10435 Campo Rd, Spring Valley, CA 91978
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3.7 out of 5 stars
(3 reviews)Michelle Stansbury
At first, I was so excited to find Montessori Achievement Centre, I was looking for a traditional Montessori preschool for my daughter. During the tour, I asked a few questions to confirm what they advertised on their website -- that they were a traditional Montessori school. I asked Patricia, the founder and director, if there were any ways in which they deviated from traditional Montessori practices and principles and she said, "no, we don't deviate at all from traditional Montessori practices." So, I was shocked when picking up my 2 year old a little early from "Montessori time" (830am-130pm) to find the entire school huddled around a TV watching Troll cartoons. This is a double whammy of violating the Montessori principles of not using technology/screen time and avoiding fantasy. After asking Patricia about it, she confirmed that they put the kids in front of the television when it was hot outside. (With the location in East County, it is hot a lot in the afternoons.) Given that they lied about staying true to traditional Montessori practices and principles, I didn't feel safe continuing to leave my toddler in their care, because I don't trust that they aren't misleading about other areas of their care. I understand if a preschool decides to use TV sometimes, but I don't feel that it's okay to mislead parents about it. Their communication has been terrible from day one, from not telling me everything I needed to bring with her on the first day of school even when I specifically asked, to not informing me of major milestones like the first time she went on the potty. Since I've pulled my daughter out, I have not been able to get a response from the school about getting my full refund (they only sent a check with a portion of the security deposit and no explanation on why they are not refunding me for the entire security deposit plus the days she will not be attending in July) nor a reply to any of my emails.
Ashley Sonnier
Erin Woolf