Rockland Montessori Academy, Malden | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Our two boys have been at Rockland since nursery school at 6 months and now at the Academy across the street. Oldest is 4, youngest is 3. We have had the most wonderful experience at Rockland. The most defining theme at both schools is love and care… and im not just talking from their classroom teacher. Every aid, teacher, staff member knows each kid, their name, their quirks, events going on in their lives, their parents… I dont know how its done with so many kids around but each child is treated as if they are the only one. Each of my boys have very different personalities and Rockland is teaching them how to regulate their emotions and verbalize their feelings individually. And if a strategy wasn’t working, they’d pivot and talk it out with us before executing. As a working parent, there is no greater peace than to know youre dropping them off to a loving and trusted school and picking them up and theyre smiling telling you about what they did that day. Secondly, not to be outmatched by the caring staff is the curriculum. I read about the montessori method but was curious how it would actually play out. Would they be pushed enough? Somehow between counting beads, stacking blocks, reading at circle time, and tracing their name, both my boys are understanding simple math (at 3!), my oldest is journaling and spelling and early reading, they both grew a love for geography and science! And the coolest part, they have learned how to be citizens of the world… they learned about manners and kindness daily, voting and elections, they know about every holiday from every background and religion (Christmas pageant highlight of my year), they are exposed to different languages. Maybe you might say thats too much, they are just toddlers, they should be out having fun…. oh they are!! Theres outdoor play, sports, baking, even violin lessons are offered. I never expected my kids to know these things at this age, but whatever they can absorb, build on, understand, and be exposed to early, the more these concepts wont be hard to grasp for them later as they head to 1st grade. The community of parents we’ve found here has also been an unexpected bonus. Diverse… friendly…. willing to help… we are all in this crazy phase of life together. No school is perfect and every parents experience may be different but for us, Rockland checks all the major boxes and we could not be prouder of the teachers and staff and the program they built. Worth every penny!

We were on the waitlist for the nursery school for about a year and a half. They called to tell us they have spots available and invited us to tour. The tour went relatively well, and was given by their business manager although she showed dissatisfaction when our son wanted to explore the surroundings which was offputting. In fact, I specifically called ahead of time to ask whether we can bring our child to tour with us and were told yes. The teachers seemed friendly, and the premises were clean and well kept. Fast forward to my following up with the business manager about several questions I had on the materials they use in the sleeping pads and the astroturf in the outdoor area. She initially answered my questions in an email. I later followed up over the phone about submitting their paper application and fee as it wasn’t clear how to deliver them. She was rude about the questions I had asked earlier and said “I don’t think we will be able to accommodate your standards here.” I don’t remember ever being treated so rudely by someone who is there in a client facing role. She also said that others had applied since we toured and they could no longer guarantee a spot for us, which was obviously a lie. I am sure the teachers and rest of the staff are very professional, but this experience spoke volumes to us and we decided to opt for a preschool where asking questions is not considered a crime.

2 reviews, one for each child:
Child 1- 4 stars. The first child, who is developing “normally”, had a good experience. Would have been a 5 star review except it’s more expensive than other day cares.
Child 2- 0 stars. The second child was developing on a slower timeline. While at this day care, they became more anxious and developed a debilitating stutter. Sent a speech pathologist to the school to observe. The speech pathologist found some opportunities and created a follow up report. I provided the follow up report to the business manager, who told me the findings in the report weren’t valid. I found this to be a bewildering response, so I spoke with parents of my child’s classmates, many of whom had a similar experience. One parent described their philosophy well- “We do what we do, and if it doesn’t work for your kid they can leave”. So we did. We switched our child to a different day care and 2 weeks later the stuttering stopped completely.

To summarize- If your child is “normal”, you should feel safe about sending them. The teachers are great, so are the other kids and parents. But if your child struggles with any delays in development, this probably isn’t the best environment.