Keystone Montessori School

My child has been a Keystone student since January 2005 shortly after his third birthday. We're thrilled they now are going up to 6th grade. We have been extremely happy at Keystone. There's no such thing as a perfect school, of course, but Keystone comes pretty close to it for us. Our son loves his teachers, is engaged by the work, and gets lots of encouragement to pursue his intellectual interests. I feel that when we have had issues, mostly peer-to-peer interactions, they've been fairly and quickly handled. The administrators are very much hands-on and tuned in to what's going on around the school. And parents are very much encouraged to get involved and speak up. Keystone moved in to a new space across the street during the summer, and while I found the old location warm and charming, the new space has great energy. I will be very sad the day we have to move to a new school; Keystone has played a hugely important and positive role in my son's life, one he'll never forget.
--Submitted by a parent

We feel at home at Keystone. From the time we attended the open house to present, we knew we were in the right place for our son. He is in Pre-K and we feel so good every time we drop him off. The school moved across the street to their new and improved location. Their playground is now very close and all of the classrooms and offices are on the same first level. I appreciate the security implemented in the school and the level of cleanliness exceeds my expectations. The administration makes themselves easily accessible to discuss anything and ask questions about anything. Everyone is friendly, informative and organized. We are about three towns away from the school and the drive is worth it for us. I could not have asked for a better first school experience for us as parents and for our son. We appreciate the thoughtful and kind teachers, the professional and friendly administration and the welcoming, warm and safe environment provided for the children who attend. Thank you for your hard work, dedication and passion that is consistent, reliable and a breath of fresh air to any parent wishing the best for their child.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a current parent and my experience at the school has been mixed. While most of the teachers are fairly good I wish the administration was more open - to ideas, suggestions - just listening! I also take umbrage at the school's snow day policy. The school will follow public schools as far as closings but will not offer make up days/dates! It is very frustrating considering the steep tuition I pay!
--Submitted by a parent

My family is on our third year at Keystone, and we're planning on a fourth and a fifth. We said, firmly, before sending our oldest: Preschool, and that's it! Public for kindergarten! Public school is free and then we can buy a yacht! (Or, you, know, save 10% of their college tuition by the time they're 40 years old, whatever.) But then! Oh, then. Then our son actually went there and it was amazing. The time to enroll him in public kindergarten came and went, and still he's at Keystone (and his younger brother's there now, as well.) It's so worth it that we made it work and no, I don't have a yacht, but honestly, I don't really even know how to sail or live all that close to a large body of water, and even if I did and I did, it doesn't matter: What they are doing there is beautiful and the amount and the content of what my children learn every day is astonishing. I love it. Being close to a school this amazing and having the ability to send my children there are two very great blessings.
--Submitted by a parent

My child's teacher suggested that our 4 year old needed psychiatric help because of behavioral issues (not paying attention, not listening immediately to the teacher's orders). My child's teacher was impatient and was unwilling to listen to parents' ideas. The administration/management was horrible - unwilling to listen and completely disregarded parents' requests/complaints. The playground is far away from the school - children have to walk through a crowded parking lot to get to the playgorund (although I hear the school is now moving to a new facility). The equipment at the playground was old and not clean at all! For some reason, the school looked very shabby most of the time - like it had never been cleaned. The bathrooms were horrible !!!
--Submitted by a parent

Our family is new to Keystone this year. Since the moment we walked in for our interview many months ago we were met by a warm and embracing director who instantaneously made us feel welcomed, at ease and comfortable. That was the moment we knew we had found the best place for our daughter. We are now in week 5 of school and the first impressions stand true to this day. The director and staff meet my daughter each day with a warm welcome and a smile. She just loves going to school. The communication from the teachers and the director have been great, and at anytime I can contact the school and they are quick to respond either by phone or email. I can t wait to look back on this year and see all the wonderful things my daughter has learned because so far, I m VERY impressed!
--Submitted by a parent

What a wonderful school! There are some great teachers here, who really connected with my child. He had an outstanding experience. We miss it.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son is 3 years old and he is very playful and attention seeker. What we received was negative feedbacks right from day one, and the teachers started passing diagnosis comments and harsh remarks suggesting us that our son was not reaching the behavioral milestones. Later we found out that teachers did not observe or understand even one inch of our son and could not see the best part of our son. We are not the parents who deny if there is some developmental or behavioral issues with our son. He is able to communicate well with us and he is able to respond to a question so well. We did not see the Love and Affection coming naturally from the teachers looks like it is been artificially induced in them. Because, those with real love and affection would not pass some harsh remarks about any child. A couple of more
--Submitted by a parent

My children have been attending Keystone for 4 years now and we couldn't be more happy. They are doing so well, the school is so nurturing and the Montessori method suits them so well, we chose to send one on to elementary there. My oldest had the same two wonderful teachers all three years she was in the children's house program. There is very little turnover in the school. To address some previous reviews comments - I speak with my children's teachers regularly, they are always happy to chat about my child. I say hello to the school administrators 3-4 times a week if not every day and if I had a concern, it would be easy to talk to them about it. I've seen them address parent's concerns promptly. Aftercare is wonderful, my kids want to stay longer!
--Submitted by a parent

The kids at Keystone Montessori learn a lot more then the average 3-6 year old does. They learn about other cultures and are learning a foriegn language such as spanish at a young age. This will prepare them for elementary school, and would make a much easier transition there.
--Submitted by a teacher