Montessori School Of La Jolla

My son started at Montessori School of La Jolla this year in the Center class (Pre-​K to K age students). I wish we had found this school sooner so that he could have had all of his preschool instruction here. The school is a hidden gem and offers much more than your typical preschool, pre-​k or K. We are thrilled with the program and teachers at the school. We have toured many other preschools including other Montessori schools and have not found the level of dedication and compassion in the teachers and staff that we see at this school. The Montessori method includes encouraging children to accomplish tasks independently and the teachers here truly support the children while they are learning each step towards independence. The classrooms are calm and organized while providing interesting and stimulating materials. We can tell that our son is learning a lot in the few short weeks he has attended. He loves school for the first time in four years! We appreciate the daily communication with the teachers and their emphasis on facilitating positive peer interactions during play time. After school care also has been excellent. It is a truly wonderful school.

Great, I can vote 0 stars because that’s what this school deserves. My goodness. Not impressed at all, highly recommend la jolla VILLIAGE Montessori on fay, night and day !! This school is horrendous. The toys are so old and outdated, the classrooms smell like the pet animals, kids are constantly sick and no one does anything about it. And if you expect to get any progress report back to see how your child is doing, expect a painting from your kid and that’s about it.

My daughter attended this school for a year and I can say with no hesitation that this school is not a place you want to leave your child. At the time I enrolled her she was in the toddler class. The general policy of this school is closed door, meaning parents are not welcome in the classroom and have virtually no involvement in the school. The director even refuses to give a class list of parents and children. The head teacher in my daughter’s class was the exception to my bad experience at this school and the only reason we stayed as long as we did (she no longer works there). I asked the director on a few occasions for more feed back regarding my daughter’s day and experiences in the class and was told I should just trust her and her staff that everything was going well. New teachers were introduced into the classroom without alerting the parents and no introductions were made.
When my daughter moved to the South classroom for the slightly older kids I no longer had even the one kind teacher to rely on. Communication dropped to zero. I had no idea how my daughter was doing. Then she started having «behavioral» problems. She cried that she didn’t want to go to school. I had to ask the teachers about this, they did not bring it to my attention. They confirmed that she was having difficulty following directions but would not elaborate on the situation. The teachers and the director simply asked that I speak to my child about listening better. At this point I asked the director if I could make an appointment to observe the classroom. I wanted to see what was going on. She refused to let me. That sent off all the red flags I needed. When I explained that it was my right as a parent to enter the classroom whenever I wanted to she backed down a bit and said I could observe for 20 minutes on an appointed day.
The conversation then turned into what i can only describe as hateful and extremely unprofessional on Shannon’s (the director) part. She accused me of being a bad mother among other things and told me it was not her job to make the parents happy. I literally could not believe the way she was handling my request to view the classroom! The directors comments to me were unprofessional and rude. I couldn’t believe the way she treated me, I’ll spare you the rest if the details but I was shocked! I had had enough and withdrew my child on the spot (of course she refused to refund the money I had already paid, but my child’s well being is worth more than money).
There are plenty of preschools in this area that care about the well being of your child and that follow the law. This is not one of them.
I turned her into the California State Board of Education and was assured that not allowing parents access to the classroom is a violation.
I would recommend to any parent considering this school (or any other) to call the Ca Board of Ed Licensing department and learn what complaints have been filed against the school. It’s public information and can be very helpful when choosing a school. I wish I had done that before enrolling my daughter.
The amazing school she attends now has zero complaints filed :)
Find another school, you’ll be glad you did!

They have both toddler and preschool classes so it would works for different ages. classroom windows can be opened for fesh air and allow natural light. I notice other daycares often lack of this. Teacher/​student ratio is good.