Ridgemont Montessori, McLean Montessori, Brooksfield, Country Day, or Langley

[Anonymous]

Has anyone toured, considered, or applied to Ridgemont Montessori, McLean Montessori, Brooksfield, Country Day, or Langley for their preschool/pre-K programs and if so can you tell me your thoughts/impressions and what factors affected your decision in finalizing your school selection choice? Also are these schools competitive to get into?

[Anonymous]

We love CD. Very nurturing, lots of time outside. The teachers are great at teaching the kids how to interact and play together. Exactly what preschool should be

[Anonymous]

We applied to CDS and Langley, got into both and went with Langley. We've been very happy there, with both the preschool and older classes. There have been other threads on Langley recently, but we are thrilled with it due to the great teachers, resources and community there.

[Anonymous]

I love Ridgemont. The class sizes are small, the teachers and teacher's assistants are really attuned to the children. The facility is clean and nice as are the people too. My son has learned a lot during his year here this year.

What attracted me here was the kindness of the director, Mary Beth Humen, the fact that they were willing to access and give me an honest opinion of where my child was going to be placed and why, the hands-on participation of the teachers, and the traditional Montessori style they had compared to many other places I toured. I believe they currently have openings in their primary class.

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

We applied to all but Langley and went with Montessori of McLean. We are really liking it so far for our kid.
I loved Ridgemont, too. I thought it had a really warm, inviting atmosphere. MSM just seemed like a better fit for us (and it's an easier drive!)They both seem to take the Montessori thing VERY seriously. Very different than the play-based preschool our child attended last year, but our kid appears to be thriving and is excited to go to school every day.

Country Day seemed great when I toured it, too, but our kid only got accepted for the afternoon program (and I got the sense it's really hard for kids who don't have older brothers and sisters already there or who weren't in the toddlers program there to get in for the morning program), and since that would conflict with naps, we ruled it out.

[Anonymous]

Bump. We’re looking at these for kindergarten. Have opinions changed since 2011?

[Anonymous]

Ridgemont Montessori closed permanently during COVID.

[Anonymous]

MSM and Brooksfield are similar at ages 2-5. MSM has an elementary program through 6th grade. Brooksfield ends at K. Both are well regarded.

MSM just bought its campus from the Chesterbrook Methodist church which just closed. This gives MSM increased flexibility and additional space. MSM has a nicer campus overall than Brooksfield.

Trinity Methodist and Redeemer Lutheran both have play-based programs. Those are good for socialization and day care, but kids do not learn much.

By contrast, many 4yr olds and most 5yr olds at MSM or Brooksfield are reading and learning simple addition and subtraction. So they are well prepared for K or 1st grade at another school - public or private.

[Anonymous]

We preferred the Montessori options over Langley because Langley still uses the discredited Readers Workshop curriculum. Even Columbia U recently admitted Readers Workshop did not work effectively for most children, which was a huge public climb down.