Explore Montessori, Bozeman | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

My main issue with this school is the elitist attitude they exude. I have to use the Best Beginnings scholarship for my child care payments. Originally, the scholarship plus the $10 co-pay was sufficient for the owner of the school for my toddler son’s care (for 5 straight months). The owner became upset with me for considering leaving and told me I would be required to cover the rest of the costs that my Best Beginnings scholarship didn’t cover ($710 extra) OR “If your hours of care can be reduced we could reduce the cost in line with the tuition sheet I provided.” How…as a single parent could I reduce my hours of work and still afford to live in Bozeman with a cap of $17 per hour for full time employment or else I have to pay out of pocket for child care costs as I would lose our scholarship if I even made $17.50 an hour? I’m also wondering if the owner is now requiring all other Best Beginnings recipients to follow this new procedure.

Once I secured a better place for my son, I asked for his belongings to be collected so I could pick them up. This process was achieved by the staff, who also left my son’s refrigerated pouches out for hours rather than in the fridge until I picked everything up. We are on food stamps and the assistant director knows this. I voiced that I was upset that 7 pouches had been left out to spoil. The assistant director acted callously towards me after voicing my frustration.

Other issues:

Upon signing my son up, I was charged $300 for a deposit as a single mother. Deposit fees are typically waived for single parents at most schools, but to each their own.

Food is not provided, which isn’t a huge deal, a lot of schools don’t either but this school also asks you to provide everything including bibs, sippy cups, plates, and community wipes.

Let’s talk about community wipes. The school originally asked for 1 package of wipes per month from each child (which was a mess for them to keep track of and I was asked even after bringing some in to bring in more), but has come to realize this does not sustain an entire month’s worth of use. Also, how does a school charging $1700 per month for a full time toddler spot not provide wipes for the families?

Constant turnover of staff.

We highly recommend Explore! Our kiddo started in the Munari program when he was 3 months old, and over the past year he has grown and blossomed into a little tyke. Our son has some special needs and the teachers are truely invested in helping him meet milestones alongside his peers while, at the same time, meeting him where he is at when he needs it. The school has advocated for our kiddo and helped ensure that he has the best suport and learning environment possible. He loves his teachers and his friends, the art projects, and story time, and is truly excited to go to school each morning.