Description:
Chestnut Montessori is a school-day Montessori program operated in a home environment. Our program aligns with Dr. Maria Montessori's philosophy and design.
Chestnut Montessori is a licensed facility through the State of Colorado, Division of Early Care and Learning.
We nurture your child's love of learning in our thoughtful, traditional Montessori environment. Your child will benefit from the focused attention of two expert Montessori teachers with over 27 years of combined experience. Your child's natural curiosity and intellectual skills will bloom.
Small children learn best by experience. Our warm, peaceful home environment is both nurturing and enriching. Because of our small group format, we will know your child as a precious, unique individual. We will tailor their learning experiences according to exactly what they need.
With us, learning is both effortless and interesting. Through "the work of play" the skills necessary for a lifetime of success is built. Your child will learn life lessons such as grace and courtesy, self discipline, and how to maintain relationships -- as well as foundational academics.
May care for 2 children under 2 years if older sibs in care; Basement shall be secured/locked during child care hours; Garage should be locked during child care; License capacity and exhibits include provider's own children; Master bedroom shall be off-limits to children; Office shall be off-limits to childrenSpecial Needs: Social Emotional Behaviors;Respiratory Illness;Diabetes;Seizure Disorders;Physical Delays/Limitations;Food/Dietary;Medical/Special Procedures;Cognitive Delays;Speech/Communication.
Where possible, ChildcareCenter provides inspection reports as a service to families. This information is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed. We encourage families to contact the daycare provider directly with any questions or concerns, as the provider may have already addressed some or all issues. Reports can also be verified with your local daycare licensing office.
| Type | Report Date | Category | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspection | 2020-01-13 | Supervisory | |
| Inspection | 2019-02-13 | Supervisory | |
| Inspection | 2018-03-14 | Supervisory | |
If you are a provider and you believe any information is incorrect, please contact us. We will research your concern and make corrections accordingly.
Write a review about CHESTNUT MONTESSORI SCHOOL - Bridget Coffey. Let other families know what’s great, or what could be improved. Please read our brief review guidelines to make your review as helpful as possible.
As a director of a Reggio-Inspired Preschool in Denver, I feel I have substantial credentials to post an unfortunate review of what this "school" really is:
1. When we toured the school, I was asking a lot of questions to Gertie because she started the school long ago and had way more credentials and experience than her daughter had from what I read on the website. However, her daughter Bridget would hardly let her get a word in before she jumped all over answering the question herself. I was immediately concerned about their communication style and ability to work effectively together if the daughter was constantly belittling her sweet mother.
2. We attempted to enroll our girls here because our current school was sold to a developer and we were left without childcare for our girls with very little warning while I scramble to find work. Bridget sent me an email about a payment that was due with only 24 HOURS NOTICE. I never even saw the email because it landed in my spam, and without ever calling me, she unenrolled our girls and gave our spots away.
3. When I called to discuss my daughter's UPK placement with Bridget (because I had no idea the girls were unenrolled at this point), she was incredibly rude and spoke to me with nothing but contempt. I was baffled and in tears because I had no idea she gave the girls' spots away until that very moment. She did not shed an ounce of empathy or compassion for my situation.
The school itself:
A. It's Gertie's home, so there is limited space, which is fine except when it comes to nap time. According to licensing, you must have a rest mat available for every child to rest for at least 30 minutes and they have to be spaced 2ft apart. Chesnut only has the ability for FOUR nap mats to fit in their napping room, which means in their mixed-age group of 12, the other 8 children are without a resting space. This is actually a very serious licensing violation.
B. Because they are a mixed-age school, I don't believe their curriculum is age appropriate for their youngest students. They told me that 8am-11am is "lesson time" where each child sits individually and completes various Montessori "lessons" until lunch time. My youngest wouldn't even have been 2.5 at the time of enrollment (another licensing violation I was willing to overlook at the time but definitely questioned their integrity for) and I believe it is completely developmentally inappropriate to require or expect a 2 year old to sit, alone, for hours on end, completing "lessons". At two years of age, children should be learning social emotional skills, working on language development through songs + play, & encouraging creative explorations through collaborative play with their peers.
... when I asked what they would do if my youngest wanted to play with my oldest during that time, they told me they would redirect her back to her own independent task.
C. Their outside toys are extremely lacking & disappointing. There are minimal available to begin with, and the ones they do have are severely weathered and sad looking. They told me the children prefer to play with cardboard boxes instead. Yikes. It makes me genuinely wonder what they're spending their government funding on (since every school receives annual government funding to replenish supplies and materials.)
D. THE BIGGEST CONCERN I HAD THROUGH ALL OF THIS: They have NO COMMUNICATION METHODS FOR FAMILIES. No app that families can check to see if their kid pooped or napped or refused to eat - nothing!!
On top of that - they don't allow parents inside the "school". You Drop your kid off on the street and they come get them from your car and at the end of the day they walk them to your car and ask you to stay outside. This is the sketchiest thing I have ever heard... why the hell can I not come in and drop my kiddo off and see how she spends her days?
Perhaps because their entire operation is liable for licensing violations and 50% of the staff, aka *Bridget*, lack the necessary fundamental characteristics to work in childcare, such as patience & empathy.