The Woods Academy

I recommend this school to everyone that is looking for a serious and true Montessori program. In MD any school that claims to be Montessori has to be approved by the state and has to have at least one Montessori-​trained teacher. However, I have heard parents complain sending kids to Montessori is a waste of money because it’s just a name to sell the school. So, not all state-​approved Montessori programs have good quality of education.
So being aware not all schools are the same, I toured 3 Montessori schools: Lone Oak, Manor and the Woods Academy. I found the Lone Oak Montessori on AMI website and Woods academy on AMS website. Manor was recommended by other parents and it seems to be a popular choice when it comes to Montessori preschools in Bethesda area.
I took my 3-​year-​old son with me to all the tours and he loved the Woods the best because we were allowed to walk into the classroom and had very brief interactions with the students and teachers, to observe and also play some toys in the classroom while parents were talking to the director, Mrs. Gerber– who is very knowledgeable and experienced about Montessori programs and part of the reason we chose Montessori is because of her expertise and experience. After the tour, my son wanted to go back the next day because the classroom was just so fun and interesting for little kids.
My son is happy every day and cannot wait to tell me what he learned in school. The teachers encourage independence, good manners, trying new things/​food, healthy snacks, and creativity. They are caring and loving but also very firm when giving instructions. My son learns new things/​facts each day and not just merely playing with expensive toys. For instance, he came home one day start singing «The family of the Sun,» and talked about all the facts he learned about planets and I was amazed. And three weeks later, he started to learn the sounds of alphabets and try to read! The teacher told me she would advance any student if s/​he is ready so there is no need to wait till 4 or 5 to learn how to read.
The other pluses but not major factors are– 1) facility, it’s a school so it has it’s own gym, music/​art classrooms, library, and playground. It’s very spacious, clean and well-​maintained. 2) it has PE, music and art classes once a week for 30 minutes. The school has a very strong art program. 3) faculty and staff are very friendly and they know student by names. I felt that students are given a lot of attention because of its small classroom size. The only downside is the tuition. It is about $ 2K more than other schools I checked/​toured. We’ve been happy with our choice and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good preschool in Bethesda. If you want more information about the Montessori program, check out the blog: