Beddow Montessori in Fort Washington, MD

[Anonymous]

I am considering Beddow Montessori school in Fort Washington, MD for my 3 year old. Please tell me your experiences both good and bad.

[Anonymous]

No bad experiences so far though nothing particularly great either. Overall the school is good and I recommend it for preschool and kindergarten aged children.

My son is 4 1/2 and started the half-day primary school in September (8:30-noon, ages 2 1/2 to 5). My wife and I like preschool mainly for his social development because he has never been in daycare. Beddow has a focus on etiquette for the little ones which is good.

As far as the Montessori approach to education I could take it or leave it. There's no telling if my son performs better in a "free-range" type classroom or a traditional classroom. He likes the exercises they do in class and doesn't seem bored with them. We still do Kumon workbooks and other things at home to supplement whatever he learns in class. In the next month or so we'll have a chance to sit in the classroom to see what he does in the morning.

They have a good outdoor playground which seems great for the kids when the weather is fair.

There are only 12 students in his class which is a tiny for one teacher and one assistant. We are considering the after-care from noon-3pm but it's not a true learning environment like the morning session. The little ones younger than 5 eat lunch and are then separated from the older children (ages 5-6) and nap/rest until 2pm. Then they play the last hour until 3pm. The after-care would mainly be a daycare substitute to free up time for my wife and I.

For activities there are a few sprinkled in the calendar year - this month there is a Saturday ice cream social and a mid-week trip to a pumpkin patch.