The Springs, A Montessori School

[Anonymous]

I did a forum search and know there have been others discussing this school, but the discussions were all pretty dated. I'm looking at it for my daughter, and wanted to see if there is any more recent feedback.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, my information may also be a little dated, I'm happy to share. We checked out The Springs for our DD (now 6) a few years ago when we were looking for a toddler program. We ended up at a different Montessori school. Our concrete reason was that we wanted more of an outdoor area that allowed for a lot of free play. A more gut feel reason was that there seemed to be a mismatch between what we saw on there website and what we saw at the school. At the time, the school had a lot of mixed reviews online and we weren't willing to take the risk. Because Montessori programs can vary a lot, you should definitely visit the school before making any decision. The school should be willing to let you do a classroom observation (20-30 minutes) as part of your visit and/or application process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, my information may also be a little dated, I'm happy to share. We checked out The Springs for our DD (now 6) a few years ago when we were looking for a toddler program. We ended up at a different Montessori school. Our concrete reason was that we wanted more of an outdoor area that allowed for a lot of free play. A more gut feel reason was that there seemed to be a mismatch between what we saw on there website and what we saw at the school. At the time, the school had a lot of mixed reviews online and we weren't willing to take the risk. Because Montessori programs can vary a lot, you should definitely visit the school before making any decision. The school should be willing to let you do a classroom observation (20-30 minutes) as part of your visit and/or application process.

Thanks for your response! I did visit the school, and was not a huge fan of the location or (lack of) outdoor space. I also just got a corporate vibe from the tour and the director. Was looking for parent insight because we didn't go into any classrooms, so perhaps it is a warmer school once you get to know the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, my information may also be a little dated, I'm happy to share. We checked out The Springs for our DD (now 6) a few years ago when we were looking for a toddler program. We ended up at a different Montessori school. Our concrete reason was that we wanted more of an outdoor area that allowed for a lot of free play. A more gut feel reason was that there seemed to be a mismatch between what we saw on there website and what we saw at the school. At the time, the school had a lot of mixed reviews online and we weren't willing to take the risk. Because Montessori programs can vary a lot, you should definitely visit the school before making any decision. The school should be willing to let you do a classroom observation (20-30 minutes) as part of your visit and/or application process.

Would you mind sharing which Montessori you ended up at? We're looking at a few others - Montessori of Alexandria and St. Marks, specifically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, my information may also be a little dated, I'm happy to share. We checked out The Springs for our DD (now 6) a few years ago when we were looking for a toddler program. We ended up at a different Montessori school. Our concrete reason was that we wanted more of an outdoor area that allowed for a lot of free play. A more gut feel reason was that there seemed to be a mismatch between what we saw on there website and what we saw at the school. At the time, the school had a lot of mixed reviews online and we weren't willing to take the risk. Because Montessori programs can vary a lot, you should definitely visit the school before making any decision. The school should be willing to let you do a classroom observation (20-30 minutes) as part of your visit and/or application process.

Would you mind sharing which Montessori you ended up at? We're looking at a few others - Montessori of Alexandria and St. Marks, specifically.

We ended up at Fiore in Vienna. It’s a 30 minute drive for us but we’re happy and our daughter is thriving. We have friends at Del Rey Montessori who really like it. (We did too but they didn’t take any toddlers the year we were looking.) You could also check out Montessori School of Northern Virginia. It sounds like you’re in our general area so MSNV may be doable for you.

[Anonymous]

Aquinas/Old Town may also be a good option. We have a friend there too and they’ve been happy.