Ds goes to a public Montessori theme school. It's part of the regular city school district. It's actually housed in a building with one of the regular elementary schools. This is his first year. So far, we love it. It is not accredited, and there are a few compromises the teachers have to make in order to follow state requirements. For instance, all K kids have to have gym and music classes. The teachers try to make sure these are scheduled so as to have minimum interruption on work time. Also, sometimes they have to supplement some curriculum so kids will not be at a disadvantage for state tests, but the teachers try to do it in as Montessori-esque a way as possible. And the teachers said the kids don't even mind taking the test because it is a novelty for them as they don't usually spend much time with a pencil filling in bubble sheets. The kids score really well, too, actually.
I am fine with the "compromises" as the teachers are very upfront about what is different, and are really conscientous about preserving the M philosophy. The teachers are all very caring and the parents are quite involved. It's a lovely atmosphere all the way around. I like the fact that there is a diverse student population. And, of course, it will be FREE once he's out of preK.
My only real reservation is that they do not seem to be maintaining a stable class from one year to the next. Only about 2 K in the class were in preK last year. So, practically the whole class is new this year. I don't know why that is, or what happened to last year's preschoolers. I hope all the preK kids in ds' class will still be there next year, as the community was part of the reason I wanted him in M to begin with.
