Garden Gate Montessori School

Updated review (8/2/2018): My daughter now has two full years at Garden Gate behind her and is starting on her third soon. I still feel positively about the school and the warm and caring teachers who have been instrumental in helping my daughter learn and develop in every way. I have no hesitation recommending Garden Gate to parents who are considering a Montessori education for their children. Original review (10/28/2016): My daughter is one of the youngest in class and has found it a little bit challenging to adjust to school. Miss Mimi has thoughtfully responded every step of the way, working with us on different approaches to make her more comfortable. She's responded to my daughter as an individual with individual needs. I really appreciate this. In the past year, I visited 8 preschools in the area to figure out which learning system and environment would be right for my daughter. Several schools were great, but Garden Gate was unique in its intimacy and community feeling. During my parent visit, I saw a peaceful focus during work time that I'd not seen in any other school. Garden Gate is small, and structured such that every year there are a certain number of "mature" students who can guide and teach the young ones. I can see why it's a delicate balance that requires reserving a certain number of slots for older students who are familiar with Montessori learning. I'm confident that with Miss Mimi and the other teachers' guidance, my daughter will continue to thrive at her new school.

It has been close to 11 years since we first sent our son and 3 years later, my daughter to Garden Gate. Great memories and extremely positive experience we enjoyed. The years my son and my daughter spent in Garden Gate even resonate positively years after we finished. Ms Mimi tailored the type of early education to the specific personalities and also to the cultural background( parents being first generation immigrants). I would recommend sending my grandchildren to the place, at heartbeat, if Ms Mimi would still be running the place in the foreseeable 20 years to come( I know that is a wishful thinking). Ms Mimi, Kenneth and Eileen both miss you and we still talk about fond memories at Garden Gate, thank you so much again for giving us a perfect place for early child education. Both of them are fortunate happy student at their current schools, and your involvement definitely have been integral part of their, so far, limited success.

This is going to be our fourth year at Garden Gate, with our second child attending (our 3rd in the future) and we are extremely blessed to be at Garden Gate. We toured and interviewed at almost all the Montessori schools in the area, and without a doubt, as soon as we walked into Garden Gate, we just knew this was our school. From the entrance, you are drawn into a beautiful garden. Beyond the inviting porch, you enter a well organized, high quality home, engaging even the adults to explore. The back garden is breathtaking with koi fish pond, growing garden, gazebo and play area. Everything has a clear purpose and direction, and as parent, I get excited knowing my child is in a thoughtful and well loved environment. It is transparent, the school is filled with dedicated teachers that are nurturing and supportive. What stands out is Ms. Mimi's devotion to Montessori. Our children come out of Garden Gate with strong sense of self, independence, well mannered, and thoughtfulness. My oldest still continues to reflect on having a great experience at Garden Gate, and my second child wanted to "play with Ms Mimi" on the weekend. Garden Gate is an extension of our family. We drop our child off knowing they are in a safe place. There has never been a moment in which I felt anxious about leaving them, other than the natural transition of the first week of school, however, even in that moment, Ms Mimi is supportive and provides healthy balance of reassuring us and nurturing our child. Ms Mimi is always approachable, and if there is any concerning incident, she addresses it immediately with grace and courtesy. Speaking of courtesy, to address the person that is posting the negative review (under different names), this isn't her first accusation she's made toward a school. I am personally offended at the failed attempts of misrepresenting the school, making horrible accusations of Ms Mimi and now criticisms toward other parents. We are grown adults, role models to our children, and should handle a negative experience in respectful way instead of sabotaging not only someone's character but their livelihood. To loosely use the word "abuse" is a reflection of the instability of the source it is coming from. You cannot suggest such a horrific act occurred because your child had an unpleasant experience. If such an incident occurred, a raised voice and quiet time on the bench to reflect on a misbehavior does not constitute abuse, that's what I call discipline. I expect consequences if my child misbehaves in school.

I'm a little behind posting this review. Our son, who is now 13, attended Garden Gate for two years way back when he was three and four years old. I remember our site visit before enrollment. We visited during school hours. The students were all quietly working on their chosen tasks, carefully carrying their materials to their tables, and neatly placing them back on the designated shelf after use. I remember thinking, "I so want my kid to be like that!" The educational materials were beautiful: lots of natural finish wood, very clean, good quality and a pleasure to handle, even for an adult. The school emphasizes parent involvement, including requiring parent work hours, which is exactly what we wanted. (Garden Gate is not a child storage facility but the central point of of a community for people who care deeply about their young kids. Every day, parents gather to chat at drop off and pick up times. Ten years later, we still maintain contact with several families we met at Garden Gate even though they have moved to other schools. Happily, Miss Mimi agreed that our son was in fact ready for the school, and sure enough within a few months he knew how to be focused, quiet when appropriate, careful with quality objects and motivated to learn. He was well prepared for a lifetime of learning, thanks to Miss Mimi and Garden Gate Montessori.

Garden Gate is a beautiful school run by Miss Mimi, a very experienced director that knows what a real and authentic Montessori education is. The beauty of this school is not only in the amazing classroom, garden and materials. It's beauty is also in the values and principles that each little student recieve. This is our second year in the school and all I can say is that we all love it. We feel this is the perfect place for our precious son because they care for him and treat him as the unique and special little guy he is. Miss Mimi is a very simpathetic teacher with a lot of instinct and she really knows how to handle kids to get the best out of them. The other teachers are experienced, caring and loving too and thanks to the selective enrollment process that Miss Mimi has we can enjoy a really nice community of Garden Gate familes.