OP here. Thanks for all the ideas, PPs. I'm going to check out Christian Family, Aiden sounds amazing but really not something we can afford. It's funny, we've lived in Petworth for 11 years and I have always loved the St. Paul's Episcopal grounds...that beautiful old cemetary, the church buildings up on the hill, etc. And we even try to attend the Strawberry Festival they have each year. How the heck did we miss that they have a school there?! So happy to know about it.

Also, I'm surprised that I haven't heard any endorsements for any of the charter montessori programs (ie: LAMB, Shining Stars)...anybody out there who would recommend those? Or not so much?

For Christian Family Montessori, kids definitely need to be potty trained, but they do expect and plan for some accidents. They accept kids mid-year, but you should call the school and see what the lists look like. It's a terrific little school which goes through 6th grade, and is convenient to Petworth.

I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure northeast stars Montessori doesn't require kids to be potty trained. They are on NE dc and take kids between 2 & 5.

If you're interested in Spanish language immersion, check out LAMB.

Another vote for Aiden Montessori.

CFMS parent here - They are very patient with potty accidents. It takes some kids a whole year to master that at school. Keep working on it with your child and don't worry about it.

OP here. The Christian Family website says the children need to be toilet trained. We're working on our 2 1/2 year old but he's not quite there. How strict are they on this policy? Many thanks for the ideas, PPs!

Christian Family is a wonderful school. I love Montessori and they do it well. Aidan is great too, but about twice as much money. I don't think they do things twice as well!

Aidan is a model Montessori school.

Christian Family Montessori School is in Petworth. We're a longtime CFMS family. I think the primary level is what they do best. You should go for a tour.

Anonymous wrote:We are at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan and are very happy fo far. DC is only 3, so it hasn't been long, but so far we are pleased. The school 'community' is also very warm and involved for both parents and students. Its public, with no in bounds preference, so all lottery.

Ditto this except I have two - my oldest went all the way through and is now in middle school and my youngest is still there. It's convenient to the red line (union station) if that makes a difference.

We are at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan and are very happy fo far. DC is only 3, so it hasn't been long, but so far we are pleased. The school 'community' is also very warm and involved for both parents and students. Its public, with no in bounds preference, so all lottery.

Our DC has been going to Aidan Montessori for two years now and loves it. It is in Woodley Park. The toddler program runs from ages 18MO to 2.5YO. Primary goes from 2.5YO to around 5YO I think.

Our DD has been going to Aidan Montessori in NW (Woodley Park) and loves it. You can start as early as 18 MO.

After much reading, I'm convinced that Montessori would be a good fit for my three year old. I'd appreciate recommendations for Montessori programs to consider in DC. We live in Petworth and would be willing to drive to anywhere in NW or NE, but likely not SE or SW. I'm posting on the public school forum because I understand that there are good Montessori options via charters, but would be happy to know about private Montessori programs too. Many thanks.