Montessori Children’s House of the West Coast

Our daughter started MCH one year ago and we couldn’t be more happy. The school provides fun and educational activities for kids of mixed ages in a nurturing, but structured way were kids learn how to express their interest to any subject and be heard as individuals. They learn how to communicate well, how to be a good listener, and how to make things on their own. I couldn’t speak more highly of the teachers! The wonderful team of Montessori trained teachers supported by creative curriculum lead each classroom in a calm manner allowing the kids to learn about language, geography, science, art, and many more subjects. The parents take an active role in communicating not only with the teachers, but also with each other, becoming a part of a very special and diverse community. We love it there!

We love, love, love MCH. The community is very welcoming and prepares every incoming family with all the necessary information and support for their families to transition into MCH. The buddy family program is great and allows new children to see a familiar face when starting school and helps to ease the jitters.
MCH provides a balanced learning environment where our daughter was able to learn independent skills, at the same time, there are plenty of opportunities for them to develop their social skills. The faculties are all very attentive and caring and will adjust their interactions with the child based on their development level.
There is also a very strong parent community that are fully committed not only in the development of their own children, but for the school as a whole.

There is no better place for a child to start his/​her educational journey than MCH. Our three children have thrived at MCH (9-​year-​old alum + two graduating this year), and the culture of compassion, self-​reliance, and love of learning consistently reveals itself in our older daughter. The teaching staff is unparalleled and the only down side is that every other school after MCH feels like a bit of a let down, as no place else seems to exist just like it!

Our son has been at MCH for a year, and we couldn’t be happier.
In our initial preschool research, we looked at a wide variety of schools. Our priority was to find a school environment that was full of love and compassion for the children. We also wanted a school that would foster a love of learning, would help the children develop compassion and respect for others, and give them an opportunity to run around outside and get physical. We’ve found all of this with MCH and much more.
On our tour of MCH we already began to see these concepts in action, and it was inspiring. One example was during our tour, two children had a conflict and the teacher invited them to both sit down at a small table with the «peace rose». Then the teacher stepped away, and the two children began to talk to each other. One child held the rose and talked for a while and then passed the rose to the other child. Then the second child, who was now holding the rose, spoke while the first child listened. The rose and the conversation went back and forth for a few minutes like that. Their energy calmed and brightened. And then they both went happily back to their next schoolwork. It was so powerful to see these young children dialog in such a productive, calming way.
Our son has really blossomed in his first year at MCH. He loves going to school. He’s developing deep thoughtfulness and curiosity. He’s becoming more independent and flexible. He loves his teachers — as do we. They are the secret sauce of MCH and truly very special people. And he loves riding on the «big yellow bus» every day to one of San Francisco’s beautiful kids parks to run around and play with his schoolmates.
We highly recommend MCH. Our only regret is that we didn’t start our son earlier so he could spend three years at MCH instead of two.

I can’t say enough good things about the MCH. The school maintains a high standard of education. The core strength of the school is its excellent curriculum and highly skilled teachers. The teachers are very knowledgeable about the Montessori Education, warm, loving and on top of every child’s personality and development. Our son is in his second year and our daughter in her first year at MCH and we could not be happier with it. Both of them are thriving at the MCH. The parent community is fantastic and such an important part of the school as well: such a fun, warm, active and diverse group of people. I highly recommend touring the school to get a feel for it. The school is a hidden gem in San Francisco and we feel lucky to be part of it.

Our daughter attended MCH for two years [and we plan to send our next one as well]; we loved our experience there and highly recommend this preschool! The teachers, many of whom have been with the school over 15 years, are one of the school’s biggest assets and teach the Montessori Method [children are inherently curious and eager to learn — school can facilitate this by breaking tasks down into manageable steps and enabling them with tools of appropriate developmental size and ability] with kindness, patience, grace and poise. The parent community is diverse, educated and interesting; our daughter LOVED going to MCH every day and still asks about her teachers and friends even now that we have moved on [half to public and half to private K’s]. Because of the solid, loving and thoughtful foundation she learned from MCH, she was well-​prepared to move onto Kindergarten and transitioned easily. I highly recommend visiting the school to better understand it’s special culture.

MCH is a wonderful school community that fosters a very supported Montessori environment for all children. The purposefully and thoughtfully prepared classroom environments nurture the «whole child» through five principal curriculum areas that address practical, cognitive, social and creative learning. The MCH teachers and staff are the school’s greatest strength. The teachers have deep and extensive Montessori training and many of them have been teaching at MCH for over a decade. They are warm, loving and unconditionally patient with their students, igniting a sense of exploration and discovery, allowing students to be self-​guided but feeling supported at the same time. I have been part of the parent community for almost 2 years and have 2 children at the school, and continue to be impressed by the proactive engagement and involvement of this community. MCH is a very unique and authentic preschool that values diversity (cultural, ethnic, family structure and socioeconomic) and is grounded in Maria Montessori’s philosophy which is based on a profound respect for an individual child’s ability and innate motivation to learn.