Reviews of Oak Brook School (Kindergarten)

Mechelle Moore

My kids attended Greenville Montessori for a year and half, school looks good and clean, but the education standard is average (we do help out kids at home), what I really did not like in the school is the director. As soon as they switch the Jennifer and bring Ms Sandra some of good teachers left the school. The extra activities like basket ball or soccer is during school hours, so if you did not want or pay for your kids they will stay in class. I thing extra activities have to be after school not during the hours what we paid for Montessori education. When we left for vacation we notified the school we will be out for Vacation a month in advance, but when we come back from our vacation we were told by Ms. Sandra, that we have to pay for 437.50 for each Kids as holding spot fee, we thought the is outrages. We fill like the reason for notifying the school a month in advance is to avoid this kind of fee. We could even have my kids re-registered and pay less fee ( we paid $250 to have three kids to register for the new school). I did try to communicate this with Ms Sandra, but her replay is we are trying to run a business hear. So since I did question the quality of the education and the integrity of management in the school I decide to take my kids to another Montessori. The last thing I didn't like the management in the school is, they keep telling my kids teachers and some of the parents, the reason that my kids are not attending the school is that "We keep asking for discount", that is a false statement and very unprofessional.

Cee Cee

My Daughter has attended this School for 2 years now. She is in the beggining stages of reading at only 31/2. The teachers are amazing!

Nicole Curtis

My daughter started attending Oak Brook about two months ago. We love the school. The teachers in her class are so kind and patient with the kids. My daughter comes home excited to tell us about what she has learned. I like the easy way to check in on the kiddos through the app updates. I love the easy way to check my kiddo in and out. The school offers outside extracurricular activities to come in for you to sign up. Like martial arts and gymnastics. Fresh food serviced to the kiddos daily. Nothing canned, I love that. We live right in the neighborhood behind the school. I’m glad they came in after the previous Montessori. Great staff and system. Extremely happy with our choice to send her here.

Keni W

Honestly, if I could give more stars, I would. We have been at THREE other schools in Allen in the past year (obviously we are hard to please) and this one is everything we were searching for. The new owner is very easy to talk to and willing to go the extra mile for parents. The teachers seem happier under his leadership and that is everything to us. My kids teachers are extraordinary teachers. I pick up my kids at 3pm and each day the teachers are sitting at a table working with a child individually. This is not a daycare. My daughter was on the wait list at Imagine Academy and we were notified this week that a spot came available in Kinder. She is in a primary class at Greenville but because of her amazing teacher and the curriculum, we feel confident that she is MORE than prepared to begin kindergarten at another incredible school. We are so grateful to have this school in Allen. The tuition is affordable, too. And while as parents we will always have things we aren't happy with (afterall, no one can care for your child like you do), this school checks all the boxes on what we require from a place we take our children every day.

Ryan Smith

We have been at GMS for 4 years now, and we love it. It is the school we have sent both our kids to from the age of 18 months! We've gone through Toddler, Primary and the Kinder programs and couldn't be happier. My 5 year old is reading, writing, doing fractions, solving math word problems, learning about science and really excelling. My 2 year old is learning social skills, happy, well taken care of, knows her entire alphabet, can count to 10, knows countless animals, shapes, colors, etc. Listen, I am a TIGER mom- If I am paying for school I want my kids to be getting an awesome experience out of it. I can honestly say that it is money well spent. WE LOVE the teachers! The teacher make this school- we love them so much we are now friends with many of them outside of school. There have been wonderful new improvements to the school and we are very excited to see what else is coming down the pipeline. I have obviously read all the other reviews and they sadden me; I feel like they paint a very negative and wrong picture of GMS. Come check it out for yourself!

Billy Badass

I have worked at Oak Brook School of Allen as a Teacher for over a year and have truly enjoyed my experience here. I have over nine years of experience working with children and I have never worked at a school where the teachers love their students and go above and beyond for their classes as much as OBS Teachers! I am truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful team. The teachers are not only co-workers, they are family.

Nicole Knott

this school is amazing. we have gone through two different preschools now, and we have finally found our match. my son learns so much every day and when i come to pick him up he doesn't want to leave! the soft play room and outdoor covered playgrounds are awesome, not to mention the HUGE gym!! the teacher's are so great with the kids, and the curriculum is sent home with you each month so you are proactive in your child's learning(it even gives you things to work on with your child that they're doing in class). they do art almost every day, which i LOVE, and it gets sent home every week! meals are FRESHLY prepared, and i mean completely handmade! the menu is exquisite for a preschool! the whole school just has a warm and inviting feel to it. my son can't get enough of this school and absolutely thrives here!

Danielle Preston

As a Mom of a child affected by the lead Teacher in P4 that was fired, I disagree with the comments by Evans. What this teacher did by lying to us about our son's progress is inexcusable and she does not deserve to be a teacher! I also don't believe the Evans review to be entirely fair, other than the turnover situation with management. I cannot say that I was a fan of the folks let go and when I met the Owner and current Director, I was given specific reasons that made sense. Greenville has come a long way in the last 6 months and all the improvements have made a difference. Keep up the good work and don't let the spiteful reviews stop you!

Suhasini

Wow, how many bad reviews and bad experience!!! I saw the building and I was so excited to go and ask for tour! As a parent I would like to check the school's website and specially reviews before I chose the place. This is the first school that I saw comparing with other schools with so much drama! Thanks everyone for your time to share your experience to open our eyes and keep us away of wrong place! Hopefully they fix their problems and accept their fault instead of disagree and answering the reviews by saying they don't believe to do anything wrong or blame others!

The Henry Tribe

Completely mismanaged by new ownership. Kids get no consistency as 1/3 of the staff has been Fired or Forced out since the ownership change. What was a happy, nurturing environment now feels like walking into a morgue. The kids and staff don't comprehend or understand why their favorite teacher or staff is there one day and gone the next.

Cameron Shelton

We have been at Greenville Montessori for just over a month now and have nothing but great things to say! My daughter was just over 3 months old so I was hesitant to leave her anywhere, but I had to get back to work and this Montessori was recommended by a couple of friends so I thought I would give it a try. From day 1 I have been greeted by the staff by name and most importantly my little one smiles when she gets there and when we leave. I've been impressed with the daily reports we get both handwritten and via email. In addition, the picture(s) sent throughout the day are priceless! Among other things, they do tummy time daily and she's gotten so strong in a short period of time! Today I got a picture of her sitting in the Bumbo (sp) chair which inspired me to leave this review...we've never even tried it b/c I didn't know she was old enough. So cute! With that said, if you're looking for a nurturing environment that will further develop your child's skills I highly recommend!

David Evans

Nice staff and fun summer school activities.

Dan Getahun

It is sad to see the negative reviews that seem to be folks with very negative intent. We do not know the new owners well, but appreciate all they have done to make improvements to Greenville. Our teachers seem happier, and the school finally has a Director that is both knowledgeable in Montessori and cares about the kids and education quality. Our Daughter has excelled both socially and academically in the 3 years we have been at Greenville. With the staff member that was let go in P3, after learning about why she was let go, and our own experience with the level of education in that class, I have no problems with the change that was made. We know some of the Moms that keep trying to disrupt the school and incite other parents and my message to them is to rather leave if they don't like the changes. However you will not find another school with the combination of teachers, facility and food and you will also still end up paying a few hundred dollars per month extra.

Jenny Bird

Amazing place! Staff at the school is really very nice, they take great care of my daughter. Ms. Hilda is her favorite primary teacher. I am also impressed with the way my daughter is performing at the school because of her teachers. I hope it only continues to get better!

Nick Goodson

We love Greenville Montessori School! We had to switch schools in July 2016 and as a mom I feel like - I couldn't have made a better decision. My daughter has absolutely made improvements in her language development, her play structure and overall personality. She is happy. I contribute this to the individual attention they give the children. I love how they get to leave the classroom to go to the gym, library and the multiple outside areas – they aren’t in the same room all day. The school is clean and classrooms are spacious and organized. I never feel like there is chaos – the teachers engage everyone, keeping activities orderly and the children respectful of each other. I appreciate the calm, learning environment they strive for. I have shown up many times during the day at different times and have always been pleased with how things are going. The front office and director have been very accommodating to our family. We love our teacher and assistants, down to the chef at the school – who is always so kind and caring to the children every morning walking the halls. The parents are friendly and welcoming as well. We love the extended hours, the ease of pickup and drop off. I have no complaints and would recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a safe, nurturing environment for their child all day. Nicole K.

Efghij Fmnbvcxz

My child has attended here for over 2 years and it has been a great experience. There has been little to no turn-over of lead teachers (none in my child's classrooms) and each teacher that has worked with him has been caring and knowledgeable. The school fosters independence and accelerated learning while still being warm and a fun place for kids to be. I love the mixed age groups once students are 3. My child has grown leaps and bounds since joining the primary classroom. The facilities are calm and clean and the typical 'daycare waves' of illness don't seem to go through the student groups here (knock wood!). The owner is very kind and responsive. Minor negatives include inconsistent and sometimes confusing school-wide communication (regarding events, schedule changes, etc) and a consistent mishandling of room transitions (e.g. communicating dates, preparing families/students for a shift). The director's managerial style leaves something to be desired in terms of polish and professionalism, but the lack of turnover indicates that staff are reasonably satisfied with the school and they're who deal with my child on a daily basis. One other note...the school is closed a handful of days a year for teacher planning/parent conferences. This is great to give some extra time to teachers and is helpful as a parent to have the opportunity to discuss a child's progress but it might be worth factoring in if both parents work in jobs with little flexibility/no back-up care arrangement. Having previously worked in education and also having observed preschools through interaction with my friends' children, I am thoroughly pleased with GMS and plan to keep my child enrolled through kindergarten.

Parent S

My daughter has attended this school since she was 7 weeks old. We thoroughly enjoy the outpour of love and nuturing that our daughter receives while at school. The curriculum is amazing, and the teachers go above and beyond to make each day filled with learning and fun! There are so many options for extracurricular activities as they have a soft play room, outdoor areas for all ages, and a huge gym! And lastly, the management team is amazing! You can really tell how hard each member of the staff works to keep this school a clean, loving environment for your children!

P Parent

We have been with Greenville for about 18 months now and I can say that the changes with ownership and management have been exactly what the school needed. I am not very involved at the school, but I do appreciate that communication with parents has greatly improved. Ms. Jay, the Director, is very knowledgeable and has addressed all my concerns. I also love the fact that the kitchen actually prepares fresh food instead of just heating frozen food. From an academics perspective, our older daughter is more than ready for Elementary, and would easily test in at 1st or 2nd grade! Our baby gets loving care and the Infant staff are amazing and I love the fact that ratios are so low in the Infant section.

Sarah Sther

Our family is new to the school. One of my children attends the private kinder, and my older child is in the after-school program. The staff is wonderful, the building is clean and well-maintained, and my kids love going to school! They use the Brightwheel app, and it brightens my day to get updates and pictures. We are very happy with our choice to attend Oak Brook School in Allen!

Jude C

The Best!! I give 5 on 5 to this school. I see my child improving day by day. They make child learn things practically and cultivate concentration, motivation, self-confidence. I am surely going to recommend this school to my relatives and friends.

Google Reviewer

Run away from this Child care , Horrible management specially this RUDE lady Asila and her staffing. It don't matter they changed they principal ... Still Horrible people there. No costumer service at all . All they want it's Money , they don't care about children safety . They have "teachers" with no Certification or anything. Run Away!!!!!

A Google Reviewer

I have been sending my kids here for over two years and I'm very happy with our experience. My oldest son has since gone off to kindergarten and thanks to the education he received here he was more than prepared and in fact excels at public school. My youngest son still attends and loves his teachers who I feel genuinely care about his well being. I know that when he is at school he is being nurtured which is all you can ask for when you leave your kids in someone else's hands for the day. As for the leadership of the school, I can't say enough about Ms. Sandra. Before she arrived, I was happy with the school because of the teachers and the classroom environment but since her arrival the school's overall organization, communication, and consistency in activities has increased exponentially as well. I would not hesitate to recommend this school to anyone.

Kevin Toohig

Both my children have attended Greenville Montessori. Other reviews say it's a daycare it might have been in the past but no longer. Since the new owner came I see many changes. I saw many new Montessori materials in my child's class. The teachers are great! The administration really puts a lot of thought into which teacher is the right match for our child when she was ready to move in to a primary class. We are so glad to have our kids here and will recommend Greenville Montessori to our family and friends.

Lacie Hicks

Parents, Please..please stay away from this school! The new management decided to all of a sudden to offer beef and pork and in spite of me sending emails telling them to NOT give beef to my daughter they went ahead and gave it after all. They did not follow any procedure and caution in making sure the parents opinion was considered. So if you have a certain religious beliefs like us or your child has allergies, you can be certain they will not be followed. Even if such incidents happen once, it could prove very costly for your child and your peace of mind!. The owner, Sanjay Ambekar did not care, he even said you can leave if you want to. Business owners should be appreciative of the business and trust that people are placing by enrolling their kids. There are plenty of choices for childcare and being appreciated should be a priority. But NO, this owner could not care less and was very arrogant. The director, Mary Ann Myers, extremely rude person who does very little. I decided to withdraw my child and had to take off work from work to find a new school for my daughter so parents, please choose wisely when choosing a school for your child so that you do not have to go through these hassles. I was promised my $400 deposit back but it has been one month and I have not got it. They ignored the TUITION AGREEMENT on file which clearly stated a $400 deposit and pulled up the first invoice where I had been given a half month off the first month as a new registration special and decided they did not owe me anything!! Repeated emails to the owner or the director has not gotten any replies. This school management is terrible. You will have nothing but trouble, hassles and very little information provided about the happenings in school.

Justine F

I agree with Mr. Roy B that the school has improved and disgruntled parents or employees posting these reviews should accept the improvements else move on. Don't spoil the name of the school that our kids love! I had a chance to speak with management about the P3 lead teacher that was removed and after learning about the reasons, I agree and don't want that person looking after my child. Keep up the good work Greenville.

Reyhane Robinson

My 2 children have attended Greenville Montessori for 5 years (my oldest) and 2 years (my youngest.) My oldest left GMS last year for public kindergarten and she was very much ahead of her peers due to the Montessori education she received. She knew how to read and write and she was very independent and confident. My toddler began in the infant room when she was 3 months old and I could not have asked for a better teacher than Ms. Jenny. I had absolute confidence leaving my baby with her. My children and I have loved every single teacher we have had an GMS! They all follow my children’s progress even after they are no longer in their classrooms and genuinely care about all of the kiddos. It is a big deal to leave your kids with someone else for 40+ hours a week, and I have never felt uncomfortable or nervous about trusting the staff at GMS to care for and teach my children. I have found the new director to be very responsive when parents voice concerns and I can tell that she truly cares about the children and the Montessori approach. Communication has increased, the meals have improved and there seems to be a good core staff in place.

Shama Ansari

I would rate this school NO stars if I could too. The owner just cares about money. They started to fire employees and use cheap, uneducated and unprofessional people to work for them. From December to now they fired 2 Directors, Assistant Director and one Primary Lead Teacher , without giving them 2 weeks notice and the story will continue (Elementary Teacher). When Ms. Sandra was the director, school was doing great. She really understood the Montessori philosophy. I completely agree with other review about keeping Shali in lead position when she just got her certification. "Shali is the same person who was accused of mistreating a student by a parent who was taking a tour. She wanted to give her notice because she couldn't control the class". Dolly, the owner said that parent saw the video but they never say the video was edited and they never called licensing to report. She is very rude and doesn't have any idea about what Montessori is and made the school like a daycare!!! Greenville is becoming one of the worst Montessori school and it is filled with drama.

Jennifer M

I've been at Greenville Montessori since my daughter was 1 year old. I have seen a significant improvement in the level of organization/communication, education, extra-curricular activities and teacher accountability since the school came under the leadership of Ms. Sandra. It is always a difficult task to come in and clean up a mess left behind by prior management while simultaneously trying to create a new culture of all-round excellence. Ms Sandra has done a phenomenal job despite facing some very steep obstacles. In the face of all of that, she continues to shine and elevate the Greenville Montessori name. The review written by Dan cdcar made me wonder if he was reviewing the same school. Any extra-curricular activity I am aware of takes place in the afternoon so that it specifically does not interfere with the learning program. If I thought for one second this school puts extra-curricular activities over education, I would be the first to pull my child without hesitation. Therefore, Dan cdcar, I say to you firmly and directly: Do Not Spread Lies. That sir, is a false statement and very unbecoming of someone who is raising children.

Ryan R.

I had two kids enrolled at Greenville Montessori School for the past year. Due to our needs changing they are not currently enrolled, but I would re enroll them in a heartbeat if I needed full time daycare again. This past year they have gone under new ownership. Sanjay Ambekar is the new owner and we have only experienced him making improvements to the school. Our boys were both happy there and learned a lot. The staff has always been helpful, friendly and easy to deal. The facility has always been safe and clean in our experience. We were returned our security deposit without issue. I would feel confident recommending this place to anyone.

Yjs Sm

As a former parent of a child at Greenville Montessori, I’d like to share our family’s experience with any prospective parents. After the arrival of the new owner, the following are the major issues we experienced that led to our departure from the school, issues that did not exist with the prior ownership and executive director: 1. Lack of accountability – Address an issue to the owner, and he will blame the executive director. Speak to the Executive Director, and she will blame office staff or the teacher. Speak with the head teacher, and she will blame the assistant teacher or Executive Director. No one will accept accountability for even the smallest issues. 2. Turnover – No less than 8 changes in staff in less than 6 months. This includes 3 executive directors, one assistant director, and multiple teachers. If you expect stability for your children, this is not the place to go. 3. Disproportionate discipline – A teacher was placed on a performance improvement plan for being too physical with a child. However, when the Executive Director disagreed with a teacher’s student assessments, an inherently subjective activity, that teacher was fired immediately. These priorities are backwards. 4. Poor Communication – From not communicating about a new checkin system, to a still unclear procedure for pickup, to children’s birthday parties not communicated to other parents, communications from the school are inconsistent and incomplete. A parent paid for lunch for our son’s class on a Friday, a day with bagged lunches, but it was never communicated to the other parents. So after spending over a hundred dollars on food, kids still arrived with bag lunches. 5. Sad Environment – Thanks to the lack of accountability, turnover, and disproportionate discipline, all of the staff seem to walk on pins and needles. It’s just not the same warm, friendly environment it was before the new ownership arrived. 6. Inexperienced Ownership – From a haphazard student checkin system to staff instability to adding computers that don’t work, the new ownership time and again illustrates their lack of experience in running a Montessori School. Question any of the issues mentioned here, and he will either blame someone else or suggest you take your child elsewhere. Shortly after taking over the school, the owner proudly announced a town hall to discuss all of the changes, only to cancel it when he realized he would actually have to answer questions and provide a plan. Based on all of these factors, we elected to move our son to a different Montessori school in the area. EDIT: In response to the owner, we DID address these issues with ownership and did speak with both the owner and directors and what turned out to be temporary assistant director. When addressed with the Owner, we were functionally told, this is how I run my business, if you don't like it, go elsewhere, much like the response to this review which is the tone of all communications with parents. Likewise, don't let the passive aggression sway a decision. Not one of the issues we raised are concerning teachers or staff. If it were only about the teachers, our son would still be there.

Roy B

I'd like to start off by saying that I was not paid for this review, as other reviewers have suggested! I have three kids attending GMS and I can't imagine sending them anywhere else. It's true that there have been some changes in owership and management.....but for the better! It's clear that the current owners and director are taking every step to improve the quality my children's experience and education.

Snehita Hossain

My kids went to this school for almost a year as both of their teachers were okay, but I noticed they all cut corners a lot and I can't tell you how many times my youngest came home either soiled or wet. I finally learned Jennifer (the "Director") really does not know what she is doing at all. I really think Vinna should hire someone to show Jennifer how to be a real Director and train her from the floor up especially on how to treat people. First of all, she plans all of the events and they ALL have been huge disasters. She never knows what is going on with the children then fakes it. Also, she plays favorites (with staff and parents). If she does not like you, you are invisible and she will not care. She is moody and should care a little more about the parents, children and school instead of surfing Facebook, etc the entire day!