Description: SAS INSTITUTE MONTESSORI SCHOOL is a One Star Center License in CARY NC, with a maximum capacity of 260 children. This child care center helps with children in the age range of 0 through 12. The provider does not participate in a subsidized child care program.
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| Date | Type | Violations | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-13 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
| 2022-09-02 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
| 2022-01-05 | Announced Inspection | No | |
| 2021-10-01 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
| 2021-09-30 | Unannounced Inspection | Yes | |
| 2021-09-30 | Violation | 1325 | .1804(b) |
| Parent's statement includes the child's name and date of enrollment and the date the parent signed the statement. The enrollment date was not included on the parent statement for one child enrolled. | |||
| 2021-09-30 | Violation | 319 | .0713(a)(10), (c) & (f)(3); .2818(e) |
| Staff/child ratios applicable to a classroom, were not posted in each classroom. This was not posted in space #201. | |||
| 2021-09-30 | Violation | 1044 | G.S. 110-90.2(b) & .2703(n)&(o) |
| Prior to the expiration date of the qualification letter, the child care provider did not complete and submit required forms to complete a criminal background check (a qualification letter is valid for a maximum of three years for the date of issuance). This was not completed prior to the expiration date for one staff. | |||
| 2021-03-12 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
| 2021-01-13 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
| 2020-12-08 | Unannounced Inspection | Yes | |
| 2020-12-08 | Violation | ||
| Each child was not attended to in a nurturing and appropriate manner, or in keeping with the child's developmental needs. The child was upset and flung herself to the floor. In order to prevent the child from falling to the floor the teacher held the child by their wrist/arm area. This caused the child's elbow to dislocate. | |||
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Provider Response: (Contact the State Licensing Office for more information.) Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/5/2021 |
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| 2020-11-25 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
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I am a current parent at the SAS Montessori preschool program. My family has been with the program for more than 6 months. When starting at the center my child was anxious and having difficulty with drop-offs. The teachers and center staff were so welcoming and understanding. They took the time to care for my child and make them feel comfortable during their transition into the center. The app updates throughout the day has given me piece of mind and have been reassuring to let me know my child is making friends and playing in the classroom happily. The center has been newly renovated with new furniture, classroom supplies, and furnishings. It always looks clean and well kept.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our time at the center and have been happy with the communication, center events, and welcomed parent involvement.
While I can see where the person with the negative review might be coming from, I have to completely disagree. Yes, it was difficult to see teachers leave, but I don’t think that was necessarily Bright Horizons fault. SAS hired Bright horizons to manage the childcare and that is what they came in and did.
Parents loved the program before because it was exactly the same for the 34 years it was run by SAS. I have seen more diversity, better environments for children, and happy teachers since being a part of the center transition to Bright Horizons. Change is absolutely hard and I hate there had to be a change, but I feel it was the change our children needed. I think the negative feelings were taking out on Bright Horizons who were just trying to come in and do the job they were hired to do.
I am in touch with several teachers currently there and I believe them to be happy and feel successful in their work. They love my child and they feel like an extended part of my family.
This is not a full Montessori program, but I heard the center was never actually certified before. I do appreciate the hybrid model and I think it brings the best of both worlds together.
All in all I think this is a wonderful place for children to learn and grow and I am thankful to have my child there!
I am writing this review as an outsider, but based on what I've been told from former & current employees. Out of the original 36 teachers that came from the original SAS Montessori school, only four (4) remain as of 2-4-22, now that Bright Horizons has taken over a couple of yrs ago. Let that sink in! This school is so understaffed, employees are skipping breaks & lunches just to keep up with the stupid iPad picture taking & endless paperwork employees take home each night & work on all weekend. At the old SAS, it was all Montessori based, and "Childrens House" 3-5yro HAD to be fully potty trained before being accepted. Now I hear that BH has dropped that rule, so the teachers & aids have to spend time changing diapers & pullups, & changing clothes from accidents. Anyone familiar with Montessori is familiar with their lesson "works". The place is so short staffed, that "works" aren't even taught. Grace & Courtesy, Botany, the Time Line, all of the classic Montessori culture & education has been tossed in favor of flat out babysitting. Parents are being tricked into thinking their child will be getting a Montessori education, with the "staged" photos teachers are required to send parents every single day. One Children's House class has 18 children with one teacher & one aid. Every child has to be fed snacks & lunch. I was told by one teacher, there is a 60lb child with autism, that the teachers HAVE TO PICK UP in order to calm him. Added to the stress mix is that the five yr olds have to wear masks, the three & four yr olds don't. The teacher said a child had their mask down & sneezed right in the face of the teacher with just a cheap disposable mask. The school doesn't equip the teachers with N95 masks, just cheap disposables. Parents send their children to this place sick as dogs, fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, colds, you name it. Supposedly the child is sent home if they have a fever. This puts more work on the teachers. If you are wanting a stellar Montessori education for your child,this is not the place, it is just a babysitting service to feed & potty train the children. Since Montessori principles aren't used any more, the classrooms are wild & chaotic & hard to control. The school does make a feeble attempt at Covid testing for both children & teachers, but a teacher told me the teachers aren't tested if no symptoms. If you have symptoms, you are given a test to take home, & if positive, have to quarantine for five days. A teacher told me she has had Covid twice, & is a long hauler, going to work aching from head to toe, testing negative now. The teachers are leaving in droves, & even the newer young people being hired are leaving under the oppressive working conditions. Emoloyees have to carry their iPad & walkie talkies everywhere. If you have to use the restroom, you hv to get permission via the walkie talkies, same with lunch periods. But I'm told no one bothers to take a lunch because there is so much to document to school & the parents, & the sham photos of children "learning" something at this school. It isn't even on the level of the early ed daycare centers, & certainly not up to the standards of the Head Start program. I feel like this place is in violation of something like teacher/student ratios. I'm told even the Director is having to go into the classrooms & other admin staff. I feel like some type of labor laws are being violated. I heard they recently sent out an email a couple weeks ago, that stated if you needed to take a day off, you had to give two weeks notice. I'm looking into the various NC state licensing boards & their requirements, as well as the local health depts. to report this warehousing/puppy mill type of child "care". With the staffing problems this place has, It could very well be shut down, but hey, it's NC, & they are more pro-business, anti-worker, so I imagine they will continue to work the employees to the bone with oppressive working conditions. I pity the employees who have no safety net, like another person in the household who works, & is basically trapped in a job they hate & no time to apply for anything because they are taking work home every night, & this work is taking up all of their free time & weekends. Shame on this place.