San Francisco, CA
Belvedere Montessori

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
This is the most amazing preschool. My daughter has been to every museum and park in the City. Every week, the kids garden, go to the public library, swim at the Y, attend music and dance class. At the same time, no two weeks are alike. The director always finds incredibly interesting things for the kids to do. We LOVE this school.

Parent #2
Strengths - a weekly routine of daily (and I mean daily) outings (e.g. library trips - children have their own library cards, swimming, neighborhood playgrounds, etc.). The environment at Belvedere is one that supports older toddlers in making the transition to young children by stressing independence.
Weaknesses - a parent has to actually interact and participate on occasion to learn about their child's activities and growth. If you want to know what your child does every minute of every day by getting a piece of paper with a checklist filled out by school staff, this is NOT the school for you. If you're a parent who drops their child off and runs out the door, this school is not for you. But if you can make the time every now and then to chat and build up relationship with the director in the mornings during drop off or if you can steal away from work one day to help out on swimming day or a field trip day and actually see how your child interacts with other children, then this school can work for you and your child.

Parent #3
This is an amazing place! Both of my children have benefited tremendously from the fabulous combination of academics, art, interaction with nature, cultural forays into the city and outdoor play. In fact, after going through the kindergarten search process last year for my daughter, the hardest thing was finding someplace as wonderful as Belvedere Montessori!

Kids start each day by doing morning marker papers (for the under 4s) or journals where they learn to write phonetically. The individual and collaborative art projects the kids do are made with quality materials and the results are staggering; recent projects have included found-metal sculptures, (one of which was shown at the de Young Museum) enormous self portraits, plein-air painting and mosaic clay pots. The kids help maintain the Kevin Collins Memorial Garden, an urban garden of flowers and vegetables planted in recycled tires at the Panhandle playground. Every day (weather permitting) there is some sort of outing--weekly trips to the local library, swimming at the Presidio Y and trips to playgrounds, festivals and museums all over the city expose the kids to the wonderful richness of living in an urban environment. They use public transportation or walk just about everywhere which I consider a huge plus. Imagine my surprise (and slight embarassment) when my then 4-year old daughter exclaimed "look mom, it's the 43 masonic!" as a muni bus passed by. I had never ridden the 43, and she had, and she was able to identify the bus based on the numbers on the top.

But most of all, the director pours her heart and soul into this school. She works so hard to create an environment that creatively, consistently and lovingly fosters independence. As a parent, it has been a huge help to have someone who knows and cares for my children so well, and the times I have asked for input, I have gotten great (and reassuring) advice about child development and any specific issues related to my children.

The day is long--if you have a child who can't function without the 1pm nap, or if you are squeamish about your child riding on public transportation, or if you need the director to hold you hand -- this is not the place for you. But if you are looking for a hidden gem, that has an amazing community of families, and draws heavily on the richness of living in a world-class city, this is the place for your child.

Parent #4
This is an okay program for strong, assertive kids. Younger or more sensitive types might have trouble holding their own and this is not the most nurturing of places.

Parent #5
This is a great place for 4 year olds, but the schedule is probably overwhelming for 2 and 3 year olds. The approach to separation is brutal. (One teacher described it as: we just rip off the band-aid and let them cry as much as they want the first week.)

Parent #6
Not a school for the light-hearted. As I said previously, the kids take public transportation all over the city. They also go swim at the presidio YMCA one day a week during the academic year.

Parent #7
The only things that I would add to the school would be a more formal math curriculum and a structured time for parent conferences (we still get a lot of info on our kids, but it is not at a formal time and so often only 1 parent is there). Otherwise, I think that the school is terrific and would not change any thing.

Parent #8
Strengths of this school are that they build wonderfully confident, street savvy kids. Because the kids go out everyday (whether to a playground, a museum, a music concert, or a play), and the kids are experiencing the city, and life, in the best way. But by the same token, this school is not for you if you don't want your child traveling on Muni with school, out 'at large' and want them in one place. These kids explore...a lot.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!

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