input on the public montessori programs in arlington?

[Anonymous]

our DD is 2.5 and i am curious about the montessori pgms offered through the arlington public schools. i don't hear people talk about these programs for some reason. Hoffman-Boston, Campbell, Claremont, Drew Model are the ones we would be eligible to apply to...any feedback? thnx!

[Anonymous]

i've heard awesome things about drew but only the montessori part. no info on the others, sorry! i would love to hear people's insight though!

[Anonymous]

Montessori is an awesome approach to education and it is such a great asset of APS to offer it to its residents. For preschool, the admissions process is a lottery and 2/3 of the spots are for incomes below $70,000. For pre-K - K, lower elementary (Grades 1, 2, 3) and upper elementary (4, 5, 6), Drew has an excellent program with terrific, committed teachers. Drew also has a neighborhood school component and the two programs are not integrated. Anyone from the county can apply to Drew. You could check out Arlington Montessori Action Committee - a group committed to the montessori method and expansion in APS. www.arlingtonmontessori.org

I'm sorry I do not have specific feedback about the schools you listed but just wanted to put in a plug for the public montessori option in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

op here - any input is appreciated, thank u!! i just wish more people chimed in

[Anonymous]

i just wish more people chimed in

Getting into the APS Montessori program is very difficult if your HHI is above $70K. A lot of parents who want to do Montessori are going to go with the sure (or surer) thing: doing a private Montessori preschool. Is your concern Montessori or Montessori as provided by APS? And do you have a backup plan if you don't get in?

[Anonymous]

I think there are a lot of people on DCUM who would like to enroll their kids in the APS Montessori but are unable because the majority of the slots are reserved for households earning less than 70k or whatever the figure is - that's why you're not getting much feedback, because nobody can get a spot!

I would love to send my son to the Montessori program at my older child's elementary school in Arlington but the odds are definitely not in our favor. The principal did tell me though that if you really want it you should apply to all the programs for which you are eligible.

There are other private Montessori options in Arlington, McLean, and elsewhere if you really want Montessori. And there are other private full and half day preschool programs.

[Anonymous]

The new Arlington Superintendent encouraged everyone who attended the APS Montessori Information Night (about 400 plus) to apply and not to be discouraged by historic waitlists.

There is no income requirement at Kindergarten and beyond. To learn more about the application process you can check out www.apsva.us or www.arlingtonmontessori.org.

There is also a committee that will be formed this year to look at the future of Montessori. This just may be the best year to apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

i just wish more people chimed in

Getting into the APS Montessori program is very difficult if your HHI is above $70K. A lot of parents who want to do Montessori are going to go with the sure (or surer) thing: doing a private Montessori preschool. Is your concern Montessori or Montessori as provided by APS? And do you have a backup plan if you don't get in?

op here - i love the montessori ideologies but all programs are not the same..just like all schools are not the same. i was just curious about some 1st hand experience regarding the APS montessori pgms. our eldest is only 2 so we applied to a private montessori and a bunch of preschools.

to the previous posters - thnx again for the info!

[Anonymous]

Here's some insight into the Arlington Public Montessori Program. The teachers are all dually certified and each classroom has an assistant.

Students have art, pe, music, and library even as preschoolers.

Many of the teachers have an incredible amount of experience and are very skilled at providing Montessori education.

[Anonymous]

You may want to check out this website: http://www.arlingtonmontessori.org/ which is for
Arlington Montessori Action Committee (AMAC)
Arlington Montessori Action Committee is an organization of Montessori parents and educators whose primary goal is to promote and expand Montessori education. We are proud of our vibrant and diverse Arlington Public School Montessori program which currently serves more than 500 students.

[Anonymous]

I'm not the OP, but am also very interested in any information on the Arlington Public Schools Montessori pre-k programs.

-Is this a full-day program?

-How hard to get one of the 1/3 of slots reserved for people above the $80k income cutoff?

-What is Arlington's Montessori middle school like- any info or experiences?

(I love living here, but I sometimes feel like we pay too much property tax to Arlington for its wacky county initiatives like the Hot Lanes lawsuit, the Planetarium, the Rose Garden, the Beaver Creek, and the Art Center- but I'm really supportive of the county's efforts to offer exceptional preschool programs to all kids regardless of family income level.. makes me even more happy to live here!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the OP, but am also very interested in any information on the Arlington Public Schools Montessori pre-k programs.

-Is this a full-day program?

-How hard to get one of the 1/3 of slots reserved for people above the $80k income cutoff?

-What is Arlington's Montessori middle school like- any info or experiences?

(I love living here, but I sometimes feel like we pay too much property tax to Arlington for its wacky county initiatives like the Hot Lanes lawsuit, the Planetarium, the Rose Garden, the Beaver Creek, and the Art Center- but I'm really supportive of the county's efforts to offer exceptional preschool programs to all kids regardless of family income level.. makes me even more happy to live here!)

There is a lot of information about the Montessori program on the Arlington public schools web site. It is a full-day program in the sense that it is the full school day (at our school it's about 8:30-3:00) but most of the Montessori programs do not offer extended day to 3 year olds, and only a few offer it to 4 year olds. Also, I think children have to be 4 to ride the bus. So there are some logistical questions that may affect whether or not it works for you.

There are a handful of people in our neighborhood whose kids have gotten into the Montessori program but I feel like most parents I speak to have not been able to get a spot so they end up using a private Montessori or private preschool.

Don't know anything about the middle school program. But I think it's nice they offer it so people can continue with it if they like.

Our neighborhood school has Montessori and the principal told me if we are really interested we should apply to as many schools are we are eligible to apply for. It's very competitive to get one of those slots that don't have the income requirement.