Testimonials
Carlisle Montessori School (CMS) is an excellent school! Both my daughter and son attended from age 2 and graduated out of the primary program at around age 6. To be perfectly honest, we were unfamiliar with Montessori education, and I didn't truly appreciate CMS until we left for a little over a year with our son. We pulled him out when our daughter graduated from CMS so that he could be at the same elementary school as his older sister. We saw firsthand how a preschool operated in a traditional private school and how little our son was benefiting from the education there compared to CMS. Fortunately, we were able to re-enroll him at CMS and within months of returning not only did he learn a tremendous amount, but his confidence, executive functioning and independence grew! These developments are what make CMS special because although our children have different strengths and personalities, they both thrived there. I just never realized how much of it was the school versus the child until this experience. Through my experience, I learned that at typical Montessori schools, the teachers believe the child’s potential is the greatest during the first 6 years of life while traditional schools believe it's the high school/college years. Therefore, early education is not as emphasized in traditional preschools. Whereas AMI certified teachers are trained to optimize a child's development and growth when the child's brain develops rapidly in the first six years of life (Montessori calls this period the absorbent mind). Montessori education also does a fantastic job identifying a child's strengths, inner passion and teaching leadership skills through the mixed-age environment. When children graduate from CMS' 3 year primary program, they take this confidence, love for learning, leadership skills, social emotional skills and an incredibly solid academic foundation (reading/writing in cursive/print, math facts (+, - , /, *), fractions, science, geography, astronomy, world culture, music etc.) with them for the rest of their lives. CMS holds a very special place in my heart because of how well they treated our children when they were so young and innocent. My children absolutely loved going to school and the teachers were so kind and loving. This school was like a second home and we made great friends during our time there. An education like CMS will take your child far in life. I highly recommend this school!
Ashvini Belagaje
May 22, 2023
Our parents can testify to the quality and attentive care Carlisle Montessori puts into the children's on-going education. Here are just a few comments from satisfied parents of the past:
"Our time at Carlisle Montessori has been wonderful. Over the past three years, we have seen our son grow tremendously both socially and academically. The environment is wonderfully maintained and the teachers are highly engaged. I am especially struck by the huge leaps that come in the third year. It seems like all at once so many things have "clicked" and our son has been coming home with multiplication, division, labeled maps of other continents, talking about the books he read on his own that day and the younger children he has helped to teach. We could not be happier with his development and the individualized attention given by the teachers. The foundation he has gotten here will serve him well for the rest of his life."
Jonathon McQueen
"My experience as a Montessori parent has truly been what I believe to be a privilege and will continue as a way of learning for all 4 of my children, of whom all are a part of the Carlisle Montessori family! Ms. Gina and her well taught staff, which has a perfect teacher to student ratio, show consistent dedication in making sure that each child has their lessons thoroughly explained and demonstrated, which is essential for young children between the ages of 2 and 6 because they learn the most from what they see. I value my experiences and teachings from Carlisle, which is always a pleasant and welcoming environment that exemplifies the traditional Montessori philosophy. I look forward to my children's future with excitement and less worry because they are products of Carlisle Montessori!"
Nivea Nash
"Hats off to you one more time for maintaining such an outstanding institution! We really miss the school and now that we have been spoiled with that quality, it is so hard to find a replacement." (Moved to California)
Viktoria Begoyan
"I've been thinking at length about the benefits of a third year of Montessori education (for children turning 5). I keep coming back to the fact that most of the benefits are intangible and difficult to describe. But, these benefits are like art, in that you know them when you see them. Repeatedly during my daughter Rachel's first two years of Montessori preschool I kept hearing that the third year is the harvest year, and I can absolutely attest to that. Having one's child attend two years of Montessori preschool and then switching to a traditional school for the third year is like planting and tending a garden, and then plowing it under right before your vegetables ripen.
A couple of tangible aspects of the third year of Montessori that I can describe are the leadership opportunities. In a traditional classroom setting, everyone is the same age, separated only by some number of months. In the third year of a Montessori program, the 5 year olds get a special chance to be leaders and mentors to the 3 and 4 year olds. This is an empowering experience that can last a lifetime. In a traditional school, 5 year olds are at the bottom of the totem pole, instead of getting to experience a year at the top. These leadership opportunities bolster sense of independence and empowerment that is invaluable.
Rachel had two years at another Montessori school, and we sought out Carlisle Montessori for her third year due to an ownership issue at her previous school. During her third year, Rachel learned to read, and advanced to the point that she's now in a Montessori Elementary program, even though she doesn't turn 6 until October, and would normally have to wait another year. This is part of the magic of Montessori, where those that are ready to advance aren't held to arbitrary standards and timetables, yet those that need more support get that not only from the teachers, but also the older students as well.
The leadership opportunities from the third year are carrying on for Rachel. She's taken up ballet, and has a 4-year old classmate that hangs on Rachel's every move. Rather than getting frustrated, Rachel is gracious and instead helps Ruby. Yesterday at the grocery store when I put two six-packs of applesauce containers on the checkout belt, Rachel glanced at it and said "Daddy, you have a dozen apple sauces." Both of my children notice details, and the Montessori materials hone their analytical skills, as evidenced by Rachel's observation.
The Montessori method works in mysterious ways, but I can attest that I'm glad that Rachel and her brother Lucas are both getting the benefits. As parents, we benefit as well."
David Ringstrom
AMI References
Lilian Bryan -- Director of Training and AMI School Consultant
Nikki Hughes -- School Consultation Report