L. Robert Allen Montessori Center

I have chosen to enroll my daughter in this preschool.
The headmaster built a great team. There are two head teachers and two assistants and they alternate their schedules. The Montessori way, if you will, believes that a child’s work is a child’s play. The classroom environment is set up so there group can sit together for meetings and learning – circle time – and there are a handful of learning stations that feature different sensory motor skill as well as tools and layouts to allow the children to participate in a mock adult daily routine, ie kitchen station that allows for cooking; vanity station that allows for personal grooming. There are two big sets of doors that open right into the patio and playground. The patio has tables for lunch and outside arts and crafts. There is a small garden for the children to tend to as well. In 2014 the school remodeled their playground as well, so the facilities are all new.
I really enjoy the teamwork of all the parents and support staff of the Montessori Preschool.
I give the organization at TOP Rating!

My 3 year old son attended L. Robert Allen preschool. Although the school has been around 30 years the staff is all brand new, including the director Kathleen Evans. Despite the Montessori accreditation, this school is a hybrid Montessori school. Although my son took naps every day at his previous school, In the 3 months he was at L. Robert Allen he only slept 2 days. The staff said that he did not feel safe there, thus no naps. This is one of the few areas I agree with them.
I found out that they were punishing him and giving him hour long time outs when he did not sleep. They started to call my wife and I to pick him up early (1:00 pm) for not taking a nap. One day when I arrived at the school, my son was in the directors office alone with another boy (who was completely bottomless) with the door shut. When I challenged them on the time outs, we started to get calls to pick him up earlier and earlier. A few times as early as an hour after we dropped him off, those calls where because he was running from the staff. They believe that they can force a child to nap. I did contact the Dean of Chaminade who is in charge of the preschool, he really was not interested in the going on at the preschool. Maria Montessori first started the Montessori Method by teaching mentally challenged kids, this is the furthest thing happening at L. Robert Allen. Unless your child is perfect, i would strongly suggest staying away from this school unless you want to receive call like this

Mrs Evans is been giving a freehand to run the school as she feels fit, unfortunately she is not fit to do so. I have heard this complaint from a few of the other parents intimidated by Mrs. Evans. I do not believe that they have the skill set to handle 3 year olds. You might be okay if you child is older. But then again why take a chance? There are so many other Montessori schools to choose from in Honolulu.

I visited the school with my child to meet with the lead teacher and explore the classroom as a possible daycare option for my toddler. I was attracted by the Montessori approach and hopeful for quality instructors, as the school is supposed to be affiliated with Chaminade’s teacher prep program. Unfortunately, I did not find anything really attractive about this center, aside from a few cool Montessori materials.
The lead teacher was friendly, but she did not exude much passion for her center or the children under her care. The staff, in general, also seemed rather disinterested and lacked that «spark» that I was looking for in my child’s future teachers/​caretakers.
The REAL issue for me was the disrespectful way that students were spoken to and treated by one of the assistant teachers. She belittled the children and spoke quite harshly (e.g., «Are you supposed to do that? Well, cut it out). She mocked children’s «mistakes» and in no way nurtured their development or supported them in learning new things. I was appalled that she would speak this way to children right in front of me, a visitor. I couldn’t believe that her behavior was allowed to continue without reprimand from the lead teacher or other adults around her. I even asked if she was a student or teacher-​in-​training, but NOPE, she was the regular assistant teacher. EEK! Never in a million years would I subject my child to that type of treatment!
If you’re interested, see it for yourself. In my experience, this was the least appealing of all the school I visited.