Coeur d’ Alene Montessori Preschool, Coeur d’Alene | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Unfortunately this school was a flop for me. I loved Montessori as a child and was excited to enroll my child in a Montessori program. I am writing this review after spending about an hour at the facility with the director Dianne. I first came for a tour with out my child then returned to orient my child to the space prior to him starting. I have listed my concerns below.

Red Flags:
1. Teacher was not in the room. Apparently, she was in the bathroom but that does not negate that several 2-3 years olds were left without supervision.
2. I received push back when I mentioned my child doesn’t take naps. I was told all children must unless they are five and doing other work. The next day she texted me stating she couldn’t enroll my child because he was not independent enough and would require 1:1 modeling. Isn’t Montessori supposed to teach independence? Shouldn’t 2-3 year olds require support in a learning environment? I believe this was a result of me advocating for my child’s needs.
3. Within five minutes of my child visiting the director stated, “is he shy or something else”. That is incredibly inappropriate.
4. School was not accredited with the American Montessori Society, Association Montessori International or Montessori Education Council for Teacher Accreditation per websites.
5. The director could not articulate the Montessori philosophy beyond what I could find in a 3-minute Google search.
6. When asked what her discipline policy was, she said, “Why are we going to have a problem?”.
7. The 3 year old classroom has many two year olds in diapers. I don’t mind a blended classroom but when the school advertises that they only accept three and up they should represent that.
8. A small child in diapers had a small 1-inch toy apple in their mouth. I removed it and the director made no comment when I did.
9. The director barked orders at the children from across the room instead of getting on their level.
10. The director mentioned she had several people tour the center and not enroll.
11. She stated that she only had three teachers currently. This is concerning to me for teacher burn out. What happens if someone is sick or needs a day off?

This daycare is absolutely amazing! Dianne and all other teachers are wonderful and caring. My toddler’s speech has improved drastically after she started here at 2,5 years old. She has acquired such great manners and become very friendly, caring and comfortable around other kids. Every now and then she pleasantly surprises us with new songs and dances that she learnt at the daycare. She loves going to school every morning. I cannot recommend this place and all the teachers more!

This school and its teachers are absolutely the best around. My daughter started just before she turned 2 years old and thrived in the 2-3 classroom. She learned to play independently and talked about her school work and learning every day. We are moving and it kills me to leave this beautiful, clean and caring environment behind. Thank you to Diane, Jeweliannah and Evonne who are such dedicated educators!