Montessori Children’s House & School

I wholeheartedly endorse this gem of a school. I encourage you to tour if you are looking for a nurturing and enriching school for your small child.
Both my children attended MCHS from ages 3 – 6. They have different personalities. My daughter is serious and has always been an old soul. My son is a high-​energy joker. Each thrived in this environment.
Why I’d choose MCHS again:
1. Quality of the teachers. Phenomenal guides including the administration and the aftercare which as a working mom was a huge priority for me. The director is incredibly competent and has a long tenure at the school. When I asked my now 9-​year old daughter what she thought people should know about MCHS she said, «The teachers at MCHS are loving and kind and treat the kids like they are capable.»
2. Sense of empowerment that my kids have developed here. Kids love work and purpose. Montessori teaches kids they can learn to do things for themselves. From ironing to tying their shoes to using wooden blocks to literally build a four digit number, so they understand the physical representation of the number.

3. Each of my kids has developed an impressive attention span which I credit largely to their time at MCHS. My six year old son designs and embroiders pillows. My daughter and her best pal used to write and illustrate stories together, some of which were more than thirty pages long. They didn’t get this focus from me. I thank MCHS!
I’d also emphasize the benefits of staying at MCHS through kindergarten. It really does all come together in the third year and provides a strong foundation moving forward. At MCHS, each of my children learned to write in cursive. They learned to read. They developed dear friends. They felt accountable for showing the smaller kids the ropes in the classroom. Not only looking out for them, but sometimes tutoring the little kids, reinforcing their own learning in the process.

This is one of best Montessori schools in the Dallas area. Beautiful grounds and building-​you forget you’re in the middle of Dallas. The staff is highly trained and incredibly knowledgeable. MCHS provides one of the only scientifically validated preschool educations (children have demonstrated a greater degree of academic success after receiving this type of initial experience)-although, not all Montessori schools are created equally. But we did our homework and discovered MCHS is a top of the line AMI school– which means some of the highest standards (right in our backyard)! My children both love this school and their respective teachers. However, Montessori education is just not suited to all parents– especially those who want their child spoon fed copious amounts of information to memorize. It’s best suited for parents who want their children to experience the joy of learning and discovery through doing and exploring. Some parents don’t understand how important this is to developing the whole child and building self confidence, academically and socially. Based on my observations at MCHS, the vast majority of children thrive in this atmosphere. We are so fortunate to be a part of the MCHS «family» and are indebted to the wonderful folks here. Our children will be the next generation of «can-​do» innovators and big thinkers, thanks largely to their wonderful start at MCHS.

Sorry it took so long to re-​review, the director is great but the teacher we had was horrible. It was such a horrendous experience, I wanted to pull her out before classes were over. They forewarn you that it may seem they aren’t learning anything but it will show in a couple of years. That is crap. My daughter really wasn’t learning anything because all she wanted to do was play & that’s what they let her do all day.
She was at another Montessori & learned more there in 3 mths then what she learned at MCHS in a year. I raised concerns with the guide like the director told us to & instead of trying to resolve the issue she just hated me & basically refused to talk to me. On 3 occasions I left messages for her to call me directly & she would say the answer to the secretary & that secretary would call me back, this became extremely frustrating when I had follow up questions. The director never believed how rude or callous her teacher was so I took a recorder to one of the parent teacher conferences to prove to her how she acted. As soon as it was my turn to go in she walked out her class to go get the director. The guide only said maybe 3 words while the director talked the rest of the time & answered questions I directed towards the guide. There was zero communication between myself and the teacher.
I also had concerns about her coming home looking like she rolled around in a mud pit. Her pants and shoes had chunks of mud on them. MCHS never did anything about it. The guide dismissed us and the director just said that’s how kids are. I spoke with at least 2 other parents who also had the same concern about the dirtiness. Yes kids can get messy but there is a line & adults should «guide» them to not get so dirty.
They show you how some kids are solving complex math problems & other advanced projects but I guess it’s only for their favorites because I never saw my daughter or anyone in her class do any of that. Also, her teacher told me that my daughter doesn’t want to learn! I was shocked to hear such nonsense! Never ever has my daughter not wanted to learn! She is quite the opposite & all of her previous 4 teachers in other schools & current teachers can attest to that. They always are Surprised at how quickly & how much she wants to learn, even her Arabic teacher at DIS wants to put her in advanced classes.
One time my mom sat in class to observe & she observed 2 kids pushing a little girl outside & locking her out. It took several minutes for the teacher to figure this out & my mom wasn’t allowed to talk or «interfere» (as the guide said). When they finally brought the parents in to discuss what occurred they basically ushered them away from my mom when she greeted them. We knew those parents & finally told them the true story of what occurred (MCHS gave another version).
I almost forgot my favorite complaint. My daughter was still perfecting her potty skills & one time she peed on herself & went to the bathroom to change. She couldn’t get her pants off & was too shy to ask for help & she fell asleep on the bathroom floor for 10 – 15 minutes until the teacher finally checked in on her! I was so infuriated! What if she had fallen & busted her head open?! She would have bled out before they found her.
Several times I picked her up with her pants soaked from urine. She has a change of clothes there & that witch just let her be wet in a 60 degree environment. My daughter had some of the worst rashes & colds because of this callous treatment. I would have been better off leaving her with a pack of monkeys than these guides. (At least the monkeys would lick her but clean!) It seems like they are just watching over the class but not really taking care of them or teaching them. I can’t remember the teachers name. She’s an older puerto rican lady.
My daughter was at Garland Montessori where she learned a lot but the owner seemed too creepy for me. Now she is at Spanish House & we both love it. She learns sooo much! They have a Montessori way of teaching but with more guidance than MCHS (where the kids do whatever they want).
I actually went to Spanish House last May & begged for a spot – i was 3^rd on the waiting list. I told the director about the terrible problems we have at MCHS & she called me 2 hours later to tell me she gave my baby a spot so she won’t continue to suffer at MCHS. Can I tell u I was sooo relieved & elated that I cried! SH has been the best move ever. She had attended their summer session previously & loved her teachers. The owners are this wonderful, sweet couple that also has their kids in their school. Now my daughter loves school.
That being said, there are numerous parents that are happy with that MCHS but my experience was horrific. I would never recommend MCHS but others do. I’m just one untold experience. If she wasn’t in SH I would put her in Dallas International School, that’s where she takes her Arabic class & the teachers & staff I have interacted with are awesome.