Montessori Learning Center

Reviews 3

A

Anonymous User

Our family had a terrible experience at this school. I could go on for a very long time about the problems we experienced at the Montessori Learning Center, but I have limited space, so I will attempt to relate our experience in a nutshell. Our move to the valley was rather sudden and as a result we needed to find a preschool/daycare for our kids in an expedited manner. Both my wife and I work and we didnt have a lot of time to research or ask around about different schools (big mistake). We decided to trust in the Montessori name and in the sales-pitch given to us by the director about how it was a "School of Excellence." In our opinion the only thing the school seems to excel in is rigidity for the kids and for the parents. Examples: 1. you have to pack your own lunch to the very specific standards of the school handbook (which must be followed to the "T" in every aspect or you get penalized). Lunches cant have any sugar products or anything sticky or crumbly that could possibly make a mess. WIth lunch you must pack 2 clean cloth napkins. If you dont they will provide them for you for a fee. 2. Kids must whisper at all times, unless on the playground. 3. kids must be dropped off by 9:30. After 9:30 the parent must take the day off of work to stay with their kid, even though you already paid for a whole day and packed a lunch according to school standards. I found this out, with no warning, and had to miss several important meetings as a result. 4. They called my wife at her work because one of our kids had "sticky stuff" on his shoe and that we needed to not let that happen again. We were dissatisfied with the school from day one and gave our written notice to leave the school a week and half later. The director informed us that we had to give two months notice. We could not afford to pay for two preschools and were forced to deal with this school for 2 full months. The director was not sympathetic and said we could take our kids out earlier but that there would be no refund (we were paying about $1800 a month). Our complaints are solely with the school director Ali Dances. The teachers try very hard and are sweet with the kids while still trying to stay within the extremely rigid rules set up by the director. Two final items: there is little to no communication between teachers and parents unless the parents push for it. One day my wife forgot lunch for our youngest (3 yrs old) and ran to buy some right after she dropped the kids off. She got back after lunch had started (it takes a long time to pack a lunch according to the school standards) and she found our sweet little boy sitting in the corner of the class away from the other kids because he did not have a lunch. We use this school as a threat to our children if they misbehave because they really did not like it there. Stay away from this school!... that is what we would have learned if we had asked around prior to enrolling. We have since found many parents that feel the same way.

JE

Jeremy Cordon

My child attended this school for the past several months and my wife worked here for about two months. Between being a parent and the spouse of an employee I feel like I may have a little bit more perspective than average on the business. Pros: 1.This is the only Montessori school in Utah county that we know of that takes in kids as young as 18 months old. Most schools dont want the hassle of dealing with toddlers at this stage. The teachers will actually carry the children until the adopt to the rules. 2. They actually teach! This is not a daycare where the kids just play while parents work. My child came home learning new words and behaving himself better. Cons: 1. This school is extremely rigid. Children must perform tasks EXACTLY the way the book says. Everything else is wrong. This leaves no room for creativity. This policy negatively affects some children more than others. 2. The administer of this school has come across as uncaring, difficult to work with, or "cold" as many other reviewers put it. Even initially I got the impression that she doesnt really like kids that much. She runs the school with the level of control and frivolous rules as you would expect out of North Korean culture. As a parent you are expected to go along with this and accept it as normal. See previous reviews about rules with lunches, special shoes, etc. The one star is perhaps undeserved but the issues arent faked. Many complaints from years ago are still valid. 3. Ali Dancer has a reputation for nickel & diming parents as well as her employees. Need to drop your kid off late? Thats $10. Want to pull your kid out because you hate it? Expect to pay for another 2 months. Did you let her know on the 2nd instead of the 31st? That is another month. Dont like it? Too bad. Ali bragged about how many parents and ex-employees she brought to court. Read the contract. Dont give her a SS#. The worst experience was when I learned that my one year old had escaped their enclosed playground and went next door into a horse enclosure where a live horse was standing feet away. Some degree of negligence is required for that. Thanks goodness the kid didnt get hurt. Overall Id say the school gave us mixed results. We did chose to take our kid out. I wouldnt recommend it to anyone in my network but Im not going to call social services either. It is just another option out there that may work well for some people and not for others. If you have tons of money, an 18 month old that you would rather have learn than sit in a daycare and you dont mind highly structured (Im being nice) environments then I could understand why you would consider such a school. Shop around though. There are many Montessori schools. We wish we did.

CA

Camille Farias

We struggled to find an environment for my daughter where she could have a consistent, thoughtful, structured environment during the day. After carefully researching a variety of preschools, day cares, and nannies/babysitters we settled on Montessori Learning Center. It was a huge leap of faith for us putting our developmentally delayed two year old in a school setting. As a severely premature baby with sensory processing issues and speech/motor delays we constantly worried about her care for the first two years of her life. We couldnt find a babysitter or nanny willing to work with her therapy goals and the special challenges presented by her motor delays. She went through five "long term" sitters in eighteen months- each one explaining that they loved her but did not feel up to the challenge of caring for a "special needs" child. The first time we visited the Montessori Learning Center we spoke extensively with Miss Ali and explained that our now two year old couldnt walk, barely spoke, had sensory processing issues, and couldnt feed herself or drink from a cup or even a bottle by herself. We were working with her at home constantly and she had been seeing both occupational and physical therapists, but progress was slow & arduous. Miss Ali reassured us that their programs accomodate for children of all ages and developmental stages, and showed us how she could function in the classroom to learn and grow despite her physical limitations. We got to speak to her teacher and see her classrom, and were impressed by the level of training and preparation the early childhood specialists have there, and with the cleanliness and order apparent in every room in the building. We enrolled our daughter that week. Enrollment was very transparent and all fees/charges and policies of the school were clearly explained and our questions answered up front. Within two weeks of starting school our daughter was walking with confidence, speaking up at home, and engaging in appropriate social manners at home and out in public. It was like a light had turned on. Six months later the difference is night and day. Our daughter has thrived and grown so much in the Montessori environment. She loves her teachers and regularly plays "school" at home. We are so grateful for this school, the faculty and administration of Montessori Learning Center, and the quality programming they offer for early childhood education. It is by far the best place for our child at this stage in her life.

Other organizations