Little Genius Montessori Center

Both of my children have been attending this school for more than a year now. They both really enjoy going to school, and the staffs have taken very good care of them. The toddler class is taught all in Mandarin, and the primary class is taught in both Mandarin and English. Because of this, both of my children are fluent in Mandarin. They focus on teaching the children independence (by teaching them some practical life work such as buttoning shirts and using tools), and they also teach poetry, art, music and math. They even offer soccer classes once a week for the older children. My children are very happy at this school, and I am grateful to the staff for the wonderful learning environment and warm interactions. The communication between the parents and the teachers have been good, and if there is any concern regarding the care of your children, simply write them an email and the staff will respond very quickly. They are also available to speak with the parents during drop-off and pick-up time. I highly recommend this school!

My son has been attending Little Genius from May 2018, when we moved to Maryland from California.  It was important to us to find the following: 1) Mandarin Immersion Program 2) Montessori philosophy, ideally with certification. 3) Warm and friendly teachers. Little Genius ticks all those boxes for us.  When we moved our son was 2 years old, and had been in Mandarin Immersion Montessori since he was 3 months old.  As a note, my husband and I are both American Mutts who speak English primarily and only Mandarin at a very basic (aka Toddler) level.  Margaret and Joe (the owners/directors) are very warm and welcoming to new parents and worked with me to allow me to tour during my very short time I had before starting my new job.   Little Genius is a combo of a school and home daycare.  There are two rooms in a converted Basement that serve as the school.  One is for the toddler set (18 months - 3 years, roughly) and one for the older set (3-6).  The toddler room is full of well crafted Montessori materials for toddlers and open for circle time and play.   The main room has appropriate sized tables for the young children to do their individual work.  There is an on site outside playground that is fenced so the children can play without concerns.  So far we&#39;ve only experienced the toddler program. I would say the toddler program is more &#34;play-based&#34; than &#34;school based&#34; and there are some activities that we experienced at a previous more formal Montessori School (with the according high expense) that are not present at Little Genius.  Notably any group cooking experiences for the littles, though I do understand it would be a challenge to pull off in the setup so it is understandable.  That being said, my son has certainly learned many songs and poems in Mandarin and worked on his fine motor and gross motor skills through the &#34;work&#34; they do.  I also have a fine collection of crafts, which I proudly hang on the refrigerator.  The Mandarin is about 70/30 exposure.  The teachers are all native speakers, which is great, and they speak to the children mostly in Mandarin.  The children, however, speak English freely amongst themselves and often back to the teachers.  I&#39;ve seen and read of different versions of the immersion and while I don&#39;t think this is a bad implementation, it is not a &#39;strict&#39; immersion, if that is what is being sought.  There was a couple of months where my son refused to use his Mandarin at home, but he is more comfortable doing so now (and in part I believe because we as his parents worked hard to show we wanted to also learn and speak with him).   Our son is always ready with a hug for his 老师 and is all smiles at drop-off and pickup.  I like the practical life skills he is learning.  Lunches started being provided within about 6 months and that has made my life easier and I know he&#39;s eating a variety of healthy options.   I will update this review in 1-3 years after we have experienced the older kids program.

Both of my children have been attending this school for more than a year now. They both really enjoy going to school, and the staffs have taken very good care of them. The toddler class is taught all in Mandarin, and the primary class is taught in both Mandarin and English. Because of this, both of my children are fluent in Mandarin.  They focus on teaching the children independence (by teaching them some practical life work such as buttoning shirts and using tools), and they also teach poetry, art, music and math. They even offer soccer classes once a week for the older children. My children are very happy at this school, and I am grateful to the staff for the wonderful learning environment and warm interactions. The communication between the parents and the teachers have been good, and if there is any concern regarding the care of your children, simply write them an email and the staff will respond very quickly. They are also available to speak with the parents during drop-off and pick-up time. I highly recommend this school!

Schedule	Time	2 Days	3 Days	4 Days	5 Days
Half Day	-
Full Day	-
Extended Schedule	-