Testimonials
Both of our sons graduated from the kindergarten program, and the education at MCHL fully prepared them for public school and laid a foundation of intellectual curiosity that they will keep with them throughout their lives. MCHL’s teachers and staff guided our sons emotionally and socially, helping them develop relationships with other children, learn to solve problems, and build their self-esteem.
With a 26-year history MCHL has also built a true school community. It offers a welcoming and diverse environment that celebrates the differences among us, as well as what connects us. The love and care the teachers and staff have for the children shows in all the ways they go above and beyond–from a big hug in the morning to showing up for weekend and evening activities to the specialized child-led lessons they create. Any parent who chooses to send their child to MCHL will know that their child is being cherished, supported, and challenged every single day.
From the first day that I sent my son to MCHL when he was only 19 months old until now that he is in his 4th year, I know that he is completely happy and safe at MCHL. And he is learning new things everyday! I am very excited that his little brother will be joining him at MCHL also!
I have had all four of my children at MCHL and feel that the unique environment of the Montessori method has allowed them to reach their full potential. As a pediatrician, I know the importance of providing a strong foundation during the early years of a child’s development. The teachers of MCHL are outstanding and provide a loving, nurturing environment for my children. They treat my kids as their own, and I am very comfortable leaving my children in their capable hands. Even my youngest child, who is extremely shy, loves going to school every day at MCHL! I highly recommend this preschool to everyone!
I am the mother of two boys who attended and graduated from the Montessori Children’s House of Loudoun (MCHL). My first son, who will be a 4th grader in the upcoming school year, studied at MCHL since he was 3 years old. Initially, before deciding upon MCHL as our school of choice, I had visited many other local preschools. Many of them were either poorly run or, in my view, too elitist.
I chose MCHL because of many factors. It was professionally run by efficient managers and staff. The school environment was not only clean, but also offered a nurturing environment for children to learn. The teachers were obviously well-trained, but many also brought years of experience that showed in their approach and attitude to teaching. I also liked the Montessori method where each classroom is mixed with young and older children so that the latter could serve as role models for the former. MCHL has also ingrained in my children the habit of respecting their work, teachers, and fellow students. And as a family who is often posted overseas, the celebration of different cultures at MCHL has been very important to us.
We had been away for two years and just returned to Virginia recently. It was without hesitation that I enrolled my younger son into MCHL. The fact that the school staff did not forget my older son and enthusiastically welcomed my younger son shows that MCHL is truly a special place that cares about its students even beyond the years that they are attending the school.
I cannot recommend MCHL highly enough. The school has equipped both my boys with the necessary tools to excel academically in elementary school. But more importantly, MCHL has laid the crucial groundwork for my sons to participate successfully in life itself. We are proud to be part of the MCHL family!
There are many schools and daycare in the Ashburn/Sterling area, and all of them meet regulatory standards. Many go well beyond that to offer cameras, biometric fingerprinting in order to access the facility and take your child home, and many other modern technical marvels. MCHL is special. It has Ms. Marcia and Ms. Hope, who greet each and every child and parent as they come through the door. It is hard to replace a smile and the staff caring for your child with a piece of technology. After all, it is that warmth and caring attitude that forms the foundation of MCHL.
It is little wonder that staff turnover is so low at the school, since every individual we have encountered loves children and in their own special way, brings joy to our son Luka. Whether it is a cooking project, playing outdoors, learning letters and numbers, singing the “Hello” song in circle time, or learning Spanish, our son has always felt warmth, caring, and compassion. We have felt carefree and comfortable, knowing that we are affording our child a great Montessori education, in an environment where our son can socialize, but he is also an individual child, not a number. In fact, I was a little shocked to find out that teacher’s aids from other classes knew exactly what my child had for lunch on a specific day. That is because they sit and eat with the children, and interact with them throughout their time at school.
Once you visit the school and see the environment and experience what MCHL has to offer, it is a challenge to imagine your child at any other school. This is the only place for us, and we would recommend MCHL without any hesitation to any parent who is looking to give their child 1) a strong foundation in academics and practical life skills, 2) a truly nurturing environment where their child can create special bonds with teachers, staff, and lifelong friendships, and 3) an environment where the owners are first and foremost mothers, grandmothers and teachers. While you may not place a lot of stock in number 3, having owners in the classroom teaching children and working with staff means that they are about these priorities first, and the school as a business later. And that is rarity in our Northern Virginia area.
We were looking for a setting that fostered her growth and development through a variety of activities, yet offered her the structure and encouragement that young children crave.
Our daughter started when she was 20 months old in the toddler program. It’s been a little over a year now and her motto is “MYSELF.” She wants to do everything on her own and is incredibly independent at the age of 3. She was the youngest in her class when she first began and other children would “show her the way.” Before her transition to the Pre-K program, she was the oldest. She loved helping other children in her class and showing them how to do different activities. She learned empathy at a young age and always shows care and concern for them. The transition was incredibly smooth. By having her visit her new classroom an hour at a time, and increasing it each day over a week and half was just perfect. The teachers and staff made the transition seamless.
We can’t say enough that we would recommend MCHL to everyone! It is very much a partnership between school and home to foster our children’s growth. Constant communication is an integral part of what makes the experience so successful.
It is hard to sum up our six years at MCHL in a few sentences. Our teachers know they have done their job well when it’s time to say goodbye and the moms are in tears while the children are eager to move on to the next stage. We have enjoyed watching our two daughters grow from small toddlers in training pants to confident kindergartners who possess a multitude of skills. They blossomed under the care of wonderful teachers and a school environment that fosters learning in addition to kindness, consideration, and manners. MCHL became a second family throughout the years, and it was indeed very difficult to say goodbye. As we move on to the next stage, we know our children have been well-prepared for the elementary grades, both academically and emotionally. We will surely come back to visit!
The administration and teaching excellence at MCHL is unmatched. The MCHL team is passionate about not only implementing and executing the Montessori method in their classrooms, but about the individual needs and growth of each and every student. Our children have learned from their teachers to approach their academic and artistic endeavors with excitement and confidence.
The strong academic foundation, love of learning, art, language, music, culture, and friendships that MCHL has instilled will be carried by our kids throughout their whole lives. Every child graduates MCHL as a global citizen with a real understanding of kindness, inclusivity, friendship and a lifelong curiosity of the world and the people in it. It is this emphasis on emotional intelligence and love of community that truly sets MCHL apart.
The care and attention that our children and family has received over the years from the administration and teachers has far surpassed anything we could have hoped for. Every day that we have walked through the front doors to see Ms. Marcia and the teaching team, we just think how grateful we are that our kids have spent their most special years there. MCHL is truly an extension of family.
When trying to decide on a preschool in our area, my wife and I visited every school within 10 miles. During our visits, we observed several schools that had more students than the required number of teachers, teachers with no apparent desire to help their students reach their full potential and some teachers that looked downright exacerbated by children in general. Other schools seemed to be more focused on attracting the wealthy parents in our area with a posh exterior and high end architectural finishes and even an on-site barber and chef. But when observing teachers and students in the class, it quickly became clear that pomp and circumstance was indeed for the parents and not indicative of the level of education that their children would be receiving.
When we visited MCHL it was immediately apparent that THIS is where our son could reach his full potential. The classes are well equipped, the curriculum is challenging and the teachers have an enthusiasm that is unmatched anywhere else.
We are more than pleased with our decision and beyond our son’s acceleration in all areas of his development. He often doesn’t want to leave school when it’s time which reassures us that he feels comfortable and loved.
Thank you so much for all your efforts in making MCHL afternoon times a great experience for our two children. Your Tuesday cooking projects are a big hit with both my kids. My son told me only yesterday that he wishes all days were Tuesdays, so he can have lots of cooking projects.
The cooking projects help the kids appreciate the variety of foods and ingredients available. They develop a taste for a lot of variety, end up being open to tasking new foods and also gain tremendous appreciation for all the work that goes into getting the food to the table! My son is more inclined to help in the kitchen after his exposure to your projects. He thoroughly enjoys cooking time with family. He now knows that there is a lot of variety in what people eat all around the world.
Both Mahesh and I really appreciate your caring nature and patience in dealing with all these little kids and still going through the drills of cooking with them each week!
I am a strong believer in the Montessori teaching method and believe that we should give our children every opportunity possible for them to reach their highest potential. I initially chose MCHL for my first child 7 years ago because of the warm and family-oriented environment exhibited by all the staff members. Currently my twin girls are attending MCHL and both girls love to attend school. I particularly admire how everyone at the school says hello and talks to the girls as they walk through the corridors. As a parent going off to work, I feel safe knowing that they are in a warm and loving environment and are surrounded by people who care for them. I will highly recommend MCHL to anyone!!
Our daughter has been at MCHL for four years since she was a toddler. We love their individual care and attention. In a group of kids, I see the MCHL kids shine better than others. Being a parent of a very shy kid, I never thought she would express herself. But now when I see her confidence, I realize how MCHL has helped her to blossom. The staff are accommodating. MCHL is like a home away from home for our kid and all MCHL staff are our extended family. Thank you MCHL.
We chose MCHL for our children after watching two of our nieces develop into caring and independent little girls after their years at the school. Our oldest son started in the toddler classroom at 18 months old—that was the earliest program at MCHL at the time. His teachers have been incredible—communicative, caring, concerned, and most of all, able to take care of him and teach him according to his own very distinct personality. I feel like his teachers have been and continue to be our partners throughout his development—for example, potty training was difficult, but it would have been much harder without his very patient teachers!
When it was time for our second child to begin day care at seven months, we were delighted that MCHL had begun an infant program. Although it was difficult (as it always is) to leave my baby with someone while I go to work, I had absolutely no worries about the people with whom I left him. I knew that his teachers would care for him and pay attention to him as if he was their own baby. When I take him to school in the mornings, he positively leaps into his teachers arms and can’t wait to play with the other babies in the classroom.
We have found that the Montessori philosophy is very similar to our own, so we are confident that the values that we are teaching our children at home, such as kindness and respect, are the same values that are emphasized at school. Further, we are satisfied that the methods for teaching those values are the same as ours, emphasizing patience, exploration, and firm but gentle boundaries.
Of the places we visited, we liked the environment we found in MCHL. We liked how the class was laid out, and the sheer number of items the kids had at their disposal to interact with. Montessori understood that our son had never been in a school before and explained to us what emotions our son would go through in getting used to the school environment. My wife was allowed stay in class for a few minutes for the first few days to get our son used to class. Ms. Luongo even gave him her watch and pointed at the hour hand and told him when mommy would come to pick him up. He was treated like family and that’s what we loved and still love about Montessori.
Once he settled in we were amazed at the speed he picked up on everything from social interaction to language, math and music. The most important concept we like about Montessori is that they let the children grow at their own pace and don’t force the entire class to learn the same thing at the same time.
My daughter had wonderful two years at Montessori Children’s House of Loudoun. She learned a lot in these two years. We appreciate the teacher’s effort to educate our child and we deeply thank you.
Montessori Children’s House of Loudoun is a full member of the American Montessori Society.
Contact Info
Address:
880 W Church Rd
Sterling, VA 20164
Phone: (703) 421-1112
Fax: (703) 421-9356
E-mail: info@mchl.org
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