Central Park Montessori School

Our experience at Central Park Montessori has only been positive. Last year we switched from a progressive school on UWS and couldn&#39;t be happier.  Our child has thrived at CPM, whereas at his former school he was drifting.  Our son&#39;s fine motor, language and social skills have improved dramatically.  Most importantly, he is happy.  I give credit to executive director for hiring top-notch teachers skilled in the Montessori methodology and conflict resolution in the classroom.  They manage the classroom efficiently and independently without involving parents, unless absolutely necessary.  We are extremely grateful to the teachers and administration for offering this wonderful community to our child and highly recommend CPM to parents looking for the program with a coherent methodology and warm learning environment.

We. Love. This. School. We&#39;ve only been here for a year, but within that year, our daughter has developed in astonishing ways. We are not first time parents and have an older child who attended other (also good) Montessori schools in other parts of Manhattan. Our experience at this school is unparalleled from an educational / child-centric standpoint. The teachers in our classroom at least have been nothing short of rock stars. I do wish, as part of a family with two working parents, that hours, holidays and events scheduling were more accommodating of professional realities. However, in a family emergency, the administration was incredibly accommodating of our last minute scheduling needs. We are extremely pleased with Central Park Montessori -- except on one count, the reason why I am compelled to deduct a star: The owner of the school, S. Haberman, is in my opinion and in the opinion of many parents, treating the teachers unfairly. They have made some very modest requests for benefits, including bi-monthly pay, rather than once-a-month pay, so teachers (particularly lower-wage part time or assistant teachers) are not struggling to make ends meet between paychecks. Teachers also seek a lower-priced health care option and a small increase in 401K contributions. The school&#39;s owner, a well known developer, has rejected these requests in several rounds of negotiations. Ratings: Teachers: AMAZING. Administration: Great curriculum development  on the part of both teachers and administrators. Ann, Carrie, Liz and Kathy are hard working and capable. As much as we like them, however, Kathy and Liz are ultimately advocates for the status quo, who could be -- but choose not to be -- more responsive to parent and teacher concerns. Ownership: Could be better. Like another reviewer, we are not fans of the fact that tuition is not refundable under any circumstance even if the school asks your child to leave, you move, or heaven forbid, some tragedy befalls your child, and he/she is no longer able to attend. And we are not fans of the fact that the teachers&#39; very reasonable requests go nowhere in negotiations. A lot of parents at this school care about being good human beings and dislike participating in a system that seems to exploit (or at least insufficiently care for) our teachers, an indispensable part of our school community. This isn&#39;t the message we want to send to our children. Tuition is high. Very high. It is higher than at the other two Twin Parks campuses, we understand. Yes, this is NYC and rents are not insignificant in this neighborhood. But it seems only fair for a little bit more of what parents pay to trickle down to the teachers who make it all possible.

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