Guidepost Montessori - Foothill Ranch Avis 1

This is a long overdue review. We enrolled my daughter at GP when she was just 8 months old. We toured several places and after many interviews, we decided GP was the best choice for us. As a first time mama, returning to work was one of the hardest things I had to do. At the time, Jamie and Lan were the heads of school and I had great interactions with both. Ultimately though, Miss Abi, the Nido lead guide, is who truly helped me develop such a trust for the school and the Montessori program. My daughter is now 22 months and I wanted to share my thank you note to the Nido team:

"Waaaaah! I am so sorry that this response took so long. It was stuck in my spam AND I think I was in denial with Vivi moving to the toddler class, haha. It seems like it was only yesterday that I dropped her off for her first day when she was 8 months old! I cannot express enough how grateful Jon and I are for you and your team. There's so much anxiety that parents go through when trying to find a daycare/school. Viv not only thrived in your class but she has grown to love each and every one of you. You kept our daughter safe and she developed such a deep connection and trust in your classroom. You and your team cultivated that connection and built upon it. We couldn't have asked for a better first teacher. Thank you for helping us raise a confident infant/toddler - we couldn't have survived the last year without you all.

The transition to toddler has been a challenging one but we know that she will be okay. There are bittersweet moments because Vivi still asks for you and/or Ms. Gaby. That's how much of an impact you have on her life Please continue to do the magic you all do - your dedication and compassion for the babies shows and does not go unnoticed."

Now, there has been some turnover in management and in my daughter's toddler class but, I do not feel that my child's safety or learning has been compromised because of it. Sure, we prefer consistency but, we adapt. The new heads of school, Ms. Lorine and Ms. Dora have made INCREDIBLE updates to the school: they transformed the lobby area into a cozy and welcoming space! There's light atmospheric music playing when you walk in, an oil diffuser with a clean scent, just little things that make you breathe a sigh of relief upon entering. The classrooms each have a mini bulletin board with updates. They have had technological/app updates that I feel are much better. This year they even offered extracurricular activities: yoga, gymnastics, dance, etc., and that's something I wanted for my child. Not only was she getting a Montessori education, but she had the opportunity to participate in other classes.

I wanted to give Ms. Laura and Ms. Monica, the toddler's lead guide, a shoutout for stepping in when the former lead guide unexpectedly left. They have made my daughter's transition truly memorable. I can't wait to see what they have in store for the rest of her toddler journey.

Finally, the community engagement has been much more fun and vibrant! The leadership team and staff have also been forthcoming with the changes and have kept the lines of communication open. The toddler teachers have also offered various parenting workshops: toileting, independence, etc. I feel like there is always a school function or workshop, it's truly amazing to see the passion they have for our children's growth and development. Suffice it to say, GP has only gotten better and I look forward to seeing their progress.