Harvest Green Montessori School — Local services in Richmond

Jan 2024 We enrolled our son in 2022. Things started out great however we withdrew him Jan 2024. He turned 3 in July and was past ready for the next level.

He was in Transition 1 with the most incredible teachers (Ms Lina & Ms Maya) whom he loved. The problem was he wasn’t learning anything new and began to regress being with the younger kids. He was too advanced academically for Transition but when I asked for him to move up to Primary they wouldn’t because he wasn’t “fully potty trained”.

Fully potty trained for them meant needing ZERO assistance in the restroom. Well he’s 3! He can do everything he just needs help with cleaning himself when he poops. As most 3 year old do.

After NUMEROUS exhausting conversations and emails with the Director, teacher in Primary 1 and team there they were ALL adamant that he must be fully potty trained needing no assistance. The primary teacher was set she could/would not help him. Which meant if my 3 year old son didn’t clean himself good or at all when pooped no one would know and he would be LEFT TO SIT IN HIS FECES. They only helped with obvious accidents. I couldn’t imagine letting any child in my care walk around like that. It’s neglect! Ms Lina in Transition 1 even volunteered to go help when he popped, but to no avail.

So the “best” they would do is let him visit the Primary class 2 hours a day. Which wasn’t good enough because even though he enjoyed it, he didn’t get the full experience to grow since he still had to be with the 1-2 year olds.

So $20,000+ later we withdrew him because leaving him with the babies majority of the day to continue to regress wasn’t an option. Instead of growing as advertised and expected he started baby talking at home. This is a kid who knows all 50 states AND their capitals. Can write his name and has a photogenic memory. He was reciting his alphabet and counting to 20 at 15 months. And reading full sentences by 2.5 years old. All of this from what we do with him AT HOME. NOT from anything at HGM.

We expected him to excel there. After all it’s Montessori and supposed to be the best. In December 2023 I found out only 1-2 of the Primary teachers are actually Montessori certified. Shouldn’t they all be since that’s supposed to be the foundation for the school? I also found out other parents had the same issue with neglecting them in the restroom and withdrew their kids as well. There should be some checks and balances in place and a teacher assigned to ensure kids aren’t sitting around in their feces all day. Disgusting.

All in all we had a very expensive babysitter. Not the academic excellence we expected and paid for. Nice facility. Everyone was nice. Amazing teachers in Transition 1 who did the max they could. He became more social and exposed to soccer and taekwondo which he excelled at. He still gets to do them so he’s not missing out socially.

He learned more at home and has been very persistent with telling us he doesn’t want to go back. We may consider other schools in the area who have better systems in place later. For now he’s where we known he gets the best...

I’ll start off by saying this was our first Montessori experience and we weren’t quite sure what to expect so we stuck around longer than we should have. The Montessori we are enrolled in now is a world of a difference.

The good: -Teachers we’re nice. -Admins were nice besides one or two. -New building.

The bad: -Wrong address on file (this is a big deal). We informed that it was incorrect however they had to ask us for the correct address. What happened to the paperwork I filled out? -Reports showed diaper change times but they were clearly false. I complained after our son came home with overflowing diapers a few times. This was resolved. -We advised the school that our son could eat meat after we noticed he was only getting veg meals. They said they would update their system. This didn’t happen until we reminded them several times. Imagine if my kid was vegetarian and they kept giving meat! -Son came home with a bite mark but there was no report and the teachers say they didn’t know about it. Im not blaming them for the bite mark but they should be paying attention and know what’s going on in the class. -On the same note, on paper they mention that the class has two teachers for 10 kids however when I spoke with the teacher she said she was the only one. -When we toured the school we were told that our 16 month would be put in the toddler class (18months) so he wouldn’t have to move to a new class after 2 months. On the first day of school we found out that they put him in infant class. The previous director told us that as soon as he turns 18 months she would move him to toddler class. However when he turned 18 months she told us that she would see about putting him in toddler class as she did not want to mess up her class ratio. After I reminded her of what she had previously told us she put him in the toddler class. -After we took him out of the school we asked to pick up the extra pairs of clothes, shoes and other items they ask us to keep at school in case of accidents, etc. They said they couldn’t find them and they would look for them. We called them again after a few days to see if they found all of our stuff and they told us they did. However when we went to the school to pick up the items we were just handed a couple of diapers and wipes. We asked where the rest of our stuff was and they said they didn’t know when just a few hours prior they said they found everything.

If they get it together operationally it would be a...

I'm not the best at writing reviews, but I wanted to share my heartfelt appreciation for a place that played a major role in my son's development. He just graduated from HGM at the age of 5. Two years ago, he transitioned from a home-based daycare to HGM. As an only child, he was very pampered and used to a lot of attention, so I was worried about how he would adapt to a larger environment. But thanks to Ms. Lorena, my fears were quickly put to rest.Ms. Lorena was the first person I interacted with at HGM. She understood all my concerns and is truly exceptional in her role. Dealing with numerous parents and children every single day while providing personalized attention is not easy, but she does it effortlessly and always with a smile. My next interaction was with Ms. Usha, who greets everyone at the reception with such a positive smile and welcoming attitude. It always felt like I had known her from the beginning.Both Ms. Fatima and Ms. Liz are incredibly detailed and attentive, showing time and again how they engage with and care for the kids thoughtfully. However, Ms. Fatima deserves special recognition. She has an extraordinary understanding of child psychology and an exceptional ability to connect with her students. My son adores her and confides in her about everything. She makes time for every child in her class, ensuring they feel heard and valued. Ms. Fatima's dedication is unmatched—she is hardworking, kind, and firm when needed. She knows exactly how to win the trust of a child, and my experience with her has been nothing short of phenomenal. She is truly a gem and has had a profoundly positive impact on my son's development.Lastly, Ms. Ashley was my son's teacher for a brief period, but he loved her just the same. She has great interpersonal skills and is fantastic with kids. Her unique way of teaching while having fun left a lasting impression on my son.I would also like to extend my gratitude to Ms. Sangeeta, the owner of HGM. Although I did not have the opportunity to meet her often, I am incredibly thankful for the wonderful environment she has created. Her dedication to running such a great place with amazing staff is truly commendable.In short, I cannot recommend HGM enough. If you want your child to learn in a safe and loving environment, this is the...