The Beyond The Walls program was during the school day and never went to the playground and never left any child behind. The after school program is when the child was left behind at the playground.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aidan is certified by the AMI and as such adheres to a more traditional or purist Montessori curriculum. Not sure what Franklin is -- not clear from their website, but this would be something to ask at the tour.

OP here. Thank you. That was my impression when I read some reviews about Aidan. I will educate myself more about Montessori so I can ask the right questions and decide.

Not the PP who posted, but just wanted to say that I found the book "How to Raise an Amazing Child" very helpful as a kind of primer on Montessori. We are an Aidan family who has had a very good experience with the school. If you run a search on DCUM about Aidan, some threads criticize the school saying that the teachers are unfriendly, cold, etc. That hasn't been our experience at all - we've had wonderful, caring teachers who have really helped us in the process of trying to raise our kids into responsible, good, functioning adults. My kids never complain about doing chores at home and indeed often offer to help me with cooking or other housework, they are reading and doing math work well above their grade level, and they interact so nicely with other kids on the playground (such as sharing toys and taking turns) that I've had random stranger parents on the playground comment positively on my kids' behavior and ask me where they go to school.

My sense is that some families have been very unhappy and have left or been asked to leave, for a variety of reasons. Not every school is going to be a good fit, and Aidan certainly has its drawbacks. The cramped facility and playground, for instance. And the school could definitely do a better job of communicating with parents. My impression is that this will improve with the new director.

For the OP: About BCDC - they are normally very responsive but there may be a delay in them getting back to you right now because of summer vacations. I would try again and/or call either Kim, Jim, or Ravion (phone number are on the website).

The newborn classes there are usually full, but the waitlists do move. And, as is the case at many daycares, if you keep checking in to express your interest once you hand in your waitlist form, you will be more likely to get off the list. Jim Ridgway is the person who manages the waitlist. Also, if you end up enrolling your older child there, then you would definitely get in your newborn due to sibling preference. (That is what I ended up doing when I joined a bit more than two years ago with a two year old and a newborn.)

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:We went with Aidan and have had a wonderful experience there, but we have also heard good things about Georgetown Montessori. I toured Franklin and did not get a good impression, so we did not apply.

OP here. Thanks for sharing. Haven't heard about Georgetown Montessori but will check it out.

Anonymous wrote:Aidan is certified by the AMI and as such adheres to a more traditional or purist Montessori curriculum. Not sure what Franklin is -- not clear from their website, but this would be something to ask at the tour.

OP here. Thank you. That was my impression when I read some reviews about Aidan. I will educate myself more about Montessori so I can ask the right questions and decide.

Anonymous wrote:OP - It sounds like you are interested in Montessori, so feel free to ignore this post (of course). But if the Franklin's location is particularly appealing, I wanted to bring up the daycare that my kids go to: Broadcasters Child Development Center (BCDC), which is across the street from Franklin's on the corner of Tilden and Connecticut. It is a fantastic daycare (and significantly cheaper than Franklin's). They also have a huge playground so that the kids get out frequently, as well as a very convenient dropoff circle and proximity to a park. The administration is great. If you are interested in learning more, their website is bcdconline.com. Feel free to contact me with any other questions: feivo5@hotmail.com.

OP here. Thanks, we're actually interested inBCDC for our newborn. I emailed them last week but no response so far. I should probably call them. But I read on this board that it's very hard to get in. Is this true in your experience?

Aidan is certified by the AMI and as such adheres to a more traditional or purist Montessori curriculum. Not sure what Franklin is -- not clear from their website, but this would be something to ask at the tour.

We sent two children through Franklin and loved it. Our children grew so much in every way. We loved the teachers and the community there, too. In particular, the arts program is outstanding. My sdvice is to tour the schools. I think you pick up pretty quickly on whether the place feels right you.

We went with Aidan and have had a wonderful experience there, but we have also heard good things about Georgetown Montessori. I toured Franklin and did not get a good impression, so we did not apply.

OP - It sounds like you are interested in Montessori, so feel free to ignore this post (of course). But if the Franklin's location is particularly appealing, I wanted to bring up the daycare that my kids go to: Broadcasters Child Development Center (BCDC), which is across the street from Franklin's on the corner of Tilden and Connecticut. It is a fantastic daycare (and significantly cheaper than Franklin's). They also have a huge playground so that the kids get out frequently, as well as a very convenient dropoff circle and proximity to a park. The administration is great. If you are interested in learning more, their website is bcdconline.com. Feel free to contact me with any other questions: feivo5@hotmail.com.

OP here. Thanks a lot for those who have provided input already. I have read about the incidents (actually on this forum) where they twice left a child behind and while this will be a factor in our decision, I would appreciate it if the discussion could focus on comparing the quality of the programs of these schools. I would also like to know if we're missing any other Montessori school worth looking into, although we would have to cross-check the location against our commute into DC from Bethesda.

To the PP, we definitely plan on touring the schools, but as I found out when we were touring daycares for our first-born, there was only so much information we could get (maybe talking to parents would have helped, as you suggest). We visited a handful of daycares that come strongly recommended on this forum and were underwhelmed by essentially all - in one location, the director, who was supposed to lead the tour, was almost an hour late, had red eyes and looked disoriented the whole time as if she was having a terrible hangover. Anyways, the one we ended up getting into, we absolutely LOVED however.

OP, you probably already know this but you should take whatever responses you get on this thread with a big grain of salt. Don't rely on random anonymous internet people. Please go in and do the open house tours with the schools and ask the teachers and parents your questions then. If you want to talk to parents of kids at the school, ask the admissions directors at the schools to put you in touch with people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All I know about Franklin is that in the past few years they have TWICE left small children unattended on a public playground. The most recent time was this past spring. The police were called. Fortunately neither child was harmed but seriously, why send your kid to a school where not once, but TWICE, they have forgotten their small charges and left them behind? How terrifying the experience must have been for these poor kids.

But don't they just take the children to their existing playgrounds; this happened on a field trip someplace, outside the school property?

The DC location of Franklin has a pretty small playground. They used to have a program called "beyond the walls" or something like that in which the kids were taken to a nearby playground and also went on nature hikes. The first incident where they left a kid behind was a few years ago. In response to that they changed the policy so that the director herself was now going to accompany the kids on their trips off school property. Then they left another kid behind this past spring. Fortunately a kind, benevolent stranger came to her aid.

Thanks for explaining; I am not familiar with the locations, and this being a DC board, I am guessing most experiences relate to that location. But I am also happy to hear from those who've had experience at the Rockville location.