Best Montessori School Cambridge Near Me

Dacia Thompson: Cambridge Montessori School is an exceptional institution for learning. Teachers are thoughtful collaborators with parents and the administration has been supportive, even through hard times. CMS is a great fit for both of our children that attend, even with different temperments and personalities. As a family of color, we are grateful that the curriculum is inclusive and the school encourages parents and family members to feel apart of the school community. The Head of School continues to forge the school into out of the box collaborations, like NuVu School. My children feel safe within the environment which translates to the opportunity to learn and retain critical information as well has build hard and soft skills, giving them a leg up on others their age. CMS supports the whole child. I am grateful to be a part of the CMS family.

Leigh Flannery: CMS is a warm and loving environment with teachers who know your child and help them learn and grow. From toddler through middle school the curriculum is thoughtful and age appropriate, with high expectation. My children learn compassion, empathy and executive functioning skills alongside math and literacy. This school teaches my children how to gather information, research, and synthesis. Along side the important knowledge they are learning, the school fosters growth mindset and creates a loving community. I highly recommend it for every age!

Daniel Larson: Cambridge Montessori has been a wonderful school for all 3 of our children, from 3 years old through middle school. The passionate Montessori teachers have inspired our children to not only be curiousabout the world around them, but to listen to each other and work towards a future based on mutual respect. And the great community of families has helped sustain us and encouraged us to grow as parents.

Carol Costello: Cambridge Montessori is an environment that is focused on inspiring children to grow as strong, independent thinkers and thoughtful human beings. When we moved here two years ago we were impressed at how important it was to the teachers, staff and parent community that our transition was welcoming and successful. Our son is thriving at Cambridge Montessori. The program is challenging, enriching and focused on optimizing the learning style of our child.

Tasneem A: Great staff and community!

Amelia Newbury: Teachers are an amazing group that guide my daughter in self-directed learning while instilling a love of learning and strengthening her natural curiosity. We left to try public and came back - there really is no comparison and no place better for us!

Celeste Ng: The school culture is rigid and judgmental, with a culture of pathologizing normal toddler behavior. Some of the things that made us withdraw our 3yo mid-year:Despite a stated open-door policy, parents were actively discouraged from involvement in or visiting the classroom. In March, a formal school memo forbade parents from speaking to each other at drop-off/pickup, asked parents to drop their children off at the front door instead of at the classroom door, and instructed parents not to carry their children or their children's belongings. The memo specifically suggested that any discipline problems at home were caused by not following the same rigid "expectations" as the school.When our son was afraid to use the toilet at school, the teacher forced him to sit on the toilet for 45 min while he cried in frustration.He was criticized for not doing work exactly the way the teachers wanted (e.g. sorting puzzle in the “right” order).In a parent conference, we were told our son was “too literal” because asked where rain came from, he said “From the sky,” not “From clouds.”He was already reading and adding at 3, but we were told this, along with his shyness, were signs of a possible psychological problem. We were bullied to take him for autism screening, even after a specialist and our pediatrician said he was likely fine.Administration, up to the head of school, either ignored problems or blamed us. When we sent a formal letter detailing our complaints, the school offered us a partial tuition refund if we signed a nondisparagement agreement. We refused.Once we changed schools, our son began to open up. We’ve since learned other families had similar experiences.

Elizabeth Christoforetti: Our entire family has grown with Wildflower. The teachers are unparalleled and the environment is delightful in its quiet, whimsical, confidence.

Vesal Dini: Our oldest daughter just completed her 3rd year at Wildflower. I cannot say enough good things about this school. Maria Montessori's philosophy is grounded in a respect and appreciation for children's innate desire to learn and actively participate in the work of their home and community. There are many Montessori schools and they often differ in the way they implement her methods. Prior to Wildflower my daughter attended a different local Montessori school. The way the teachers at Wildflower operationalize her educational approach is exceptional - we are eternally grateful for their intentional approachn.They prepare themselves every day spiritually to receive the children, they treat them with respect and wonder, they set up the environment so their natural curiosity and desire for mastery leads them to develop their skills in: sweeping, doing dishes, making tea for visitors, exploring language materials and reading, math materials, developing fine and gross motor skills doing art, pouring, planting seeds, watering plants, navigating social dynamics in a courteous and respectful way, the list goes on. Children are observed mastering all these various skills at their own pace with "lessons" presented by teachers or friends. If a child doesn't gravitate to a specific section the teachers reflect on how to present it in a way that is engaging to the particular child always thoughtful of where they are in their skill development. One of the main reasons we would not want to move away is because of this school!

Rebecca Ravenel: We have been extremely happy with our experience at Wildflower. Not only is our son thriving and excited about learning, but the guidance we have gotten from Mary and Erin has been invaluable to us as parents. With great wisdom and compassion, they have guided us all through the complicated toddler years. We have found the monthly parent nights to be a wonderful complement to the Wildflower experience. These events typically explore a specific aspect of the Montessori approach to education but they are very interactive and we often end up in very engaging discussions that get to the heart of what it's like to raise a child in today's world. Those group discussions really help build a sense of community among the parents. Our oldest child will return in the fall of 2016 for his third year at Wildflower and our youngest will begin at Snowdrops (a new Wildflower Network school for infants and toddlers) as well. Those, of course, are the strongest endorsements there are!

Michaela Spampinato: Though I’m sure every parent thinks the school they have chosen for their child is the best, here are just two reasons (of many!) why Wildflower has knocked our socks off.The teachers. Our daughter was very shy, an observer who waded in slowly and was highly sensitive to sound. The teachers—intuitive, sensitive, and lovingly firm—have managed to both value her sensitive nature and encourage her to stand up for herself and verbalize when she is uncomfortable about something. They truly believe that education should be child-led and that the child’s experience of learning should be joyous. We’ve been so impressed with the commitment the teachers have to the method of Montessori. Every seemingly simple “work” the student does—from washing a table to stacking blocks—lead to the development of muscles or skill sets that are the building blocks for future learning.The community. Monthly parent education nights and community days have given the families time to get to know each other. We share our woes and concerns and laugh together. On school holidays, we’ve made soap for the classroom, planted a local garden and filled backpacks with supplies for homeless kids. And sometimes we just get together and the kids play. This is the seamless movement between school and home that is one of the principles of Wildflower. We’re thrilled we found it.

Kathryn G: I have had my oldest son in the warm embrace of Wildflower for the past three years. This is a new school but the teachers come with decades of experience and serious Montessori training. I have been blown away by my son's development over these preschool years, and he leaves at 6 years now reading and writing, and with perceptible math skills. His deep interest in the natural world - science and creepy crawly things - was embraced by the teachers and fostered with materials and activities in the classroom. By the end of this past year, he was giving lessons to the other students on the life cycle of a butterfly much to his own pride. The artist-in-residence program opened up so many creative activities - from painting to music. And all with experience of seeing a real artist in action. Not only has this school been a gift to our son, it has also been a gift to our family. The community of parents are the warmest, most loving, most interesting group of people we have met in Cambridge. This crew became the center of our social life quickly. From the Fridays at Walden Pond, to the best family potlucks, to the endless offer of support and help through all of our struggles as parents of young children. The best teachers, the most beautiful classroom, real Montessori, and a great family community. What more could you ask for? A dream school.

Mesi Menegestu: They are very kind and helpful teachers.

Frank J: We joined Wild Rose, a Wildflower offspring, at the early stage and grew together over the years. WR started with 9 kids and now has over 40, with about half in primary and the rest in elementary.The teachers are kind and experienced, helping kids learn more about social values instead of test taking. Kids are given autonomy and expected to contribute to the school system by shopping for food, cooking, cleaning up the classroom, setting up projects, etc.We experienced some growing pains but overall was well worth it. Parents are expected to be involved but this has been reduced to about once a month instead of per week. The low teacher to kid ratio ensures more attention and opportunity to aid the kids in their weaker areas.The school is looking to grow into middle school (grade 5+) and is actively looking for children aged 9-11 for the next academic year. It is well worth taking a tour to see if it is the right fit for your family!

Angela VC: Wild Rose is a school where young people can discover a love of learning and immerse themselves in meaningful work and play. My son has blossomed here!