A Child's Place Montessori School - Southpoint

We are very dissapointed with this school. I get the sense that something is wrong in there. There is a fake sense of caring, of enjoyment, and of actually wanting to be a teacher/educator among the staff and teachers. It is surprising and sad at the same time. I heard and saw one of their teachers talking to one of the students and I was shocked and just wowed at how cold and uncaring the teacher's approach was. The look on that child face was memorable, just sad, being talked down to. But its not that one teacher, the principal is not much better. Just take your child somewhere else in a more loving and nuturing environment, they deserve better. If you plan to pay for school pay for somewhere where they actually care and are not fake.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at this school since she was 3 and she is now 7. We tried a new school for a short period of time in 1st grade , but after daily complaints of how she was so bored in school because the work was far too easy, we put her back in this school. This is the perfect school for a independant , motivated child. May daughter has thrived on having the tools to be able to explore work that was way beyond her grade level.
—Submitted by a parent

A previous review of 8/21/10 said 'Their philosophy is that the children will tell them when they want to learn.' My understanding of Montessori from reading is that yes a good Montessori school follows the child when they are most receptive to a particular skill or task. 'Follow the child' is a key component in a 'prepared Montessori enviornment.' I trusted the Montessori philosophy with my two daughters and I'm convinced that it helped them to grow into inquisitive, caring, compassionate, self driven young people. No, it's not about how fast a child learns, it is about how well and how motivated a child is when learning. In my humble opinion, these are the more important lessons we took from a Montessori environment.

The principal does not listen to what the parents are trying to tell her and the owner is not involved with the parents at all. The primary class teacher is not interested on encouraging the children to learn new things at all, thus the children develop a lot of lazy habits. Their philosophy is that the children will tell them when they want to learn, but it makes no-sense since children have no idea what they are suppose to learn. Skip this school if you are looking for a primary school.
—Submitted by a parent

not happy with the school at present. my child is in a toddler class and teachers are discouraging parents involvement, no role of prinicipal in this school. No one to complain. Unhappy with the teacher's knowledge about child development. Thinking about taking my child out.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter graduated from this school last spring after over 3 years there. Comparing to the other kids in the private elementry school now, she is advance in reading ability and keeps natural curiosity for learning and strong independence. She still often mention her teachers, their teaching of broad spectrum of knowledge, and the lovely environment over there.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my review from last year that was posted to incorrectly spelled listing: Posted April 10, 2009 My 5 y.o. has been attending A-child's place since he was 2.5. My other son, now 20 mo. started in an infant community at 12 mo and moved up to toddler community at 18 mo. Both are doing great. We love the school. It is located in an old house and has a 'home' feeling to it. It has a wonderful treed playground and all classes spend a lot of time outside. Children eat outside weather permitting (almost all year round in Jacksonville). Small classrooms, structured environment, no ugly unnaturally colored plastic toys :) We love the school, but, unfortunately we might have to take my older son out due to financial reasons - he'll most likely go to a public school this year.
—Submitted by a parent

There are two locations in Jax - my sons go to the smaller in size Southpoint location. We love the school, the attention my boys get there. Compared to tuition in other schools the tuition in A Child's Place is a little bit higher, but I think it is justified by the personalized attention the children get. My older son (6 y.o) does addition and knows Van Gogh paintings when he sees them. He is absolutely independent when it comes to self-care. So is my other 2.5 y.o. son, who's been potty trained by the staff at school since he was 1.5 y.o. The children spend a lot of time outdoors - they have a wonderful shaded playground there. The teachers absolutely love the children. They do not serve lunch - very convenient for parents of kids who have special dietary needs. I am all out space....highly recomment the school.
—Submitted by a parent

The owner of this school only thinks of himself. Quality of education is very poor. Save your money and skip this one!
—Submitted by a parent

A child's place is a wonderful Montessori school. Younger children learn from older children in a multi-aged classroom. It took a lot of fear out of the first time in a classroom for my oldest daughter and continued to motivate her to challenge herself. The level of confidence and independence brought out in children here is amazing. Good private education is expensive but very worth it. How much would the alternative cost over a lifetime? I only whish we had started her sooner.
—Submitted by a parent

Cost of tuition is high, quality of education is poor. Very low teacher moral. Owner more focused on revenue than the best interests of the children
—Submitted by a parent

The owner of this school is more focused on revenue than the actual child. The teacher really do the best they can, but this school is not for shy kids. It is really bad organized, older kids bit the little ones, which totally defeats the purpose of being Montessori. If you have a mean child, he can fit right in. The program is really good though.
—Submitted by a parent