preschool tour: glen park montessori

Impressions:

• Eh.
• The space was serene, organized and sparse, but we didn’t love it as much as we thought we would.
• The program seemed a bit focused on academics (which is really just play tarted up as academics).

The Facts
Web site: http://www.glenpark-montessori.com/
Location: In the Glen Park “village,” in a 2-story storefront space, with outdoor decks canopied by trees
Start/end times: Full day program (8:30 to 5:30 p.m.)
Class size: 20 in the younger kids classroom; 20 in the older kids classroom
Student/teacher ratio: 6:1
Parent participation: A little bit (20 hours per year)
Facilities: Well organized, with mostly wooden toys and materials; 1 of everything (as opposed to multiples), no trains (?!!), emphasis on personal independence. Lovely area for independent hand-washing and miniature toilets.
Likelihood of getting in: Pretty good. They receive about 35 applications for 10-12 open spots. If we apply early, they can pretty much guarantee us a spot.

Downsides
It seems a little lonely. Would Luke really have fun here, make friends, be bursting to tell us about his day? We’re not so sure. Luke (and all of us) lean toward independent activities, and Montessori seems like it might emphasize what already comes naturally. The community we saw at Glenridge – and the community support – was really appealing, so that remains our #1 choice.