Ridgewood Montessori Learning Center Pre-School

We had to pull our son out of this school and would never recommend it. Among other things, one of their teachers was extremely unprofessional. After being spoken to twice by management about her behavior, she screamed and cursed at us at a kids party. Management apologized profusely, but explained it’s hard replacing a teacher during the school year. In less than two months at the school, our son was injured four times. On top of all of this, management refused to return our entire $2,000 deposit.

I love this school and enjoy teaching here! What a blessing it has been to my life!! Love the kids!!

I am so thankful every day that we found Ridgewood MLC and Ms. Amy. A year ago I transferred my son from another pre-school that was not a good fit. I expected an adjustment period (leaving his old friends behind and going to a completely new environment), but he absolutely loved it from day one. He was sad to go to school previously, but at MLC he has never resisted going to school a single day. Ms. Amy is truly a one-of-a-kind educator. She cares deeply and is on point, keenly observant, and a master of classroom management. The kids listen to her and are proud to meet her expectations. She deeply understands my son as an individual as I am certain she knows all of her kids. She gives the kids the respect they deserve and models empathy, kindness, patience, and calm. She works individually with each child to make sure they are kindergarten ready socially and academically. She is creative at managing problems and always readily available to discuss any concerns or ways to further support my child’s development. I rarely write reviews but was disheartened to see the 1 star review from another parent, who is upset about a specific staff member even though she writes the administration has apologized. I generally would not hold the school responsible for any minor scrapes my kid gets into as an active now 4-year-old boy. This school is an absolute gem to the community and I will be sending my daughter as well as soon as she is old enough.

This Montessori school is fantastic. The teachers and staff are warm, down-to-earth and flexible. They were a godsend when we were new to the area and looking for someone to take our son who wasn’t potty trained yet into a school program. They have wonderful events (Mother’s Day Tea, School Picnic, etc…) that include the kids and parents. Very special. Highly recommend them!

My daughter attended the Montessori Learning Center in Ridgewood for two years, and she thrived there. She was is the Bird's Nest class with Ms. Amy and Ms. T, both of whom are dedicated, nurturing, and patient teachers who have a true talent for working with young children. She also enjoyed the Spanish classes taught by Ms. Rocio. The environment and array of in-class activities helped my daughter achieve notable social and age-appropriate academic growth while encouraging independence. She was well prepared for kindergarten. And most importantly, she had fun, felt safe, and made friends. All in all, we had a great experience with the Montessori Learning Center.

Enrolling our two daughters at MLC has been one of the greatest parenting decisions we’ve made so far. My oldest daughter, now almost 5, started at MLC in the toddler room in 2020 and just graduated this month. She did not cry that first day—or any school day in the three wonderful years she has spent there. The school environment is small, nurturing, safe, and fun. The daily routine is soothing and consistent, as you’ll see during many parent/teacher conferences, back to school nights, and classroom celebrations. True to the Montessori philosophy, the children are given a balance of both structure and developmentally appropriate freedom in the classroom that has allowed my daughter to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. The academic curriculum is both supportive and challenging. Despite her summer birthday, my daughter is well prepared for Kindergarten. She has felt inspired by her teachers every single day, who have lovingly guided and celebrated her development in math and language. The director, who also teaches at the school, is incredibly warm, responsive, and professional, as are all the teachers at the school. The teachers here are masters of differentiated instruction and classroom management. They communicated with me about my daughter’s progress every step of the way. My 2.5 year old recently joined MLC. Her teacher personally reached out to me throughout her first week to let me know how well she was adjusting. MLC is a treasure and we highly recommend the school.

Enrolling our child at Ridgewood Montessori Learning Center is the best decision we could have made. Having several Montessori options in the area, this neighborhood gem was exactly the environment we were looking for. The staff is nurturing, engaged & really take the extra steps to create a one of a kind community. We are blown away by the progress our child has had throughout the school year. I can't recommend this school enough.

When we visited and interviewed with the school, we very much enjoyed our experience. Then a month in, they changed our sons teacher with little notice. It was unfortunate, but we gave them the benefit of the doubt, and assumed it was not the schools fault. The school was not the least expensive school we visited, but we thought what they offered was worth the expense. When Covid changed the curriculum, from in person shared classroom experience, to online classes, we were again disappointed. I assumed as many friends and family experienced at other schools, that the school would either refund the tuition for the final 2 months, or provide a credit for next year. After a month and 1/2, of hearing nothing from them, I called and asked. I was basically told that no refund's, credits or discounts would be given. So they decided to keep my money for a service that was not provided for the final 2 months. My son is 3 years old. 3 year old's do not have the attention span to sit through a 30 minute zoom class. While I appreciate their effort, it was not what I paid for, or what I wanted. If I did that to my clients I would not have any clients. Not to mention the person I spoke with was rude, and after 15 minutes she said her doctor was calling and hung up on me. Very unprofessional.

We absolutely LOVE Ridgewood Montessori! I toured so many different preschools in the area before I found my son's school. I knew within moments that this was the one. My son is thriving here and they were so wonderfuly accommodating with his initial separation anxiety. We also love that he can stay an extra year in case we decide to delay his kindergarten start, as he has a late summer birthday.