My child tantrums every fall for about a month when we get back into the daycare routine.

That sounds awful. West Point for babies, lol! I think Montessori works for a very specific type of kid, but horrendous for others.

The tantrums don't really sound like a red flag because you only gave it a week. 17 months can be a very difficult time for a transition like that no matter how good the place. Late arrival policy would annoy me and probably lead me to look elsewhere, but if that is the policy you agreed to, I can't have too much sympathy. You should be notified for a face bruise, but would you have done anything differently? I wouldn't have left work if they said it was just a bruise and he was acting fine.

Some daycares let staff go home if they are not needed and may not have coverage of you come late. Also, our daycare said they did not want the kids to miss circle time. Sorry it wasn't for you. Glad you were able to make a change.

We have been there for 3 years. Nothing but great experiences. Love the teachers. Our kids are happy to go in every day. They have been overly ready for public school and the transition has been great.
Toddlers fall. We get incident reports for every issue as required by law.
The late policy is in the handbook. Read it. If you do not like it, don't go there.

Do they have an active license? It seems like you're an active parent. I don't live in VA but if I were you, I would find the licensing manual and read it. Keep your eyes open at the next preschool/daycare you go to and call these people on licensing violations if they exist. Places like this with weird policies usually it's just the tip of the iceberg.

I wanted to give the parenting community a heads up about Springs Montessori in Springfield, VA. My due diligence didn't provide me with enough information about this place.

If you are seeking West Point for babies, this is your place. I sent my child (17 month old) here for a total of seven days and had to pull him out. I can't imagine what they did to him there or how much they ignored him. He was the youngest in the class and as soon as he started attending he began to tantrum, not sleep at night and generally was miserable. He would start to cry in the parking lot when I dropped him off. As soon as I stopped sending him there, he returned to his jolly self. No more tantrums and he's back to sleeping 11 hours per night.

One day he came home with a big bruise on his forehead and the school "didn't feel that it was necessary to call me". They said they would only call me if he had a concussion- there was no one on site qualified to determine if he had a concussion or not. I dropped my son off late one day after leaving a message that I would be late and they refused him at the door!!! I was paying $1600 for my child to go to a "school" (I use that term loosely here) where they refuse students when they are dropped off late- ridiculous! Later I was told all late drop-offs require prior approval, power trip much!?!?

Administration and teachers (the ones I had communication with) were nothing but judgmental, passive aggressive psuedo-professionals. Rolling their eyes at me, not returning my phone calls, it was a hellish couple a weeks. Don't be fooled my how new and shiny it is. Parents beware!