Springfield Montessori School

We love Springfield! My daughter started in the toddler classroom and is now in Prek. The teachers know how to track individual children’s strengths and needs, and to respond accordingly. My daughter has always been challenged, supported, and cared for. She has blossomed at Springfield — socially and academically — and we are so grateful to have found such a safe, well-​run, professionally staffed program. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Excellent School, our son has been there for three years, going on four next year in Kindergarten. Would not hesitate recommending it to any parent. All the teachers are caring and passionate about what they do.

Ms. Amrita is passionate about teaching, you can hear it in her voice and see it in her smile when she talks about the lesson plans for her children. She makes her class room challenging, interactive, engaging, and creative. She ensures that all her children get a fair share of involvement.
The first time that I met Ms. Amrita was when I was dropping off my 3-​year-​old daughter in what the school calls the middle room. The children gather in this room every morning before they go out to the play ground. My daughter was very hesitant to go inside and I was trying to figure out who would help me there. That is when Ms. Amrita called my daughter by her name and extended her hand with a smile. My daughter immediately smiled and grabbed Ms. Amrita’s hand and went with her. That took me by surprise because my daughter did not go to Ms. Amrita’s class (she had learned her name from the playground, which I got to know later); and she had also let go of my hand in a split second, which she never does. Many a times before this incident, every time that I tried to drop my daughter off, it took me at least 5 – 10 minutes of convincing and explaining that I would be back soon.
For the first time, I could see that my daughter felt comfortable and cared for. Being a first time mom I was extremely relieved to see the smooth transition. From then on, I have had so many wonderful interactions with Ms. Amrita, for which I would always be grateful. Ms. Amrita is a very compassionate, loving, direct, nurturing, and a highly professional individual. Ms. Amrita is a teacher who constantly strives to build confidence in her children. She also makes the environment welcoming; she makes learning fun, and kids just love being with her.
Few things that, according to me and many other parents I have spoken with, makes Ms. Amrita an extraordinary teacher are that, firstly the way she pays close attention to all her students from what they need, how they feel, if the room is cold and they need to put their sweater on, if it is hot and they need water, her ways of encouraging them to eat their lunch and how important it is. Secondly she actually goes in to the wash room with the children and helps every child to wash their hands correctly at the start of the day. She also goes above and beyond to comfort her students; she is totally focused with what they need. What amazes me the most is that how synchronized she is with all her students and how aware she is of everything that goes on with each child in her class room. There has not been a day or a single incident to point out, when I have asked her what had happened and she had shrugged it off saying «I don’t know».
Over the ages teachers have been portrayed and described in many ways, but yet I have not found the perfect words that can truly paint a picture of how Ms. Amrita is as a teacher. It is truly evident when one sees her students. It is said a great artist does not need any words to describe their art, one look and you can see what amazing work they have done. I see that in Miss Amrita every time I see her students. She is truly a unique teacher. I know my child will never forget such a phenomenal teacher.
It takes great dedication, passion and enthusiasm to be the way she is. One of the parents in my daughter’s class during the Back-​to-​School said this, «I came to open house night with my 4-​year-​old and the door was open to the playground. Normally my child run to the playground when he sees it, but that night he did not want to leave the class room. He kept showing me one job after the other. He was very ecstatic in showing me the jobs that he enjoys during the day «.
The ability to embed that kind of a true love towards learning in a child, takes a special skill in a teacher, this is why I have compiled this piece of work as a dedication to Ms Amrita and to share it with everyone!

The only thing nice here is the facility. The first impression is an expensive and elite school, but if you take a closer look, the kids are not happy. The administrator cares more about her income than the kids. My son who loves to go anywhere with anyone, dreaded coming here and it took me one month of waiting before the administrator would finally meet with us to discuss the situation. When we finally met with the administrator it became clear she was more upset and angry about the inconvenience to her than concerned about my son. I left our meeting disillusioned, and hopeless.
The teachers here (with one exception) are subpar and underpaid. The system redundantly drills kids without assessing their individual skill levels. If your child is a little advanced, they won’t encourage learning or advancement, they’ll just drill him to death day after day with general, and redundant tasks below their academic level. After about a month, we could see my sons stress go way up and his behavior worsened. He suffered and cried daily, begging us to not make him go to school and told us the teacher mistreated him.
We listed to him and moved him to Civic Arts Pre down the street. Now he loves school, he is learning to read and not even 4.5 years old yet, and every week brings home beautiful art projects. All the kids in the school just look healthier, happier and friendlier. We are so happy he is now in a safe place where he can love to learn again, and hopefully where we can reverse the damage done by Springfield.
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A great preschool. My son was in Ms. Christine’s class for two years. I truly believe that her commitment and dedication to her students has given my son a great learning experience and strong foundation for kindergarten. She makes learning fun and challenging. The facility is safe, clean and organized. All the teachers and staff are friendly and pleasant. The best Montessori school in the area.

This is an EXCELLENT school. It has everything to offer young minds and it is very diverse! My son came in at the age of 2 and within a few weeks he was talking more, interacting more with others, singing, dancing, and excited about learning new activities. Springfield also taught my son how to use the bathroom and he was potty trained by 2.5 years old. The administrative staff and teachers are equally amazing. They have the skills, patience, and education to know exactly how to teach our children. My son is now transitioning into pre-​k and the school does a great job of easing them into the next class with tactics that will excite them and not make them fearful or nervous. Transitions are so important, and I am so grateful that Springfield knows that and takes the time to think ahead for the sake of our children. Ms. Ann and Ms. Jaime you are wonderful teachers! Thank you for teaching my son so much and being wonderful, patient and loving teachers. We will continue to go to Springfield and plan to enroll our other son into the program as soon as he is old enough.

After having an awful experience with another local montessori school, we are so thrilled that we found Springfield Montessori. My son went from screaming, crying, and clinging to me for months at the other school to excited hugs and goodbye kisses at Springfield the first week there. He is currently in the toddler program and he comes home with stories about his day, singing new songs… Oh and he potty trained very quickly because of the encouragement and advice from his teachers.
Everyone I’ve interacted with at Springfield has been incredibly helpful and kind. When I told Administration that I needed to change my son’s schedule, they even filled the forms out for me.
I really can’t express enough how relieved I am that I found this gem. If you are looking for a safe, clean, beautiful and nurturing school for your little one, I encourage you to visit Springfield Montessori.

Love Springfield! Ms. Jamie and Ms. Ann are a dreamteam. My kids (2 & 4) adjusted right away with the high EQ teachers at Springfield. Many of the teachers at Springfield have been there for 20+ years, they’re certified, and handle the children beautifully. I saw a positive difference in my boys after the first week, it was incredible. I can’t say enough great things about them!

This is a truly phenomenal school and will provide a great start for your kids. My son attended Springfield for kindergarten and it was one of the best decisions we made. The kids are academically challenged, they are supported and nurtured, and the facilities are top notch. In particular, the kindergarten teacher Miss Belinda is a stand out. She said the kids would be starting on first grade work by January and she was right! As we await first grade to start, my son now reads ME a book every night before bed and regularly sits down to do pages of addition and subtraction. The school is pricey, but literally worth every penny. You will not regret sending your child here.

Our two year old attends Springfield and will be graduating into the pre-​K program soon. The facility is safe and clean, the classrooms are full of educational and stimulating activities and the teachers are amazing. At first, I was skeptical that the teachers would be able to get my son to take a nap in the classroom, since my husband and I still can’t get him to nap at home, but by the second day he was napping along with the other children on this little «dream napper» in the classroom! My son looks forward to going every morning and comes home singing and telling us stories about his school everyday. We regret not sending out oldest son to this school, but we will definitely send out third son there when he is old enough. We have been very impressed by the teachers, who are incredibly loving, patient and caring to all the kids. The cost seemed a little high at first, but it is worth every penny to get this quality of care and education for our child.

Our oldest son went there and now our middle child is attending.
Great school — teachers are kind and warm. Very international — there are familes from everywhere. Our oldest began elemenarty school socially and academically prepared.
It is a safe, happy, really nice community.

The teachers are classroom experience have been wonderful. My son was in Miss Amrita and Miss Tsering’s preschool class for two years, and my daughter was with Miss Katrina with the toddlers for a year. The teachers were wonderful, and both children had enormously positive experiences. I would the teachers 5 stars if I could. The facilities are wonderful. My kids have had a great experience.
So why two stars? In short, the administrative and billing practices are awful. We have had drop-​off policies change – with no notice – only to receive bills for after-​hours care two months later. During the summer, we needed to change plans and the school refused to initially change which weeks we were enrolled for (it did not affect their staffing – they ultimately relented).
Most recently, I found out two months after the fact that our new au pair was writing down incorrect check-​in and check-​out times in their book when I got a bill for childcare two months after the fact. After months of fighting, they refuse to back down – the office manager told me flat out that doesn’t matter whether our child was there, we’re paying. I now have the choice of taking them to court or paying them for childcare we did not use. On top of this, their prices are already high.
If you choose Springfield, expect your children will have a wonderful experience. Also plan to be perfect writing down what times you pick up and drop off your child, expect no flexibility, and that if you don’t want to pay for services you didn’t receive, you may have to go to court. That’s a bitter pill to swallow – even for your kids.

We could not wait to get out of this school. Our experience was horrible.
Under average teachers, poor communication and a stressful place for both my son and I.
For the whole year that my son attended I could not drop him off once without him clinging on me and saying mommy I don’t wan to go they are angry.
After a while I figured from another mom that my son was treated horrible. From there I took it to licencing.
Make sure you call the Licencing office in Oakland and request a report for all violations that this school had before you sign up your kid.
I am so glad we are out of there.

I’m surprised that there aren’t more reviews for this school. Besides the nice facilities, I credit Ms. Shohreh’s 2-​year-​old toddler class for the development of my child. Within the first two months, they not only weaned our toddler off the pacifier, but by the end of the year, our child was on a regular nap and eating schedule and potty trained. After just a few months, our toddler spoke and sang 500% more, and we got rid of most of the separation anxiety after two months.
The advances might be due to natural development and parental guidance, but it helps to have a preschool that helps with those goals, sticks to a consistent schedule, and provides stimulating activities for the children. Our child is now in the 3 – 4 year old Pre-​K class and continuing to develop.
I compared this school to other Montessori and KinderCare schools in the area — from Lafayette to San Ramon, and I’m pleased with the program, facilities, philosophy, child-​teacher ratio, and teachers of Springfield Montessori. The administrative staff aren’t overly friendly, but not everyone needs to be, and I haven’t had any problems with them. They’ve tried to be accommodating where possible, so I have no complaints.

Wonderful and caring teachers in a beautiful and calm environment. Ms. Tsering is like a second mother to my son who adores her. The teachers are committed educators and not just day care providers you find at some preschools. I am amazed at the commitment of the teachers and their dedication to the students. The school is expensive, but worth it! The school is culturally diverse. The children are enriched by the diversity. It is astounding the leaps my son has made in the two years he’s been there. I wish they had elementary school so he can stay.

The best thing about this school is the building itself. Absolutely gorgeous. My daughter is in her second year of preschool there. I loved, loved Ms. Katrina, her toddler program teacher last year. She was fantastic. All of the other teachers are below standard, and many have no social skills whatsoever, to say the least. The administrative staff, really just one person is inept. Very frustrating to deal with — and I promise, I am one of the most low-​maintenance and easy going parents you’ll ever meet.

Wonderful school. Wonderful teachers. Extremely happy we chose this school for my son. My son skips and sings on his way to school. Can’t say enough good things.