Sunny Hollow Montessori

My daughter started at Sunny Hollow in the casa program right before her 3rd birthday. Because of the drop off at the door policy, and our need for after care due to full time employment, we never saw or met her teachers. We had no clue what was happening in the school. We received a handful of random photos, but requests for additional information on the Montessori system, or desperate pleas for any information on what our tiny kiddo was doing during the day went unmet. I met with the administration to share my concerns, and was told SH was in a “time of transition”. Meanwhile I watched significant social emotional regression in my kid. It was obvious she wasn’t interacting with others during the day, and eventually I was allowed to sign up for a 20 minute classroom observation. I was actually allowed to watch for 13 minutes before being told to go- but in that time I watched my 3 year old polishing glass on her own (what?!) with no acknowledgement by any adult or other child the entire time. I almost walked her out right there. Montessori isn’t for everyone - but it would help to have ANY communication on what it was and what a toddler was doing so I could connect with her on it at home. We pulled her after 6 months, and were forced to pay 2 additional months’ tuition. After our decision was made, my 3 year old told me her teacher said she needed new boots because her feet were chilly every day- but no adult told me. Nobody told me when she ran out of soy milk, or she needed new clothes or masks or anything remotely normal for a childcare location either. My kid went to a school focused on social emotional growth and the difference has been beautifully staggering. Do not recommend this school.

From the beginning, my family were outsiders in this unusual and insular culture.They placed our child in a class that was too old/advanced for their development, and our kid struggled on every level as a result. This initial experience had lasting ramifications on our child's experience with the school, and seemingly how they handled us as a family. We were made to believe there was something very wrong with our child. My motherly intuition knew better: it was simply not the right fit for our kid, and I wish I had listened to my gut rather than put our child through two years at this school. We constantly felt unheard, disliked, and discriminated against. My husband and I still can't believe how much money we paid this school while enduring such stressful and traumatic experiences.The communication between teachers and parents always felt very guarded. Everything was like pulling teeth: trying to get specific information from teachers, trying to convince them that my child needed to stop napping in order to sleep fully through the night so as to not wake up overtired for the school day (a vicious cycle where they simply did not trust us parents to know what was best), and feeling like they didn't believe us that our child's "problem" behavior did not occur outside of school. We were put through the ringer getting our child tested for behavioral, developmental, and sensory issues. Our child's healthcare team always came back with the same answers: this is normal toddler behavior, there is nothing wrong with your child, and the problem could be the school itself.It felt like when issues arose with my child at school, we wouldn't learn about them from the lead teacher until it had escalated, leaving us to feel attacked and bombarded by meetings with additional staff members that we didn't even know about. Another of my child's teachers seemingly did not like our child; this was evident not only to us as parents, but to our child themself. Additionally, we never knew exactly what was going on at school for our child, academically or socially. The constant staff turnover should also be a red flag for prospective families.It became clear to us that we were not wanted at this school. This ended up being the best thing for our family! Now that we have had some time and distance, my child is not only thriving in their new school - but excelling! There is nothing wrong with our child. However, there is something very wrong with how this school operates.

My two children are in their 2nd year at Sunny Hollow. There aren't enough words to describe how grateful we are for the level of care and quality of education our kids receive here. Sunny Hollow provides a safe space where our children are encouraged and challenged to reach their full potential. We are very happy with our experience and have plans to attend Elementary and Junior High.

My daughter started attending Sunny Hollow when she was 4 and I was told that it was an inclusive environment that could support learning differences. She had some behavioral challenges due to starting Montessori and she was immediately labeled as a bad kid. The teachers seemed completely unable to work with the number of children they had and any learner differences. It was not a diverse environment at all and we were so very disappointed in our experience.

Sunny Hollow is better than anything we could have asked for in a school for our son. The environment is beautiful, clean and the staff are so nice and helpful. Not to mention the kids all seem genuinely happy to be there! Every day our son comes home so happy and I’ve seen such a boost in his self-confidence since going here. We definitely plan on putting our other two kids at Sunny Hollow as well when they are old enough.