THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Anyone have any experience with this school? Looking into for my child.

Anyone know pricing? TIA

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

I did not have a good experience with them at all. When we first called it took forever for a return phone call! Once she called back we set up an appointment for a tour. It is a house on a dead end street which was fine but the backyard faced north ocean avenue and there was only trees no fence between nth ocean and the backyard. Sophia sat with us for approx 2 hours which was great! Explained the Montessori program to us in full detail! Her prices were reasonable 50.00/8 hr day. We decided to enroll them. We had to do "phase in". This is when she had us come during nap time and had my DC become familiar with the classroom. My DC were sometimes there for 2 hours! In those 2 hours the other children she had remained in another room on there cots for nap time. "Phase in" lasted for about 2 weeks. The last 2 phase in days she had my DC come in the morning to meet the other kids. During the 2 week time I asked Sophia numerous times about my schedule and she kept telling me that she had to work out some stuff with the other kids but it should be fine. I called her NUMEROUS times over a 2 week period to confirm the schedule. It took her 2 1/2 weeks to get back to me and once I spoken to her she told me that things were crazy with graduation, that she lost her phone and that she was trying to rearrange some of the other kids schedules.
I proceeded to explain to her that not returning phone calls is extremely unprofessional and that I had to find another school for my kids. She got extremely nasty with me telling me that I wasted her time!

Afterwards I was thinking...what if someone else was doing a "phase in"...I would not want my DC to be napping for 2 hours! She does feed the kids al organic which is a great perk but I personally would rather pack my DC an organic lunch and have peace of mind!

Just wanted to share my experience with them! Sorry if my story is a little confusing!

THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

I toured it, not a fan. I was there for 2 hours, and during that 2 hours one kid sat at the table in tears doing her "homework" and the rest of the kids were napping in the family room. I liked some of the methods, but overall it wasn't for us.

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Just a heads up as I've been researching Montessori schools. I would check this site. It will let you know what schools are members and what schools are accredited. From the research I've done so far it seems like you really want an accredited Montessori school if you are really going for the Montessori teaching because the others don't really have to follow any sort of Montessori guidelines and can sort of pick and choose what they want to do.

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Thanks for the link and the responses. This school isn't listed so I will continue my search

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

I know someone who used them and was very unhappy with them. Don't remember the reason though.

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

I just took my daughter out because she said she was scared.

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Re: THE BUGABOO MONTESSORI SCHOOL

I just came across this thread and had to comment. I had an amazing experience with Bugaboo. In fact we just finished with an unbelievable Graduation ceremony. First of all, I have never met anyone who goes above and beyond the call of duty in any business than Sofia (the owner of this school). I call her "The Child Whisperer". When my child first first came to her, she was in her "terrible twos" and I was at my wits end. When I first entered her school during the day (she requested an evening appointment but I couldnt), I could not believe there were 10 children in the vicinity. They were with one of the teachers in the classroom each working individually on a piece of Montessori work. I was embarrasssed when I came in with my 2 year old and she began to cause complete havoc. She spoke to my daughter in a calm voice and was able to get her to work with one of the other children in the classroom while we spoke. She sat with me for two hours. During this time, every once in awhile she had to get up and go into the other room because she detected a situation. But with the sound of her voice, she got it under control. At first, it seemed a bit too stern, it took a little time for me to listen, but over time she taught me how necessary it was to maintain the respect of my child.
Then to make the day harder. Her the state stopped by to do a random spot check on her facility. She politely asked if I wanted to reschedule. I told her I would wait. I am happy I did. It was amazing what that licensor put her through to inspect, but Sofia was calm and organized and the licensor left with a comment about how it was a pleasure coming there. I was amazed at She told me once that for most parents they experience raising a child once or twice and only know what their past experiences are. The best parents are the ones that are scared that they might be doing the wrong thing and who ask questions on how their child is doing. I have to say I was a royal pain in her behind and had many a dispute with her in the beginning. But after a short period of time, my daughter couldnt wait to come to school and even better, becuase I followed Ms. Sofia's recommendations, my daughter became a pleasure at home, out, with family, etc. My family and friends couldn't stop commenting on how well behaved and smart my daughter was. Then when I brought my new born to Sofia (Bugaboo) it was a totally new situation. She knew there was something wrong with my son, but she explained later that she is not authorized to make any diagnoses. To make a log story short, she has been a God send for my family. I wouldnt trade my experience at Bugaboo for the world. My message to parents considering it: Sofia works her behind off. She eats, sleeps, and thinks about those children all of the time. Even when she is on vacation. I have called her at 10PM before for advice on my child. It is hard for her to find good employees who care as much as she does, so basically, she is on call every day. She has limited spots, and trying to schedule kids is difficult, so when you commit to enrolling and then back out or try to change, it throws everything off. I know this first hand because I went through a job change and I committed to a schedule with my kids, it was hard but she made it happen. Just when she got everything settled I asked to change my schedule again. I almost lost my spot because of it, since she arranged to change schedules with other families. She went out of her way and stayed extra late for 6 months so I could still keep my spot. Remember too. Montessori is something that you should prepare to do at home as well. It is a philosophy of learning, but it is also a way of being. Sorry for the drawn out stories, but I just couldn't let this thread go without sharing my experience. Everybody is different and maybe some got the wrong impression with a short experience. I would recommend Bugaboo to anyone wanting the best for their children.