Montessori Academy Of Chapel Hill

I will start off to say this: All schools are different and our expectations of what they should provide are different (as parents). We chose this school after looking at MANY well-​recommended preschools in the area simply because I walked into the school and had that «TA-​DA» moment. It was peaceful, the teachers/​helpers were helpful and loving to the children, and it had a good cirriculum. Since going to the school, I have found a few annoyances, but nothing that have not been resolved, nor anything that really had an affect on my kid. Like potholes in the parking lot (annoying!) or when soap ran out (got it fixed in a jiffy!) but as far as the care of the children– the school is wonderful. The teachers may switch out from time to time, but the program stays on task– they continue learning, playing and having a wonderful time. This particular location is not for everyone, as they rent the space from inside a synagogue, so there are school closings and dietary restrictions associated with that. The price is great (especially those working for Duke and UNC) and the location is convenient!

I am actually very happy with this school. The director is nice and very accommodating, my son’s teacher and helper are wonderful, and it is one of the few preschools/​daycares in the area that caters to toddlers and preschoolers and is open full-​time (7:30−5:30). Also, my son’s teacher is Montessori trained and exteremely kind, and I think he is learning a lot. My dad picks him up and loves the place. I moved here from Los Angeles and was shocked at how little quality schooling and care there is for children ages 18 months to 5 and most of all how few hours the schools are open. This one is an exception, open all day, and the kids really learn things — Montessori skills, alphabet, numbers, reading, counting… Every day I ask Andrew if he had fun and he says «yes, I learned numbers and played trains and legos…» He tells me about his best friend and his teachers. My son is only 2 ¼ years old and I am astounded.

As a parent trying to provide the best learning environment for my child, I’m letting you know that Montessori Academy of Chapel Hill wasn’t a great place to send my son for his first school.
Everything started off good. A discount for UNC employees, plus it’s located so close to UNC Hospital. It was really convenient. Their cost wasn’t the highest in the area and with the discount for pre-​paying it seemed like an even better deal. I wish we hadn’t pre-​paid anything because it would have made leaving there an easier decision earlier on.
When we toured the school, I talked with the owner and he said that while they were new, they were currently un-​accredited, but applying for their accreditation from one of the Montessori associations. I wished I had checked on that application status to make sure he wasn’t BS’ing me. Oh well.
We were in the toddler program there and it was fun at first. My boy was enjoying himself and we picked him up normally every day. Over the course of the year, we noticed more of the kids he started the year with were gone. Sure some moved out of town as is common in Chapel Hill, but his teachers and the teachers of other classes were changing rapidly. In January, a Montessori certified teacher started teaching his toddler class and it was AH MAY ZING. She was so great. My son was having a great time. We had a teacher’s conference and everything seemed to be great. Then she left the school two weeks later after only being there 3 months. I asked her later about why she left and she said it was the management. That left just a helper to teach the toddlers and she was overwhelmed. I also realized the director of the school left after being there for 6 months or so. While she was there, I asked if I could join the school’s board as a parent or be involved in the parent’s organization. She said there wasn’t a board position like that. At the time, I was very concerned with their ability to hire Montessori certified teachers and retain staff.
We left the school when we realized none of the kids in class were the same ones we started with in September. My son didn’t know anyone in his class. Everyone had been switched out so much, he only knew his helper. When she left, we said we were done too. We still had 2 months pre-​paid which we didn’t get refunded when we asked for it back. My son didn’t cry at all when we told him he wasn’t going to that school anymore.
Maybe things have changed since we left that school in April 2010, but I wanted to put this out there as a warning to other parents and to let them know the experience we had.