We switched from Breakthrough to Takoma after K and it was the best decision we could have made. There is a learning curve/transition, but we had fantastic teachers at Takoma who brought my kids from below grade average to at/above grade average over the course of the year. My kids were so happy when we switched them to Takoma - they were sponges that wanted to learn, and they weren’t getting what they needed at Breakthrough.

One benefit of Breakthrough is zero screen time. I’m so glad my kids got that in their early years and I wish Takoma had less screen time (why are you watching a movie in dance class?!). But they’ve learned so much at Takoma that I’ve just let the screen time issue go.

I was excited for Montessori (and had done a lot of research on the different methods and what to expect), but for us it wasn’t a good fit. And if you don’t like your teacher, you’re stuck with them for three years.

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you made your decision! Just to weigh in for other families considering Breakthrough: we absolutely loved our primary classroom there. It was well-run, nurturing, and we felt our child learned a lot! I think ymmv from guide to guide, based on what I’ve read here. We had a great one

For what it’s worth, Montessori doesn’t mean no rules. It should mean self-directed. In the end that wasn’t a perfect fit for our kid in higher grades, but for lower it was a great fit.

NP and what I’ve heard about Breakthough is one of the primary classrooms has a fantastic teacher, another is mediocre. We enrolled in thr school but when we were placed in thr mediocre class we switched out child out (this was in the summer). One year in a mediocre room is okay, three years wasn’t worth it for us.