““Can I give more than 5 stars? Our son has been at Southern Stars Montessori since just after he turned 2 (he’s currently 3.5). This has included a full school year plus two summer camps. We LOVE it and cannot say enough good things about this place and the Montessori style overall. Most importantly to us, from Day 1, our little guy has loved going to school. As he’s become more vocal and articulate, it’s very clear how much he adores his teachers, the larger team, and his classmates. From our perspective as parents, the communication has been amazing via a great app that provides daily updates and photos from the teaching staff, and timely/responsive emails from the Director. We’ve always felt our child was safe/secure, loved, and getting access to great early education. A few additional bonus notes: The hours are great for working parents, with options for early drop-off and aftercare; they have a great meal program, providing snacks and an opt-in for lunch; and a personal favorite - they were a huge help supporting our potty-training journey!”
”
“We love Southern Stars Montessori! Our oldest has gone there for almost two years and plan to send our youngest when he reaches their age requirement. We’ve watched our son grow through multiple classrooms and teachers who have always made him feel right at home. The Director is also always listening to parent feedback and continually improving the experience (anything from the sign-in process to facility enhancements).”
“Our son has been in the summer school program for several weeks now and has loved it. It was his first school experience and after a couple days he was extremely excited in the mornings to go to school. I can see the Montessori approach having a positive effect on him at home as he asks to do more and more things independently. From the partially shaded playground surrounded by residential homes, to the hands-on activities in the classrooms, we have been pleased and pleasantly surprised by his rapid progress. He adores his teacher and asks for her at home, and the directors and educators are communicative, caring, and kind.”
“ We have had our oldest daughter enrolled here for almost a year and absolutely love it! The teachers and director are the best and you can tell they really care about the kiddos!! We highly recommend it!!
”
“Our family has been attending Southern Stars since Jan of 2022 and we could not be more pleased with the school, the staff, and the families in the community. The Montessori approach and classroom design have been wonderful for our son and his independence is carrying over into our home environment. The teachers and the director are extremely attentive and communicate with our family. Honestly could not be happier with both the academic program and the weekly summer camps!”
“Recently opened but we love it already! Our 2 year old is loving the stimulation and exposure to the school’s extensive resources. He’s able to learn and interact in a diverse age group, adapting quickly to the new environment. Classrooms are outfitted with tons of different learning activities in addition to the necessary letter/number/word lessons. Arts and crafts, puzzles, animals, and those traditional toddler themes are also used while learning more independent play. Our son seems to be getting plenty of book/reading time which has always engaged him and thrills us as parents. We were always curious about the Montessori approach, but now we’re certain it’s a good fit for us. Shanice and Kristin have been wonderful to work with, and we highly recommend Southern Stars!”
“Southern Stars Montessori is a friendly and warm preschool that maintains professional childcare standards. We feel grateful to have a place for our child here and to be a part of this little school community. We appreciate the teachers, staff, families, and indoor/outdoor playtime.”
“Northeast Stars, the whole teaching and administrative team, and the owner, Sharon, have far far exceeded our expectations. At the end of the day, much of the quality early childhood development comes down to the people who spend hours and hours each day with a child. And as much as we love the classroom environment, administrative professionalism, communication/use of technology, curriculum, all those things that other programs in this area try to sell themselves on, what we really appreciate about NES is the depth of experience and attentive care that the teachers bestow on each child. They carefully observe him, know his strengths and weaknesses as an individual (in some cases with more perceptiveness than us}, and tailor their approach to integrating him into classroom accordingly. Our son has really blossomed from a very tentative 3-year old who cried every day upon starting school (after 1.5 years COVID}, to an almost 4-year old who has developed a close circle of friends, a growing sense of independence, and greater willingness to try new things outside of his comfort zone. During this very critical period of early childhood development, we are privileged to have the warm, loving care of the entire staff at NES.
”
“My wife and I interviewed, applied for and we’re awarded enrollment for many pre-schools in Arlington. But, when we visited NE Stars and met the owner, director and teachers, we felt it was worth the longer drive to Alexandria for our son’s initial learning experience. We’ve been enrolled now for 8 mos and we couldn’t be more happy. NEStars philosophy and teachings has led to our son to become more autonomous over this short period of time. He’s also made many friends and has expanded his interests. There are many programs offered like Soccer and Gymnastics that expose him to interacting with his friends and his own self. I think one of the best qualities of NE Stars is the diversity among the friends. We couldn’t be happier with NE Stars and will be sad when it comes time for him to graduate on to the next chapter in his learning.”
“Last summer, we were ready to send our son, then 2 and a half, to pre-school, but were worried he was not ready. He was not particularly verbal, and could be very ‘high maintenance’. I honestly feared they would send him back after a week or two because he would be too disruptive. Instead, by the third day of school, our son was happily walking in in the morning happy as a clam, and the teachers said you could barely hear a peep out of him. He is happy to go to school every morning and speaks enthusiastically about his friends and teachers. NE Stars transformed him from toddler to preschooler in a surprisingly seamless manner.”
“I can’t emphasize enough how pleased I have been with my daughter’s experience at Northeast Stars Montessori. Before I enrolled her at NES, each morning was a struggle. Now she has such excitement about school that our mornings together are pleasant and easy-going. My daughter is always happy to talk about her friends at NES, including her teachers, and she loves to choose items from nature or from around the house to share and explore with classmates. In the last year, my daughter’s language skills, creativity, social graces, sense of community, and sense of self have blossomed. Best of all, she is having fun! NES is a truly a gem.”
“We simply could not be happier with NES Alexandria. Our 4-year old child has a severe nut allergy, and the teachers are extraordinarily supportive and attentive to ensure he has a safe environment. Snack and meal times are well-controlled, and communication with parents is excellent to ensure everyone understands the boundaries. The carefully laid-out classroom lends itself to calm, relaxed learning. Rather than overwhelm the children with plastic toys and loud colors, NES has created an inviting space in which the children often determine their own activities and develop the ability to independently learn, play, and socialize. Since he began attending NES, we’ve noticed significant improvement in our child’s interactions with other children, as well as a high interest in math and reading as he excitedly tells us about his day’s activities. We highly recommend NES Alexandria!”
“The day before my son was to attend the school, while we were visiting, Ms Booker asked us some basic words in our native language to connect with our son and she kept going, learning some other words during the year to teach him English. Because my son is unable to speak English well enough to express his feelings, Ms Lindeman gave him permission to bring a comfort toy. It really really makes him comfortable. Ms Lindeman called me when he was upset about something and told me he can mention it, so that I could understand him and explain the issue. I really liked it. I was prepared and could help him to understand things better. I liked the photos taken during the week and send us at the end of each week [in parent newsletters].”
“Our son started at Northeast Stars Montessori seven months ago on his second birthday. We sought an environment that provided a purposeful curriculum, but one that still allowed him freedom to explore his interests. Another consideration for enrolling our son into a Montessori program was our son’s lack of expressive language skills for his age: he basically did not speak when he began school. Since enrolling our son at NE Stars his language skills have exploded. We can attribute some of his progress to natural development and work that we did outside of school, but we feel that his time spent at NE Stars contributed greatly to his rapid language growth. What we love most about NE Stars is how excited our son is when he is dropped off in the mornings, and seeing how happy he is with his friends and teachers. The school makes learning fun and promotes safe social interactions for all of the friends.”
““NES has been a wonderful place for my 2 yr old (almost 3) to learn and grow. She began attending NES in the fall of 2021 and we have been so happy with the caring and nurturing environment there. The teachers have been great with communicating. We receive multiple pictures and helpful information daily. The teachers make themselves readily available for any questions or concerns you may have. They have been a wonderful help with potty training and also in the topics and activities they introduce to students. My daughter has grown so much since enrolling there - from daily neighborhood walks to the playground to furthering her social-emotional skills we are happy to see her flourish in a safe and caring environment like NES. Covid protocols follow OSSE and CDC guidance.”