The school tends to favor people who are enthusiastic about Montessori. They also look for potential parents that will make big donations and have already introduced their children to Montessori.
I noticed 2 different situations when the teachers saw you observing them and when they were unaware they were being observed. It was concerning.
We loved Chiaravalle when our first child went back in 2007. The toddler program was wonderful. Those 2 teachers were wonderful. They were informative, loving, and had a great connection which the children and parents felt as well.
Unfortunatley now there are so many new teachers with less experience trying to run a class and my husband and I both felt like things were very unstructured. We had a terrible time with communication and often felt dismissed.
This year we are attending Near North Montessori and look forward to a more well rounded, positive experience.
Pros: lovely building. great mission statement
Cons: no concern for security. administration and staff are tense.
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