, our child is very excited about going to school every day now. Communication with parents is superb; the scheduled updates and photos make us feel connected and informed about her activities. The facility itself is bright, clean, and safe, offering a wonderful space for the children to explore and play. We highly recommend Full Circle Montessori School for families seeking a positive, enriching, and high-quality early childhood education experience.

We started our son in public school for kindergarten, but halfway through the year, we became…read moreunhappy with the experience and began looking into other options. The lack of communication, heavy screen time, and the way our son was feeling about himself made it clear that we needed a change. He would often come home saying he was a "bad kid" because he kept getting in trouble at school, which was hard to hear as a parent. Switching to Full Circle Montessori has been one of the best decisions we've made for our family. The difference in our son was noticeable within a few weeks. He's much more regulated coming home from school, and we've seen a noticeable boost in his self-confidence. One of the first things he told us after starting at Full Circle was how nice the teachers are he said they actually talk to him instead of yelling. That shift alone was huge for him, and for us. Academically, he was at the top of his class in public school, but that often led to boredom. Since he wasn't being challenged, he would try to socialize, which would get him in trouble. At Full Circle, he learns at his own pace with a hands-on approach that keeps him curious and engaged. If you have a child who isn't thriving in a traditional school setting or struggles with the sit-still-all-day model, we can't recommend Full Circle Montessori enough. It's been a truly positive and empowering experience for our son and for us as parents.

My child attends the Alexandria (Old Town) campus. I cannot express how much I like this school…read more Montessori preschool is an adjustment for anyone coming from a regular play based preschool or daycare, but there is a method (and no madness). I am impressed with the scope of what my kid is learning and impressed with how the teachers have cultivated a sense of leadership in her. It's just an all around great place and I heartily recommend it for any parent looking for daycare in Old Town Alexandria.

My son has been at NES now for over 6 months and it has been a fantastic environment for him. The…read morestaff are very caring and he enjoys his time there every day. He started when he was just over 2 years old and has really come into his own during his time at NES. I'm so glad we have a wonderful place like NES in our community. Every morning when I drop my son off, I know he's going to have a wonderful day with the amazing teachers.

We wanted to like this school. But staff refused to acknowledge constant bullying by one of the…read morestaff's children. They gaslit my son into thinking that if he were more friendly and compassionate he would get along with a very manipulative and entitled student. They taught Montessori principles but when it came to one of their own children, they expected families to look the other way or "understand" the complexities. We thought the environment would be great for our rather shy son, but we were raklroaded by passive aggression. Also staff tends to talk to parents about other children... Very inappropriate. If you decide to send your child here, RUN at the first hint of these behaviors because it will only continue. My wife and I discussed these matters with staff, but they continued to ask what my son could have done to mitigate the bullying. We finally had enough and decided to leave. Our son is thriving in fourth grade and we feel supported by teachers who are not compromised by their own personal issues. ​

My 2.5 year old son will be attending OCMC in the Fall. Montessori education is awesome! Parents,…read moreI highly recommend you check out OCMC. Their mission is to make Montessori education affordable for the local community and to share the philosophy of Maria Montessori on educating the whole child. You will not regret it!

I usually do not provide online reviews for anything, but since it is something that involves our…read morechildren, I've decided to write this post. HPS is a lovely school and our son was happy there. Unfortunately, the school ended up leaving us with a very bad impression. We initially enrolled him two days per week, half time. When we enrolled, they told us that if he was happy, we could move from two to three days and eventually to full time three or five days. One month in, when we saw how happy he was, we moved him from two days half time to three days half time. It went great. One month later, we wanted to move him full time three days a week. Then the problems began. The school manager gave us conflicting and sometimes false excuses for refusing our request. Finally, after we insisted about half a dozen times she summoned us to her office. In essence, she said that if we wanted to have our son spend more time in the school we would need to hire an occupational therapist to spend all day with him at school. Our son has a speech delay (started speaking at three) and he does not follow instructions or adjust to routines as easily as fully verbal three year olds. HPS ended up using the challenges associated with his spech delay to demand that we basically hire another teacher exclusively for our son. We found this request innapropriate. I have doubts as to whether it is even legal. All told, they simply did not want our son there and were unwilling to work with us to navigate his speech delay and related challenges. This is all very sad to us. We have now enrolled him at another school, five days a week, full time. Many people are very happy at HPS and they may never encounter any similar issues. I just want to leave this review out there for parents to carefully consider HPS before enrolling, especially if you are thinking of increasing throughout the year the number of days your child is there or if your child has a speech delay or any other developmental delay.

We could not be happier with the care given to my child at The Hill Preschool as it far exceeded…read moreany expectations I had. The teachers and administrators are all loving, attentive, and passionate about the care and education of young children. This passion is apparent with the significant high level of engagement every single day. The Hill Preschool is a positive and enriching environment for children, and my child is healthy and happy every single day, gaining confidence and knowledge that has set a foundation for the rest of his life. The teachers are selfless, kind, and dedicated. The facility is clean and full of enriching activities. The teachers are also great at communicating with parents daily both in person and online with a portal that outlines the activities for the week and pictures so you can keep up with what your little ones are doing. Not only do I feel comfort in knowing my child is cared for and safe, I also know my child is receiving a holistic approach to early childhood education. The children have routine and stay active, and the teachers build a curriculum for the children where they learn about their community, art, science, architecture, biology, music, and more. The teachers take the children on several field trips that coincide with their curriculum visiting the Botanic Gardens, the Natural History Museum, National Gallery of Art, and local businesses to enhance what they are learning every day. I could not recommend the Hill Preschool enough, and I only wish I had found it sooner.