Montessori House of Children

Our son attended Montessori House of Children for almost two years and absolutely loved every moment of it. When we had to switch schools it was actually quite emotional because he never wanted to leave.
From the headmasters and administrative staff all the way to the janitors who maintain the property, everybody is a class act and always provide service with a smile. And I can’t say enough about the teachers. Two in particular had a profound influence on my son and I know he will remember them forever.
My wife and I both work full time and, unfortunately, are busy to the point where we are unable to volunteer at the school. This was never a problem. I also appreciated the straightforward admissions process. Some schools seem to require you to get on their waitlists before your child is even born! At Montessori House of Children, it is quite the opposite.
The school fosters a loving and caring environment where you truly feel like you’re part of a family. And the student population is incredibly diverse which is fantastic. There are parades to celebrate things like Independence Day, Chinese New Year and Halloween; and the holiday parties are fun too!
I am so very thankful a friend of mine referred us there and cannot say enough about how much our family enjoyed the experience. We miss the school very much! I highly recommend setting up a tour with Mr. Rohan. You won’t regret it.

Worst school. Don’t send your kids here. They don’t teach properly, kids are not safe here. My daughter went there for one day and she is already scared of this school. She loves school and people, she is very social, but this school ruined everything. Ms. Anoma the worst and rude teacher ever.
They scold kids all the time. Kids don’t know how to express their pain to parents so they don’t say anything, but they are mentally shaken and scared.
Ms Anoma isolated a boy on the same day he joined, just because he was not paying enough attention. I am the witness for that, and I told her this is wrong. You are scaring poor kids, she said this is how we teach them manners. My daughter never went to that school after that. They don’t ask kids to wash their hands before snacks.

My daughter has gone to Montessori House of Children since she was 2 ½ and loves it. One of the main things that brought us here was the fact they don’t play the SF pre-​school BS game. There’s year-​round admissions that’s on a first-​come, first serve basis. I was so disgusted by the applications and wait lists at some of those fancy schools that don’t seem to offer nearly as much educational opportunities as Montessori programs that we jumped on this school after our first visit.
The things I like about this school:
— very educational atmosphere — my daughter has loved learning from her teacher — Miss J — and learned so much in one short year — from Continents to planets, to all her phonics and can write
— great help with life skills — the teachers are awesome at helping with potty training, dressing herself, putting away toys, etc.
— lots of fun extracurricular activities at really low cost ($ 35 /​month for language /​gymnastics, etc)
— caring staff that are easy to work with
— culturally diverse staff and kids from around the world. I love the fact that my daughter really gets exposed to kids and adults from all over — lots of native French, German, Japanese, Indian, Turkish, Chinese and many more. International Day is a big hit.
I’d say this school is best for families with two working parents as there’s not much opportunity to get involved or meet other families outside of pickup and drop off. One aspect of any Montessori is they don’t really want parents in the classroom and there aren’t a ton of social events or fundraisers. It is possible to meet people for playdates and such, but it’s a bit of a challenge as there’s no class roster or anything. For busy working families this is a huge positive, but if you’re looking for a pre-​school to make friends, this may not be the place for you. If you’re looking for a safe, educational, fun place where your kid will be happy and you don’t have to commit a ton of extra time, this is definitely a wonderful option.

Follow up– now that my daughter is in 3^rd grade in the SFUSD I am happy to report she is literally at the top of her class. Whenever I drive by Montessori House of Children I am reminded of how happy I am that she had this early foundation on which to build. In world of scary decisions about your children, it was nice to know for me that I made a good one here.

The three star rating is because I have no basis for comparing this school to any others. My 4^th child will be attending this school. All parents will tend to rate their child’s school highly since it reflects on the parent. I have no complaints. The school seems good and I would encourage anyone to consider it. I do not think you will be disappointed or feel you have not done your best for your child. Visit the school, observe, and tour the physical plant.
I think highly of this school and what I have observed. The parents are all very supportive and interested in obtaining the best education for their children. The pre-​scholers at kindergarten level seem to be at a learning level where I was around 3^rd grade. The school administration, teachers, parents and children are very International in outlook. The children are well behaved, play well together, and learn to accept responsibility. It is not a day care center but a real school. They are careful to protect against cliques. They discourage any toys that resemble weapons or any conduct that tends to violence.

Hmmmm, I wrote a rave review a few days back for this institution and mysteriously, it has been removed off the Unilocal site. What is that all about, Unilocal?
I love this school. My kid has been going here since she was 2−¼, when she was practically a baby. This school nurtured her and she has grown into a smart, well-​spoken and loving child. The directors Rohan and Suki are lovely people. Because of them and the amazing teachers, the school feels like a family. The curriculum is excellent, as are the after school programs (spanish, piano, yoga, etc., etc.) I can’t recommend this place enough.

My son was there only 2 ½ days ;(The staff, Ms. Tina is unprofessional, no respect, and rude. The 2^nd day of my son school, I picked up my son at this school, she said «I don’t get paid enought to be responsible for your son safety if he swallows a toy in his mouth and gets shock». «He is very active; runs around too much». In addition, «He is not ready for a pre-​school». How could she said such things in front of the kid’s mother. What she should have done reported to the school director.
After hearing what she said, my husband and I decided to take him out and no way we want to leave him there. If she does not like what she does, keep it for herselft and does the best she can do OR quit !!!

My sister went here for preschool. She came in not even speaking a word of English and of course couldn’t read or write at this time. By the time her few months were done here before kindergarten started, she was very comfortable speaking English, and she was almost reading and writing. She went into kindergarten knowing more than most of her class. This school was great in not only preparing her for school, but also socializing her with other children in a classroom environment and building her confidence in general, especially when put into new environments.

My oldest boy went to pre-​school/​1^st here. It is all enclosed and very safe feeling. My son loved his teacher and Friends. We stayed here well into 1^st grade because we got a terrible school in the public school «lottery».
I was happy that we had somewhere to go, while we were wait listed for the grade school of our choice.
It is also handy, because the school is easy to get to from the downtown area, and there is plenty of parking around the school for pick-​up time.