Grand Lake Montessori

Best thing that ever happened to my daughter! She started a a year old and is now 5. The admin and staff have been more then supportive and you can tell, EVERYONE cares. The parental involvement is fantastic and we have made many life long friends because of this school.

My son and daughter-​in-​law made Grand Lake Montessori the choice for both their daughters preschool educations and as a grandparent I could not have been happier.
The school has been intentional in its purpose of creating a place that is safe, nurturing, caring and creative, in allowing children to explore and discover the love of learning.
Equally important to me is the emphasis on social learning that GLM fosters through teaching and encouraging children to have a basic respect for others in how they respond to and treat their peers. Children at GLM are also encouraged to resolve minor conflicts with their peers using positive speech and actions.
The school is contained among the natural beauty of trees, flower and organic vegetable gardens planted by the children and their teachers. Grand Lake Montessori is a lovely environment to enrich a child’s early education experience. My oldest granddaughter is now attending kindergarten after having spent two years at GLM. With the guidance of her parents and the commitment of GLM she has exceeded the expectations for kindergarden readiness and is experiencing a successful transition into school. Knowing the importance of early childhood education to children’s overall school readiness, I highly recommend Grand Lake Montessori as a wonderful place to begin early education.
Jeannette B,
Oakland

My first review was filtered for some unknown reason but now that I have a second child at GLM I think I am can post again. We love this school. This is our fourth year at GLM and we could not be happier with the education, care and attention our children are getting. The teachers are amazing and what they have taught me about how to interact and connect with our little humans is invaluable. The community of parents that we have met and made friendships with is incredible. Our children are thriving and so are we. GLM is the perfect place for our family.

I sent my child here for less than a full school year, from the age of two to close to three years old. It’s a beautiful school with great teachers. All that you want out of a Montessori education is here. He got a lot out of it and usually wanted to stay at the end of the day. He learned many interesting skills and they took good care of him. The only reason we left is that we had to move far away.
Why 4 stars?
In a word, it’s expensive. The tuition is really high. It costs more than college. One kid at the age of 2 going full time was $ 1791/​month. Add to this various fees. Also add to this that they are closed usually several times a month, and you have to find alternate child care or sometimes they have alternate care for $ 80/​day (!) on top of the regular tuition. If you want to pay for a lunch through their program, it costs $ 6. Granted, it’s organic and locally sourced, but seriously, $ 6 for a 2 year old’s lunch that consists of a few steamed vegetables and a tiny slice of pizza? It was a drawback for me.

As a parent of two children who have gone through this school I want to mention some practical points about Grand lake Montessori;
First, they have both a toddler and a primary program and do not require potty training to enter either one. Children are moved based on their readiness, not strict age cut offs. When I let my primary teacher know that my daughter, who was 2.5 at the time, would be starting school while potty training she encouraged me to pack plenty of changes of clothes and not to worry in the least. She learned from her peers how to deal with accidents and was always well cared for and never made to feel embarrassed.
Second, they have a drive up drop off in the AM and pick up in the afternoon for busy parents! This alone is worth making the choice if you are a commuter or someone who has to get an older child to elementary school as well. Staff members will meet you at your car, assist your child in getting into or out of their carseat and pass you the sign in/​out log for signature. Note, this is an optional choice available to primary age children and their parents. You may still choose to park and walk your child in.
Third, The classroom sizes are on par with what your child will experience in elementary school. There are around 24 students per class in the primary level, with three teachers in the classroom to maintain a lower student to teacher ratio. While large class sizes may sound like a con, they are on par with what children typically experience in elementary school and I really saw the difference when my child transitioned easily to kindergarten. Other children who had attended small preschools or home based programs really struggled to make the transition to a full day and a full classroom.
Fourth, morning care is included in the cost of tuition, they do not charge extra. Also the school calendar contains fewer closings with optional care being offered around holidays for no additional charge.
And finally, all the glowing things Ive read in the previous reviews are true and I count myself among the grateful and happy parents who have successfully seen two children through the school.

GLM is a wonderful school and I would recommend it to any family.
My son who has been there and loved it for two years. The teachers are amazing, and in addition to helping my son learn how to be responsible, self-​sufficient, and confident, they have helped us become better parents.
We’ve learned from the teachers as well as from the outside instructors they bring in every year for parenting workshops on a variety of topics. We are better parents, with less anger in our house, lower anxiety, and we are better able to cope more productively when the newest challenging behavior pops up.
GLM is great for stutdents and parents alike. I confidently give this school 5 stars.

I love GLM. My 2 yo son started there last summer and will remain there until he starts kindergarten. We considered moving so my husband wouldn’t have such a long commute, but now we wouldn’t dream of moving because our son is doing so well at GLM. I have to admit, when I first considered GLM, Kerie C.‘s review on Unilocal really scared me. I’m glad I looked beyond one person’s experience.

Coming to GLM was the best choice we made in the last years of being parents. After my husband and I toured the school, my husband was almost in tears as he said, «I wish I had gone to Montessori school.»
GLM is a school where each teacher and staff member sincerely cares about the well-​being of the children. It is focused on creating and maintaining a diverse and close community which supports their core value of making sure your child is on a journey, not a race.
We’ve met many lovely families in the last year. During our first few months of transitioning into preschool (which can be difficult no matter what school you choose), I was able to contact and talk with other families. The teachers are always available to answer questions and offer insight. They have been very supportive on different occasions when I had concerns about my child.
There is no doubt that GLM is one of the premier schools in the area that strongly supports each child and family in their own journey. My child is thriving in life, home and at school; I attribute a lot of that to our GLM experience.

GLM is a great school, I couldn’t be happier with the environment in which my son spends his day. The teachers are wonderful, engaged and caring. The staff and administration are friendly and helpful. The school as a whole is very community oriented.
After my son had been there for just a couple of months, I’d pick him up at the end of the day and on our walk back to the car EVERYONE (kids, teachers from other classrooms, staff) knew my son’s name. This is no small thing for a large school (approx 120 kids) and I think it’s a testament to how present everyone is in their day to day relations.
When I step onto campus I feel like I am walking into my son’s world and it’s a great feeling because his world is a pretty great place to be. It’s a welcoming, down-​to-​earth, comfortable, fun and intellectually stimulating environment.
I never hesitate to recommend GLM to anyone looking for a preschool.

I really was impressed with this school for the two years my daughter attended. Her teachers worked with her, especially when her behavior got squirrelly during the worst days of my divorce from her abusive father. I LOVED this school. I raved about it to anyone who would listen.
However, what happened at the end of her second year has led me to give them this negative review.
My ex was on the hook for school fees per court order so he went in to the headmistress Helen Campbell and the business manager Nancy Haskins and told them I’d forged his signature. They had just offered her a 66% scholarship so she could finish her kindergarten cycle and prevent even more upheaval in her life.
Rather than talking to me about it, they broke the contract and categorically removed her financial aid and dropped her enrollment. I could have straightened the whole thing out, even provided them with a copy of the forensic document examiner’s report that I got after the fact showing my ex had manipulated them, but they weren’t interested.
To add insult to injury, they knew they were in trouble for breaking the contract so they made up a bunch of stuff about me in a letter to Community Care Licensing and distorted events that had actually happened to make me out to be a problem parent and that was why they broke the contract only weeks after they’d signed it. They provided a copy of this letter to my ex, who used it in custody court and then proceeded to make life even more miserable for me and my children.
I was never informed by the school exactly why they’d dropped me. I just got a short, hostile phone call from Nancy Haskins that said it was all my fault and I could have prevented it if I’d wanted to. I didn’t hear the «real» reason until my ex filed their letter in court as an exhibit in a pleading.
During the first year that I was struggling to survive after leaving my husband, and dealing with his reindeer games, my daughter’s teacher was very sympathetic, telling me that if she «had to choose a side, it would be mine.» She compared my ex to Hans Reiser, whose children with Nina Reiser had also attended GLM. I can’t help wondering if they treated Nina Reiser like they did me, and pulled their support from her when she needed it most. Sad to say, this teacher also ended up writing a distorted letter about me and that betrayal hurt the worst of all. I’m pretty sure I glimpsed her at Summitt Hospital last week; when she saw me, she turned around and walked the other way as fast as she could go. So at least she has the grace to be ashamed of herself. An apology would be nicer, but I’m not holding my breath.
I’m most angry with this school and their unprofessional treatment of my child because they completely dropped us from alumni lists so we don’t get invited to things like the Back to School Carnival, and all the parents of my daughter’s friends started avoiding us and wouldn’t set up play dates with her. I think it’s despicable that my poor kid, who needed stability in her life, lost not only a stable educational situation, but all of her beloved friends in one fell swoop. This is after taking thousands and thousands of dollars of her savings for her education the previous two years. I guess once the money ran out, their concern for her welfare ran out too.
They made all this noise about wanting only what is best for my child, and then stabbed her in the back in a most despicable manner. Nancy and Helen, if you’re reading, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. I hope that all parents reading this review think long and hard about getting involved with this school.
The underhanded, malicious behavior of the administration of the school is something that should be avoided. In a word, sleazy.
There are schools just as good for less money.