OMG. This is sooo incorrect. Music and arts are integrated into montessori, so although there are no "specials" it is woven into the day. Also, it is completely incorrect to say that the children work in peer groups in blocks of time. OP, please do read up on AMI montessori and try to observe a classroom (like at Shining Stars, for instance) if you want to see montessori in action. It is truly a beautiful thing!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Montessori and don't mind a little risk and uncertainty in coming years pick Lee.

If you want a small classroom and want a school that's (hopefully) grown out of their growing pains, pick Creative Minds.

It's what YOU are comfortable with. Though, if you are PK4 I definitely want you to pick CM! I want my kid in a Montessori program.

I would also add, if you want an arts/music/language based school pick CM.

Why?
Will Lee not offer Arts/music/language?

I can't speak to that, but true Montessori method is not known for fostering the strength of creativity. It is based on the concept of children working in group blocks of time. While there are some things that are culture based (tending to flowers, painting) I don't think it is like Creative Minds will be where the entire program is based in on the arts.

Anonymous wrote:The thing about montessori is that you can't go wrong, so the newness education wise doesn't scare me. What could scare a person about newness is the leaders' organizational capacity, and from what I have seen of the Lee crew, they seem to be very well organized.

I'd have to disagree here, the thing about these two schools are they are almost completely opposite. CM is an arts/music/language based school. It thrives on the concept of exploratory and progressive learning. Lee is Montessori Method, which is very strong in peer blocks of group work time. Both have lots of strengths to their teaching philosophy, but both have some weakness.

Read up on both of the schools and the methods involved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Montessori and don't mind a little risk and uncertainty in coming years pick Lee.

If you want a small classroom and want a school that's (hopefully) grown out of their growing pains, pick Creative Minds.

It's what YOU are comfortable with. Though, if you are PK4 I definitely want you to pick CM! I want my kid in a Montessori program.

I would also add, if you want an arts/music/language based school pick CM.

Why?
Will Lee not offer Arts/music/language?

Traditional Montessori classrooms are mixed age and have about 30 kids per class in which kids do "work" at their own pace. I don't know what Lee's specific plans are, but they likely won't be traveling to "specials" with a music/language/arts teacher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Montessori and don't mind a little risk and uncertainty in coming years pick Lee.

If you want a small classroom and want a school that's (hopefully) grown out of their growing pains, pick Creative Minds.

It's what YOU are comfortable with. Though, if you are PK4 I definitely want you to pick CM! I want my kid in a Montessori program.

I would also add, if you want an arts/music/language based school pick CM.

Why?
Will Lee not offer Arts/music/language?

Anonymous wrote:If you like Montessori and don't mind a little risk and uncertainty in coming years pick Lee.

If you want a small classroom and want a school that's (hopefully) grown out of their growing pains, pick Creative Minds.

It's what YOU are comfortable with. Though, if you are PK4 I definitely want you to pick CM! I want my kid in a Montessori program.

I would also add, if you want an arts/music/language based school pick CM.

The thing about montessori is that you can't go wrong, so the newness education wise doesn't scare me. What could scare a person about newness is the leaders' organizational capacity, and from what I have seen of the Lee crew, they seem to be very well organized.

If you like Montessori and don't mind a little risk and uncertainty in coming years pick Lee.

If you want a small classroom and want a school that's (hopefully) grown out of their growing pains, pick Creative Minds.

It's what YOU are comfortable with. Though, if you are PK4 I definitely want you to pick CM! I want my kid in a Montessori program.

I woudl say CM, but that is probably because I got into lee not CM and the grass is always greener . . . it is scary for it to be a new and homless charter

But I probably would have ranked lee before cm in the common lottery because I want montesouri.

CM - although newer, more established.

and you din't know where Lee will wind up.

Montessori is a great program and fits for a lot of kids. I think it is a misconception that it is not for everyone. If you have a good teacher, the teacher will adapt the program to the kid's needs. The differentiation in montessori is great and the executive function it promotes is unmatchable. Lee's teachers are dedicated to AMI montessori so hands down I would pick Lee.

I have a very independent daughter in PS at CM and we love it. I knew from the start that CM would be the perfect fit for us, we got offered a spot at LAMB and while I really wanted an immersion program, I had to look long term at the fact that Montessori would probably not be a good fit for my child.

I was very glad we went with CM - making the choice when you have two amazing schools to choose from is difficult and you always second guess yourself.

That being said, my daughter loves what she is learning at CM. Her teacher is amazing, she loves that she is learning both Spanish and Mandarin. The videos we get from her music teacher with her playing drums, piano, dancing, xylophone have been hysterical. We’ve attended her school performances which have been great - but important to me are also seeing how the older kids interact – because that is seeing what the future is for my child at this school.

Good luck making this tough choice!

I'd pick cm even though I think I really like Montessori and Lee's current location is closer to me. It seems like cm could work for all kids whereas Montessori seems harder to predict whether it'll be a good fit. Montessori seems to take full parent buy-in to work for a family.

Make a list of pro's and con's and thank your lucky stars for the choice!

Lee

In both for PK3, live within .5 closer to the new CM, but Lee is also commute doable. Husband tends towards Lee, as our daughter is very independent, bright and does well doing her own thing. I tend towards CM for the same reasons plus the fact she loves art and music, I feel better about the campus, and I'm nervous about a "new" school.