Montessori School Of Downtown

My son is a 4 year old in the Downtown Campus. I' am very satisfied with my child's performance and how they communicate the progress and concerns about it. This is the way I was expecting. The management and the teachers are doing a great job. more

I'm satisfied with my experience as of the moment here in Montessori school of Downtown, Downtown Campus, I like the management, staff and their daily activities more

Look elsewhere for daycare. I've sent 3 kids through and each time the administration and teachers have let us down. I should have known that it was a scam when funds were raised for a splash park that never happened, you would think they would check with the city beforehand, that was 4 yrs ago. My #3 didn't even benefit from it. There's a pool but never a swim teacher, in the summer a party every week where parents are asked to bring food - including candy and or popsicles, but when i would ask my kids how it was they never got any of the treats. You could also donate $20 towards a pizza, 3 requests so $60, for 2 yr olds. Pretty sure you can find $5 pizza at Cici's. Makes me wonder where all the money went, i know it isn't towards teachers. Then there's the supply fee yet a teacher told me that she didn't have tissues and they just added water to the I soap. \r If place weren't conveniently located, #3 would have been long gone. Plus former security guard took pics of all kinds of violations that were ""modestly"" addressed my the owner, who seems clueless. more

MSODT-made my daughter very independent. She has come out of her shell. The good management and program and training of teachers really amazing that taken seriously by everyone involved. She is now going to the ""big school"" across the street. I highly recommend this Downtown Campus. more

I am a parent of the big school since 2010, and my child is now in elementary years and very happy with her progress, As a parent I see the positive change in the curriculum procedures, communication, incident/accident procedures and management, Congratulations and keep it up. You need to come and see for yourself.. I highly recommend this school..---MSODT DOWNTOWN Campus more

It's good to appreciate the good things rather than looking for faults especially when my child is safe, happy and learning. No one is perfect. All schools are good, be free to find one. This is the best way to appreciate people who takes good care of my 4 yr old son. THANKS TO YOU MSODT DOWNTOWN CAMPUS!!! more

My daughter just started last month at the MSODT Downtown Campus and her transition went amazing. I give my thanks to the wonderful staff and of course good management. The happiness brought by the school to my daughter's face is priceless. I highly recommend. more

While I am not a parent of a child at this school, I am the husband of a dedicated teacher that strives to bring to the children the tools they need in order to learn....My wife has developed many good relationships with the children and their parents and that says something for her efforts in teaching...I have read some of the comments and agree with some of the statements that are being made... It seems that in all schools and this one is no exception, that children are treated as one size fits all mentality and that is simply not true....Children need guidance and challenge and fun, too....To me, the teachers do not get the respect and compensation for the work and sacrifice they provide everyday...... more

As a mother who had two kids in MOSD, I do agree will all reviewers who did not recommend the school. Still I see the negative impact of the MOSD on my daughter (particularly academic) who started MOSD when she was two years old. There is noting about Montessori philosophy. Teacher is the center for the class, no creativity, no art program, no appreciation to individual talents,. more

Our infant (from 3 to 8 months) was on the four day program at this school and had a great experience. The teachers are always kind and helpful. If it's raining, someone will run out to you with an umbrella. The hours were flexible and they really helped us start our kid on solid food. The classrooms are orderly and clean, and the kids seem engaged. We dropped in at some random times to check on our kid and all was the same. Our kid was always in a good mood when we picked him up. All in all, we really liked the school! more

I am not sure what school some of these poor reviews are meant for, but they certainly don't describe the MSODT in my experience. My son has just completed kindergarten here and will be moving on to 1st grade in the fall of 2011. He is reading, doing math, spelling and creating art at an incredible level. A few weeks ago, he read everyone the book ""Monsters Eat Whiny Children"" at dinner. The family was stunned. He is getting a great education at this school. The only thing I don't like is the uniforms they have to wear. The are poorly made and expensive which leads me to wonder if the school is not in cahoots with the uniform place. Other than that this school has been a fantastic experience for my son. more

I have two children at the MSODT School of Infants Silverlake campus. I have always been able to see my kids at any time. All classrooms have large windows and you can stand there and watch as long as you like. You cannot enter the rooms, which is a good thing, as mentioned in previous entries - I do not want strangers in the room with my kids. All of the teachers have been wonderful. They know and love my kids and my kids love them. They are very concerned with both the health and education of the students. I am always impressed with what my 2 1/2 year old has learned, and the potty training is coming right along. My infant is well taken care of, and has not come home with diaper rash. The teachers are always willing to speak with me any time I have requested. I have had a very good experience with the school and would (and have!) recommend the school to others. more

My kids have been at MSODT - Silverlake for 2 years now and I am so impressed with how much they have learned. My daughter was potty trained during the first month she was there and by the time she moved to their pre-k program she knew all her colors, continents, presidents, numbers and was beginning to write letters and numbers. My older son loves his first grade teacher and she is so good at teaching math that he is as far along with math facts as the 3rd graders at Silvercrest. And after speaking to one of my neighbors about his experience with the other Montessori school out here, I know this place has much better teachers and a great bunch of families. I recommend this school without reservation! more

It is a disappointing to see people like MsAnjella write scathing reviews about The Montessori School of Downtown - Silverlake and any of the other campuses for that matter. I suppose people like this do not share the same values as the families and staff at the school. Those of compassionate and responsible citizenship and caring for your neighbor as you care for yourself. I do not engage in such slanderous and contemptuous dialogue but I feel it is important to counter these remarks. So I invite everyone who is interested to come visit our school at any time. We welcome you to our campus. Our only flaw is being human and we are not trying to hide that. So please do come by for a visit and ask your friends and neighbors in Silverlake about our school, I?m sure you will find that they send their children here for a reason, because this is a great place to be. Pros: Great families and kids & intelligent and caring teachers more

Montessori School of Downtown (Clear Lake campus- Infant School)---This school has been wonderful to our son, now 2 yrs & 2 mths (started at 15 mths old) . Every time, we have come to pick him up, he has seemed very happy (playing outside, circle time, potty time or washing his hands...). Transparency: one can pick up one's child at anytime (= you can just drop in and check on your child) . They have huge windows through which you can see what the children are doing. Our son has skin problems (eczema, prone to rash...); even going to school with a diaper rash, he came back home with it gone (this was at 15 mths old). He is learning a tremendous amount of things: nursery rhymes, manners (thank you...), how to eat (with a spoon)... Miss Meenachi (coordinator) is WONDERFUL w/ all the kids & so were his 2 teachers! more

MSODT is a great school! My child is in the elementary program, so I can't speak for the infant program, but the children learn so much and in an environment which fosters intellectual growth without making anyone feel incompetent, and without trying to make kids fit into predetermined categories. That is really the heart of the Montessori program. As for the food, it's home-cooked and a lot healthier than public school food; kids don't mind eating the same thing regularly. And I have always had access to my child when needed, but I agree with the school that it's best to stay out of the classroom and not disturb the routine most of the time. I've never had the slightest indication anyone wanted to hide something from me. As for the locked front door--I would be upset if they didn't have security measures--I feel confident my child is safe from strangers wandering in. Pros: They instill confidence in kids more

I am surprised by the reviews I found on this site for the day care in downtown where my son has been a student for 6 months. I think a lot of the complaints are because the parents didn't pay attention during the orientation presentations. Yes you can't go into the classrooms, but that prevents germs. I have always been allowed to view my son's class upon request. My son didn't get a rash from going to this school as some have noted. The staff has been more than helpful with making food and care suggestions. As far as pay goes you're not a degreed professional so I would assume you are aware of the pay going into the job. Why complain if you took a job knowing the salary? Hopefully these older 2008 postings are a past problem and the current staff are improved. I have been overall very happy with the school, I do only put my son there for 7 hours a day so I'm not trying to make the 7 am dropoff. Also tuition is not really much higher than other day cares I interviewed so I don't think you can say they are money oriented. Crem de la Crem is much higher. I liked that I could put a deposit down and secure a place for my son, other day care centers were only giving me the option of being placed on a list and told later if a spot would be available. Hope this helps some. Pros: Friendly Staff, Happy child more

As an ex employee I will tell y'all the truth. We make minimum wage with no benefits, no vacation, no nothing. Not only that but you must check your paycheck thouroughly or they will ""forget"" to put all your hours on there. They do not even follow Texas Law and allow fadequate time for breaks or lunch. If you must leave the class to go to the bathroom, or get something from your car you have to clock in and out. They are the cheapest, greediest people I have ever seen in my life, and it is your kids who suffer. They tell potential parents they don't let people in the rooms b/c of cleanliness but this school is the most disgusting, filthy place you could imagine. The Infant school does not provide gloves, so most employees change diaper after diaper with their dirty bare hands as washing them takes too long, and due to understaffing there is no time. The snack (stale cereal for infant school, pb & j for elem) is given everyday all year. They also do not provide any type of cleaning supplies except a generic spray (and when it is empty they do not replace for a month), so the rooms are filthy. I have seen roaaches and other buggs on numerous occasions. The newborn, baby and waddler rooms have a handful of toys for all the kids, and they are never washed. Look and see for yourself! To the person who said they hoped their kid wasn't in the room where another mom had forced her way in the room,: well aren't you more concerned with the fact that she saw three times the ratio of children to teachers in a windowless cell? Or the fact that your child gets no fresh air, no stimulation, and is left in a crib all day or to crawel around a toyless, bookless, activity free room with nothing to do??? If this place wasn't garbage it wouldn't have so many bad reviews. I still have nightmares of the poor kids there, and this place has been reported to CPS many times. The American Montessori Society has been trying to get their name taken off of this school. Use your common sense and don't let your child suffer here. Cons: Everything more

My son has been at the Downtown campus school of infants since he was 3 months old and is now 14 months old. Before we enrolled him, we met with the director Valerie and took a tour of the school. All the rooms have large windows to the hallway and natural light from outside. The infant room is in the back of the others where it is more quiet, but you can ask to see your baby through the window at any time of the day. If you want to come and breast feed throughout the day, you can do that too. Yes, you can drop in unannounced too-for the school of infants. I recognize that this policy changes once the children are older, move to the main building, and have regular schedules and classes. I think that is entirely appropriate. I love that they don't allow parents, people I don't know, in the room with the children, disturbing their schedules. Two of the main reasons I chose this school was that they don't let anyone walk in the rooms with shoes that have been outdoors and they have very strict security measures. I don't want strangers around my child, tracking in dirt from outside. Babies/Toddlers crawl and play on those floors! I am particularly irate at the reviewer that 'forced' her way into one of the rooms. I hope her child was not in the same class with mine. Pros: efficient, flexible, and safe Cons: website is not maintained, outdoor playground is small more

My son has been at the Montessori School of Downtown (Fannin/Carolina) since he was 18 months old. When I started him there, he was not potty trained. (The church day care that he was at prior offered no assistance during the day and allowed all the children to run around like wild indians all day; I can not even tell you how many diaper rashes he had.) Within in 6 months, he was fully potty trained (no pull-ups). Pros: Structured education; wonderful teachers; assistance with potty training early more