does anyone have experience comparing austin's montessori schools and, specifically, has anyone had experience with northwest montessori house of children on west koenig lane? i'd love to hear from you if you have. my nearly 3-year-old daughter is attending a montessori, and i want to make sure she's at the best place she can be. many thanks.
My sister went to Austin Montessori, and did so well there! My daughter is currently on the list. They are a really great school, and they have 3 campuses. I highly recomend AMS.
Hey J.! I worked at Austin Montessori for a few years. I worked with the director quite a bit. AMS is completely Montessori by the book. I don't know any other school to compare it to, but they follow all of Maria Montessori's teachings and implement them to a "t". The director is an amazing woman who started the school in the 1960's. She has a deep desire to help bring out the children's best and she is passionate about what she does. All of the staff are very friendly and all teachers go for their Montessori training in Canada(I think that is where it is) with the exception of the aids. Its a very earthy type school with many backgrounds and experiences. The older kids there who were brought up at AMS were amazingly smart and analytical. I don't know how their transition into high school went as they had such a specific well rounded background. They do tend to dictate what your children watch at home, what you put in their lunches etc... The manual is huge and very thorough. The do ask (I think) for a commitment to the school if they accept a young child b/c its harder to integrate an older child who has not been taught in a Montessori way. In my opinion you can not find a more committed group of people who are passionate about what they do and are specific about how they go about it.
My 18 mos daughter attends Hawthorne Montessori on Kramer Lane. Cannot say enough great things about this school. The director, teachers and aides are all fantastic. Our daughter loves going to school and has thrived in the environment they provide. I looked at a couple of other Montessori schools, but we decided on Hawthorne. One thing about Hawthorne that is a bit different than most is that they take children 2 mos and up. I have heard great things about NW Montessori as well.
If you have any other more specific questions about Hawthorne, I'll be more than happy to answer them.
I have appointments to tour a few next week. NW montessori is among them. The others are North Austin Montessori school and Twin Oaks Montessori. I have heard great things about Hawthorne, Mariposa and Athena as well. I'll try to remember to PM you at the end of the week with thoughts about the schools. Anything in particular you are looking for?
H.
