best Montessori school in Plano/Allen area (Dallas, Richardson: vacation, move)

[newer]

Hi All,

We're going to move to Plano/Allen area this Aug. My daughter is 4 and half years old. Could you please recommend a good Montessori school in that area?

My husband prefers to send her to a public elementary school since Plano has lots of school. I would like your opinion about the school choices.

thanks in advance.

Emily

[nsumner]

Here are some links to a few:
Pebblecreek Montessori School Plano - Montessori Schools in Plano Texas in Allen
Montessori New Beginnings Academy in Plano

I believe there is another one in West Plano that is very well regarded too. located in the NW area of Spring Creek and Independence.

I also know of a new one that just opened in the Brenckenridge area of Richardson and they only take kids from the age of 2.

I am sure that there are more, these are the ones that have been frequented by many clients and friends. My kids are older but they did attend Montessori when they were little and we were very pleased with it.

Naima

[Big G]

I think your husband is right. I have seen, more than once, kids come into the Plano ISD from assorted private schools around town. Without fail, those kids are behind, and some of them end up being held back a year.

That's a combination of
1) the private schools in Collin County (other than the Catholic schools) being relatively low-powered compared to those in Dallas, and
2) the Plano ISD being extremely demanding of their kids, starting all the way back in kindergarten.

So send your kid to Montessori if you want, but make sure to get them into the PISD kindergarten.

The Plano ISD itself operates a tuition-based half-day pre-K program that gets great reviews.

Are you Asian by any chance? PISD runs special kindergarten classes for incoming Chinese kids.

[unexpected]

There are a lot of crappy private schools in this area, but I don't think you necessarily have to worry at such a young age.

I went to my PISD Kindergarten program way back when. I definitely don't really remember it, except that there was a big "wedding" between the letters "Q" and "U", so I can't really comment on it. It was only a half-day program though, so my grandparents lived us for that year and took me to and from school.

When my sisters came around, my parents couldn't send them to a half-day K program, so they went to a Montessori school for pre-school and K, and jumped back in 1st grade. They were way ahead of their class, so I think if you find the right school you'll be okay.

The Montessori school they went to is closed now (I think?), and I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head....

[newer]

Thank you very much for your valuable information.
Yes, we're Asian.
Big G, could you please let me know how to find the information for "
PISD runs special kindergarten classes for incoming Chinese kid". My Daughter speaks good english as well. Don't if qualify for taht kindergarten.

[Big G]

Harrington Chinese Bi-Lingual Pre-K

They run both Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten at this school. As you noted, though, if your daughter already speaks English well, she may not qualify.

A fair number of the Chinese families around Plano have Grandma and Grandpa taking care of the kids, and the kids only play with other Chinese kids. The net result is that the kids can't speak a word of English, other than what they have learned from TV. I think that demographic is the main target of the Chinese program.

Your best bet is to contact the school and see. In July, probably everyone is on vacation, but next month you could get more information.

If she does qualify, the Pre-K is FREE, although it's only a half-day program. The kindergarten is full-day. From 1st grade on, they are in the regular schools, with little to no ESL support.

[newer]

Thank you very much! Big G.

[Robzherenow]

I send my son to Heritage Montessory School in Murphy (border of East Plano). Its regarded as an excellent school. The waiting list for admission is perhaps longer than other montessori schools.
However, I can tell you from first hand experience, that it has very good programs. My son is 2 1/2 years old, can identify all his alphabets (and its sounds), can read numbers and count up to 30, identify all types of images and shapes including hexagons, octagons, trapazoids, etc (I even have trouble remember some of these shapes).
So based on my personal experience, I would definitely recommend the Montessori school in my area but I dont know if it would be convenient for you. Good Luck!

[PlanoGirl]

Originally Posted by nsumner

Montessori New Beginnings Academy in Plano

Fabulous school! Highly recommend!