Apple Montessori of Cliffside Park

I am VERY pleased with this school. My 3 year old daughter started the preschool program last September and within one week she began transforming from a shy wall flower into a social butterfly. Not to mention, she was adding and subtracting on her fingers also within the first week. A kindergardener had taught her. Within three months, she was reading Level 1 primer books by herself. Their reading program is PHENOMENAL! She has made a host of friends, and loves her teachers and LOVES LEARNING. I have a Wonderful relationship with her teacher and all the staff have been nothing but helpful and supportive. I'm very pleased with Apple Montessori and I'm quite shocked at any negative reviews on this school.
--Submitted by a parent

I am shocked to read any possible negative reviews about this school. My son began the toddler program at 21 months old. He comes home every day with a beaming smile, and a full report of all the things they did that day. He knows all the teachers and they know him, not just for his age group. I find the administrative staff and the directors, teachers and aides are helpful and welcoming to us as parents. As far as communication, we get a full written report each day of his overall demeanor, his naps, what he ate for lunch, snack and any other information. We get photos of the activities once or twice a week as well as an informative calendar of events well in advance each month. We looked at other facilities in the area and all were comparable. In the toddler age group, morning and afternoon daycare is included in the tuition, that is a tremendous value for the price.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is disappointing - charges top dollar but delivers a subpar program. Facilities are tiny, extremely limiting, the playground is quite small. There are 2 classrooms only, packed with kids and props. The program is a distant memory of the Montessori program in terms of rigor and academic excellence, although overall it is fun and creative. Organizationally this school is very challenged; administration is the worst ever (I really mean it, all moms sending their kids to this school have this common complaint). Teachers are "hit and miss" - some are great, some not so much, so there is no consistency and discipline is lacking. This is not a great bank for the buck. The owners need to rethink their offering as parents are becoming aware of the subpar quality of this program and moving to other cheaper and higher quality programs in the community.
--Submitted by a parent

I completely agree with the previous review of total disappointment. To be honest I never liked the school - when I was filling in the application, I looked around at the teachers and was shocked - none of them smiled at the children while talking to them or showed any enthusiasm. Then there were incidents that other parents reported of seeing teachers hurting and yelling at the children. Although I was enrolling my child for a short period while being on the waiting list for another school, just a couple months later I decided my child would benefit more from staying at home than in this school. Even the thought of losing deposits and month of tuition didn t change my mind, I had to get my child away from Apple Montessori.
--Submitted by a parent

Disappointed is not the word to describe this school. The fact the teachers and staff lack professionalism and training is really upsetting. I absolutely agree with paying top dollar for a childs education but this school charges top dollar but doesn't deliver. The bottom line is that this is a business to the owners and our children are treated as dollars sign and if any incident occurs at this school that could hurt their profit no matter if its puts the children at risk. They will pick their profit first before the welfare of the children and that is a fact. No, I absolutely would not recommend this school to any parent.
--Submitted by a parent

Apple Montessori has always impressed me with its focus of the environment belonging to the child. The Montessori philosophy is very interesting. The teachers are caring, the facility is very clean, and the school has seen some noticable improvements within its administration (for the better!) My son is enrolled in summer camp as well, and comes home telling me of the fun he had that day...it's nice to receive e-mail updates as well. Thanks to those teachers, my son and I feel safe and comfortable, which is something that we all want.
--Submitted by a parent

My wife and I are extremely happy with Apple Montessori and would recommend it to anybody. The staff is very loving and dedicated, and our four year old is reading and loves to come to school. We couldn't ask for any more.
--Submitted by a parent

I strongly recommend Apple Montessori school. My son spoke hardly any English when I enrolled him in the school last year. This year he speaks English fluently (he is bilingual) and reads at the level above his age. Teachers are excellent! They love their kids and make them happy (especially Miss Nina and Miss Paredes). Of course, Apple Montessori is not inexpensive and they do have some administrative problems, but their academic program and teachers' performance are worth every penny.
--Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed with Apple Montessori. The atmosphere in the school is very weird and uncomfortable. Even though I felt welcome when I first enrolled my child shortly after I began to feel as if they don t care about the parents.Especially the administration, they don t want the parents to have no kind of relationship with the teachers, they don t allow parents to sing Happy Birthday to the toddlers, they don t always communicate changes in the school. The teachers don t seem happy at all with their jobs however some try their best not to let that interfere with their responsibilities with the children. Their faces say it all; their smiles are not always genuine. The administrative person in my opinion is not genuine. Billing is horrible and not flexible. They don t accept payments in the school.Overall, I don t recommend any Apple Montessori since the problem begins with the owners.
--Submitted by a parent