Montessori Explorer

We arrived at Montessori Explorer over 7 years ago.  Our child needed a safe place, that would embrace his differences and allow him to develop his skills. We found what I know come to describe one of the best partnerships in my parenting journey.   At Montessori Explorer, my son was embraced and loved for everything he was, the gifts, and the areas of growth.  The teachers and children included him in all activities and made sure he always felt valued and supported.  When he needed accommodations to allow him to access the curriculum Montessori Explorer created the setting and schedule that would allow him to thrive.  It has been over 2 years since we graduated from Montessori Explorer, he stayed with them for as many school grades as possible.  One of the things that I thoroughly enjoyed were the writing assignments, children were given writing prompts that prompted them to be insightful and reflective of their own human experience.   When it came time for my son to publish his first book a collection of those writings were the backbone of his project.  Now a published author, my son remembers with great love and gratitude all the support he received at Montessori Explorer.  For me, I am grateful for the opportunity to find a school that became not only our learning environment but also an extension of the caring and safe world we created for our son at home.  A community compassionate and caring that could see the best in him and his different abilities.    As an educational institution, I am impressed by their openness and willingness to collaborate with other professionals and experts to fortify their already strong school in the areas of need of the students.  Four years ago, with a 10-year difference, we had our second child. You bet our first and only choice for him was  Montessori Explorer.  There is no better feeling than dropping off my child at school and knowing, with no doubts or questions in my mind, that he is learning at the best place he can be outside my home.  Their COVID measures have been impeccable.  My son is a successful, happy, child who learned, thanks to Montessori Explorer, the ways the pandemic required without feeling deprived or restricted.  Economically, it has been seamless, easy, and fair. They have a great electronic system, they take cards and offer various payment options.  It worked great for us. Most valuable of all is their approach to the children's mental health.  When they grow up, I want both my children to have strong self-esteem and mental health.  Montessori Explorer approaches education with full awareness of the value and impact of what they do and they do it great. My older son is now working on his third and fourth books.  I know that Montessori Explorer was key in building the confidence needed for such great goals.
Nov 12th, 2021

I am sorry to have to give this rating because the school itself is very nice with lots of amenities and the teachers seem to be very nice people.  Our experience with the director, however, was truly awful. Communication was extremely poor.  We were told we would receive information about what our son was learning weekly.  In 6 weeks that he was there, we received one small piece of paper one time listing activities.  We were told the school would send photos of our son (since we obviously could not go in due to Covid).  We asked several more times about this when we got nothing and then were told "we can't be sending you photos every single day."  Again, in 6 weeks we received one email with 2 photos and were treated like we did something wrong for asking for something we were already promised.We ended up removing our son because after being at the school for 6 weeks, he was sent home with a runny nose.  Of course, we understand that, but then, we were continuously told he could not come back for 2 more weeks even though we took him to the doctor, got a  negative Covid test, etc.  We communicated the negative test to the school as soon as we had it but they still said he couldn't come back.  When we withdrew him, the director lied and said we told them we had emailed the results. When we pressed her on that, she admitted later that she just made that up.  She referred us to the sick materials in the handbook which state nothing about getting Covid tests and nothing about keeping kids out for two weeks with a stuffy nose. So, we went beyond the requirements and were punished for it.  We cannot afford to pay for preschool and to concurrently pay for separate childcare.When we explained this to the director, she basically said too bad and that she would charge us with the maximum amount she could justify under the contract.  All told, we paid for an annual registration fee plus 3 months of school when our son attended for 6 weeks.  Then, she said she would send us a receipt and let us know when we could pick up our son's stuff and she did not do that either, she just cashed her check and walked away until we forced the issue.  If you don't have any issues, you may like the school as the teachers seem very nice and caring, but just a warning if you ever have a problem and have to deal with the director, she is all about money first and kids and families last even during a pandemic.
Jun 17th, 2021

Since 2014 I have been part of this amazing school. I started taking my now 7 year old since he was 3-5.. Now I take my 2 year old, she loves it!!!.. the teachers are great, Mrs. Dinusha, Mrs. Heather and all of their team are truly awesome.
Aug 4th, 2018

Its a good place for kids
Oct 22nd, 2015

Montessori Explorer is the best  montessori school in South Bay. Staff are committed, friendly, and provides an environment that's great for children. I gave it a four star due to the fact that when they are off for two weeks or less, you'll definitely be paying double tuition from another institution, if both parents are working. If you're a stay home Dad or Mom, you will not be affected by it. Furthermore, that's the only thing that I find as a discrepency, but other than that... the school is AMAZING!
Aug 5th, 2015