Ava Wanas Montessori School

I am writing this review to prospective parents. I am doing this because my husband and I went down a long and difficult road in an effort to find a daycare/school for our now 1.5 and 3.5 year old. It was a road that started at a daycare center that was clean and tidy, with very few violations, seemed very secure, and was at the right price. But we found out the hard way that we were overlooking some very important aspects that are so critical for our child's development, self confidence, happiness and ultimately our child's success. I won't go over our struggle getting here, but will talk about what we discovered after we did.

Here is what we love...
The education all students receive is amazing. Our infant daughter was doing educational activities there before she could walk. From helping the infants develop their basic motor skills and speech, to creative things like painting and building, and encouraging social skills, etc...we were amazed.

Our oldest started at about 2.5 yr and came home early on talking about presidents and different countries. She was excited about getting a globe and finding countries. This is just one small example of the stuff she comes home with. We love that the primary goal of the program is to empower the kids to do things themselves, and to build their self confidence. This is so critical, and so powerful when they are learning from someone other than only their parents.

The other big thing we love is how the "classroom learning" extends outside to the garden, chicken coup, dirt box, etc. It certainly makes it much harder for the teachers to clean up the kids and the school, and we greatly appreciate how each of the teachers has this same outlook on doing what is best for the kids, even if it is hard for the teachers and owner.
Our oldest now barely is interested in TV, and would much rather draw, or go outside, or create something.

We are grateful for Immanuel and Ava Wanas Montessori School, and can't thank Marie the owner, and all the teachers and staff enough. What they do is perhaps the most important job there is.

My son has been attending Ava Wanas and Immanuel for the last 3 years. It has been the most amazing experience. He knows how to cook (not because of me, I assure you), clean up, be peaceful/quiet, respect other people, is caring and loving towards helping the younger kids and most of all, he is very advanced with his studies while learning in a creative way (the Montessori way). His favorite thing to do isn’t to play with toys, it’s to build and invent things with (what I call trash - bottles, paper, rubber bands.). His imagination has been able to flourish and he is creating wonderful childhood memories. Love love love this school!!

My kids have been going to Ava Wanas for years and we could not be more happy with the education, the teachers, the Montessori philosophy and the atmosphere. I would highly recommend this school!!!

I have been at Ava Wanas for 2 years now, and I love it. My girls are genuinely happy and have learned a lot and built up self confidence. The school is great for learning, developing life skills and curiosity, and building character. I feel like my daughters will be fully prepared for Kindergarten if not more than prepared. The teachers are wonderful, as is the Montessori approach.

I would rate this school 0 if possible. It used to be a wonderful program. But look closer and it's all a facade. The director presents a too good to be true farm school, and it is! The chickens are malnourished, children are left outside for 3.5 hours with nothing to do during the summer heat, staff works their tails off sometimes with no break and are treated horribly, frequently out of ratio, the school is filthy, and despite what the director says there IS NO cleaning service. The school is currently infested with moths, and this whole "Montessori" accreditation is a joke: teachers aren't allowed to plan their own lessons, teachers are instructed to redo artwork that the director deems not pretty before it's sent home, children aren't even exposed to sounds until they are 4! So NOT Montessori. Upon first glance, the school presents well. But dig a little deeper and you will find a lot of horrible things. Just check the child care reports...http://www.checkccmd.org/FacilityDetail.aspx?ft=&fn=Ava%20Wanas%20&sn=&z=&c=&co=&fi=390662

Our almost 3 year old son loves Ava Wanas. The director and staff are dedicated, caring and proactive with engaging all the children. They are true to the Montessori method. They provide exceptional quality of education and care.  They are reasonably priced. We've placed our son to two different child centers and had a baby sitter. The care from the child care centers were awful! The Baby sitter was more interested in getting paid. Ava Wanas is and has been a positive learning environment!  His attitude changed for the better. From the first day of picking him up, he is calm and engaged. I cannot stress this school is a hidden gem. Thank you Ava Wanas!

I have two children (ages 3/5) who have attended AWMS for one year so far and will both continue through the (accredited) kindergarten program. From my plentiful child care experience, (nanny/daycare/regular preschool)this school has been everything I could have asked for and more. The Director and Staff of the school care so much for the children, and they all communicate very well with the parents. There has been virtually no turnover, and the staff has been amazing with the children. My kids love it there- they spend quite a good amount of time outdoors, they help prepare the food they eat (often right from the school garden they tend) and they know more about flowers and bugs than I do. My daughter has been reading since she turned 4, and I owe it all to the school since we are FT working parents. From my research and in my opinion, it is a shame that the regular school system does not follow more of the Montessori Method. I have been thrilled with the decision for our kids to attend this school, and I am searching for another Montessori school with a similar feel to it as they go beyond kindergarten.