We feel so fortunate to be a part of the LJMS community. Our son is 26 months old and he is THRIVING at this school. Yes, even in the midst of COVID-19!

First and foremost, LJMS provides an authentic Montessori education. All of the teachers are AMI educated. This was very important to us in our search for a Montessori school, as not all schools which use the Montessori name offer this level of authenticity. The entire staff is truly committed to the Montessori method, which is characterized by child-led development that involves the staff’s observation of the child and their strengths and creating an individualized learning program that follows the child’s unique interests and pace. Our son especially enjoys cooking with his teachers and other practical life activities (gardening, sweeping, cleaning windows, and lately, learning to dress himself), circle time (including singing songs, playing instruments, and reading books), and language lessons (which involve the use of real materials, such as fruits and vegetables; and replicas, such as miniature versions of different animals). All of these daily activities assist in fostering our son’s independence, curiosity, and desire to learn.

Also, unlike any other childcare center that we considered (there were A LOT), LJMS offers an English/Spanish bilingual immersion program to all students attending the school at no additional cost. Each classroom has one teacher who exclusively speaks English with the children and a second teacher who exclusively speaks Spanish. This is a proven method that assists children in learning to speak a second language fluently by the time they complete Kindergarten. What an amazing gift to give your child! We’ve overheard our two year old counting to himself in Spanish and lately he has been using Spanish words to describe objects that he sees in books. It really works!

Other factors we considered when interviewing schools was the availability of before/after school care and a summer program. LJMS offers both. Our son is currently enrolled in the summer program and prior to COVID-19, when both of us parents were commuting to/from work, he was enrolled in the after school care program. Everything we love about what LJMS offers during the traditional school year calendar/hours is also prevalent in their before/after school care and summer program.

Outside of the classroom, LJMS has consistently demonstrated their commitment to support their families. Prior to COVID-19, they offered informative sessions for parents, which gave us the opportunity to meet with the Director, teachers, and other parents to learn more about the Montessori method and how to continue it at home. During COVID-19 and prior to reopening the school, they offered weekly parent meetings on Zoom, during which they shared relevant information and resources for all of us parents suddenly tasked with providing full-time childcare. Also during COVID-19 and prior to reopening the school, the teachers hosted daily Zoom meetings for the children, during which they offered lessons in cooking and making play dough, sang songs, and read books. Our son participated in most of these meetings, which made his transition back to school that much easier.

Since reopening after COVID-19, the school has implemented a proven protocol ensuring the health and safety of the children. Staff wear masks, everyone gets their temperature checked upon arrival and again in the afternoon, children wash their hands every 45 minutes, and disinfecting the classrooms/materials is taken very seriously. We were SO pleased to learn about their recent addition to their disinfecting protocol – Electrochemical Activation (ECA) generators, which use water, salt, and electricity to produce a potent, but natural, disinfectant that can cover the walls, furniture, and classroom materials in minutes. They are EPA approved and frequently used in hospitals, airplanes, and childcare centers. We are so grateful of (and truly impressed with) LJMS’ commitment to both the health and safety of our son.

If you’ve taken the time to read through this lengthy review, you’re likely as thorough as we were in selecting a school for our son. We can honestly say that LJMS has and continues to exceed our expectations in regards to all of the factors that we consider to be important. We have another son due in August and we already know that we want to enroll him at LJMS as soon as he is eligible at 18 months old!