Scripps Montessori School

Just moving to California from Minnesota my wife and I were so nervous about locating a school that could match the caliber of Montessori we had our daughter in prior. We had performed extensive research of all the Montessori, and even some non-​Montessori schools all over North County to find the very best. We landed on Scripps actually on accident, but so happy we did.
Now let me say the communication from the school to parents can be ahhh okay at best some times, but the quality of education and caring for the children makes up for it a thousand fold.
Since my daughter has been enrolled we have seen her blossom into such an amazingly bright young lady. I can not ever thank the faculty enough for the love and attention the provide all the children, and would strongly encourage any parent looking for a great school to really give this school a try.

Scripps Montessori School has changed our lives for the better! I have three children attending SMS, ages 2 – 7 and not a day goes by that I don’t recommend the school to a friend or mention the astounding educational and social advancement I see in my children. Sending my children here is the best decision I’ve ever made.
I was so excited to start my daughter in kindergarten last year at the local, public school where I attended, growing up in Scripps Ranch in the 80’s. By the end of Fall, I was disgusted to find how little my daughter was learning with a class size of 33 students and no aid. The teacher was in survival mode. I CHOICEd her into another neighborhood school only to find that they were moving onto their fourth principal in 3 years. I didn’t want to get involved in that political mess. I turned to Scripps Montessori School and met with the director, Ms. Ciara on three different occasions before making my decision to transfer there the following Fall. She was so warm and welcoming. She always had time for my drop-​in visits and patiently answered all of my questions, addressed all of my concerns. My children loved her right away and felt at-​home in her office, asking questions of their own, seated in the mini director chairs provided for them.
I started my daughter in the elementary program this past Fall and in three months, she went from crying through a Level 1 reading material to confidently reading chapter books for pleasure! Incredible! Her love of learning makes me so happy and I credit the staff for the individualized attention they are able to give each student.
My 4 year-​old daughter also started at SMS in the primary program and her growth is remarkable. She is motivated in ways I didn’t see in her before. This new «I can do it myself» attitude is so exciting! I think the sense of independence this school provides really instills leadership and drive within the students.
In fact, with Baby #4 arriving next month, I enrolled my 2 year-​old son in January and after just a month there, he’s potty-​training at school! I was concerned about his delayed speech but Ms. Ciara had a hunch his new social exposure would help that along and it has!
I can’t recommend this school enough! It is worth every penny. I have had such an amazing experience here and plan to put all four of my children through the elementary program (it goes through 6^th grade). I hope this review conveys how excited I am about the decision we made to send our kids here!

This is the first review i am writing on Unilocal.I decided to do so after reading the negative comments about the school director and the school.
Our son has been going to this school for a year and a half. I am very pleased with the education he is receiving. The teachers are amazing and nurturing!
The director Ms Ciara is a very warm and carrying person– she is easy to approach and talk to.
We will be sending our second son to this school soon.

I have never written a Unilocal*review before but felt compelled to do so after reading the negative comments posted about the administrator and certain other staff of the pre-​school/​kindergarten that both of our children attended. Ciara C. is the «face» of the school and represents SMS extremely well, as do the other staff members.
Not only have my wife and I been pleased with the educational and nurturing environment of SMS, we have been duly impressed with the compassion, caring and patience of the administrator and faculty. As another reviewer wrote, the teachers and staff really do make a difference, whether on a macro level (by instilling a lifetime love of learning) or on a micro level (soothing bruised egos after some unkind words among pre-​school classmates).
Our oldest child is now a second-​grader at a local elementary school. I am able to observe her in the classroom with some regularity, and believe her confidence, poise and ability are due, in no small part, to her experience at SMS. She transitioned to her new school after kindergarten, which our son will do next year.
Our children have benefitted immensely from their time at SMS, and I recommend the school highly.

The decision to send my son here is one of the singlemost important decisions I made with regard to his upbringing. I can’t say enough about the school (and in particular the school administrator, Ciara). I am so incredibly grateful for the teachers and administrators who have helped shape who my child is today.
My oldest son began the program at age 2 ½ and continued through first grade. His younger brother started at age 3 and is in his second year. I will limit my comments to my oldest, only because he is older and I can see the impact the education has had on him.
Like most preschools, this school teaches reading, writing, math, etc. But what is different is the WAY in which the teachers do this — I believe their approach fosters a LOVE of learning, which is so critical. I feel that my son is curious about things that were sparked by the interesting things he learned at school — from geography, to gardening, to knitting, to complicated math problems. The Montessori approach, no doubt, is something that resonated with my son (and surprisingly, even his younger brother who is a lot more free-​spirited) and I appreciate the manner in which they honor the individualism of every child, while keeping the classroom environment calm and professional. To me, the teachers have the perfect balance of being loving and firm and seem to really find a way to connect with each and every student. The mixed-​age classrooms are beneficial to every child — the youngest can look up to older classmates and then as they progress in age, they learn important leadership skills.
When evaluating this school, you should definitely visit other preschools and Montessori schools — you know your child best and can get a sense if this school will work for him or her. For me, I settled on the Montessori approach and then visited all of the Montessori schools in the area. I felt most at home with Scripps Montessori and selecting this school has been a decision I’ve been thrilled with. My oldest transitioned to public school without any problem, by the way.

The school director is EXTREMELY unprofessional. I went to a tour, with my son, with one of the elementary teachers. The director seemed to be frazzled and took very little time with me – which, in retrospect, was a bad sign. However, the female teacher was really nice and seemed to understand a lot about child development and pedagogy. (With that said, there is a male teacher who I met, and was much less impressed with.) When we finished the tour, the teacher asked my son if he would be going to school there in the fall, for which he answered, «I don’t know, we’re still looking.» Although my son was unsure, I took this as a good sign, thinking she would not say this if she didn’t think he would be a good fit. I got all of the paperwork and the director (still frazzled) said she would talk to the teacher and call me that afternoon. I never got a call from her so I left a message and e-​mailed her – I never heard from her. Since then, I’ve heard/​read negative things about this director. It was probably a blessing that she didn’t call me back, but I can’t help but think very low of her and the school for acting so unprofessionally. A school director sets the tone and climate for her school, and this director has an unfriendly demeanor, is disorganized, and really unprofessional.