First Discoveries Montessori Academy

I have waited a little while to write this review so I would not be clouded by my sheer shock and anger at the school. My husband and I heard positive things, unfortunately they were all from people who sent their children here prior to the new owners. Please don't be fooled by this school’s inherited reviews. On my son's first day my motherly instinct was on fire but I chose to ignore my intuition. I will never know if my child felt the wrath of one of the teacher's at this school but I know other children did. Without getting into too much detail I will say that the safety of your children is not this daycare's top priority, or even in their top 10. I was made aware of a situation, about a spiteful teacher, that was not handled by the director after many complaints. The other teachers were concerned for the safety of the children. So concerned that someone made an official complaint after nothing was done by management. Unfortunately the teacher is friends with the owner so there was no consequence. The other teachers were doing the right thing by advocating for the children. This is what I mean by leadership not having the children's best interest in mind. This was the last straw. I do have other complaints that are much more minor: You will not receive updates on your child, no evaluations, no artwork, I never received a curriculum calendar, absolutely no rapport with staff because there are so many children in one room they have no time for even small chit chat about your child. In my son's class the ages were 17 months to 4 years. This is one class! In the other room there were 29 kids and 2 teachers aged 3-7. The 2nd most infuriating thing was the blatant lie we were told. You are reading this right, this is a "Montessori" school and not one person on that campus is Montessori trained. The director told us on our tour that their lead teacher had Montessori training. She does not. Make sure you know that no teacher is trained in the Montessori Method. I also noticed that the infants were left in their carriers while kids filtered in during the morning. I can't say for how long because I was only there for a few moments but I'm guessing until the infant teacher arrived. I never saw an infant unbuckled and held by the director and I never even saw the infant teacher so I have not one clue when she arrived.

My daughter (2yo) started school here at the beginning of April after an awful experience at another school. In the last few months she has started to blossom and truly looks forward to going everyday. She's constantly talking about her teachers and Friends and how much she loves them.(Not the case at a previous school she would literally scream not to be dropped off) I'm completely flabbergasted at one of the reviews I read of a past employee and can say after a quick google search her accusations don't really affect my opinion. I've only had positive experiences and would never send my child somewhere if I had any concerns that something was going on. So please if you are looking into Montessori check this school out and don't let a disgruntled ex employee sour your opinions.

First Discoveries is amazing - I've witnessed firsthand the development and growth of my children as they progressed through both the toddler and primary programs. The staff is friendly, caring, and most importantly, they put the best interest of the children first. After noticing a bad review from a disgruntled former employee (Mavy Lujan - whom might not be the brightest crayon in the box obviously by using her name on this review - a quick google search to find her mug shot should negate her opinion), I'd like to provide and share this positive feedback above about my experience and encourage parents to draw their own conclusions. Visit the school, interact with the staff, and make the right decision for you and your children - you won't be disappointed!

Great school with caring and knowledgeable teachers. Montessori is an amazing philosophy and prepares children for an opportunity to learn skills that will last a lifetime. The founders of Google attribute their success to their Montessori experience as children.