Montessori School Of Downtown

MSODT is a great school! My child is in the elementary program, so I can't speak for the infant program, but the children learn so much and in an environment which fosters intellectual growth without making anyone feel incompetent, and without trying to make kids fit into predetermined categories. That is really the heart of the Montessori program. As for the food, it's home-cooked and a lot healthier than public school food; kids don't mind eating the same thing regularly. And I have always had access to my child when needed, but I agree with the school that it's best to stay out of the classroom and not disturb the routine most of the time. I've never had the slightest indication anyone wanted to hide something from me. As for the locked front door--I would be upset if they didn't have security measures--I feel confident my child is safe from strangers wandering in.

I am surprised by the reviews I found on this site for the day care in downtown where my son has been a student for 6 months. I think a lot of the complaints are because the parents didn't pay attention during the orientation presentations. Yes you can't go into the classrooms, but that prevents germs. I have always been allowed to view my son's class upon request. My son didn't get a rash from going to this school as some have noted. The staff has been more than helpful with making food and care suggestions. As far as pay goes you're not a degreed professional so I would assume you are aware of the pay going into the job. Why complain if you took a job knowing the salary? Hopefully these older 2008 postings are a past problem and the current staff are improved. I have been overall very happy with the school, I do only put my son there for 7 hours a day so I'm not trying to make the 7 am dropoff. Also tuition is not really much higher than other day cares I interviewed so I d... Read more

As an ex employee I will tell y'all the truth. We make minimum wage with no benefits, no vacation, no nothing. Not only that but you must check your paycheck thouroughly or they will "forget" to put all your hours on there. They do not even follow Texas Law and allow fadequate time for breaks or lunch. If you must leave the class to go to the bathroom, or get something from your car you have to clock in and out. They are the cheapest, greediest people I have ever seen in my life, and it is your kids who suffer. They tell potential parents they don't let people in the rooms b/c of cleanliness but this school is the most disgusting, filthy place you could imagine. The Infant school does not provide gloves, so most employees change diaper after diaper with their dirty bare hands as washing them takes too long, and due to understaffing there is no time. The snack (stale cereal for infant school, pb & j for elem) is given everyday all year. They also do not provide any type of cleaning su... Read more

This school (MSOD on Caroline) was a huge dissapointment. For the huge amount of money you pay, you expect outstanding service. The directer is extremely pushy and they do a great job "selling" their school to parents.. However, thats where customer concern ends. Anyone who writes that this is a good place to put your children has never been to a decent school, or just is blind to what is really going on. They use the "we don't want strangers going in the rooms" excuse in order to keep anyone from seeing that teachers and assistants change weekly, (our 4 year olds "teacher"- changed three times in a month) there seems to be no set curriculum, our child never brought home any projects, supplies are old and scarce, teacher/child ratio is over the limit, sick kids aren't made to go home, our ... the list is endless. We took our pre schooler out of this place after four awful weeks. Please parents look around before falling prey to these lying theives. Houston has many wonderful schoo... Read more

My son has been at the Downtown campus school of infants since he was 3 months old and is now 14 months old. Before we enrolled him, we met with the director Valerie and took a tour of the school. All the rooms have large windows to the hallway and natural light from outside. The infant room is in the back of the others where it is more quiet, but you can ask to see your baby through the window at any time of the day. If you want to come and breast feed throughout the day, you can do that too. Yes, you can drop in unannounced too-for the school of infants. I recognize that this policy changes once the children are older, move to the main building, and have regular schedules and classes. I think that is entirely appropriate. I love that they don't allow parents, people I don't know, in the room with the children, disturbing their schedules. Two of the main reasons I chose this school was that they don't let anyone walk in the rooms with shoes that have been outdoors and they have very ... Read more

My son has been at the Montessori School of Downtown (Fannin/Carolina) since he was 18 months old. When I started him there, he was not potty trained. (The church day care that he was at prior offered no assistance during the day and allowed all the children to run around like wild indians all day; I can not even tell you how many diaper rashes he had.) Within in 6 months, he was fully potty trained (no pull-ups). He is now 4 years old. I have never been discouraged from peeking in on the class during the day (yes it is through large windows - I myself do not like the idea of stangers coming and going around my child - hence why I pay the money I do to not only to teach and take care of my son, but to also protect during the day.) I am unsure why there is so many negative comments about this school and the teachers. I have always been able to talk with his teachers and the two directors. And I know that I am not the only parent that feels this way. Majority of the infants he start... Read more

You know there are 5 MSOD campuses in the metroplex.....maybe everyone is getting mixed reviews about different ccmpuses.

I haven't started my kid in this daycare but some of the things they say are not true. All the classrooms have windows and are bigger than some other daycares I have checked. You're welcome to stand outside the classroom and look through the window the whole day. But yes, not parents are allowed in the classroom, and I like that. I don't want total strangers getting too close to my baby. I am seriously considering putting my baby in this daycare. The teachers seem loving and caring. During the tour the kids were happy. The place was really clean and all the things well organized. I didn't see the old toys people mentioned.

I really do wish I had done more research on this place before sending my child there. I was new to town and this school was recommended by a co worker. Now that I know this person better I see why she gave this dump a thumbs up. The parents who leave their children here assume it is good b/c it is so expensive. You do not always get what you pay for. Anyone who has had a child in this school for even a week knows that parent/teacher relations are highly discouraged. They don't want you going in the classrooms because they are trying to hide something. The teachers I saw looked so sad and overworked. And you can tell that they are underpaid. An aide that worked there (and quit) told me she made 6.25 an hour and lead teachers make 7.50. They don't get health insurance or any benefits either. That is ridiculous considering the amount parents pay. This is greed at its worst. We found a much better montessori school in the villiage at half the price. Parents please for your ch... Read more

This day care is not good. they refuse to feed my baby except at specific times. 3 month olds do not eat only twice in 9 hours!!! i hated leaving my baby at the door everyday and not seeing her class or being able to talk with her teacher about her morning or about her day at the end of the day. they lie on the daily sheets. i know my baby was not changed as often as they said b/c she got bad diaper rash. and her formula they said she drank was still there! there are much better child care in this city

I'm looking for a day care for my 20 months and was amazed by all the bad reviews of this school which makes me wonder why is still open.... there is obviously something wrong with this place and the local authorities should do something about it. Now for the parents that are still taking their child to this place, are you blind? you can not even see where your child is kept or talk to their teachers.... please for the sake of your child do something.

To whomever wrote the only positive review: You are obviously someone who either owns or run the school. It is apparent you are not really a parent or guardian because we are not allowed any contact with our child's caretaker or allowed to see our children's classroom. So the fact that you "see great education going on and are satisfied with your child's teachers" is an obvious and blatant lie. I allowed my daughter to attend this school for two days before taking her out. She is four years old and has been potty trained for over 2 years, but had 3 accidents while at school She told her father and I her desire to use the restroom were ignored. She also said she fell twice and no one even helped her up or cleaned her boo-boo. She said her teachers were mean and yelled. When I spoke to the front desk woman she was totally unconcerned and said we were not allowed to go in the classrooms but must make an appointment. I declined and now my daughter goes to Southampton.

Obviously these were written by either disgruntled employees and/or parents who didn't get their way. I have two children at this school, my first started 5 years ago. The staff are very loving and the education is certainly top notch. While administrators may not be available to speak to the entire time they are open, I have always received a return call in a timely manner anytime I have had a concern, question or need. I have referred this school to several people and will continue to do so. I came across this site quite by accident and had to take a moment to at least give an unbiased, more honest opinion of the school. I would most definately recommend this school to anyone!

This Place is the WORST DAYCARE IN HOUSTON!!!!!!!!! THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY!!!!!!! Very expensive place with the worst service. I was new in town and It was the first time using a daycare service. Because they have no waiting list (off course!!!) I left my son in this place for 3 months. I still have nightmares about it!!!! 1. You are not allowed to go into your child classromm 2. You never now how is your child doing 3. They don't even introduce you to the teachers, so you don't even know who is taking care of your child 4. You can tell, teachers are underpaid!!!!! 5. They request money for supplies!!! guess what you never what for!!! 6. The director is very agressive!!! 7. They offer to open at 6:30am but they are never there on time 8. They have somebody at the door, who "receives" your child/baby wich translation means they grab it with force from you and with force take them into a room that you don't even see. And they claim that is the montessiory system!!!! And I won't men... Read more

As a former employee it was heartbreaking to see how poorly the children and parents were being treated. It was awkward for me because I sided with the parents. All the materials are old, and broken. With as much as the parents pay you'd think they'd buy newer, nicer things, but they don't. Parent's aren't allowed in the classroom...think about it...there's a reason why. I worked there for 4 years. I loved the kids and the parents were great! Mr. Hersh and Tina who were in charge were total morons. They only cared about your money. They may have sale skills, but NO people skills. Not the quality of care and education your children are getting. And while I was working there - only 1 teacher was Montessori Certified. Though they don't tell you that. The summer semester...they hand out a calendar of events...it was NEVER followed. For lunch...the cook would bring it into the classrooms about an hour before lunch was to be served. It was gross! The food and milk sat out for an hour befor... Read more

As an ex-employee and mother i can tell you that a place like this can only stay open because there are parents out there just obviosly are too selfish or ignorant to give a darn about their kids.honestly what is wrong with people that they would leave their babies and toddlers in a place all day without meeting the caregiver or seeing the inside of the room?? i mean when a place is so desperate to keep you out dont you want to know why??? well here is what you are missing. in the infant rooms, there are cribs, and a total of 5-6 toys on a large mat. in the toddler rooms there is one table which can hold five kids, and 6-7 toys on a large mat. The "toys" are old broken worn out and filthy. all rooms are hardly bigger than a walk-in closet, windowless, dark, and smelly. the caregivers are not certified, references are not checked, and background checks are not done. there is no interaction between the caregiver and the child except to feed, and change. changing is done only when the chi... Read more

I don't even know where to begin I am so upset. I wish I had read the numerous negative reviews about this place before letting my son -age 7 months, attend there. Number one, you can't see your child's room EVER. You are not allowed to ever speak with their caregiver unless an appointment is made. They are trying to hide the fact that the staff is young, inexperienced, and many cannot speak English. The staff turnover rate is extremely high. The rooms (that you can see) are overcrowded and bare of toys, tables, chairs, or things for the children to do. There is no structure or curriculum. The child-staff ratio is extremely high, perhaps even over the state limit. Front desk and administration are rude, vague, and don't seem to care one bit about anything other then your tuition check. My son came home almost everyday with a dirty diaper and was extremely hungry and thirsty. He cried when we dropped him off and was crying when we picked him up. Needless to say we took him out after les... Read more

My six month old attended for 10 days at the downtown location. This school hides everything they do or don't do for children. There is no accountability as no one is allowed in the rooms. No parental involvement is allowed. You can only interact with care givers with administration present (to translate) while you speak to the care giver about what they are not doing for the child. In the first week (you would think they would try to earn your respect and trust), my son returned home with an almost full bottle when the daily log said he drank the whole bottle. Every day the log says the same thing. Another incident was only a couple diaper changes during a 9 hour day at daycare. My son had never had diaper rash until he was at this school for 4 days. He is 6 months old and no stranger or separation anxiety, but he cried every morning with all the other children being dropped off in the morning. Children here are not happy here. I don't get why people say anything good about ... Read more

My daughter attends their before and after school care program in the Clear Lake location and it is horrible. They have gotten her to school late 4 times this sememster and it is only September! When I enrolled her I was never made aware that their entry door is always locked and that I would never be allowed in the classroom! What are they trying to hide from tuition paying parents?!! What they are trying to hide is a severly understaffed facility. I can honestly say that I feel sorry for the poor staff who work there and the clueless parents who don't realize what their money buys. You can never reach the director or executive director as they are always "working" at home. I kept playing phone tag with the executive director, the Friday before Labor Day. I guess she was frustrated about having to deal with me and she accidentally left a message on my voicemail where she says, "Oh, bite me." Once she realized what she had done, she blurted out an expletive and then immediatel... Read more

My daughter attended the School of Infants and I was highly dissapointed. They make you drop your child off at the door, so you're never allowed to see the teacher or the classroom. If you try to go into the classroom they practically jump in front of you to block you from doing so. This in itself is a red flag. Well on wednesday I forced my way into my childs room and there were 17 SEVENTEEN toddlers in a tiny cramped room with one teacher. The ratio at this age is one teacher per five children. I was appalled. I immediately withdrew my child and hope other parents start to wake up before a child is seriously injured.

Poor communication between the parents and the teachers, in fact, the parents do not even get to speak with teacher, unless a conference is set up. The children are "dropped off" at the door. There is one Liaison between all the kids and parents! VERY RIGID schedules... the babies only eat 3 times a day at specific times. Not much flexibility! When a complain or concern is voiced, the teacher and liaison appear to get defensive and then further interactions are tense. NOT recommended.