Aldea Montessori

Both my son and daughter attend Aldea. Excellent education, wonderful staff, very trustworthy and knowleageble. Education os fantastic, my daughter started reading at 4!
--Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's second year at Aldea, and we love it here! A lot of people do not understand the concept of Montessori education and may be afraid of giving this place a chance. Believe me, if you want the very best for your kids, this is the place. Children deserve to be in a place like this to grow in the way they should. Aldea has a wonderful learning environment where children are inspired to learn. They are not forced to learn or follow some kind of rigid standard determined by adults. Here, they are allowed to grow as a person. As a result, these children develop a love for learning and they end up learning more than what we usually expect them to. In addition to that, the community at Aldea is very caring, supportive, and diverse. Everyday children get to learn about respect, tolerance, cooperation, and kindness. As a parent at Aldea, I have learned a lot about parenting from the director and the teachers. By the way, my daughter has also received a scholarship from the foundation, SMFG. The scholarship is real, we worked very hard to get it. Thank you Aldea, thank you for everything.
--Submitted by a parent

How incredibly happy we are at Aldea. We met the Director of the school and loved her passion for the children and learning. The teachers and entire staff are caring and amazing and make the school like a home. Our son is enjoying his second year at Aldea, and because of the Montessori way he is in the same class as last year. It has been wonderful to hear how now that he is older he is helping the younger ones with the same things he struggled with. All the children are accepted for who they are. No child is forced to learn things they are not ready for. We are pleased to know that are son is not sitting at a desk all day, instead he is encouraged to explore and learn things in a natural structure using his own curiosity and determination. Many times during the first year our son complained about going to school, but at pick-up on those same days he said he had the best day. Parents are encouraged to partake in activities, but all schools expect that. It is the children who benefit from parents involvement. Kudos to Aldea, it is a great Montessori school.
--Submitted by a parent

If you are looking for the best foundation you can lay for your child's education, consider Montessori. After making this choice, go look at Aldea and then attempt to see other AMI schools. Aldea Montessori sets the bar for AMI Montessori schools in the Phoenix area. It is not just a school, it is a community. You are asked to participate. That is part of the method of Montessori. It is a very rewarding experience. Observing little people doing work with confidence and mastery at such a young age is heart warming. To the core comfort in "yes, this is the right decision". AMI Montessori method is different than mainstream education. Don't make assumptions here. Go to the school and ask your questions for clarity. Your decision will become obvious. This is a fantastic facility bringing an excellent product to your greatest gift.
--Submitted by a parent

I had read reviews here and looked at this school for my son and daughter. While the toddler section was o.k, the 3-6 is all getting more and more students in the class. They almost have 30 students, and just one teacher and one assistant. Typically at least they should have two. It is more about disciplining the students and hardly enough of learning. Every other day its about involving the parents in fund raising or raising money in some form or the other. In addition if there are two siblings you also don't get a sibling discount. they make up stories of some foundation (SMFG) and take your personal information about grants, which of course never comes to anybody. I think while the teachers are good, the director is all about making money and sweet talk. I don't think the students get as much attention as they should.
--Submitted by a parent

My 3 year old loves this school We are really amazed the way our child is developing her skills in this school. Teachers are very helpful and pay individual attention to kids on the aspects they need to improve. We are really happy that we found this school for her.
--Submitted by a parent

Overall, this school will be great for your child in regards to the amount of information that they will learn in preschool. That said, you can expect that your child will receive rave reviews if they are compliant, quiet, and can concentrate (typical for 3-5 year olds, right??!). However, if your child is on the other end of the spectrum, you can expect that you will hear about what you are doing wrong at home, even if you are doing everything right. This information, though, will only be privy to you at a parent/teacher conference. If you are a working parent, prepare to be sideswiped at said conference because you will not hear anything about your child in the classroom at all, at any other time unless you are in the inner circle of parents who can pick up at carpool. If you try to email administration or the teacher, do not expect any kind of response, ever. Also, be prepared to have back-up daycare because the actual school calendar is filled with days that you work, but your child will not have school or aftercare. Tuition will also go up every year. Unless you are a parent who donates a lot of money or time, be prepared to be ignored and/or blown off by administration.
--Submitted by a parent

We had a very poor experience with this school. Because the class was so large (over 30 students), the teacher seemed excessively focused on discipline and maintaining order. Our child learned little or nothing (despite having tested as highly gifted) and the director of the school seemed largely unaware of the problems in the classroom (which included some inappropriate behavior by other students). We transferred to another preschool (after I dealt with several months of my child begging not to go to school every day) and my child really thrived at the new school. Before we left, I discussed my concerns with the administration, but there seemed to be little interest in addressing the various issues.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Aldea Montessori many years ago - and we are still reaping the benefits of this phenomenal program. It was a rock solid foundation for her. We got way more than we bargained for!!
--Submitted by a parent

This is my son's third year at Aldea and from the moment he started it has been an incredible choice for our child. The administration, teachers, students and parents are all wonderful loving people who want wants best for the children. Stop to take the time to look into this school it will be the best choice you make!
--Submitted by a parent