Full Circle Montessori
http://www.fullcirclemontessori.com/
1031 North Vermont St, Arlington VA 22201
703-243-8282
Owner/Directress: Tatjana Vichnevsky
Not year round.
This school was my favorite Montessori. Mostly because of the Directress' decision to only offer part-day school (no extended care beyond 2:45). Although she seems to feel that she is the only one in Arlington doing this, I gotta say that most of the church-based programs are all part day as well.
The programs offered are for 3s, 4s, and 5s. Oh, and you are required to sign a statement saying that you will keep your child enrolled for all 3 years. Montessori counts on the older children to help with the younger children, and if you take your kid out the year that they are elligible for the fee public school Montessori program, then they don't get the use out of your kiddo that 3rd year. Messes up their program. Penalty? Probably your $900 deposit. They add on a $500 "new family" fee as well.
Primary program 9am to 12:30 M-F $8325
Add the 12:30-2:45 (M-Th) for an additional $2700
Kindergarten 9-2:45 (except early release Fridays) $8910
There is 20 minutes of precare available daily at 8:30 for $10/day or $150/month
And extend the day for Montessori 45 minute lunch from 12:30-1:15 for $15/day or $225/month
For a three year old doing mornings and 2:45 release, the cost becomes $1375/month or $12,375/year
It adds up fast. However, for a part time care situation 5 days a week, it is a good option.
The classrooms are very inviting and fairly roomy in the old old building that they rent (part of a church, I believe. The teachers were very nice and infomative. Tatjana is very very enthusiastic about Montessori. Aggressive about it, even. My husband called her "angry." I think she was sweetly aggressive about her point of view. At the open house, be prepared for her to talk for almost an hour, browbeating you with the Montessori way. I really just wanted to see the classrooms and meet the teachers!
I have a good friend who sends her daughter here and they rave about it.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Falls Church Day School
The Falls Church Day School
www.thefallschurch.org
115 East Fairfax Street, Falls Church, VA 22046
703-534-8687
Director: Laura Alrutz
lalrutz@thefallschurch.org
I wanted to make this my first review, because it is one of the larger and more highly thought of preschools in our area. It is pretty easy to find a lot of information about this school, and I did attend their Open House and Tour last year.
A very robust program! These guys have it all ironed out to a T. If you want a "plug your child in to an established quality kids program" this is the place. I was particularly impressed with their age-appropriate learning objectives for each class. Parents do not appear to be asked to do anything for the school (fund raising or service) beyond paying tuition and dropping off/picking up their children. This is a fairly large school as well with several classes of each age. I ultimately did not apply, but your chances of an acceptance here appear fairly good.
Their programs consist of:
1 day a week Parents Morning Out (12mo to 23 mo) M, Tu, W, or F for $114-129 a month
2 days a weeks for 2s, 2 1/2s, or 3s Tu/Th or M/W for $217 a month
3 days a week for 3s or 4s M/W/F only for $250 a month
4 days a week for 4s M-Th for $302 a month
5 days a week for 4s or 5s M-F for $343 a month
Extended care is available only for the 5 day a week programs and only until 1pm. This option brings the total to a maximum of $468 a month.
Normal hours are 9am to 12noon. A pretty short day compared to many other programs.
Note that the reason I did not apply here was their austere potty-training policy. At the time the applications were due, my DS was only 2 1/2 and he was not potty learned, and how could I predict how successful we would be over the summer? At the open house, when I inquired about any leniency in their potty-training requirement I was told that if a child had an accident, the parent was called to come to school and change them. It was explained that this was done to minimize disruption to the teachers and the classroom. Well, that seemed pretty cruel to me, to make my child sit in soiled clothes for a half an hour or perhaps even 45 minutes until I could get out to school and change him. And requiring a 3 year old to be potty learned is possible, but not probable in my eyes. At worst, I would be out a deposit and possibly out a school for my son and without any options for care. I could not take that chance, so my search continued...
www.thefallschurch.org
115 East Fairfax Street, Falls Church, VA 22046
703-534-8687
Director: Laura Alrutz
lalrutz@thefallschurch.org
I wanted to make this my first review, because it is one of the larger and more highly thought of preschools in our area. It is pretty easy to find a lot of information about this school, and I did attend their Open House and Tour last year.
A very robust program! These guys have it all ironed out to a T. If you want a "plug your child in to an established quality kids program" this is the place. I was particularly impressed with their age-appropriate learning objectives for each class. Parents do not appear to be asked to do anything for the school (fund raising or service) beyond paying tuition and dropping off/picking up their children. This is a fairly large school as well with several classes of each age. I ultimately did not apply, but your chances of an acceptance here appear fairly good.
Their programs consist of:
1 day a week Parents Morning Out (12mo to 23 mo) M, Tu, W, or F for $114-129 a month
2 days a weeks for 2s, 2 1/2s, or 3s Tu/Th or M/W for $217 a month
3 days a week for 3s or 4s M/W/F only for $250 a month
4 days a week for 4s M-Th for $302 a month
5 days a week for 4s or 5s M-F for $343 a month
Extended care is available only for the 5 day a week programs and only until 1pm. This option brings the total to a maximum of $468 a month.
Normal hours are 9am to 12noon. A pretty short day compared to many other programs.
Note that the reason I did not apply here was their austere potty-training policy. At the time the applications were due, my DS was only 2 1/2 and he was not potty learned, and how could I predict how successful we would be over the summer? At the open house, when I inquired about any leniency in their potty-training requirement I was told that if a child had an accident, the parent was called to come to school and change them. It was explained that this was done to minimize disruption to the teachers and the classroom. Well, that seemed pretty cruel to me, to make my child sit in soiled clothes for a half an hour or perhaps even 45 minutes until I could get out to school and change him. And requiring a 3 year old to be potty learned is possible, but not probable in my eyes. At worst, I would be out a deposit and possibly out a school for my son and without any options for care. I could not take that chance, so my search continued...
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Educational Models / Curiculum
I will try to link to some good websites on this topic, because it is a doozy and I cannot cover it here adequately. Besides, I'd really just be plagiarizing a lot of these sources anyhow.
I have found four or five major Educational Models that Arlington private schools seem to fit within:
Montessori
Waldorf
Reggio Emilia
Classical
Christian/A Beka
Note that, in general, Montessori Waldorf Reggio Emilia and Classical educational models are not necessarily secular or un- non- or anti-Christian. Sometimes you will find a Christian Montessori school, for example. Alas, not in Arlington. The nearest I could find is in Chantilly (Kidslovemonarch.com)
Links to come.
I have found four or five major Educational Models that Arlington private schools seem to fit within:
Montessori
Waldorf
Reggio Emilia
Classical
Christian/A Beka
Note that, in general, Montessori Waldorf Reggio Emilia and Classical educational models are not necessarily secular or un- non- or anti-Christian. Sometimes you will find a Christian Montessori school, for example. Alas, not in Arlington. The nearest I could find is in Chantilly (Kidslovemonarch.com)
Links to come.
A word on Tuition
That dreaded four-letter word. C-O-S-T.
On one hand, how much is that little mind worth?
On the other hand, he's only stinkin' 3 years old... I don't even have a memory of my own preschool days!
Every school, at least for preschool, seemed to have it's own different schedule of hours and days available.
I will try to break it down to a by hour cost, if I can.
Also keep in mind that you will likely have to pay an application fee, then once accepted a registration or enrollment fee (Disclaimer: sometimes you have to pay both, even if you don't get in. Read the fine print!) The registration/enrollment fee is usually a non-refundable annual fee. Sometimes there is also an activity fee.
A question you should ask each school: what fund-raising requirements do you levy on parents and students? There is a cost in my time. I personally feel that my free time is worth twice what I make an hour at work. Some schools have a parental labor requirement. Some have opportunities to purchase items that support the school (Scholastic books and the like). Some require that your student "raise" a certain amount of money throughout the year by soliciting friends neighbors and relatives... none of whom will be friends after your fourth gift wrap and popcorn tin catalog makes its rounds.
In general, the Montessori programs think very highly of themselves. They also in general have the highest student to teacher ratio. Of all of the Montessori facilities that I visited, I didn't think any of the buildings and rooms and such were any better than the lower costed programs that I visited. So where does the additional tuition money go? If it were to go to the teachers, most of whom have taken Montessori certification programs, I would be all for that. There are some Montessori non-re-useable supplies each year, I suppose. But probably no more so than most preschools. I'm pretty sure Montessori teachers do not make much more than regular preschool teachers (I have a cousin who teaches Montessori as my sole data point, so I haven't done a lot of research). But my presumption is that the bulk of the money goes to the owner, usually known as the Directress. I had kind of a problem with that. 25 kids * 4 classes = 100 kids * $10,000 a year/kid = $1,000,000 per year gross, minimum. 8 teachers + say 2 administrators. That's $100,000 each. I doubt they are getting half of that. In fact, I would be surprised if they were getting a quarter of that. Which means by my poor estimate that the Directress is clearing a half mil a year. Wow. Am I in the wrong business!
All things to think about.
On one hand, how much is that little mind worth?
On the other hand, he's only stinkin' 3 years old... I don't even have a memory of my own preschool days!
Every school, at least for preschool, seemed to have it's own different schedule of hours and days available.
I will try to break it down to a by hour cost, if I can.
Also keep in mind that you will likely have to pay an application fee, then once accepted a registration or enrollment fee (Disclaimer: sometimes you have to pay both, even if you don't get in. Read the fine print!) The registration/enrollment fee is usually a non-refundable annual fee. Sometimes there is also an activity fee.
A question you should ask each school: what fund-raising requirements do you levy on parents and students? There is a cost in my time. I personally feel that my free time is worth twice what I make an hour at work. Some schools have a parental labor requirement. Some have opportunities to purchase items that support the school (Scholastic books and the like). Some require that your student "raise" a certain amount of money throughout the year by soliciting friends neighbors and relatives... none of whom will be friends after your fourth gift wrap and popcorn tin catalog makes its rounds.
In general, the Montessori programs think very highly of themselves. They also in general have the highest student to teacher ratio. Of all of the Montessori facilities that I visited, I didn't think any of the buildings and rooms and such were any better than the lower costed programs that I visited. So where does the additional tuition money go? If it were to go to the teachers, most of whom have taken Montessori certification programs, I would be all for that. There are some Montessori non-re-useable supplies each year, I suppose. But probably no more so than most preschools. I'm pretty sure Montessori teachers do not make much more than regular preschool teachers (I have a cousin who teaches Montessori as my sole data point, so I haven't done a lot of research). But my presumption is that the bulk of the money goes to the owner, usually known as the Directress. I had kind of a problem with that. 25 kids * 4 classes = 100 kids * $10,000 a year/kid = $1,000,000 per year gross, minimum. 8 teachers + say 2 administrators. That's $100,000 each. I doubt they are getting half of that. In fact, I would be surprised if they were getting a quarter of that. Which means by my poor estimate that the Directress is clearing a half mil a year. Wow. Am I in the wrong business!
All things to think about.
The Arlington Public School System Montessori Program
Ahhh, my first preschool disappointment. I learned a lot and lost my naivete that finding a preschool would be super easy. I attended the Montessori Information Night held in the Winter. Applications were available between early February and due mid-April. It was held at Drew Model School (the location of the APS Elementary Montessori program, which is available to all students at no cost).
The first thing that I learned was that the Preschool Montessori program in APS was created for low-income families. Now, I am all about that. Studies show that kids from low income families don't get a good start in school because they generally don't go to preschool. However, so few slots (29 out of 115 slots) are available to NON-low income families as to be virtually worthless to even apply (hundreds apply for those few slots). Secondly, non-low income families have to pay tuition... on the order of $10,000 for the school year in 2010. Oh, and to qualify to be low-income you have to make less than $78,000. Yes, you read that right. Under $78,000 a year is LOW income in Arlington County. Welcome to insanityville.
Anyhow, many of the APS elementary schools have a preschool Montessori program: Ashlawn, Barrett, Campbell, Claremont, Drew, Glebe, Hoffman-Boston, Key, and Jamestown in 2010. Each has feeder schools. You can only turn in applications at the schools that accept your neighborhood elementary school as a feeder. Oh, and you have to turn a separate application in at EACH Montessori school that you want to be considered at. Claremont and Key also have Spanish Immersion along with Montessori (a neat feature).
For more information go to www.apsva.org then select Early Childhood under the "Instruction" tab.
Well, I figured if I was going to have to pay that kind of tuition, I might as well get the better odds of getting in at a private Montessori school. So my search began...
The first thing that I learned was that the Preschool Montessori program in APS was created for low-income families. Now, I am all about that. Studies show that kids from low income families don't get a good start in school because they generally don't go to preschool. However, so few slots (29 out of 115 slots) are available to NON-low income families as to be virtually worthless to even apply (hundreds apply for those few slots). Secondly, non-low income families have to pay tuition... on the order of $10,000 for the school year in 2010. Oh, and to qualify to be low-income you have to make less than $78,000. Yes, you read that right. Under $78,000 a year is LOW income in Arlington County. Welcome to insanityville.
Anyhow, many of the APS elementary schools have a preschool Montessori program: Ashlawn, Barrett, Campbell, Claremont, Drew, Glebe, Hoffman-Boston, Key, and Jamestown in 2010. Each has feeder schools. You can only turn in applications at the schools that accept your neighborhood elementary school as a feeder. Oh, and you have to turn a separate application in at EACH Montessori school that you want to be considered at. Claremont and Key also have Spanish Immersion along with Montessori (a neat feature).
For more information go to www.apsva.org then select Early Childhood under the "Instruction" tab.
Well, I figured if I was going to have to pay that kind of tuition, I might as well get the better odds of getting in at a private Montessori school. So my search began...
Montessori Schools
Early Years Montessori (note that there is also a different school called Early Years Preschool)
Full Circle Montessori
Arlington House Montessori
Children's House Montessori
Montessori Children's Center
McLean Montessori
Chesterbrook Montessori
and the Arlington Public Schools Montessori Program
There is also an Arlington Montessori Action Commitee, that I highly encourage you to seek out if you are serious about a Montessori education for your child. www.arlingtonmontessori.org
They have events and "going outs" and such. They seem a little tied to the public school system, but in general, are a very good source of information. You can get on their email listserve as well.
Full Circle Montessori
Arlington House Montessori
Children's House Montessori
Montessori Children's Center
McLean Montessori
Chesterbrook Montessori
and the Arlington Public Schools Montessori Program
There is also an Arlington Montessori Action Commitee, that I highly encourage you to seek out if you are serious about a Montessori education for your child. www.arlingtonmontessori.org
They have events and "going outs" and such. They seem a little tied to the public school system, but in general, are a very good source of information. You can get on their email listserve as well.
Preschools and Links - Non-Montessori
Falls Church Day School
Early Years Preschool
Faith Lutheran Preschool
Trinity Presbyterian Preschool
Providence Baptist Preschool
Mount Olivet UMC Preschool
Communikids Preschool
Children's International School
Westover Baptist
Trinity Episcopal School of Early Learning
Arlington Community Church
Discovery Woods Learning Community/Potomac Crescent School
On the Right Track
Etz Hayim
Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran
Early Years Preschool
Faith Lutheran Preschool
Trinity Presbyterian Preschool
Providence Baptist Preschool
Mount Olivet UMC Preschool
Communikids Preschool
Children's International School
Westover Baptist
Trinity Episcopal School of Early Learning
Arlington Community Church
Discovery Woods Learning Community/Potomac Crescent School
On the Right Track
Etz Hayim
Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran
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