Childrens Garden Montessori School

My son atttends this school and I feel so fortunate to have found it. I went to many many preschools and decided on Children s Garden as soon as I met with Ms Mawani and watched the other teachers interact with the children. It is the most loving, warm, nurturing environment while still teaching the children respect, kindness and order. It really is a joy to see my little man's face every day when he tells me about his day at school and how much fun he had while learning. If I could choose 6 stars I would
--Submitted by a parent

toys are really old. they're even older than those in Oak Park public library. I donated some toys to them but my daughter told me she never saw them in the day care. some teachers came from India were nice but after 6 months they left and never came back due to visa problem. then, they hired a very young teacher without any experience.
--Submitted by a parent

My son just graduated from pre-school at Children's Garden. He loved the teachers there and has asked me a dozen times if we can still visit them when he's in kindergarten. The CG teachers are gentle and wonderful people I can see why he is sad to leave. I'm not sure what happened with the person who had issues with his/her deposit being returned. We got ours back in full. Perhaps the school is frugal, but to me where they buy their snacks is not relevant compared to the quality of the teachers and curriculum. My child has learned so much here, has always been treated lovingly, and I feel he is well-prepared for kindergarten.
--Submitted by a parent

you can't imagine how greedy they are. to maximize her profit, the owner always buys snacks from Aldi (http://aldi.us/) rather than dominick's. if my son is the last one waiting for picking up, they usually leave only one light on to save electricity. you never get your deposit ($700) back no matter how long you have stayed there.
--Submitted by a parent

Communication is a problem with the administrators. No matter how many messages you leave or e-mails you send, I don't get a response. I did not get an explanation as to why my child's teacher got fired in the middle of the year.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son has attended Childrens Garden for almost three years. He will enter kindergarten this fall with the ability to read, write and reason. And most of all, he is a well rounded citizen. The staff is excellent; turnover is extremely low.
--Submitted by a parent

My son found this school very stifling. There was not enough physical space indoors or out, and he felt like he was always being told 'no' or 'don't.' The school did not keep me informed of serious staffing issues -- I had to rely on my four year old to let me know what was going on. I felt that the school also was not true to the Montessori philosophies, but the director was hostile to my efforts to talk about my concerns.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at this school for over a year now and we are very happy. It is a very positive environment and she loves it. She is learning at a pace that we couldn't be more pleased with.
--Submitted by Corinna Malin, a parent

My son enjoyed attending Children's Garden Montessori and progressed very quickly through age-appropriate material. The teachers were very accommodating and always easy to talk to.
--Submitted by a parent

This is by far the best pre-school in Oak Park. The school blends elements of early childhood with Montessori. Having moved to Oak Park from Manhattan, where there are several modified Montessori programs, I was disappointed in the relatively stultifying and stuffiness of traditional Montessori schools in the area. Children's Garden has the right balance and is a very down-to-earth, sensible place where children are valued for who they are--children!
--Submitted by Roger Patel, a parent