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December 2023 by Julie B
The education CHMS offers is impeccable. The classroom and grounds are beautiful. The teachers are amazing, professional, and care deeply for the children. They work tirelessly to teach and are loving and kind. The administration, however, runs the school like an authoritarian regime. Teachers are afraid of the head of school, who is involved in the most minute of parent-teacher matters. She regularly makes snide comments to mothers and fathers implying bad decisions with parenting and is loathe to accept the fact that children under five are active. There is no school board like most other schools, so her decision is final. Communications with her feel harassing and punitive and often cut the teachers out of the conversation.Do your research if you consider CHMS as a service to your child and your sanity. Wonder why there are no recent reviews. Ask the school about teacher turnover and the frequency of it. Ask about their expectations of children and talk to your pediatrician if those expectations are age-appropriate. Ask how children are allowed to burn off energy. Ask the administration their thoughts on transparent communication with parents to include how they provide updates on changes in the classroom (moving a child from the toddler to preschool classroom, providing notification when classroom teachers change through the year, etc.). If you can speak to current parents, ask them if they feel like the school is helping them be better parents or just expecting perfection from their two and three year old children.
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August 2023 by David Brewer
CHMS has been a wonderful school for our kids to grow, learn, and mature. It gave them a solid foundation to do well in Kindergarten and elementary school.
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November 2015 by Amanda Shackelford
I am a former employee from Children's House Montessori and I highly recommend it. I absolutely loved the 2.5 years I worked at CHMS. The emphasis on the Montessori method can be an adjustment for families who are unfamiliar, but you will find that the children thrive in the environment. The classrooms are warm and inviting. I worked closely with a majority of the educators are loved their enthusiasm and creative ideas.If you visit the school, you will notice the hallways are covered in their work assignments are decorative art works. The next thing you will notice is how quiet the school is. Other than an occasional upset child, the classrooms are fairly quiet. The children are engaged with their individual work. When I first visited CHMS for my interview, I was impressed by how quiet and thoughtful the children behaved.The daily schedule is accommodating to working families. There is early morning care and after school care available. Primarily, I worked in the after school care program. Every day, we offered a variety of activities such as: dance, art, music, structured play and games. Every week, each student would bring home a pile of art work from their activities. The after school program at CHMS is unique from others because the teacher to student ratios surpass the minimum requirement. there are lots of opportunities for small group activities and projects and the children have a chance to relax and become comfortable with the staff, their friends and their environment. I really enjoyed the fun, engaging program.I cannot praise CHMS without giving credit to the Head of School, Denise. She is considerate and professional. At the beginning of every school year, she and her husband coordinate a huge school cookout at a local park. It is the first time of the year to connect with the families and staff. Every year, there is too much food and lots of fun! If staff or parents have a question or concern, Denise is only an email away. She always was available to schedule a quick meeting. I never felt left in the dark because there was such an understanding of open communication. Denise's efforts make CHMS a home away from home for the children and I know the parents appreciate it.I must add, I left CHMS because I relocated out of state. CHMS is like a little family and I would gladly return if I move back to Virginia.
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November 2014 by Vivian Yue
Our daughter spent three years in CHMS and just graduated this June. We have been very happy with this school. It was a pure delight to watch how our daughter has developed into a confident, thoughtful and well-rounded kid. The Head of School Ms Denise is an excellent educator and keeps the school well run. The teachers are all wonderful. They genuinely care about the children and are good at motivating the kids in learning. Our daughter is more than well prepared for her kindergarten. She was admitted into almost all the private schools we applied. We will tremendously miss the school
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November 2014 by Geof Gee
Broadly speaking, we have been very happy with CHMS. CHMS warm and caring staff follows a Montessori philosophy behind their curriculum which they effectively execute. Naturally, identifying the contribution from any single source to your child's development is difficult. We feel that CHMS made a meaningful impact on our children's academic and social development. Tellingly, our children always enjoy their time at CHMS and come home as happy and tired kids.
