Heartwood Montessori School

Posted: July 13, 2020

At Heartwood, we are not homework-focused. In the times of so many people being over-scheduled, we feel that it is important for students to have time to be children. Whether that means pursing a sport, a musical instrument, helping out with the family, being creative, or a host of other things, we believe that if the children use their school time to get their lessons and their work done, and the teachers are giving rigorous lessons and follow-up work, then the rest of the day should not be taken up with more school work, just done at home.

Posted: July 13, 2020

Teachers at Heartwood are Montessori trained, full of compassion, and have high expectations for their students. They strive to challenge students such that they will grow and become confident in their own skills and knowledge, while providing a rigorous, thorough education.

Posted: July 13, 2020

While character education is inherent in the Montessori Philosophy of Education, it is further developed at Heartwood in the sense of community that the whole campus shares. By participating in that community, students understand what it means to hold responsibility in being a productive and honorable member of the Heartwood family.

Posted: July 13, 2020

Ms. Dawson, our new Head of School, is incredibly knowledgeable, thorough, and intentional in all of the decisions that she makes. She seeks to provide the optimum environment for students, staff, and families to be successful.

Posted: July 13, 2020

Heartwood embraces the fact that children learn differently from one another. The Montessori Method, with its multi-age groupings, allows for a natural, organic way to address this within the classroom. While we are not staffed with experts in supporting children with learning differences, we work as a team with parents to help children make progress within our environments so that the students feel confident and successful.

Posted: July 13, 2020

Montessori Education has at its core the teaching, modeling, and communication necessary to promote peace. While children are not always peaceful, the teachers at Heartwood explicitly teach conflict resolution, effective communication, and encourage compassion and empathy in their students. The teachers are also working toward using more restorative justice practices as an important part of conflict resolution. Empowering children with tools to handle their hurt feelings and other conflict reduces the amount of bullying that occurs. Should bullying still happen, we will work with everyone involved to handle the matter appropriately.

Posted: July 13, 2020

I was a teacher at Heartwood for 12 years before becoming the Director of Education. The sense of community and family, in addition to commitment to offering authentic Montessori education, makes me feel like there is no better place to be.

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

This school is intolerant of diversity and the curriculum is lacking. Be careful.

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: June 25, 2018

All children learn differently. We found that our daughter learns much better and feels more comfortable in a Montessori setting.

Posted: June 25, 2018

We have only heard of a few instances when a student has felt bullied, and we know the teachers and leadership dealt with it immediately and with compassion.

Posted: June 25, 2018

My daughters teachers are caring, patient, knowledgeable, well trained and hard working! They have built a wonderful relationship with her, which has affected her learning in a positive way.

Posted: June 25, 2018

Absolutely! We think having character is just as important as an education. One way that Heartwood builds character is helping and contributing to the community.

Posted: June 25, 2018

The leadership is also very caring, honest and hardworking. They know the students personally. We have always found it easy to communicate with them.

Posted: June 25, 2018

Our daughter has been at Heartwood for 4 years. We have had a wonderful experience. Although I work in a public school, we realized that she needed a different type of education and environment. We are amazed at how much she has grown personally, socially and academically. We are so thankful to have found Heartwood!

Posted: June 25, 2018

The only time our daughter has homework is if she does not finish her work in class or she wants to get ahead on an assignment.

Posted: June 21, 2018

The teachers for heartwoods middle and high school program have excellent training and experience in Montessori programs along with experience in stem school which has allowed them to pull in multiple resources to construct a curriculum to put these students on a route for a successful future.

Posted: June 21, 2018

With heartwood being such a small school students become very close with their peers and teaches which helps them develop strong characteristics.

Posted: June 21, 2018

Students learn how to manage their time wisely with the curriculum that this school has set up.

Posted: June 21, 2018

In my opinion some people will mistake heartwood as a school for children with learning disabilities and while this school is meant to help children further their education and overcome any barriers in learning it is not a school for troubled students. Heartwood provides the best method of learning for students. The program is not fit to care for disabled students but is made to help students overcome day to day obstacles in their learning.

Posted: June 21, 2018

Heartwood has a zero tolerance policy for bullying. Before I came to heartwood I was bullied at my old school but have never had a bad experience since being at heartwood. The community at heartwood is truly a family.

Posted: June 21, 2018

Students have work time during the day to complete the work that is assigned and homework becomes whatever class work is not completed in that time.

Posted: June 21, 2018

I am a Junior at Heartwood, I came to heartwood in 6th grade after being bullied at my old school, I was immediately taken in and truly felt like I belonged, everyone was so sweet and I received a great education, I was even able to skip a grade and am on the path to graduate early. I have gotten amazing opportunities to do more complicated work and have never been more happy. Heartwood really is like a family to me.

Posted: June 21, 2018

The leadership has always been effective at working through day to day issues and show that not only are they plugged-in what is going on within the school but also with students and parents.

Posted: June 21, 2018

The teachers and staff are very accommodating when it comes to supporting students that need their learning environment tailored to their needs.

Posted: June 21, 2018

Posted: June 21, 2018

The teachers are able to present challenging work assignments in such a way as to make them seem normal and approachable. They provide the the tools to allow students to effectively complete their assignment.

Posted: June 21, 2018

Our children show great patiences and curiosity with children of their own age, but also with children both older and younger than themselves. This feeling of compassion, especially for the younger students, shows that the character that is fostered in the children is kind and helpful.

Posted: June 21, 2018

In the 9 years that our children have been going to Heartwood, we have seen good progress in both the education and social skills. They have developed skills in both areas that will allow them to continue to grow in the coming years.

Posted: June 21, 2018

In Upper Elementary, homework is assigned and instruction on how to approach the work is provided. Students learn to complete their work on time and do so without griping.

Posted: June 20, 2018

The Montessori classroom allows for much more dynamic interaction among the students and between teachers and students. When compared with the more controlled and regulated processes of public school, it can appear quite chaotic. But an integrated classroom, where students are mixed among age groups (3 to 6, 6 to 9), asked at very young ages to take ownership of their learning process, and have more social interaction ongoing throughout the entire day, the teachers have to manage and help in ways that are more complex and nuanced that traditional schooling. Parents are also encouraged to be more involved and engaged, which adds another layer of communication that is part of the teacher role at Heartwood.

Posted: June 20, 2018

More than anything, the Montessori approach to education works to develop whole children, and that is a task that is much messier than focusing primarily on academics. Because the school has periods in the day when all the children interact on the playground, from 6 to 16, there is a constant engagement of assessing and guiding children when they struggle with each other. The students at the school are diverse and they interact with ranges of ages and maturity in the classrooms. So as much of the experience is about how to get along in a community as it is to learn academic knowledge.

Posted: June 20, 2018

Can you imagine starting a school on your own property, moving it to small facility, purchasing a collection of homes to form a campus, building a program from toddlers/preschool and kindergarten into one that now graduates high school students? I cannot. That takes leadership and vision. Sue Daniels has maintained the course of the school and grown it with her vision, leadership, compassion, and persistence. She has always been approachable, faced challenges honestly, and worked tirelessly to make the school the best it can be for students and parents. Both she and Mary McKinney will do their best to help your child succeed at their school.

Posted: June 20, 2018

In many ways, this school is a haven for learning differences, especially when the traditional school environment is actually causing a problem for a student rather than alleviating it. My daughter is a very focused and visual learner. She would suffer in a rote based, lecture styled, heavy testing program. Having the ability to discover and test her learning style in the more open environment of Heartwood has allowed her to flourish instead of being labeled, which would have certainly happened in a traditional public school setting.

Posted: June 20, 2018

Because teachers and the leadership are constantly engaging with the students in the classrooms or on the playground, and creating safe emotional interactions, the bullying that has occurred (as it will in any educational setting) is quickly addressed and continually addressed until a resolution is found. The small size of the school makes it impossible for bullying to be anonymous or go undetected for any length of time.

Posted: June 20, 2018

How the school handles homework will be counter intuitive to most parents and any students coming from public or traditional private school. There is no homework, which is based on the philosophy that the school day is the work day. Just like an adult environment where you do not get "homework" after your work day. You work your job; you live at home.

Posted: June 20, 2018

My daughter has been with the school since she was 2 and half; she is now 13 and about to enter the middle school program. I am also a professional educator, holding a PhD in English and having taught at the university level from 1992 to 2011. I could not be more pleased with my daughter's experience and learning growth at Heartwood. But as an educator, I also know that this school and its approach is not for every parent or student. It is not part of the "farm system" feeding into the college corporation, so when students are compared from this school to a public measure, they will always be "behind" because they are not learning to learn the way public school teaches. That said, I am confident my daughter could do well in a college setting because she is already learning how to manage her learning as her responsibility. I am not surprised to see evaluations of the school range wildly from 1 star to 5 stars; the educational philosophy is very different from the mainstream and this school has a personality that is distinctive, even cultural. It has been and continues to be the ideal environment for my daughter and for me, as a parent, who wants to be involved with a school in a way that would not otherwise be available in another setting.

Posted: June 20, 2018

My son might be the exception here, I see the teachers focusing on this and providing material, subjects, and exercises which do lead towards a great person instead of just a smart person. I don't see the knee jerk reactions of other schools to throw everyone in therapy or be quick to medicate. I will say since the school has children from toddlers to high school they all have to get along and help out which is much more than I see at many other schools.

Posted: June 20, 2018

The school focuses on children, not the parents. This is a big difference from other schools where parents are impressed by rules and facilities to make them happy- completely ignoring the children. While we have seen turnover, it seems at the same rate we see it at all other schools in the area- despite the turnover, the staff continues to focus on valuing the children and their education

Posted: June 20, 2018

Montessori itself allows for this environment and the teachers and staff are all supportive of children who struggle to behave or learn at the pace of the other students.

Posted: June 20, 2018

this is a hard topic, I would say the school is fair to all which sometimes means your child will have a bad day thanks to other students. It is encouraged to work out your own problems and with time the students learn to do that. All the staff is open to questions and willing to help work with specific issues.

Posted: June 20, 2018

Our son has been at the school 2 years and moved up through classrooms between the first and second year. I see the teachers providing constructive feedback and coaching resulting in great progress. While your mileage may vary, I see all the classmates showing progress throughout the year.

Posted: June 20, 2018

Overall my experience is great. I really enjoy the values the school focuses on and the broad range of subjects. Montessori isn't for everyone, and this school isn't a place for people that want a fancy playground or to feel good about raising money to remodel a building or field. Children come first (it is a school afterall), everyone is welcome, all communications and actions are void of knee jerk reactions, balanced, and friendly. We look forward to many more years at the school!

Posted: June 20, 2018

There is very little homework, if you do not get work done in the classroom, you can do more at home. The days in school are busy and long and doing hours of work after that at home leaves no room for refreshing your body and mind.

Posted: May 11, 2018

Something must have happened mid year with leadership when the art teacher left and 2 administration staff.

Posted: May 11, 2018

Posted: May 11, 2018

My son experiences math, language arts, practical life, etc. like you would find in a certified Montessori environment.

Posted: May 11, 2018

Posted: May 11, 2018

I will say I admire the teachers my son has in the children's house. He seems to like them and usually enjoys going to school. Sometimes there are little social issues that the teachers are not clued into but when I contact them about things (rarely need to) they are usually responsive.
With that said, it is obvious staff plays favorites. If you are not one of those, or "special needs," it is not worth the price tag.
I am disappointed there was not a new art teacher hired after the former one resigned for health reasons (in December).
When we first started, Spanish was twice a week. It was changed to once a week without any notice.
No bathrooms in the childrens house classrooms sucks for everyone.
Billing is often wrong and needs to be addressed.
Not sure what happened this year, it just seems like the school is barely scraping by.
I am glad for the experience we've had with Montessori but we are not coming back.

Posted: May 11, 2018

Posted: May 5, 2018

Teachers are overwhelmed by the skeleton crew staff. The 2 main teachers take turns traveling to teach the Montessori program, which leaves the 25+ students from grades 6-12 a single teacher. Even when both teachers are present, they cannot hide their frustrations. There needs to be more space and more teachers at these grade levels.

Posted: May 5, 2018

The kids are a wonderful mix of abilities and personalities. However, the teachers do not model compassion or respect. It was obvious to me as a parent visitor who were the favored children in the class. The other students were keenly aware when a teacher was upset with another child.

Posted: May 5, 2018

The owner/founder Sue Daniel is in over her head. The farm that the older kids were supposed to move to this year did not pan out because they did not get the proper permits. How does that happen? So then the group of teenagers was sandwiched into the old art room. It is way over crowded and not a comfortable learning environment.

Posted: May 5, 2018

Teachers are not trained and are not only ineffective in helping kids with learning differences, but they get frustrated and angry when a child doesn't respond to their method of teaching.

Posted: May 5, 2018

My child never had an issue with bullying so I have no experience with this.

Posted: May 5, 2018

I regret enrolling my child in the middle school. Perhaps the satisfied parents are in the elementary level. Now that we have moved back to our public school, I see how far behind the standard these students are. I am just grateful that we figured this out early on before he was so far behind it would affect college admissions.

Posted: May 5, 2018

The middle/high school kids do not get any homework.

Posted: February 27, 2018

Posted: February 27, 2018

Posted: February 27, 2018

Posted: February 27, 2018

Posted: February 27, 2018

Posted: February 27, 2018

This school has been wildly inconsistent since we started. They presented themselves well when we came for a trial visit last year, but the school has not lived up to our expectations whatsoever.

First of all, the place seems severely understaffed. If a teacher is absent, there's no real backup plan--it often ends up being a wasted day. My child often comes home reporting that the teacher seems overwhelmed and frustrated. Naturally, this does not make for a great learning environment.

When we were considering the school, it was with the understanding that the upper school was being moved to a farm. That plan fell through, and the upper school has been primarily held in a small room on the existing campus. We were led to expect that my child's classroom would have a teacher and an assistant; the assistant now rarely can be there because she is needed in other areas of the school. The art teacher had to leave for health reasons (which is understandable and unfortunate), but the art program at the school since her departure has been very inconsistent.

Beyond the many inconsistencies, changed plans, and general lack of organization, there's the education factor. My child's teacher has sent more than one email home to parents riddled with spelling errors. My child's work is corrected seemingly without rhyme or reason. When I look at English/spelling work, some words will be corrected and others won't be. On one recent occasion, a misspelling had been "corrected" to a different misspelling!

Math has been fine. And that is the height of what I can say about the education factor. Science has been nonexistent. There was a "science workshop" conducted at one point that consisted of a few science-themed craft projects, and that has been it. For the whole year.

We definitely will not be returning to the school, but beyond that, we will have to work hard at home to supplement this year's so-called education so that my child will be ready for the next grade level at a different school. With my child being in lower-school years, at least it's easy enough to correct some of the poor educational habits this school has established; I would never trust them with an upper-school education, where the topics being tackled are more complex. And I would STRONGLY advise any families considering this school to look elsewhere.

Posted: February 27, 2018

Posted: December 12, 2017

Posted: December 12, 2017

Once again, if a child has trouble in the classroom environment the teachers engender, they seek to place the blame on the child.

Posted: December 12, 2017

We have no experience with bullying at Heartwood.

Posted: December 12, 2017

The school is more than willing to take your money for toddler care, but if the teachers have difficulty dealing with your child, they try to convince you your child is developmentally delayed--regardless of any medical opinion to the contrary.

Posted: December 12, 2017

This school cares about its bottom line exclusively. It's for profit and it is demonstrable in how the teachers behave towards their students.

Posted: December 12, 2017

Our son attends preschool and therefore doesn't have homework.

Posted: December 12, 2017

Heartwood is a for-profit enterprise, something which is not remotely apparent in their literature and which they never disclosed to us in any preliminary meeting. They will be more than willing to take your money for substandard facilities, whether or not they genuinely believe your child is a good fit. Our 3 year old is still working on potty training -- an age recognized as being developmentally appropriate for that task. They are also high energy and extremely curious. Heartwood was very willing to assure us that he would be a fine fit in their toddler preschool program until he was finished potty training, at which point he could move to his age group. After 3 months of classes, they now insist that he is developmentally challenged because he isn't potty trained and finds their activities boring. We have taken him to a developmental specialist who found nothing wrong with his development, but Heartwood has stuck by their diagnosis, provided by a consultant with a master's degree in education. It is disheartening and, frankly, monstrous to seek to place a label on a child that could follow them for years, simply because teachers misrepresented their capabilities and classroom environment.

Posted: April 16, 2016

Posted: April 16, 2016

Posted: April 16, 2016

Posted: April 16, 2016

I spent three years at Heartwood and it was an amazing experience. It is not only a school, it is a community, a family. The students all get one-on-one time with the teachers and can all work at their own rates. Instead of endless hours of lectures and mindless piles of homework, kids get amazing hands-on learning experiences and field trips to connect what they learn in the classroom to the real world. Teachers let students make decisions about how they want to learn, and there is a huge emphasis on individuality and creativity. The students also get to learn both independence and interdependence at the same time. Snacks are served even in the higher grades, and the children are not bombarded with endless testing. It is a great school for any child.

Posted: November 28, 2012

Copy from email to parents on 3/15/2012: At our most recent sanitation inspection we were cited for not having the kitchen door locked at all times. The reason for this official notification is a requirement of the Department of Health and Human Services because we have had three provisional sanitation classifications within a 12 month period . : white-out, rubber cement, WD-40, air freshener, and whip cream were in a teacher cabinet but not locked up in one of the classrooms with 6-9 year olds. The kitchen door was not locked. There was a controversial type of latch and lock on one of the preschool classroom cabinets with hazardous products. I could have appealed this, but it would still have been a total of three 6 point The toddler house bathroom had a Clorox cleaning solution under the sink which had a child proof zip tie type safety latch and a heavy wooden step stool in front of the cabinet doors. This type of lock is not approved. The cleaner was removed to a different locked cabinet that was approved.

Posted: August 29, 2012

To address the "Math" issue here, I informed the director of "not much Math" coming home or as my child stated "in the classroom". He is now at Broughton "doubling up" on Algebra II and Geometry because he was in only Algebra I in 9th grade when he "should have done that at Daniels". Well, Heartwood did not prepare him properly for a good math foundation - today this has knocked him out of Orchestra so he can "catch up" as they recently told him on the Math situation.

Posted: February 22, 2012

My 5 year old attends Heartwood and has for 2 years, and his younger sibling, at near-3, is now also attending. Both approach learning differently and, in the Montessori setting, are valued for their unique approaches/personalities and respected for where and who they are. During these critical self-esteem building years, this is powerful. Throughout our time at Heartwood, we have friends whose children went on to traditional schools in later grades to find themselves well ahead of the "curve" academically as well. Parents are welcome and encouraged to be an active part of the school, in many ways and degrees, and they take full advantage. I recommend Heartwood with no reservations, and enthusiastically any time I have a chance to!

Posted: February 7, 2012

I want to address the "daycare" issue and other claims that the teachers are not skilled or properly trained. Those reviews must obviously be from people who never attended the teacher trainings, saw teacher demonstrations, or looked to see what credentials were and the work demanded to obtain them. Just today I was able to sit an enjoy a presentation on math for the 6 to 9 group by two of the teachers. The process, from a pedagogical standpoint, is complex, but designed using Montessori's brilliant techniques so children can approach the math concepts in visually accessible and fun ways. To the untrained eye, it looks like the kids are just "playing" all the time without any teacher instruction or interaction. To the trained or observant eye, of a person spending a day in the class and being shown the technique behind the practice, the children are learning concepts in creative and repetitive ways that will allow them to internalize and eventually memorize the building blocks needed for advance math and writing/reading. These teachers know their craft.

Posted: February 7, 2012

I hope parents searching for a great school will read all the reviews so they can clarify what is a "parent issue" and a school issue. I want to address the claim that the school is a "dirty daycare;" it is inaccurate and untruthful. I have been a parent with the school for over 6 years and I have done and still do quite a bit of handy man work to help out when needed. I am at the school weekly, helping with projects, making improvements, and fixing unexpected problems. Like all schools, this school is visited by the health department and fire department to inspect it for cleanliness and safety. Most inspections pass without a problem and one's that find a problem ... well ... the problem gets quickly resolved. To point of fact, the school is made of a main building and several small houses, all built over 30 years ago. They are not new construction or "state of the art," so if that is what you are looking for, then the school will not meet those expectations. However, kids feel very comfortable in an environment that looks more like a home than an institution. We picked Heartwood for its "character" as much for its educational excellence.

Posted: December 14, 2011

Totally agree with the previous report. The school is essentially a dirty day care for that much money. The parents do a lot of stuff but the teaching quality and the facilities are SERIOUSLY lacking. If you want to *hear* a lot about 'nurturing & caring' while not learning anything with seriously under-qualified teachers, then go here. For the money you pay there are a lot of better schools in Cary. If you fall for their spin on things and do send your kids there, trust me, you will come to this conclusion as soon as you start visiting daily. Save yourself the trouble and go to other private schools. AVOID - in one word

Posted: October 2, 2011

This is our 4th year at Heartwood and we love the school. The teachers & administration are wonderful. I'm so impressed with the quality of education, educational materials available in the classroom, and the individualized educational plan to meet the needs of my child.

Posted: September 27, 2011

I have nothing but positive things to say about Heartwood - great Montessori curriculum and teachers. We have always felt welcome by the staff and families and the outdoor space is amazing. They have inspired my son to learn which a traditioaly school was unable to do

Posted: August 11, 2011

My son is starting public high school this year. He has always been in the AIG classes since starting public school in the 3rd grade. He attended Heartwood from preschool till second grade. We had a wonderful experience. The teachers are dedicated to the students. A very loving and nuturing environment. They really emphasis reading and interactive learning

Posted: May 26, 2011

We are finishing up our 2nd year at Heartwood and are looking forward to the third. The school gives so much respect to each child and I am amazed at how my daughter has grown and thrived during her time at the school.

Posted: March 20, 2011

I attended Heartwood for five years in elementary school. Upon moving into a public middle school I found the work to be much below my level, and I feel that I owe that largely to the dedicated teachers and loving environment provided. I have since returned to visit and observe the school, and it is just as wonderful as it always was. The teachers are very attentive and nurturing. The staff encourages children not to just learn, but to want to learn.

Posted: November 24, 2010

My daughter has attended Heartwood for four years. Her three older brothers are alumnae now attending college. Heartwood has a caring. loving staff and a homelike environment. The school is not new or shiny and the tuition reflects that fact. You can pay much more for your child to go to a newer building, but you wont get a higher quality education.