NOPA Montessori

Our both daughters (4.5 and 2.5 yo) are enrolled here, the older one for the past 3yrs. My highlights (which I don't think are the same in every preschool): 1) They have their curriculum and relatively strongly held guidances based on the early childhood research & Montessori curriculum: eg they provide guidance how to get your kid potty-trained and we worked as a team at home and in the classroom (vs in the previous preschool, it was fully up to us to tell the teacher what the plan was, which was particularly challenging for us as the first-time parents); or they really care about the kids being at school by 8.25a, because ~8.30 starts the individual kid "work cycle" (yes, even 18mo toddlers do it) and they want to protect all the other kids concentration which would be disturbed by continuous drip of late arrivals. Do I love this when I bring my kids 8.32a in and we need to go through the principal's office? - No. Am I really appreciative of them having their rules set to create the optimal learning environment and coaching the parents to help them with it? Absolutely yes. or they ask for no commercial characters on clothes/ backpacks as it's against the Montessori method (ask them for the details, I am not sure). It's cute to observe my 2yo kid go through her undies when she's getting dressed in the morning and set aside the ones with Elsa and say "this for weekend only". I know this might not be for everyone, I do recognize and respect their professionalism and - I see it as a signal that they will act similarly even in the less visible matters. 2) The principal and the administration have transparent and open communication. It's easy to be transparent when things go all well but life happens, right? Anytime my kid has the slightest accident (eg tripping and hitting their knee, but still no marks), they let us know, the lead teacher calls and provides the context. The same if the kid has any conflict with another child (but keeping the other child's identity protected so that the conflict doesn't escalate through the parents) or if there was a covid/ other viral outbreak. Never in our 3 years I felt that they were hiding something or being shady in the slightest way, even the not ideal news were always communicated timely, proactively and constructively. 3) Their lead teachers are Montessori geeks (the school sponsors continuous education for their teachers, sometimes weeks off for full time trainings) and they obsess about the classroom environment. One family I know decided to keep their kid there despite getting a K spot elsewhere bc "Learning to read & phonics with Ms Rainbow is something not to be missed". Apparently there's entire sequence in which the kids get introduced to different activities - they first need to master one before the teacher introduces the next one. They are very thoughtful about it. The kids get to pick every morning what they want to do for their individual work cycle but once they pick it & take it to their work station and they are encouraged to stick with it for a while (and if they want to abandon it, they need to bring it back to its particular spot, not just run away). My kids were demanding to get our house set up that way too and to some extent we followed their asks. The other great things are the great parents community (over they years we plan playdates and even trips together), safety, dedicated loving and caring teachers. Things we don't love but we learned to live with them: the school is off quite often (ask for their calendar), I hear it's similar across other private preschools too, but if you are transitioning from nanny/ au pair situation, you will need to find coverage for all those holidays/ early dismissals/ professional training days. It's definitely one of the more expensive options in the area. Other parents complained about long wait time to get into extended care (normal hours 8-3, extended 3-5.30p), we got lucky with our spots. And yes, those "kind reminders" emails about being late, when we are late. Tour & see for yourself.

Montessori education was not something I was necessarily looking for my two children, but was looking for a place that was communicative, warm, and would nurture my children with respect. NOPA has been all that and a place of safety for my kids. Additionally, the school encourages and creates opportunities to build a community with other parents, which has been invaluable for us. We had a not so great experience with another institution before coming here so I was a bit reserved, but the school proved to be the best place for our kids and somewhere within there I found such a fond respect for the Montessori practice. I grateful to the owner, teachers, and staff. Thank you.

Very well organized school full of caring staff and teachers

Both our daughters go to this daycare for cumulative 4 years - we all love it! The school is run very well plus it keeps improving. The teachers are superb and we can personally vouch for all the class leads Sydney, Rainbow and Stephanie. They are really dedicated pour their heart into childcare - while anytime we have a concern/suggestions we feel very much listened to with great care. Super transparent. I wish I could handle my kids as well as they do it here - both our daughters grow greatly both socio-emotionally and academicaly. The only downside is the number of off-days which is on the higher side. We were lucky to get in somewhat easily in 2021 - these days I hear many daycares are oversubscribed on their waitlists.

NOPA Montessori has been an amazing fit for our family. Since joining the Toddler program, we've seen tremendous growth in my son's language and social skills and overall independence. We're looking forward to several more years at NOPA.

great school, amazingly well run and incredible teachers

My daughter loves going to school here. She's made great friends and the staff are terrific.

I submitted an application form almost 2 weeks ago and paid the processing fee. Still no response. I called multiple times, sent an email - nothing. Hopefully they're better organized when it comes to child care. I'll have to issue a chargeback on that application processing fee. UPDATE: I was contacted by the school after this review and managed to schedule a zoom conversation.