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January 2024 by Shawn B.
After 2.5 years we we're finally accepted! Right as we send our son to pre-k. Might as well get on the waitlist when you're thinking of having a child to get them in on time. Parents, "may the odds be ever in your favor!"
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January 2024 by Kat S.
My husband and I booked an appointment online to tour this school for our infant. We booked the appointment for the week after the winter holidays, and we booked a full week in advance. I just got a call the night before our scheduled tour from a staff member who told us that they aren't doing tours due to coming back from the holidays (?), they don't normally do tours at the time we booked for, and that their infant waitlist is out to 2026. If your online system allows people to book tours for certain dates and times, those should be respected; otherwise, update your system to be accurate. We shuffled our work schedules to prioritize this tour. Separately - We had also tried to tour this school last August and never got a call back when we called twice and left a voicemail. If you read reviews, you can see this exact same outcome happened for another reviewer. Message received: potential, paying clients are not valued. Disappointed at the overt lack of courtesy and professionalism.
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August 2023 by Jonathan B.
Before we came here, we did a lot of searching, but everywhere else seemed to be lacking. After the tour here, we couldn't sign up fast enough, and every single day for 3.5 years and through 2 children, they've completely lived up to that initial feeling and surpassed every expectation. The staff are excellent, and we've had great experiences with everyone. I can't say thank you enough to Ms Fabby, Ms Christina, Ms Nina, Ms Vanessa, Ms Josie, Ms Jessie, Ms Shima, Ms Shirley, Ms Lindsay, Ms Glancy, Ms Markie, Ms Treisa, and their fearless leader Ms Angela. We thank the Lord for being able to find and have our children attend such an amazing place. We're really going to miss coming here everyday. You come in, and you feel and know that your children are loved and in great hands. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more.
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July 2023 by Andrea L.
I've had two separate experiences with this school over the span of about a year and a half. The first time I looked into this school was for my son, who was turning 4, and I was looking to transition him from a small in-home daycare to a larger preschool to prep him for kindergarten. The impression I got from the school at the time was that they were all about money, so I opted to send my son somewhere else. What led me to feel this way? A few things:- The girl who provided the tour stated the school maxes out the number of students per teacher allowable per state guidelines- The school was going to be taking over students from another Montessori that was closing and would be adding more staff, to again, maximize the number of students allowed- When we let them know we would not be proceeding with enrollment, the girl asked us to drive back and return their folder with marketing materials because they're expensive (With charging $1700 a month for 4 year olds they can afford a folder and sheets of paper for marketing) About a month ago, I decided to give this place a second shot, this time for my daughter. I tried calling a few times simply to get a quote on pricing as I didn't want to waste anyone's time with yet another tour if this place ended up being more expensive than I could afford. You can't get anyone on the phone here for a quote, so I caved and scheduled an appointment for a tour online using their website. After booking my tour for a month ahead (because it's impossible to get in sooner), I called two more times and left two detailed messages. Not once did someone call me back, even though I called twice at different times of the day and left detailed messages with my contact information and question. Last Thursday at almost 5pm, two business days before my scheduled tour the follwing Monday, someone called me and left a message saying "we don't do tours at the time you selected we have no idea why it allowed you to choose that time we need to reschedule". So it took a whole month for a call back to tell me the site wasn't accurate and with zero recognition of my previous voice emails? I was so upset that they called me two days before the appointment, saying their site was wrong that I didn't bother calling them back. It didn't help that they didn't return my previous voice-mails. They never attempted to call me again to reschedule either Friday or even Monday, so I assume they just canceled me. It does not leave a mother with a good feeling that you can't reach the company your child will be with all day long, or that they purposely max out the student to teacher ratio, or that they won't give the most basic information out which is cost. Stay away from this greedy school!!
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May 2023 by Nina H.
Its been one year since my son started in room 1's infant class, with Ms. Fabby and Ms. Cristina. He's 18 months now and looks forward to go to school everyday to see his friends and teachers. Ms.Fabby has especially made a positive impact in my son's development. She's patient, kind, and firm at the same time. Being a first time mom myself, I was clueless on alot of things like feeding, and disciplining a toddler. She guided me and gave me lots of helpful advices that I use with him everyday.
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April 2023 by Songzi L.
We love and appreciate this school from the bottom of our heart. Our two older kids all graduated from this school. The teachers they had here are all full of caring and love. Mrs. Angela and Mrs. Markie are always so welcome and warm. They offered big smiles when you came in and always hug and spend time with every kids at school. Also, Mrs. Glancy, Mrs. Venessa, Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Lindsay, etc...Every teacher they had are amazing. There are a lot of Montessori schools out there, but this one is the best without any doubt. When it came to the time to enroll our third boy to school, we thought of GFM immediately. However, since the Tustin campus had a long waiting list during that time, we thus send our kid to the GFM Woodbury campus thinking the two school will under the same management standard. But it turned out we made a biggest wrong decision. Our kid went there when he was 14 months and stayed there for almost 8 months. We had so many negative experiences during these 8 months. They have serious turnovers. There were always accident reports (My kid bite others or got bite/hit by others). My kid cried during the drop off for the whole 8 month and keep saying no school when he at home.When we finally had a chance to transferred him to Tustin campus, I was a little not sure how my kid will adjust and react in the new environment. Thanks to the director Mrs. Angela and Mrs. Markie from the front office, they offered us three visits to the class to let him familiar with the class and teachers. And also I have to give my greatest thanks to Mrs. Triesa, who is the lead teacher of room 2 and has been working with my kid so patiently. She has been such a blessing, not only helping my kid with adjusting the new school, but also let him feel he is truly loved and cared here. Mrs. Heaser, the helping teacher in room 2, she is also so patient and supportive. My kid never showed behavior issue again here. He is back to a happy boy like before. He waves goodbye to me with a big smile during drop off. He plays peek-boo with all the teachers during pick up. He shows me what he learned from school with love. When I mentioned his school and his teachers, he always says they like me! Thank you, GFM Tustin!! Thank you for all the love you give!! Thank you for creating such a positive environment and building the confidence for all kids! You really make the name of Great Foundation!
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December 2022 by Dan K.
Had high hopes for GFM based on recommendations from friends. Alas our 3-year old toddler only lasted a month here before we were informed that they did not have the resources to handle their behavior. After multiple conferences and assurances that the behavior was "age appropriate" and not a problem they recommended us to have evaluations done to assess for possible disorders, which we did. Prior to completion, one day upon picking our toddler up we were simply told they could not handle them any longer and "kindly" told us not to bring them back. No mention of the evaluation result or anything at all. Nevertheless we got the report back and were informed that his reactions and temperament under stressful situations was common and certainly "age appropriate" which is what we had thought all along. These days when asked about GFM our toddler, who has been using words more effectively, told us they thought the teacher did not like them. Taking this with a grain of salt, the conclusion we've reached is sometimes a teaching/school style does not fit a developing child and they may require a little more affection, attention, and/or structure than what montessori or specific teachers can offer. I've no desire to bash a preschool that seems to have positive reviews other than the fact that I am disappointed that they gave up so quickly on "age appropriate" behavior and didn't follow through on their promise to work with us. As full time working parents you can imagine the toll this had on our family while scrambling to find alternate options for daycare. YMMV but if u have a child with similar tendencies as ours I'd caution you to look elsewhere.
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August 2022 by jazmin l.
Our journey with GFM Tustin started in the midst of the pandemic in April 2021 w/ my then 3 year old daughter and her room 4 teachers Ms Nina (lead) and Ms Cynthia. Ms Nina has been crucial in my daughter's early childhood education and development. Being a shy child, Ms Nina was able to bring out her personality to full light. She has learned so much (both life skills and academics) she was able to take assessment tests to several private schools and have made good impressions on the admission committees. Ms Nina is firm but gentle at the same time. Ms Cynthia is a gem and my daughter absolutely adores her kind and caring manners. My daughter will miss both of them dearly as she transitions into her primary education. My younger daughter who is 2 years old just joined Room 2 about 2 months ago with Ms Treisa (lead) and Ms Glensy. They both have clear communication and I know they genuinely care about my daughter. Ms Treisa made an effort to contact me prior to my daughter's start date through the app to help me prepare. They communicate daily with me about my daughters day. When I pick her up, they stop and chat with me to let me know how her day went. They even potty trained her! I'm not sure if my daughter their favorite but they sure make me feel like she is. It would be unfair of me not to mention the director and the her assistant, Ms Angela and Ms Markie. They have been understanding and accommodating. Again, my daughter started school in the midst of the pandemic and they have helped me navigate this. They are organized and it seems like the staff have stayed pretty consistent throughout so I am sure they have something to do with it!
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August 2022 by Ray C.
After a few days of leaving my initial review, it bothered me that I didn't give a shout out to the Room 1 teachers, Ms. Angela and Ms. Markie. After trying out different schools, we greatly appreciate how detailed Ms. Faby and Ms. Christina are with their reports and updates. Ms. Faby also always recommends setting up additional activities for birthdays and other special events so the kids have a great time together. Thank you so much!
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June 2022 by Jerin M.
Bringing my son to this particular montessori was the best decision my wife and I made. We had looked for a montessori where we could be convinced of the teachers, facilities, curriculum and the management that would take care of my son safely. We had visited a few other places nearby and weren't convinced of the cleanliness and the focused care offered. My son was 1 year old when he joined class 1. The ratio of teachers to students were 1:4 here. They were able to accommodate his allergies and made him love going to the daycare. The focused attention and the ability to provide food catering to his allergy was a blessing in disguise. In fact when we moved away from our previous residence to a farther location, we could not find another montessori that came close to the offerings , teachers and management GFM offered. We have to drive 22 miles each way to drop him off. All worth it!!
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July 2021 by Shawn Maghzi
They have provided a lot of flexibility through a tough time. Most importantly our child loves it.
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July 2021 by Jenny Bao
We love this preschool; our child has been there for 1 year, and we are leaving only because of relocation out of state.
The teachers and staff are kind and professional. I have never seen anyone on their cell phone, which was one reason we transferred here from another preschool. There is a weekly planned curriculum; our child has learned a surprising amount for a preschooler (names of continents, songs, writing letters).
As duo-healthcare worker parents, we appreciate the evidence-based emails and precautions GFM Tustin has taken for the current pandemic—small groups, mask-wearing, regular cleaning, prompt communication with parents, etc. We also appreciate prompt communication of any illness/incidents; a report is filled out; immediate icing of wounds! They even reapply sunblock on my child in the afternoons for skin safety!
I can only think of 2 minor issues with GFM Tustin:
- my son is not incredibly attached to his teacher (or assistant teachers), possibly because they remain professional (rather than giving out hugs, etc, which now in this pandemic would not even be a good idea)
- there is construction right next door; thankfully they appear to be adhering to standards of dust/etc; the sound could be loud sometimes but my son has been napping well—I suppose this is a finite issue too (the structure is being built rapidly).
Overall, a solid preschool!
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July 2021 by Orosi Humphrey
I am happy to have found this amazing program. This has been my daughters first experience away from home. She loves all her teachers and is always happy being there. Front staff and teachers are all friendly, courteous and professional. Place is clean and provides a thriving environment to little learners.
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July 2021 by Rami Said
Not good at all dealing with current Covid-19 situation they are forcing us to send our kids to school or we will lose the tuition that we paid. So you dont have choice. either send your kid or lose your money.
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July 2019 by ArchVmap建筑地图
Kindergarten is very good!
