Montessori Children's House

We are very happy with the school, we've seen a lot of growth in our soon (3yrs), he became more independent. The teachers are beyond kind, they really focus on the kids feelings and personal growth. And noticing how my son is noy only known by their teachers, but also by the whole staff, not only by name, but by how he is..... that shows the involvment from everybody. So glad to have found this great school.
—Submitted by a parent

Everybody at this school is avid of money. They build a new school which explains their rush. $125 just to have the honor of filling a piece of paper and to schedule a so called "family interview". Write a check one day and 24h later no chance of getting it back, it's nonrefundable. This intransigence translates for me in easy money and very little human involvement. $125 is almost 10h of hard work, for them is 5 min. of...talk! I wished I'd be hired by this place! Besides 3 times nonrefundable fees of $125 dollars you pay a nonrefundable deposit worth a month of school and God knows what else you will need to pay. People, don't be fooled by the fake reputation of this place! Montessori education is about humane spirit and I am glad it cost me only $125 to stay away from this school. New parents are enchanted by the ahurissant information about how great Montessori education is, not the place.The rooms lack natural light and are very small. There is a strong smell of gasoline at the school site. The money is so easily made that they will have enough to build even more. My question is: for whom?
—Submitted by a parent

Our experience with MCH was very disappointing. We encountered numerous issues with quality of care and when brought to the attention of the administration, they were unable to resolve the issues. In fact, with the last, most severe, incident our child was severely injured. While the school administration spoke about wanting to come to a resolution going forward, they offered zero options to remedy the situation to ensure it would never happen again. In fact, they said that they were unwilling to change anything. Our child was not safe at this school, which should be their number one priority. Instead, their priority seems to be expansion, defending their school and their teachers and relieving themselves of any liabity when their staff was in the wrong. I would never recommend this school to anyone. Our child is at another facility now and is thriving, learning a lot more and genuinely seems much happier.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has attended MCH during 4 years (pre-school to K included). The teachers and staff of the school, the settings, the learning environment have been amazing.We deeply appreciated the community and the way children were taught to be nice to each other and caring kids. My son still has that sense of community and sharing that make MCH so special to us. And transition to a regular public scholl went very well, he was prepared and ready thanks to a nice team work with his teacher on his 2 last years at MCH. I strongly recommand that school !
—Submitted by a parent

I was really looking forward to touring MCH, but I was disappointed in what I found. While they appear to have all the 'bells and whistles' they don't adhere to the principles of a Montessori and the class sizes are very big. I think the 'owner'/Principal of the school has good intentions, but doesn't understand what is missing. She has a very corporate perspective of the school and is focusing on growth.

I'm impressed by the entire organization at MCH. #1 I feel very safe dropping my son off. #2 all the staff seem to be on the same page...the children are the number 1 priority. #3 I amazed by the things my son is learning and how much he enjoys learning with the Motessori techniques and culture.#4 the overall environment with goats and chickens at the playground is amazing. It has been and continues to be a great experience for our family.
—Submitted by a parent

I consider Montessori Children s House as an extension to our family. The quality of teachers and loving environment that they provide to my daughter and son has exceeded my expectations. Not only are they both so happy at MCH, but I am happy knowing that my children are in a school that creates an atmosphere where they are eager to learn and grow. The outdoor enviornments are unique and intoduces a 'extension' to the classrooms. I am astonished at the things my kids say and know about each day as a result of their experiences at MCH.
—Submitted by a parent

I m constantly impressed and amazed at what my daughter is learning at MCH. From knowing the names of all the continents at age 4 to sharing her knowledge about biomes and fundamental rock types in grade three to recently outlining her Neanderthal project for this year, I m thrilled at the enthusiasm she has for learning. MCH has helped instill a love of learning in my daughter that will stay with her along whatever path she chooses in life. My daughter was in a great Montessori in California and we looked long and hard when we moved before deciding to invest in MCH. The results over the last six years (she is now in Grade 4 at MCH) have been spectacular. I am happy to give them 5 stars, and would also be happy to discuss our MCH experience with parents looking at investing in a Montessori education.
—Submitted by a parent

I d hate to think that parents are making decisions about their children s education by how easy the pick-up / drop-off are (re 2008 reviews). My daughter has been going to MCH for years and the biggest issue with pick-up/drop-off is when other parents pull up and don t have their kids ready. But that said, it is what happens inside the classroom that counts more to me. I ve seen my daughter grow at MCH. Not just the education, but the social interactions (getting along, team play, etc) and the way she interacts with people outside the school (including me). I m very happy with MCH and am sad to see how the drop off low scores have affected their overall ratings. p.s. there are probably over 150 students when you look at the Pre-K program and the 1-6.
—Submitted by a parent

MCH is a boutique school with beatiful grounds and great setup for children (such as natural trails and live animals for children to care for). If you like small school feel and close community, this is the right school for you. My son has been here since 2.5 years old (coming 3 years this summer). We had very positive experience with the teachers, especially in EC program where all teachers are Montessori certified with many years' experience in teaching and early childhood development. I am especially impressed with parent teacher communications both with his teachers as well as administrative staff and leadership team. There might be things here and there that needs improvements, but what I like is I can send an email and walk into the office and I know they take feedback very seriously and implement changes quickly.
—Submitted by a parent

Our experience at MCH has been very positive. Our daughter has been there for 2 years and has grown tremendously through the strong Montessori program, quality educators and amazing environment. All schools have their challenges but the teachers and administration we interact with are professional and experienced. Their curriculum includes a great outdoor program, music and gardening specialists, beautiful classrooms with quality Montessori materials and extracurricular programs funded in part by an active Parent Association. The teachers and administration are available, responsive and compassionate. At MCH kids are a priority, teachers are a priority and Montessori certification is a priority. They care about the families and the community and regularly hold festivals and events that bring everyone together. It s a great learning environment!
—Submitted by a parent

My three children all started MCH as toddlers and now are in preschool, K and 2nd grade. I am impressed by the level of independence they have achieved at a young age; by the love of learning they have; and by the raw knowledge they have gained. They all demanded a high level of independence as toddlers from demanding to move out of diapers, to self-dressing and choosing clothes, to being responsible members of the house bussing their own plates after dinner. I saw them learn. At age 2 one came home pointing out colors in Spanish. At age 5 another came home reading Mat Sat books and show us maps she had drawn of the continents and then tell me all about them. At age 6 another came home one day telling me, Dad, I can speak Hindi only learning to find out he could completely follow his teachers that were speaking to each other in Hindi. In math we found him starting long division in Kindergarten with him now doing 3rd/4th grade math in 2nd grade. The school, teachers, environment, and curriculum are all part of this success. I've found the school, teachers and admin, to be good partners in problem solving when we've had challenges with our children.
—Submitted by a parent

Some teachers are good and experienced, others are less so. Our experience was very disappointing. When problems occurred MCH talked about working together but problem solving focused on problems with the child. Problems with teaching staff could not be discussed and the administration stifled communications when the news was too negative. Even when multiple children were pulled out of a classroom in order to make it functional issues with teaching ability and how the class environment may have impacted our child were off the table. All along their position was trust the teachers and stop raising issues. The staff may have been too focused on expansion to handle current problems in a timely manner or support their weaker teachers. After spiraling problems at MCH, our child is thriving at another Montessori school with more experienced staff and teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

We love this school. This is my daughter's fourth year here. After preschool due to our great experience we have moved on to enroll her in their elementary program and it has been the best decision. She's thriving academically and personality-wise. Of course no school is perfect, but no imperfection that's a deal breaker and I truly feel that we lucked out in finding this wonderful little corner in the educational landscape of Redmond. The school is a little pocket in a rural setting; it has a wonderful playground embedded in trees, animals in classes and outdoors, a great Nature Trail into which students make regular trips and enjoy, appreciate and connect to the natural world. Emphasis on peace education, caring for self and others, respect, self-development instead of competiton, green education; education of the whole child. Lead Elementary teacher is President of the Northwest Montessori Association. Genuine Montessori education.
—Submitted by a parent

MCH is a good preschool, and trying to grow their fledgling elementary program. We've had great experience with their teachers, and they have a warm and welcoming community via the Parent Association. The administration seems to be a little flakey and unorganized, but overall the school was a good preschool experience for our child.
—Submitted by a parent

We absolutely love this school and all of the staff and teachers. It was a difficult choice for me to put my toddler into childcare, but within weeks I knew he was getting a great experience and positive structure in ways that I would have never thought to do. The focus on diversity, peace, respect for nature and all life, and even the emphasis on sign language have helped us feel that we have partners in raising our child instead of just a daycare. MCH is dedicated to teaching him all the values that we feel are most important. MCH will be one of the things we miss most when we relocate.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with both positive and negative aspects mentioned earlier. The school was somewhat disorganzied in its earlier years but it's moving in the right direction. After comparing many schools, they all have some flaws (no school is perfect). My child has been going here for 3 years now, and we are especially happy with their elementary program. This is a true traditional montessori program (unlike some other 'montessori' schools), working with kids at their own individual level; teaching compassion, group work, peace, love, help others, with no competition. The academic curriculum is definitley way ahead of public schools. The two elementary teachers are great. At this point there are 14 kids with two teachers in an elementary class so they get the right amount of attention and monitoring; and it's growing fast.
—Submitted by a parent

We looked at over 30 daycares/schools for our toddler and preschooler. We came from Norway and thought it was going to be easy, but were rather horified by the standard at most places. We even tried 2 with very little success. I arrived at MCH after hours, so I went for an inspection of my own without having a typical sales person following and distracting me.What I found was amazing, this place had a feeeling of love for kids. This shone through even with nobody there. I looked through the windows and saw clean, beautiful classrooms, I saw animals in every classroom, 2 goats next to the playground and a forest surraounding all this. The place had such a great feel about it, a feeling of kindness and love for kids. We love it so much we have moved to Redmond! MCH has the best truly dedicated teachers!
—Submitted by a parent

I also disagree with some of the comments made earlier. Montessori Children's House has gone through some amazing changes in the last few years and is meeting our expectations with flying colors. All three of my children have attended MCH since they were two years old, and I have seen them grow up and thrive in a wonderful and caring environment. My family is moving to Florida this summer and one of the things I ll miss the most is the school. I can also attest to the benefits and great results of the Montessori method. My kids have had an exceptional learning experience and will be very well prepared for their new school in Florida.
—Submitted by a parent

Disregard the negative reviews they are simply not the norm for this school and while drop-off can be slow sometimes (where is it not?) it is a price happily paid for our child who is happy and two years ahead in her math and reading skills thanks to this school. We have had our daughter in MCH for three years and our son will attend in the Fall. It is a wonderful school with teachers dedicated to the children and the envoirnment stimulating and focused on learning and taking care of the world. As a private school its financial expectations are actually lower than any of its competitors around here. We have loved it and felt that the teachers and administration were very attentive to our needs and the needs of our child. Additionally, they are very open to feedback and incorporate it quite well.
—Submitted by a parent