Chenal Valley Montessori School

We sent our daughter here for 1 yr. She learned nothing.. All she did was play and came home with dirty clothes. Kids play outside no matter how hot it is or how cold it is. Small classrooms. Lack of leadership. We transferred to Little Rock Montessori and it's a night & day difference.
--Submitted by a parent

My son attended CVMS at the Cantrell location from age 2.5 to 5. It is an excellent preschool. His teacher Andrea Loyd was simply wonderful. The school has a very loving and nurturing environment with excellent academics. He started kindergarten this fall at a new school and is very well prepared by his years at CVMS. I also wanted to respond to a comment about the summer camp. I too had the same experience when my son first went to summer camp in 2009. The Montessori certified teachers did not run the camp, the aides did, and it was not engaging. We actually pulled my son out after the first half of the summer. However, after that summer, the administration listened to the parent's complaints and the following summer the camp was totally different. There was a Montessori teacher in the classroom every day, with a planned curriculum, that was educational but still fun and more laid back for summer. The kids enjoyed ice cream, pizza and a "splash day" or "dress up" day every Friday. He also got to bring toys from home to school which was a big hit with him. My son loved the summer camp after that and went all summer for 2010 and 2011.
--Submitted by a parent

Sad that anyone would give this school a bad review. This school is a wonderful place to put your children. If your children are capable of learning then they will achieve more of an education than expected. The Standardized test scores are above the average. The ladies who run the school are genuinely concerned about the nurturing and education of the children. The daughter doesn't teach she is administrative. Any little concern I have had has been dealt with swiftly and without argument. What school doesn't have it's issues. You can't please everybody. Profit claims are a joke. This is probably the least expensive private school to put your child into unless you are catholic in a catholic school. Monthly fees are low as well as enrollment fees. I have two children there and about to enroll another. They do have montessori training and college degrees.
--Submitted by a parent

Love this school! I have two children that attend and are very confortable. I love the atmosphere, the teachers are very involved with the parents. I love how the children grow concern and care for each other, not only within their classromm, but with all students.
--Submitted by a parent

Be cautious. We were initially pleased with this school, but later realized that the students are not well prepared for success either academically at grade level in traditional school settings or socially when they move on. I wish I had pulled them out of cvms by around 4th grade.
--Submitted by a parent

We were very pleased with this school until the summer camp started. The children are not engaged and it is nothing more than daycare where the children are more or less left to entertain themselves. This doesn't work with most 2-3 year olds in my opinion. My child used to look forward to school every day and now she resists going. There is also a serious lack of communication by the summer camp 'teachers' (none of whom are Montessori certified) with the parents. On the flip side, during the regular school year, most of the teachers are excellent although some are not. Teaching styles certainly differ and there are some who take a more disciplinarian role rather than the nurturing role I have come to expect from a Montessori School. Fortunately we have been able to avoid this teacher and look forward to another great year in the fall.
--Submitted by a parent

CVMS is wonderful! 2 of my children attended. I am very pleased at the way my children had been taught: personal independence, independence in learning, manners, social manners/skils. and the advance math,science, vocabulary eduaction they provide. I feel that my kids are so much more advance, calm and well-behaved than other children in their group because they started early on at CVMS.
--Submitted by a parent