Oneonta Montessori

A W.

We love this school, especially Ms. Audrey in the Butterflies class.  We enrolled our son last summer after having a poor experience with another neighborhood “montessori.”  This school checked all the boxes – experienced teachers, very low turnover of staff, true montessori learning, shaded outdoor space, great playground, and a non-chaotic after-school/daycare.  When we first started, Ms. Audrey would send me messages and pictures almost everyday through their Dojo app, so I knew exactly how he was doing.  If he had an issue at school that day, Ms. Audrey (a grandmother herself) would offer very specific concrete advice on how we could be consistent at home.  Praising him when he made a turn-around to good behavior, and talking about the not-so-good, but totally normal, 4 year old behavior.  He has grown leaps and bounds.  He is now 4.5 years old, and excelling in all areas, including math and reading.  Ms. Audrey, and her helpers Ms. Teresa and Ms. Alondra, are so caring.  My son is what you might call high energy and too smart for his own good sometimes, but Ms. Audrey knows just how to focus him on the tasks at hand.  He has become a leader in the class and just loves going to school everyday. This weekend he is collecting all the Dr. Seuss books in the house and reading them himself!

At our old school drop-off and pick-up was so chaotic.  But here, I have never seen the kids without an activity to focus their energy.  In the morning, the kids are working quietly with legos, and in the evening they are sitting in a circle reading stories or playing bingo.   I love how Ms. Audrey gets everyone to focus at circle time, by giving each child a chance to skip around the circle to music!  They are always learning something new, with the classroom changing every month to a new topic.  The kids always have their picture on the walls, with every changing theme.  My only regret with this school, is that we didn’t find them sooner!  I plan to send my second child as soon as he turns 2.  

We will be sending our son to our local public school for kindergarten, our plan all along. Ms. Audrey’s response was perfect — she was sad to learn he’ll be leaving, but will spend the summer making sure he is prepared.  She thinks he will excel in kindergarten.

I have read the 1 and 2 star reviews, and I can honestly say it seems like they weren’t at the same school.  Front office staff is knowledgeable and polite, and knows just how to handle a child that has tested the limits in his class that day.   My son has been sent to the front office a couple times, and they call me so we can have a conversation together.  Afterwards my son always turns it around and has a great rest of the day.  I’ve even had the grandparents pop in for a surprise pick-up, and they have never seen anything problematic.  They are also responsive by email in regards to any billing questions, including providing receipts for tax deductions etc.

Mike E.

Love this school. My daughter has been attending for one year. We enrolled her at the age of 2, she’s now 3. She is in the lady bugs class with Ms. Karen and Mrs. Cindy. I’m so thankful to have those intellectual women teaching my daughter about the Montessori methods. The teacher keep you informed on what your child learns on a daily basis. If your looking for a Montessori school I recommend this school.

Lisa V.

We have had two children attend Oneonta from 2 years to 5 years of age and we loved it!! All of the teachers in the early school are amazing – warm, thoughtful, and creative educators who care for the children as family and also inspire curiosity, learning, and kindness. Ms. Audrey, the Assistant Director, is the creative energy behind the curriculum and programming. Each year the overarching themes are different but they always focus on connection with others and empathy.

The kids are engaged in service learning. One year, my daughter’s class (with Ms. Audrey) adopted a cotton-top tamarin at the LA Zoo. Each child was responsible for figuring out how to raise money to contribute to the class adoption. The kids were so engaged that they learned about the Titi (cotton-top tamarin) Festival in Colombia and performed a class dance just like the kids in Colombia do during the festival.

This year, my other daughter’s class (again with Ms. Audrey) adopted goats for a family through Heifer International. As part of their learning, the kids had a goat milk day when they got to taste test various goat milk products. They also made goat-milk soaps.

In addition to service learning, they also learn language – Spanish and Mandarin, which my younger daughter loved! She would come home and teach us new words and new songs in Mandarin.

My daughters have also had Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Esther, and Ms. Melinda… all equally warm and loving and inspiring as educators. When my older daughter struggled with transitioning at the beginning of the year, Ms. Vanessa took her under her wing. Every day, my daughter would seek out Ms. Vanessa and was able to smoothly transition into class with her extra care.

And I would be remiss not to give due credit to Ms. Fiona, the school director. She is open, understanding, and always willing to help. I strongly believe that a school culture is dictated by the director… Ms. Fiona has fostered a wonderful community of learning and warmth, exactly what we desired in a school. Honestly, we would have continued into the older grades at Oneonta except that we had already committed ourselves to a Dual Language Immersion Catholic education because of our bilingual/bicultural home.

Our family has benefitted and so enjoyed being a part of the Oneonta learning community! Our teachers have been so special to us and we will have the finest memories of early learning with Oneonta!

We highly recommend Oneonta to anyone seeking an excellent early learning environment and/or a Montessori-based education for any age.

Name: Ib A.

Love love love this school! We’ve had our daughter in the school for a year. We love Ms Terri and Ms Cindy in the Ladybug class. We’ve seen our daughter blossom both intellectually and socially.

Name: Madeeha B.

After having a horrible experience at Children’s Montessori we sent my daughter here for preschool and she loved it. The teachers are catering loving, welcoming and nurturing. Great school for preschool.

Name: Angela C.

It’s been two years since my family moved away and my kids stopped attending Oneonta, but I feel compelled to leave a review. I am an experienced educator but a newbie in the field of early childhood education, and these days I often find myself realizing what an amazing little school Oneonta was for my children. Both of them had learned so much in pre-K (while having a lot of fun) that by the time they started formal schooling they were so well-prepared and are doing well academically even now. Oneonta offered enriching curriculum and activities, field trips, and great family engagement events, and thinking back, I am so grateful that my children had the opportunity to receive an early childhood education at Oneonta. Ms. Audrey, Ms. Fiona, and the rest of the staff who engaged with my children every day–if you are reading this, Rylan, Ezra and I would like to express our deepest gratitude.