Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have an update for Alexandria NSM?

I posted before (the PP with the pro con list). Do you have a specific question about the school? Like I said, I am really happy with my child's experience and am looking forward to enrolling my other DC when they turn two.

Does anyone have an update for Alexandria NSM?

My kid goes here and we are going to bring my son when he turns 2. So, we've liked the school.

The good: It is extremely flexible and one of the few daycares in old town that will let you start with a shorter schedule (T-TH or MWF). It was nice to have that flexibility before I ramped up to work full time. It's also not a bad operation in terms of what my kid is learning. We've had the same two main teachers the entire time my kid was there (although there was some turnover with aftercare - one teacher had a baby and another is pregnant, but I've liked all of the after care teachers. They are sweet ladies. Also, I enjoy the fact that the specials come directly to the school. My kid did soccer and dance and we didn't have to lose a weekend for the activity (it was all done in aftercare). My kid went from being a small 2 to older 3 and I can see how the school does a good job in differentiating how they work with the littles and bigs. They do a lot of activities with the kids in the neighborhood like arranging for firefighters to visit to teach about fire safety and a field trip to the trader's joes (in the same building).

The bad: You have to pack a lunch. Snack week sneaks up on you. Parking can be hairy. There's no outdoor space, but they do walks in the neighborhood and go to two different playgrounds when the weather's nice. They do a lot of picnics on the waterfront as well with the kids when the weather is nice. I really like that. So, if you prefer an attached play space, you might not like the school.

bump

I am considering the Alexandria location for my son. What is your experience with the school and their curriculum?

What? The school is incredibly diverse. My kids go to the Old Town location.

The owner is a racist.

Northeast Stars, like a lot of other schools, have always been at the wrath of the list servs.... but you should go and talk and look at the school to really see if it’s a good fit. That's my two cents.

Anonymous wrote:Northeast Stars has had many teachers from multiple countries with different certifications other than AMI or AMS. As far as I know, they’ve always followed a Montessori curriculum. I had a great experience while I was there.

No, they have not.

Northeast Stars has had many teachers from multiple countries with different certifications other than AMI or AMS. As far as I know, they’ve always followed a Montessori curriculum. I had a great experience while I was there.

"All works in our classroom" does sound strange, but it is Montessori wording - they don't talk about children playing or using a material, they "work."

Montessori should have a really long extended time in the morning for children to "do their work" rather than having 45 minute sessions where they move from thing to thing.

My DD went there last year and absolutely loved it. Still misses it and wishes she could go back, but we moved away. I highly recommend it. I know there is a lot of negative info on DCUM about the Cap Hill location, but I don't have any insight into that.

I believe they started out as a kid of open play space for kids but that didn't work out so they started the school.

They aren't affiliated with AMI or AMS, the two Montessori governing bodies in the US. Be suspicious. Trust me.

Does anyone have feedback about their experiences at NE Stars in Alexandria? I know there are several posts about it on this forum but no recent, concrete, reviews. Do they adhere to the Montessori curriculum?
[I requested an information packet and found the description in the information email to a little strange - too detailed in parts (red rods vs. blue rods - if you are not familiar with Montessori you need a little context for this!?!?) and not detailed enough in others, with some strange sentence structure ("All works in our classroom...")- nothing was really wrong with it, it just made me think twice.]
Anyway, any feedback from actual parents - particularly of young toddlers there - would be great. Thanks!