Palm Harbor Montessori Academy

If your toddler is perfectly behaved, well mannered, laid back, abnormally calm and never cries when they need a nap, this school may be OK for you. For us, this school has been nothing but a long series of issues and drama. They call my stepdaughter in for nonsense like the baby got up on the little table when she was supposed to be eating — what? She’s two. Can they not manage a two year old who is testing boundaries without calling the parents at work and insulting them? They called her to pick up her daughter again when she took a toy from another child. Again, what kind of preschool for toddlers can’t handle simple issues like that? The list goes on and on and on with the nonsensical phone calls. It makes me question the training they give the people who are charged with watching children.
My granddaughter has been there for a little over a year and it has been problematic from the beginning. My stepdaughter has been hesitant to say anything because she is very easy going and doesn’t want to cause problems. But I feel that parents should be aware before they enroll their child here.
My step-​grand daughter is a lively, very sweet and very creative two year old. She is affectionate and social, normal and bright. She has been in this school for over a year, so she started out as a one year old.
My first red flag was when she started coming home with bruises and marks. The staff tells my stepdaughter that they don’t know from what. Once or twice would be acceptable, but they happen all of time. When she was in diapers, she would frequently come home with nasty diaper rash and sores — something she never had when she stayed home with family for a few days. She is my step-​grand daughter, so I have tried to mind my own business, but I have secretly (and sometimes not secretly) wanted her mother to pull her out of that school.
If a child (how «bad» can a 1.5−2 year old be?) doesn’t behave perfectly (what? Ha!) then the teachers make insinuations that the parents are failing, leaving my stepdaughter in tears and wondering what she has done wrong. What? Who does that? The little girl is great at home. In addition, a mother who does her best isn’t «doing something wrong» because her two year old doesn’t behave like a soldier. The baby is not anything more than an active child. Unfortunately lazy teachers might have to get up out of their seats or stop playing on their cell phones once in a while.
Good luck if you choose this school. I pray my step-​grand daughter is removed sooner than later.

My son has been to a few different schools now and we have finally found where we love to be! The education here is great! The children are taught to be independent learners. I am always impressed with what the kids are learning and how they are going about learning it! I am never disappointed with the academics. They have quite a few wonderful family events that I enjoy and one of my son’s favorites,“They a pool!” I suggest to anyone looking for a good school to learn about Montessori education and you will see that it stands out above so many other schools.

We just moved to Palm Harbor, FL and decided to send our son (who is in the 1^st grade or Junior Elementary) and our daughter (who is in the primary classroom) to PHMA. We could not be happier. There transition to a new school has been easy and we have been happy with the school both academically and socially.