Hudson Montessori School

I hardly ever write a review but I feel this is worth it. I could not be happier with this school. It is extremely thorough in terms of curriculum as well as emotional support for the kids. My son went to this school for about 3 years until we had to move for my job. I visited every single school in the Jersey City downtown area and several in Bayonne. I sat in classes and observed, talked to school directors - I cannot overstate how much time I devoted to finding the right place for my son after a horrible experience at Learning Ladders. In my view this is the best school in the JC downtown area - they put a lot of time in developing their curriculum and supporting your child to improve continuously. They also spend a considerable amount of time teaching the kids social and emotional skills. If I moved back to Jersey City I would put my child right back in this school.

We currently have our 2 daughters enrolled at Hudson Montessori. Our oldest has been there since 2013 and blossomed at the school. She is independent and self-driven which are the cornerstones of the Montessori education. We are happy with how well she has progressed in math, reading, writing as well as life skills. We appreciate the teaching method of moving from the concrete concept to the abstract to ensure the child has a solid foundation. The focus on STEM at HMS is important to us as we want our girls to have the opportunities to have hands-on learning on topics that are traditional taught only in textbooks. Our daughter has done simple electronics, scratch programming, 3D printing and has participated in the Maker Monday Program. We appreciate that HMS has developed a good athletics program by focusing on skills development and teaching tennis on Fridays. We appreciate the classrooms are clean and organized. HMS teaches the children to take care and be responsible for their environment and the classroom is an example of that. Our 5 years old is in her second year at HMS, she is working on pre-reading skills and beads in math. She loves the cooking class and her yoga in the morning, and she is showing a strong desire to learn to read. While a strong focus on academic skills they also work on the child's social and developmental skills too. We appreciate the strong program at HMS and consider this school as excellent investment in our daughters future. We look forward for our 3rd daughter to join HMS family in 2018.

After much care, thought and extensive research, I made the best choice by deciding to send my daughter to Hudson Montessori School in Jersey City for several reasons: 1. I was looking for a quality education experience for my daughter that was geared towards her individual needs. The Montessori Method of self-directed activity, hands-on learning and teacher guidance of children to make good choices, greatly appealed to me. In my opinion, Hudson Montessori excelled in this area with quality and experienced teachers. 2. It was important to me that my African American daughter attends a school that honors and respects diversity. Hudson Montessori does an excellent job at celebrating the diversity of its students through parent-led cultural presentations. Children are free to explore and ask questions as they are exposed to cultural celebrations from all backgrounds. 3. Lastly, I absolutely love the concept of choosing a major theme for each school year for the children to learn about certain subjects throughout the year. The annual Social Studies Fair is an excellent event that allows us to see just how much information the children have learned as they study the theme from the beginning of the school year to the end. 4. The selection of after school programs is second to none. There is an activity offered for just about every child’s interests including yoga, art, chess, tennis, gymnastics, healthy cooking and more. 5. Parental involvement is just as important and Hudson Montessori has a very active parent volunteer organization. Parents are encouraged to help out in a variety of ways – through in-class presentations, movie nights, fundraisers or volunteering to assist at the Social Studies Fair. There are lots of ways to stay active. In addition, every month there are parent education nights where we can learn more about the Montessori Method and the types of materials our children use in the classrooms. 6. Lastly, the Year-End Celebration is a fantastic performance where our children have the opportunity to showcase their talents and gain confidence. This is my daughter’s 4th year with Hudson Montessori and I couldn’t be happier with the results. When she says “Mommy, I love school” that is the best compliment I believe that any school administrator, teacher and parent could hear. I know that I made the right choice! Thank you Ms. Jolly (Director), Ms. Maki and Ms. Gina (school administrators), Ms. Tia, Ms. Alia and Ms. Caridad, Ms. Denise, Ms. Mariana and Ms. Mahrukh for taking care of her for the past 3 years. Now that she has started first grade, I know that she’s in capable hands with Ms. Shannon and Ms. Gina A.

Very Positive experience. I would strongly recommend the school. The initial formative years are very important and the teachers in the school do a wonderful job. The management is also very understanding and efficient.

I could not be happier with Hudson Montessori School. This is my second year with the school, we are returning next year. My son is going into kindergarten. This past year, he learned how to read. At this point, he's reading at a kindergarten, probably first-grade level. And he loves it, he's so proud of himself. It true what they say as the school's motto: "Fostering the love to learn," it's as if my child is hungry to learn more every day. And, the school does it in a fun, organized way. The teachers are very understanding of how my child functions best. They teach him rules and how to follow a routine, and they do it in a gentle, kind and non-punitive fashion. I am very happy with their enrichment classes-- STEAM education, Spanish, Music, Gym. I am also happy that he learns to contribute to society-- recycling, running a farmer's market, volunteering and giving. That all said, Montessori is not for everyone. I do believe there are more academics at this age, then say a traditional preschool or another type of school, but, I know that's what my son thirsts for. So this school truly is the perfect fit for us. I do appreciate that Hudson Montessori uses a proven method for teaching academics in a kid-friendly, fun way. The teachers are top notch, and the love and caring they give my child makes me feel good knowing he's in such great hands. The school classrooms are so well kept, organized, bright and clean. While the tuition is not cheap, it is also not the most expensive around. I do feel that we are getting every pennies worth. With another child on the way, my biggest worry is how to make it work so both of my kids can go there! The school goes up to 5th or 6th grade at this point... my biggest wish is that both could go the full duration of their elementary school life. I couldn't recommend this school more highly. Check out their open houses, meet the teachers, ask a million questions, learn about their theme-based curriculum, which really wowed me. I think this school is one of the best-kept secrets in JC.

I’ve had my daughter in Hudson Montessori School (HMS) coming up on two years now and it truly was the best choice we could have made for her education. Our initial meeting was with Ms. Maki to gauge if she needed to go through the bridge program but we were all satisfied that she could move straight into primary. My wife and I had considered several schools in the Jersey City area but HMS had a lot of what we were looking for most especially a science lab that we really appreciated. Everyone we spoke to was willing to answer all our questions. The school director Ms. Jolly has always made herself available to us and one of the things we appreciate most is her overall progressive style which shows in how well the students learn and retain what they are taught. HMS is very practical in what is taught and how it’s taught. They encourage parents to engage at every level and as much as possible. As working parents it’s not always easy for us to break away and help but it’s very much appreciated that we have so many opportunities. In addition, the communication from HMS is stellar. Between the phone calls, text messages, and emails, it’s very unlikely parents will miss critical information. In the end, every child is different and there are different learning styles. HMS teachers and staff take the time to understand what makes each child unique and adapts the methods to each child to maximize the learning experience for all involved. We were very pleased with the growth our daughter showed at her time at HMS and we fully intend to enroll our other child. As with most review there are pros and cons. All the above are the pros and as for cons I would say price is an issue but I say that in the context of being a fan of public school and my general philosophy that children in the richest country in the world should get an equal education but that’s just simply not the case. I would love for public schools to be like HMS. There are times I’m at an HMS event and find myself thinking if these kids have all of this what must the other schools be lacking. As a product of the NJ public schools HMS is light years beyond anything I had in school and that’s factoring in technology then versus now. I’ve volunteered at some other schools in the area and have seen firsthand that the kids in HMS have a significant advantage with what and how they are learning. In that respect, the price to value ratio for HMS is very good. With all of that said, if it’s in your budget I would strongly recommend enrolling any child at HMS.

I am actually surprised by the earlier reviewer in whose case is looking for lowest rating and I was looking for a Highest rating for this school :). I have two boys one in second Grade and one in Primary classroom and continue to be a part of this school as it is a growing school and the Directors have done a fabulous job with its strong and balanced Montessori curriculum. I have seen how the quality of teachers have grown throughout the years and the kids are always happy going to school. The staff has an open door policy to echo our concerns and have always worked through solutions with parents like us. This is very rare in some of the stringent schools in the neighborhood. I am proud to be a Hudson Parent

We wish there was an option to give lower rating. Even a star is over rated for Hudson Montessori School (HMS). We met other parents in the JC downtown area who had similar experiences. We moved quite a bit and as such our child has been to multiple pre-schools across the country and in our experience, HMS has been by far the worst. We could not wait to get our child out of there. Pros: - Great location Cons: - Expensive and no value for money. - Tuition payment policy is weird. We were asked to pay upfront for multiple months way ahead of the school start. We were forced to come up $8K - $10K a month or so before our child went to school. It wasn't easy. - Number of school days - We were told the number of school days was per state requirement but HMS counts days of PTAs (classes are suspended and no care options are provided for 1.5 days), social events / fairs held on weekends, teacher training etc. towards the yearly count. Not sure if this is consistent with public schools. Moreover, for various reasons, the school would be closed at noon with no care options. If both parents are working, that means you need backup care for the entire day, unless you are able to take off work early to pick up your child at 12:30pm - Absolutely zero focus towards discipline / etiquettes. We experienced a significant decline in our child's behavior within weeks of attending the school - Aftercare: The aftercare was a joke. Yes, they do offer the state required teacher student ratio (perhaps lower) but that only because all children are assembled in a large room where they can run around, roll on the floor or do whatever they want while the teachers spend time on their phones. No activities or storybooks for kids. - Tuition / Other Fees: Bring out the checkbooks. If you compare with other schools in the area, tuition appears to be ~$100 to $150 a month lower but get ready to pay for everything - for example $25 as administration fees for extracurricular activities in addition to the class fee etc. etc. -Facilities - Zero facilities. Unlike other private schools, there are no cots etc. Children need to bring in their own sleeping bags and sleep on the floor. Some other schools in the area offer snacks i.e. children bring lunch etc. but the school provides snacks but not at HMS. They ask parents to provide snacks on a rotation basis. - Strict on timings - Unless you are ok dropping off your child at 8:30am or afternoon, get ready to pay for early care. Once, we dropped our child at 8:20am (10 mins early), they charged us $14. We enrolled our child in another preschool in the area (within 3 -4 of being at HMS) and only have one regret - wish we could do it sooner. Before enrolling in the school, we looked for reviews on HMS but couldn't find any so wanted to share our experience. We don't expect anyone to agree / disagree with our comments - decide for yourself but hopefully the comments above are helpful in making an informed decision.

My daughter is in Kindergarten, and has been at Hudson Montessori for 3 years. She started out as a very strong willed, physical 3.5 year old, who had a hard time sharing. Now as a 6 year old, she has developed into a strong willed, caring, independent little girl who loves to help out with the younger kids, with an intense love of learning and reading. The teachers, and the Montessori teaching method, have been a large part of her emotional growth. The teachers at Hudson Montessori are amazing, and really have the best interests of each child in mind. As a parent, it's extremely easy to be involved with the school, and the school welcomes help from parents. It really feels like a team effort between school and family. Like any newly formed urban school, there are some challenges, but I am confident they will resolve as the school expands. One of the areas, is having a more structured physical education program. The children have soccer when the weather is nice, and the teachers do a lot to keep them moving in the classroom, but a dedicated indoor space, and exposure to other sports beyond soccer, would be an area for improvement. The academics at HMS, though, have been stellar.