Hope Montessori Academy Wildwood

We absolutely love Hope Montessori. We came from another school and this has been night and day difference. My kiddo no longer is begging to come home, we are not having huge meltdowns after school, etc. He is so regulated and so happy. Not only that, but he is already learning so much. We have had only the best experiences with Mary Denise. She is so thorough and communicative any time I've had a question or concern. She puts so much thought and care into where to place a child when they come to school, and what is in their best interest. So much of the staff have extensive experience with early childhood development and education, and it really shows.

After calling for a few days and leaving messages with no return call, my husband and I went to the school to get a tour. The woman who received us said that we had to schedule the tour online (which we already did and were directed to another location). I asked if she could schedule us, since we were there, and she kept telling us to schedule online, which made no sense because she could have easily done it. The woman then preceded to tell us that she would just give us a tour right then, but she had Influenza A. WHY ARE YOU IN A BUILDING FULL OF BABIES AND CHILDREN WHEN YOU HAVE THE FLU?! Putting kids in danger is an Immediate no. Would not recommend this place to anyone.

Cannot recommend this school. When our 3 y/o was struggling with napping they took him to the front desk and let him play games and gave him snacks. The next day he wanted to do that rather then nap (duh) and then they said they never had a 3 y/o that didn’t want to nap (seriously?) BTW- that was 6 months ago and he he still naps without issue at home. They said he needed special Ed teacher. Had him tested at United Services ( the BEST early childhood program around) and they identified no issues nor did his parents as teachers. In fact, the recommendation was to “save” him from this school. Is now thriving at Goddard and napping without issues. Hope no one else has to go thru this experience.

We had a horrific experience at my 2.5 year old son’s last school so I was extremely anxious starting him somewhere new. Mary Denise was so kind and understanding and went above and beyond to ensure that my son had a smooth transition and the teachers made him feel comfortable from day 1. He comes home every day and says “mama I had a good day with teachers!” when I ask him about his day at school. It’s like night and day from our prior experience. We’re so grateful to have found somewhere that genuinely cares about our son. It’s evident how much they truly care about each individual child and their needs. My mom highly recommended the school because my younger brother went there 23 years ago and it’s evident that they’ve maintained the same level of care while allowing the children to be independent and develop skills that will serve them throughout life.

We liked the Montessori program, but the teacher turnover is very high and it is like every 4 week a new teacher comes in. As far as summer camp is concerned, swimming is one of the positives but teachers are not. They are not Montessori trained and are reversing the habits the kid learnt during the Montessori school year. Enrolling in a class, after knowing the teacher well is a better idea to start off with. My child has been going since she was 3 years old and dealing with early breakfast (which is cleared at 7:30) has been everyday hassle for working parents.