Belmont Academy

Our daughter started this summer in the Belmont Pre-​K classroom. She had been happily attending a small, mixed age group daycare/​preschool for several years, but as she approached kindergarten age, we felt she had outgrown her previous day care, and was ready for a more traditional ‘school like’ environment. We looked at just about every option in Portland/​Milwaukie, and Belmont was basically the only school that fit the bill at a workable tuition cost.
There are private K-​12 schools that offer a true PreK classroom, and also some Montessori options, but all of those are REALLY expensive. If you want to pay less than $ 1000 a month, you are basically relegated to home day cares, churches, or something very part time. We really appreciate what Belmont is offering, as they seem to be filling a need that not many other places are: A true school (not day care) for littler ones at a cost that’s not out of reach for the average middle class family.
If you need your child to have only vegan organic meals, or a state of the art facility, or über-​crunchy curriculum/​ideals, Belmont is probably not for you. If you are looking for a purely play-​based curriculum, you are probably not going to like what you find here. They are pretty old school in many ways, including their campus. We personally love the campus. It’s got personality, and has the feel of a classic inner city private school. How many day cares can you think of that have a dance studio, a gym, and three playgrounds? If you like really old places, you’ll probably really enjoy it. I love going in to pick up my daughter there every day.
As for the actual classroom work, our expectations have been exceeded and then some. The two PreK teachers, Rosie and Rachel, are just awesome. Our daughter is learning much more than she was at her previous school. She is happy and looks forward to school every day. Claudia and Gary, the directors, are great too, they are a constant presence each day. The part time afternoon helpers have all been friendly, sweet and caring.
In addition to learning classroom subjects, my daughter is learning Spanish, American Sign Language, AND taking ballet, all during the course of the school day at Belmont. How many daycares can say they offer this level of enrichment?
We would not hesitate to recommend Belmont to a friend, and though we will be sending our daughter to public school next year for kindergarten, we definitely hope to take advantage of Belmont’s summer explorers program for school age kids!

Our daughter started going to Belmont Academy for Pre-​School. She loved it so much we kept her there for Pre-​K and their amazing Kindergarten program. The attention she received was wonderful and it showed in her academic success. When she started to attend public schools we were lucky enough to keep her in the after school program. Our daughter LOVED attending. She connected with her teachers and the staff. She made some amazing friendships and great memories. This is the first year that she is not going to Belmont’s after school program… we can’t thank everyone there enough for being invested in her well-​being and success.

Our family has been part of the Belmont community since 2008 when our eldest was 3. Our little guy started as an infant in 2008, and will graduate pre-​kindergarten in August 2013. We love this place!

My two children go to this school full time. They both really enjoy it — in fact — my daughter asks to stay longer so she can play with the friends she made.
The school is affordable for two working parents. I would agree they could improve a few things around the school but overall, I always get smiles great feedback from the teachers.

I had a great experience with their pre-​K classroom teachers. They took care of my girl for the better part of a year and loved her like their own, and I have nothing but good things to say about those two ladies. They are Belmont Academy’s saving grace. If it were just them, I’d give 5 stars.
The management seemed unfriendly. Their after-​care was crowded and busy and attended by less-​than-​perfectly-​trained part-​timers. The less said about that the better.
I’m teetering on the edge of a single star rating, because their dance teacher really got on my nerves. Who gets down on a four year old for not «pulling their weight» in a pre-​K dance class so bad that they end up crying on stage? The recital was very professionally put together, sure, but was not at all about the kids having fun. It was about the dance teacher’s resume.

I have a high-​energy daughter with some special needs, and she has done so well at Belmont that i can’t believe I’m the first one to write a review. The price is decent, but the teachers have been marvelous, praising her strengths and helping her with her issues. She’s made friends, and loves getting up in the morning to get ready for school.
The investment these teachers put into the children really shows in how happy the children are, and I almost feel bad that she’ll be heading off to public kindergarten next year. We may still opt for after-​school time at Belmont, though, because of how much she loves it.

Please send your child somewhere else! This is not a healthy, safe, or nurturing environment for young children. The staff is very unprofessional and untrained. They routinely overcrowd classrooms and the children are not able to engage in activities at their own pace. I would urge you to send your child somewhere where their individual needs can be met. This is not the place!