Big City Montessori

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Sept 2005

Can anyone tell me if Big City Montessori on Industrial in San Francisco is a good school? I would like to know before I give them my deposit of $875.00. misty

my daughter has been going to big city since she was 2 (about 10 months now) and it's been really great. my daughter is shy and the toddler teachers are very accomodating to her personality. they are encouraging without being insistent. the whole atmosphere is great for the development of little personalities. even though there are lots of kids there (100 total, I think), there is a lot of respect for personal space and it doesn't feel chaotic at all. I also like that they aren't so strict about being completely montessori like some schools I've seen - while they do use montessori methods & toys in the classroom, they also have ''regular'' toys and a cute playground for before & after class. the approach to montessori should evolve with time, don't you think? the quality of the food was an issue the parents had for a while, but it's made fresh everyday and they get lots of fruit for snacks. but they do get white bread and mac and cheese. we are dreading having to move her to to a school in berkeley now that we have moved from bernal heights. She still commutes with me to the city while we get that all sorted out, but sometimes I think it would be better to keep her there since she's thriving. ddc

For a SF Montessori school, look into Big City Montessori. It's on Bay Shore. We looked at it and almost chose it, but for some logistic issues for us. It's been run by the same family for several years and they have a great faclility. http://www.bigcitymontessorischool.com/new2/index.htm Patricia