Santa Clara Montessori - Santa Clara, California

Ketaki B.

We love Santa Clara Montessori specially I had a very bad experience in our old daycare and my kid came back with fractured arm and he was just 14 months old. Honestly SCM gives me a peace of mind. My son started SCM at the age of 18 months he just turned 3.
We a really appreciate the personalised setup of the daycare. All teachers are very caring and really give a one to one attention when my kid needed it. Best things are the teachers really put their heart into conducting learning activities and theme based activities they are academic but also fun focusing on different skills development.
There are so many things that are unique like having a good parent and teacher communication.
But to end I would say love that they provide meals and snacks which are healthy and balanced.

hinal G.

Our son had a unique transition into daycare, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with very limited exposure to people until he was two years old. Like many kids, he would cry at drop-off, and it was challenging to see him so upset. However, the patience and care shown by Mrs. Cho at SCM was remarkable. She would embrace him, and he clung to her like a koala for extended periods, which brought us so much comfort. I cannot thank her enough for her warmth and understanding during those tough early days.
The activities at Santa Clara Montessori are both fun and educational. Our son brings home a variety of arts and crafts, and it's clear they cover a wide range of topics—from learning about nature (plants, animals, etc.) to community helpers, Spanish, math, phonics, learning about good habits and diet and even yoga. Yoga has become a favorite for our son, and he even practices it at home! The curriculum is enriching, with new topics every week or month, ensuring the kids are always engaged and learning. We wanted a Montesorri setting for our kid as we could see that he would benefit from montessori practices.The montessori “jobs” that kids do at SCM everyday are age appropriate and help build focus and help them learn the particular skill at their right sensitive period for that time.
The summer camps are a highlight, packed with exciting activities. Last year, they had a real-life reptile show and K-pop dance sessions. This year as well there were fun and engaging activities such as a mariachi band, nature walks, Bollywood dance, and more. Each day of summer camp is filled with fun and learning.
Practices like “Sharing day,” a weekly activity, not only help with learning letter sounds in a playful way but also work towards easing the fear of public speaking. It’s these thoughtful activities that have made a big difference in our son’s development.
The lunch and snacks provided are nutritious and varied, which is a big time-saver for the parents.
The teachers and peers at SCM are kind, knowledgeable, and attentive. Our son receives personal attention that’s not always possible in larger settings—a sentiment we’ve heard echoed by other parents as well. When he turned four, we decided to move him to the new Santa Clara Montessori Center on San Tomas, where there are more kids his age. We were initially concerned about the transition, but seeing familiar faces, including Ms. Katie, put him at ease from day one. Ms. Katie even offered to have his favorite teacher from the old school visit the new one to make the transition smoother—a gesture that meant the world to us.
We debated whether to start him in Pre-K at a larger institution or continue with SCM, and we’re so glad we chose to stay. The attention and care our son receives at SCM would not have been possible in a bigger school, and their curriculum has prepared him well for the future. Ms. Katie truly puts her heart and soul into her work, and it shows in the warmth and energy of the teachers at both the campuses. The biggest testament to how much our son loves SCM is that on days when he's sick, he’s actually upset that he can’t go to school and requests us, “Please just take me there for a little while.”
We couldn’t be happier with the growth and blossoming we’ve seen in our child at Santa Clara Montessori Center!

Neil P.

Our son started at Santa Clara Montessori in August of 2023 as a 3 year old. Previously he had difficulty adjusting to the daycare environments emotionally and socially.

I can say over the last 6 months our son has made huge progress. He adjusted relatively quickly to the new environment which has a small cohort of kids and building size that is not too imposing or overwhelming. Drop offs and pickups are very quick aiding in daily transitions greatly.

The school encourages independence and has allowed our son to grow in several areas such as communicating desires, following instructions, self care such as taking on and off shoes and interacting with his peers. We have seen a lot of improvement in all these areas.

We feel the Montessori method is working well for our son, and daily activities include circle time activities, group physical activities like Pilates, individual activities for each child and the all important play time, lunch and nap time. We love the daily update on the parent teacher app which shows photos of our kid during the day engaging in various activities. The app is very convenient when communicating with teachers about things like schedule changes and early pick up times or if grandparents are picking up our kid for example. Daily lunch menus are posted. We like that lunch is included and only the plates and utensils are provided by us in a daily basis.

Overall we are very happy with our choice to send our son to Santa Clara Montessori and continue to see improvements in our son as he also continues to be a happy kid in and out of school.

divya S. M.

My daughter has been at Santa Clara Montessori for about a year, and we are thrilled with our decision. She's improved her communication skills and eating habits. We initially started her part-time but transitioned to full-time after Director Ms. Aruna's encouragement. She loves going to school, has made many friends, and enjoys the excellent curriculum and engaging activities led by Ms. Katie and Ms. Aruna. The teachers are professional, caring, and patient, and I appreciate the daily updates and photos shared on the Brightwheel app. I highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a great preschool or daycare.

Raymond C.

Our kid has been going to Santa Clara Montessori for two years and learned so much thanks to the teachers and curriculum. They've developed great educational foundations such as counting, alphabet, reading, and sharing. The standout areas that make me recommend Santa Clara Montessori are the friends they have made, the excitement to go to school, and the variety of activities such as yoga, holiday celebrations, sharing days, and a "summer camp" with themed weeks. The teachers also offer and did potty trained our little one who has become extremely confident and self-sufficient in using the bathroom. Ms. Katie, the director, has invested a lot to continue growing and evolving Santa Clara Montessori. We are very happy to have found this school.

Jessica H.

My daughter has been attending Santa Clara Montessori for 5 months now. Over this time, I have seen her become much more expressive and vocal. Every Wednesday they have a "sharing day" where they have one letter of the alphabet and the kids bring one item starting with that letter to share. She always looks forward to sharing day and is excited to bring her item to share with the class.

My daughter came from a larger chain school and was not able to get the attention that she needed. We decided to move her to Santa Clara Montessori because the child to teacher ratio was much smaller. We were comforted to know that she can get additional attention from the teachers.

Lunch is provided on a daily basis and on Fridays the kids make pizza, which is a great way to teach them independence. They also practice yoga on Fridays and my daughter is always excited to show us the moves she learned.

Another thing I want to note is that my daughter always expresses to us how much she loves Ms Katie! This shows us that the teachers and students treat each other like family.

Amrita D.

My kid has been attending Santa Clara Montessori, and she loves it! The teachers are super loving and caring. The school is focused on Montessori learning and wholesome development and my kid is growing up to be more independent everyday. They pay attention individually to each kid’s development and suggests what needs to be followed at home too to help facilitate Montessori style independence. All the teachers take personal interest in your child and my kid loves going to school everyday and comes back home with a happy face. They are super honest and lets us know about my kiddos daily activities so that we can also continue that at home. I also love all the parent meet-ups and activities that gives us the ability to slowly get to know each other well. I highly recommend SCM.

Fernando L.

Our daughter joined Santa Clara Montessori when she was about 1 year and 3 months old. She always seemed to enjoy attending and we observed significant developmental progress from her participating in the daily activities. Before enrolling, the director took time with us to explain how the program worked and to answer all the questions we had. The teachers were always eager to work with us whenever we had a special request, including the extra care they had to take since our daughter was very allergic to eggs.