Riverside Montessori School

My grandson goes here, transferred in from a different school - took a bit on the waiting list, but wow..what a great school.
Nov 9th, 2022

Our child started in the mixed age early childhood education classroom when he was three and spent two years there.  We loved it.  He loved it.  His social and emotional competencies developed greatly.  We are very happy with the experience.
Jan 24th, 2021

My son transferred from Park West Montessori School to Riverside Montessori School-RMS in the fall of 2020 (they are different campuses of Twin Parks Montessori School). We have been very happy with both schools. My son spent his 4-5 old year at RMS for his Pre-k and we are especially happy about four things of the school. 1. This school collaborates with DOE for Pre-K for all program so most enrolled kids are eligible for a free UPK spot at the school. You get a 5-star education for free. 2. The school is very supportive and helpful in the Kindergarten school search and application. I can't thank Candace, the admission and eximission director, enough for her tireless effort in guiding us and advocating for my son and our family during this daunting process. We eventually got into a wonderful K-8 independent school with amazing financial aid. 3. My son learned so much socio-emotional skills at the school. He can verbalize his feelings very well, knows the right way to express his emotions and he even helped me to better manage my emotions. One time when I lost my temper, he calmly told me: "Mom, I will wait here until you are ready to be nice to me". He would call "yellow light" when I was about to lose it-- here I sound like a terrible parent, hahaha. 4. This school provides the top -notch Montessori education while manages to have the tuition much more affordable compared to other Montessori schools in the area. Anyway, I give a five-star to both the Park West and Riverside Montessori Schools. Check this school out and talk to parents here.
Nov 20th, 2021

My son attended RMS as a 4 month old and stopped right when he was about to turn 2, due to COVID-19. The schools true colors showed during this time, and I would urge anyone considering RMS, or any Twin Parks locations to do their research.The "teachers" my son had were great, but great caregivers can be found elsewhere. My review is not of the care, but the administration and their dishonest business practices. As a parent, of course finding loving caregivers is essential. What you don't consider is how inflexible and uncaring administrators will affect your experience.I have a gripe with the school. I am no longer sending my sons there (toddler and infant) due to circumstances from the pandemic lockdown, and had requested my enrollment fees back, but the school has decided to keep it. They had refunded other families, but continue to deny mine. I can go on, but will give you a pros and cons list instead, and hope that you learn from my very expensive mistake.Pros-Infant program starts at 3 months, many programs don't start this young -Columbia affiliated, which means you get dibs if you have a connection to the universityCons-Facilities are located in the basement of a residential building, lack of natural light, shared entrance with residents.-School schedule has MANY days off for "professional development", holidays, weeks for winter break and spring break-Make parents fundraise for holiday bonus for teachers and staff, and a staff luncheon---as if parents won't do nice gestures on their own accord-Make parents fundraise for a spring charity-Very strict pick-up time policy for late care-Early closing on Fridays-Expensive tuition, strict contract, no flexibility should you need to leave school. You will have to pay the entire years tuition anyway. They require your SS# to hunt you down if you don't pay.-Administration makes you fee like they are doing you a favor, as if you are not contributing to their livelihood.-Small space, limits the types of strollers they will allow you to store at the school during drop off.If you've made it this far and want to ask me questions, send me a dm and I will be happy to share my honest experience. I know one review won't stop them from securing families to attend, but I hope that this will save some families from throwing their money away. There are much better options around the UWS.
Feb 16th, 2021

Absolutely one of the best schools. The parents arent pretentious and the school administration is down to earth, always making you feel welcome. The teachers are BEYOND OUTSTANDING! This is my daughters second year (shes 3.5). The thought, effort, and planning that is put into the daily schedule and their class trips is top notch. At a glance it might seem pricey but if you do the math its not much more than a full time nanny or daycare. Personally I couldnt put a value on my daughters education. Some of the brightest people Ive met in life started at a Montessori school. Do your research, make a spreadsheet and compare your options (this is what I did), and this Montessori school came out on top. My daughter absolutely loves it here and looks forward to her days of work. I will say, I was a major skeptic... originally I thought why is there not math no science curriculum? But there is! It just isnt forced or in the way I had been taught growing up. Surpassingly I found myself learning from her! My daughter taught ME about Andrea Bocelli because she was introduced to his music in class. She was 3 when she came home requesting to hear his music. With my mouth dropped I quickly googled then asked Alexa to play his music. Shes learned to share, be patient, and most importantly be independent and a leader. I couldnt be happier with this school.
Mar 17th, 2020