Bright Angel Montessori Academy

This is our second year at Bright Angel. Our son has been here when he was 20 months old. He loves his toddler room teachers and friends. The teachers are patient, caring and engaging and our son loves his time in school. He learned so much about himself and his place in the world from a variety of perspectives, including numbers, nature, gardening, and socializing. We loved that they have so many interesting «work» activities that the children could choose from and that they are allowed to focus on each activity without time constraints or forced participation.
Communication with school is easy. The administrator Joe and Mei-​lings are quick to address issues and keep us updated. Our son is transitioning to preshool classroom, and teachers have been very helpful with working with us with visits to the the preschool room to ensure a smooth transition.
The only thing we wish were a bigger playground, but it’s a bit too much to ask in the one of the Menlo/​Atherton neighborhood, one of the most expansive area to live. The outdoor play spice is limited, but there are little gardens with tomato and grapes. We are very happy to see the classroom are nicely decorated, spacious and clean.

My experience with Bright Angel Academy has been a pleasure. After a stressful move my 2 children have acclimated to this environment beautifully. They feel loved and excepted by the staff. The Montessori program was new to us, but they seem to be flourishing. The freedom to learn and develop psychologically and socially has increased their interest in learning new things.
I wrote this review because I saw a negative review by someone that doesn’t even attend the school. It is important to me that this is about the kids and not about an outsider stirring trouble. These people have been a blessing to our family.

Pros:
1. Good caring of the kids
2. Clean and new facilities
3. Kind and friendly teachers/​assistants
4. High teachers/​assistants to students ratio
5. Kids follow rules pretty well
Cons:
1. Students turnover pretty high (regularly see new kids crying and getting all the teachers attention, i.e. less attention to your kids)
2. Limited outdoor area.
3 Pretty much montessori jobs daily, limited varieties on projects/​enrichment programs like in other preschools
4. School closes 3 – 4 weeks more than other preschools since it follows public school district whereas many others don’t.
5. Very pricey relative to many others

Style: Montessori, rigid discipline. Kids learn rule and knowledge but not feeling good freedom.
Pros:
School is quite new that means teaching material and toys are in good shape. Classrooms are spacious.
Cons:
The owner of this school cares money more than anything else. He knows how to squeeze last penny from parents. The price is 20% higher than local average, and need pay registration fee every year.

My daughter has been going to bright angel for over on year now, and we couldn’t be happier. We absolutely love the teachers and care she receives there. Plus, we have become big fans of the montessori method, which we believe is giving her a great foundation for not only being a good citizen of the world, but also a love of learning. I highly recommend this school/​daycare and will be sending our younger daughter there, when she is old enough.

My daughter is going to Bright Angel 5 days a week in addition to the early and afterdaycare. She loves the place, the friends and most of all she loves the teachers. They are very professional. She learned so much in so little time. Now She is very independent. Their activities are well organized and the room is always very clean and tidy. Administration is friendly and tries it’s best to satisfy our special needs…
I recommend Bright Angel 100%.

My son has been here about six months, and he LOVES going to school. As you’d guess from the name, this school uses a Montessori philosophy to guide the curriculum – students learn through examples to perform many tasks independently. My mama-​centric boy is very eager to change his shoes, greet his classmates and get to work when I drop him off. The classroom is bright, tidy and full of child-​enticing activities.
Administration is friendly and professional, and they can do email invoices and credit card billing.
Cons? If you have twins or need before– or after-​school care, the costs can add up. There was a bit of staff turnover a few months ago, which is hard for some kids to process – although all of the teachers have been patient, gentle and wonderful.
I was lucky to find this school when they were newly open and had no waitlist. If you’re interested, make an appointment and check it out!