Miss Mae's Pre-K

Jenni Lawhorn _{on Google}

Feb 19th, 2024

I had previously reviewed this as 5 stars, because the first year and a half of attendance was incredible. Things have changed drastically and I no longer believe that is an accurate reflection. Last year, we paid non-refundable enrollment fees for our youngest child for fall, but shortly after those were due, the owner/main teacher disappeared and we were told many weeks later she had moved out of state. There was no transition period and very little communication, which was a problem because she had been actively involved in day to day class activities. The school became very chaotic as the staff were now short handed, and it became a stressful environment for my children as a result. We went on to pull them from school early-partly due to personal reasons, but also due to the significant drop in quality and poor transparency; which resulted in my family losing trust and confidence in the care and education we were seeking for our kids. My only regret is that I did not realize the extent of change sooner and therefore did not remove them from school earlier. We had such a wonderful experience with my oldest back in 2021 and at the beginning of the 2022, and it saddens me that things took such a drastic turn. If you consider this school, I would be cautious and would not pre-pay or pay early to help ensure you are getting what you believe you are paying for. I hope this year is just a hiccup and lessons are learned and changes made, because this school has potential and I would love to see it be that great 5 star school it was when we began attending. It is, however, a bit suspicious that so many positive reviews are coming out of the woodwork. It is almost like the business is soliciting for those in hopes of covering up the honest reviews from families who had kids enrolled in the 22-23 school year. She also seems to have blocked any parent who disagrees with her from her Facebook business page, so of course the reviews there will all be shining. It all seems suspicious. Additionally, the owner is quick to blame her previous teachers for her own shortcomings as a business owner and professional when I know for a fact they expressed that things were not going smoothly multiple times to her. Shes also quick to call out other parents writing poor reviews and sharing their honest experiences, but at some point, one has to stop and wonder where exactly the true issue lies.
I find it ironic that youre so set on calling out lies, yet you continue to lie. Of all the reasons you eventually shared after ghosting the school, this is the first Im hearing of a serious illness. And no, I dont need to know details, but if youre going to tell tales, stick to one.
If this was one mistake-fine. Our experience was months of shadiness and lack of communication, and people should be aware of that before choosing to send their child into any school ran by you.
Our experience is just as valid as all of the five star reviews that have recently been posted by people who havent had kids in your school in years (so weird theyre motivated to review YEARS laterand all at the same time-Im sure no one asked they do thathmm).

Belen Lowrey-Kinberg _{on Google}

Feb 5th, 2024

I'm sharing our experience at Miss Mae's in the hopes it can help future families who may be confused about the conflicting reviews. When we first enrolled our son in August 2022, we were very pleased by the quality of the instruction at Miss Mae's and it seemed like a great fit for us. The teachers were all kind, we received daily pictures and updates, and on the whole it seemed top notch.
There were some early red flags that, in retrospect, I wish we would have paid more attention to. For example, when our son struggled with the 2-hour rest time, we were told that this amount of time was state mandated. After doing our own research and speaking with parents at several other schools in the area, we learned that this is not true. In fact, many education professionals I spoke with were shocked that any pre-k or kindergarten would require this, much less a Montessori program. In fairness, the teachers did work with us to find activities that would occupy our son for these 2 hours while other children napped, but eventually we had to begin picking him up early. Other parents whose children also couldn't stay quiet during rest time also picked their children up early, so this was not an isolated issue. On this point, my advice to parents would be to be aware of this requirement and think carefully about whether you think your child would struggle to play quietly in a dimly lit room for 2 hours if he or she does not nap.
As the year progressed, there was increasing inconsistency in staffing. Particularly concerning, Miss Mae herself was missing for about a month with no replacement, leaving two teachers for a full class of pre-schoolers and kindergarteners. She only communicated about her absence after parents began to ask questions and voice concerns. This absence lasted for at least 10 weeks, and we were never provided with a return date. We are sympathetic to the personal issues Miss Mae may have been dealing with at this point, but the almost complete lack of communication was immensely concerning. During this time, although we were never concerned for our son's wellbeing, the quality of the activities, amount of outdoor time, and the number of updates we received via the app significantly decreased.
Ultimately, with the departure of our son's favorite teachers two weeks before the end of the school year, and Miss Mae herself still gone with no estimated return date, we chose to keep our son home for the rest of the year, and withdraw him from the summer program. Given Miss Mae's stellar reputation (as evidenced by the many 5 star reviews she has on this page) we had been planning to send our son to her for kindergarten. However, we chose to lose our enrollement fee and send him to another program (other families who did the same were told the enrollement fee is non-refundable, and this is also clearly stated in the parent handbook).
Although we definitely understand there may have been some extenuating circumstances on a personal level that affected the quality of the school this year, the way these were handled were concerning and in the end we lost trust in the leadership at the school. The inconsistency in staffing and lack of communication was worrisome especially given the young age of the children and the important role these teachers play in their lives. We wish all the teachers well and we hope the necessary changes are made to help the school live up to its former reputation.