Imagination Station Montessori, Daytona Beach | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I had a very bad experience with a few pre-K programs in Volusia County, and Imagination Station Montessori is one of them. I had been holding back this review for months, but I now realize the importance of addressing the negative experiences for other parents. The local pre-K standards seem to have dropped the ball, and it is questionable if they ever had a solid foundation to begin with. Action is necessary to rectify this situation and uphold the standards expected in early childhood education. This pre-K had five-star reviews and had been in business for about 30 years, which initially gave me some confidence. I toured the school and children looked engaged in many crafts, which seemed promising. However, even during my first visit, I noticed a strong sewage and chlorine smell on the first floor. Despite the small size of the school and what seemed like more children than the old house could accommodate, my daughter, seemed somewhat happier there than at the previous place. Unfortunately, as I was employed, it was not feasible for me to keep my daughter home during working hours, so I continued my search for a better pre-K and contacted other schools, but none had availability at that time.

The situation took a serious turn less than 6 weeks after enrollment. While picking up my three-year-old daughter from pre-K, she disclosed that Mr. Jack, the adult son of the pre-K owner Mrs. Kim who is also a teacher, had laid on her while she was trying to nap and also hit her while she misbehaved. I was immediately concerned and raised this issue with the teacher, who directed me to speak with Mrs. Kim. This was incredibly alarming, and I expected immediate action to be taken. Mrs. Kim admitted via text message that incident indeed occurred and tried to downplay the situation by saying her son was acting dorky. She promised to keep my daughter and her son- teacher in different classrooms. I was unable to remove my daughter immediately due to waitlist situation in other pre-K. I started talking to other parents aligning concerns about children’s dehydration during school time, scarce ambiguous communication with teachers, some other parents expressed concerns regarding poor verbal abilities of children attending this school.

On the first Friday after the holiday break, someone placed an envelope containing a dismissal letter in my daughter’s backpack. What was surprising and disappointing is that the owner, Mrs. Kim, did not attempt to have a conversation with either me or my partner. The dismissal letter cited my dissatisfaction with their school as the reason for dismissal and mentioned that they had not yet received a check from the father. She mentioned that in the dismissal letter after I had multiple times informed her that the father’s checks were coming from another state. I also offered to cover his portion, knowing that Mrs. Kim still doesn’t have an electronic payment system. Mrs. Kim also noted that on the last day before Christmas, the father had scheduled a school tour but never arrived, which deeply upset her. This was despite my earlier heads-up to Mrs. Kim that it might be a possibility.

What was particularly hurtful was that we had given generous Christmas presents to all school personnel (about 18 people as per Mrs. Kim’s list), yet Mrs. Kim never expressed any gratitude. Instead, she focused on the missed tour and the late payments, ignoring the fact that I had communicated potential issues in advance and that there were significant concerns regarding the safety and well-being of my child.

My experience with Imagination Station Montessori was deeply disappointing and distressing. The initial promise of a nurturing environment quickly gave way to serious concerns about safety, inadequate communication, and a lack of empathy from the administration. I would not recommend this school to other parents. It’s crucial for parents to find a pre-K that prioritizes the well-being and safety of their children above all else, and unfortunately, this was not my experience with Imagination Station Montessori.

Absolutely love this school. My 3 year old would live there if I let her. She has already learned so much in the 6 months she’s attended. Love the home-style facility, long term teachers, shaded playground. Didn’t know much about montessori learning before, and was honestly unsure how I felt about it. Let me tell you, best way to go. It’s not just the “basic” pre-school curriculum. They go above and beyond, teaching skills hard to find in other schools. BIG shout-out to Imagination Station, and the owner Kim, for giving my daughter the opportunity to be better every single day

Imagination Station Montessori is absolutely the best Montessori school in the area. My children went there for 4 years, both in the infant and the primary and the amount of love, care, and teaching that they received was amazing. The teachers and the owner help to nurture curiosity, indipendence, love for nature and peace. When my oldest one started he didn’t even understand or speak English, and yet he thrived at Imagination Station Montessori. We miss our Montessori family.