The Springs A Montessori School in Springfield

Posted: December 16, 2024

We have been at this school
Since 2020 and originally picked it because of its cleanliness and mask, social
Distancing guidelines but aside from that both our kids have flourished here. My oldest will be 5 soon and she started at 18 months old! Their confidence level stands out and the teachers are loving. The administration brought in a stronger lead and changes have been made across the board to the type of structure the school offers. Sometimes having tough administrative staff can be seen as a negative but I think in thus space its worked out nicely with Ofcourse some ups and downs. The school runs nicely and you know your kids are taken care of. As a working parent thats all I want.

Posted: December 16, 2024

Posted: April 29, 2024

Great School! I would 100% recommend to other parents.

Posted: April 29, 2024

Posted: January 3, 2023

We send both of our children here. The school is nice and clean - the teachers are great for the most part. The biggest issue with this school (outside of the other comments regarding ownership) is the number of days they are closed, without any tuition adjustment of course. There is no consideration for working families. There isn't a single month in the year where the school isn't closed for at least one day, with most months having multiple closures. This of course requires working parents to also take the day off from work. November and December the school is basically only open half the month. If you have a stay at home parent - the school is great, if you have two working parents please beware.

Posted: January 3, 2023

Posted: March 19, 2022

bad bad school, will never send the lid here again. The management have no empathy, what will they teach to our kids. Folks just sending their kids because its a montessori. But to be honest not worth it.

Posted: March 19, 2022

Posted: April 16, 2021

The teachers are all very likable. The administration behind them, not so much. The owner/head basically inherited it through his wife- and he just leaves much to be desired. He treats everything like a business transaction, not like he actually cares about the children there. Its quite obvious the teachers dislike him too- but he is their boss and they cant do or say anything else. Youre paying anywhere from $8-24k per year (depending on age)- so yeah, I expect some level of customer service there- but nope. They allow kids that bite or fight repeatedly for years to stay with not so much as a commitment to improve it- and its fine as long as their parents pay tuition on time. The school has been truly disappointing.

Posted: April 16, 2021

Posted: March 10, 2018

Poor. What is wrong with the owner of this school? Some parents see what's going on and will be leaving soon. How some other parents can turn a blind eye to what they see boggles the mind.

Posted: March 10, 2018

Posted: January 22, 2018

This is an amazing school. Both of our kids have blossomed here.

Posted: January 22, 2018

Posted: September 1, 2017

The Springs is by far one of the best schools to be a part of. They are always challenging the children and are continuing to improve their teaching to reach every child. There is ongoing parent education as well as different community events. they have an open door policy so parents can come visit at any time.

Posted: March 14, 2017

This is the last year my child will be in this school. The turnover is scary! whats going on that they have to change 4 assistants and 3 teachers in one year? They have changed the lead teacher for their Elementary program twice already.
The administrator is a nice guy but his staff absolutely hates him. I have personally spoken to assistants that don't like him or simply dont respect him, that says a lot to me.
The environment there feels tense and everyone looks stressed out. I'm looking for a happier/more honest environment for my child.

Posted: December 8, 2016

Three kids, three classes, three great teachers!!

Posted: December 8, 2016

As parents of three boys, 3, 5, and 7, we couldnt be happier to call The Springs a part of our family. In the past we have attended both public and Catholic schools, but The Springs brings an unparalleled experience that allows much more than just a school experience. From the gentle love and care that our 3 year-old receives in his Primary class, to the self-growth and confidence we see in our Kindergartener and the out-of-the-box, hands-on learning experiences by our 2nd grader, we couldnt be more impressed.

The staff is attentive and observant. They truly know our boys. I love how there is a community in each class, but it doesnt stop at those four walls. The school comes together on many occasions throughout the day, and the community as a whole works in unison and shares its values and lessons among everyone.

For the academics, the routine, the lessons in life, and the respect and growth our children have seen, I truly recommend the Springs for children of all ages.

**I must add, dont judge a book by its cover open up the doors and look inside! While located on the outskirts of an industrial park, the inside is new, clean, fresh, loving and up-to-date a perfect and organized environment to learn and grow.

Posted: September 13, 2016

We love the Springs! Mrs. Valeria is amazing and so loving. Two of our children are attending this school and I cannot say enough positive things about it.

Posted: March 8, 2016

The teachers here are amazing, especially Ms. Valeria. She is so kind and soft with the children. She is also so academic with the students. My daughter comes home singing new songs about the number of bones in the body, how water travels in a cycle, etc. She is absolutely amazing!! If you have a chance, request Ms. Valeria. I have another child, and I have already requested for her to be in Ms. Valeria's class.

Posted: March 8, 2016

Yes, this school holds everyone, parents, teachers, and students to the highest standards. There is transparency in all they do, and that gives me great satisfaction to see that from a school.

Posted: March 8, 2016

My daughter started here when she was 2.5 years old during the transition from the old school to the new school. Although we didn't feel like there was enough academic progress in her first year, we have seen a huge improvement in her second year. I don't know if it was a change in teacher, her age, or what, but ever since the beginning of this current school year, I have seen a different child. All she wants to do is read, and is desperate to do so. She just turned 4 and they are working very hard with us to help her achieve her goal. Thank you to her wonderful teachers!

Posted: January 27, 2016

I've tried to remain positive, but I have lost faith in this institution. The turnover rate of the staff at this school is too high. Eventually this will have an impact on the students. What parent wouldn't be alarmed if every time you turn around, another staff member is walking out the door. There are a few fine teachers at the school, but how much longer will they be there under the current administration. Respect and caring should start at the top because if it doesn't then this lack of concern for others trickles on down until it reaches the little ones. The decor within the school looks good, but when you look beneath the pretty, it's really ugly. Shame on the parents that write false reviews of how great it is. Others may come based on your reviews, but they will come to realize what many people at the school realize now, that it's all hype. This is not the place to come to get a true Montessori experience. Montessori, among other things, is about integrity, community, love. You will not find that here.

Posted: January 27, 2016

Posted: January 4, 2016

Our children have learned a lot academically, and are far ahead of their peers. But what we like most is the gratitude and personability that the children obtain after three years at the school. And now that there's going to be an elementary program, we're just thrilled that our children will extend their relationship with The Springs!

Posted: December 8, 2015

There is no formal homework although our child has brought home readers to share with us! We love it

Posted: December 8, 2015

Our daughter is learning a ton about kindness and social emotional skills. I think that is a great start for children in this afe group

Posted: December 8, 2015

The Springs is an awesome school. I know most people are more likely to write reviews when things dont go their way than when it does so I was just wanted to share what a wonderful experience we are having. I was absolutely floored to see so much negativity on here about Mr. Dan and misinformation about the program in general. Teachers without education backgrounds?? The Leads are all Montessori certified! As for Mr. Dan, we think he is wonderful. Sure, he is busy at time, but he is running a school with 120 kids! I think the whole program is great. Ive had a chance to spend a lot more time at school this year and can see how happy the teachers and children are (Im in education and know that is the result of good leadership), including my daughter. She LOVES school. We adore Ms. Valeria, her new teacher. We were a bit worried when they decided to make a teacher change for this class, but it was clearly the right choice. There is a noticeable increase in communication and I feel like Ms. Valeria actually knows and understands my daughter as an individual. Even though Mr. Dan is getting a bum rap on here, someone has to make the hard decisions and I think he is doing a great job! I have really been impressed this year with the increased parent input and surveys, the establishment of the Parent Committee, added safety and security measures and the noticeable focus on peace and cultural inclusion. Our little one is learning a great deal, all the traditional academic items, but I have been most impressed with her learning regarding working things out with her friends, being thankful and even developing a concern for conservation and the environment. She even thanks me for making dinner!!! We are super excited that they are going to be adding an Elementary program! Five Stars here for sure!

Posted: August 8, 2015

Posted: June 23, 2015

There are problems at every school. Can the administration seem heavy handed with faculty, sure. Can the school seem a bit too uptight, sure. I don't have concerns as long as her classroom teachers are supported, my child is supported and continues to flourish in what appears to be a well crafted, loving and structured environment.

Posted: June 23, 2015

There are no homework assignments, its PK! However if your child is a reader, they can take home as many books from the school's library as they wish!

Posted: June 23, 2015

Posted: June 20, 2015

I am a faculty member at The Springs. A very happy faculty member! One who is even happier now that we no longer have certain individuals on staff. But, I'll tell you I have worked at other places! The Springs is the best place I have worked. They have high standards! If that's micromanaging or whatever then so be it! I for one have never ever felt that way (or threatened, or told I was replaceable!)! I feel valued and appreciated, frequently receiving gifts and bonuses for my hard work! If others haven't experienced that, then perhaps they should look inwardly to see why not!

Posted: June 18, 2015

Posted: February 15, 2015

My child has been with the school since 2014. I really like how bright the classrooms are. The kids at the school seem full of energy and engaged.I am happy with his teacher, but he calls Dan a bad guy. Maybe that's typical for a child to view the head of a school that way. I would prefer he come across as warm and friendly to the kids. I do wish I had an idea of how well my son is actually doing. I get reports saying what he should be doing, but no reports on how much of that he is actually accomplishing. The assistants don't seem to be trained in Montessori, but "in training." Montessori lessons seem to go out the window during after school care. Although, I think the assistants in my son's class are kind to the kids. The school is experiencing growing pains. Hopefully that will settle down soon. I agree with the other reviewers that Dan is not always clear, but it sounds like this is a new job for him, so maybe he will get better with time. I'm on the fence about how I feel about the school. I give the teachers 4 stars, the administration 2, the building 5, and the play area 2, which averages out to a little over 3 stars. I'll be back after the school year to provide an update.

Posted: January 28, 2015

Rest of my review...The extras the kids get include music and library for the older kids. I would highly recommend the Springs to any family in the area. Price wise it is about the same as other schools/daycares, but it is closed a bit more. That is a downside, but one that is worth it to me. We love Mr. Dan. We have never had issues. He answers all of our questions promptly. He was completely transparent about the move situation. Nothing but good things to say about him.

Posted: January 22, 2015

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this school. This school is not a daycare, we have done daycare. My daugher is 2 years old and is currently in the Toddler class. The teachers are fantastic and the facility is bright and welcoming. It was worth wait. Toddlers also have a separate part of the playground with equipment that is more for their size. I would disagree with a previous review that there is no Montessori taught at this school. That is false statement. With regards to Dan, he has always answered every question I had and in my personal opinion is a great male presence in an all female staff. D

Posted: January 20, 2015

Our two children, 3 and 5, attend The Springs and both children are having great experiences. Most of all they love going to school and are happy in addition to the fact that both of them are learning a ton and are excited about learning. Our youngest having just started this fall knows all of the continents, the sounds of the letters, and our 5 year old is reading fluently and is currently obsessed with subtraction. I'm looking forward to seeing what Kindergarten will bring for the 5 year old next year. We are just having a totally different experience than is described in the previous review which actually baffles me because some of the details and information are so inaccurate compared to our what we've seen. As others have said, the teachers are a cut above the rest and best of all it's a happy place for children. Our kids have been in daycare and have been in Montessori school and I promise that The Springs is not just daycare. You'll be able to see that just by walking in the door. Highly recommend checking it out for yourself.

Posted: January 11, 2015

My child is a current student of the school and has attended the school for two years. I'm sad to say that I am very disappointed with the school. It is more like a day care rather than a Montessori school. In spite of being a Montessori school they teach the kids by age. Children are not exposed to certain topics or lessons unless they are a certain age. Reading and writing is taught well only to kindergarten age children. Most of the days my child does art in school. There is no exposure to social studies or science. Reading is not kick started at an early age as I would expect in a school. As I mentioned before it is more like a day care. There is no exposure to foreign language or music. These things are offered only at an additional fee. The school is NOT cheap. In fact it is one of the most expensive early childhood education facilities in the area. Yes the school is clean and the teachers a nice. But it is not a Montessori school.

Posted: December 10, 2014

The Springs is a wonderful school all around! The teachers are wonderful and caring. We have been at the school year for two years and our daughter is thriving. I'm not surprised to see some negativity about the transitional period. It was hard, but what the teachers and administration accomplished during those two months was nothing short of miraculous, especially Mr. Dan. For anyone to say he only cares about money, they didn't bother to get to know him or see him setting up and taking down 5? 6?classrooms (almost singlehandedly) every week so our children would still have a place to go to school. Maybe they haven't seen him in the playroom kicking around the soccer ball with the kids or comforting a mom who was having a harder time saying goodbye than her child! Or kindly and patiently answering the dozens of questions I have thrown at him as I am sure others have. And to say that there is no Montessori going on at The Springs is to not understand Montessori. The Springs could be a model school for Montessori! And The Springs is still the most affordable Montessori school around (I just double checked to be sure), so again not sure about those previous comments!

Posted: December 9, 2014

While I agree that the temporary facility was not an ideal learning environment (it was only two months), we are so glad we stayed with the school and their new toddler program. Ms. Mary is an absolute incredible teacher. Our daughter has thrived there, and is happier and calmer at school and at home. It's a wonderful new building with all the amenities you could ever ask for. While I agree that Daniel could be a better communicator, I do believe his heart is In the right place and that he's not only worried about money as others have posted. He sends his daughter to the school, and clearly wants what is best for her. My interaction with him initially almost turned me away from the school, and I'm so glad it didn't. He's a bit socially awkward (what engineer isn't?), but he is caring towards the kids and tries to make the school a great experience for all. More importantly, the lead teachers are all heads and shoulders above staff in other local preschools. That's what I care about since my child has much more interaction with them. Some of the floater staff are clearly there because it's a job, but they all seem to love and care about the kids as well.

Posted: November 8, 2014

The experience my family has had with this school is terrible, we decided to take our child out because they were working in a ballroom while their new school was being built, the new owners only care about the money and it's sad to see how little montessori is in what they do. I feel sorry for the children and parents that are being cheated of their hard earned money.

Posted: February 9, 2014

The head teacher, Ms. Cindy is a skilled and experienced professional in this field who makes the learning environment awesome for the kids. She clearly puts a lot of effort into organizing activities to keep children happy and learning. Management could be more accommodating to parent and teacher requests, and supervise assistants carefully once the teachers leave for the day. There are other management issues that are not ideal like tuition increases, moving to a new location, and other minor things but all that said, the overly negative review on here is way off-base. This is still the best school in this area I could find, for any price.

Posted: September 8, 2013

Excellent school! My youngest just finished Kindergarten and his final summer camp and had a wonderful experience. It feels so strange to drive by and not stop now. My (very different) children had wonderful experiences. Having been there over many years, we feel the school keeps getting better. The teachers are fabulous. Summer camp is amazing, the number of parent events keeps growing, creating a better sense of community and it feels like there is such a positive energy. What they do best is blending loving and nurturing care with a great academic start. We are so missing the family atmosphere. It was so comforting to know that everyone at the school new our family and our children. I should also mention that our older child is thriving as well having just started AAP in FFX County. I truly believe his academic successes are owed in large part to the start he got at The Springs!

Posted: August 7, 2013

The academic program has suffered tremendously when the ownership transferred from the original family to the son-in-law. He has a degree in Engineering and it seems as if he inherited the school through happenstance. He runs the program in a way that values money over children. There is a high turnover rate of assistant teachers, he refuses to let alumni parents convey their discontent to the original owner Pat Toole, and just gives off a bad vibe. I have paid somewhere around $40,000 to that school for my two daughters over the years, which I would gladly pay for quality education, but that is no longer what is purchased. He is running that program into the ground. In addition to the academic program suffering, I have witnessed poor discipline practices. For example, I have witnessed an assistant teacher physically retrain a child who was acting up by locking him in between her legs and bear hugging him. I didn't think it was appropriate, so I reported the incident to management. I was told that this was a trained technique to deal with problem kids. 5 years ago I would have given this place a glowing recommendation, today you couldn't PAY ME to put my child back in there.

Posted: June 23, 2009

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Terra Grande	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	0.8 mi
2	Springfield Oaks	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	1.1 mi
3	Newington Forest	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	1.4 mi
4	Newington Commons	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lorton	VA	1.9 mi
5	Lorton Station	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lorton	VA	2.2 mi
6	Cardinal Square	Condominium/Townhouse	West Springfield	VA	2.4 mi
7	West Springfield	Neighborhood/Subdivision	West Springfield	VA	2.9 mi
8	Gunston Cove	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lorton	VA	3.3 mi
9	Orange Hunt Estates	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	3.3 mi
10	Cardinal Forest	Neighborhood/Subdivision	West Springfield	VA	3.4 mi
11	Greenwood	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	3.5 mi
12	Kingstowne	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.1 mi
13	Burke Station Square	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Burke	VA	4.2 mi
14	North Springfield	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	4.3 mi
15	Hayfield Farms	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria/Kingstowne	VA	4.5 mi
16	Burke Conservancy	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Burke	VA	5.2 mi
17	Long Branch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Annandale	VA	5.5 mi
18	The Elms	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Burke	VA	5.5 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Daventry	Springfield	VA	1.7 mi
2	West Springfield	West Springfield	VA	2.3 mi
3	Springfield	Springfield	VA	3.5 mi
4	Fairfax County	Springfield	VA	3.6 mi
5	Kingstowne	Alexandria	VA	4.3 mi
6	Burke	Burke	VA	4.8 mi
7	Burke Centre	Burke	VA	5.3 mi

Base	Distance
Fort Belvoir	4 mi.
Mark Center Alexandria	8 mi.
Defense Health Headquarters Falls Church	8.7 mi.
Indian Head Naval Base	10.7 mi.
Henderson Hall	11.5 mi.
Fort Myer	12 mi.
Pentagon	12.2 mi.
Bolling AFB Joint Base Anacostia	12.5 mi.
Coast Guard Headquarters DC	13.6 mi.
Fort McNair	13.7 mi.
Washington Navy Yard	14.7 mi.
Marine Barracks Washington	15.1 mi.
NRO Chantilly	16.2 mi.
Andrews AFB	18 mi.
Walter Reed Medical Center	19.1 mi.
Quantico Marine Base	19.2 mi.
Dahlgren NSWC	29.2 mi.
Fort Meade NSA	35.2 mi.
US Naval Academy	42.4 mi.
Annapolis Naval Station	43.4 mi.
Fort AP Hill	46.6 mi.
Coast Guard Curtis Bay	46.8 mi.
Fort Detrick	49.5 mi.

The Springs A Montessori School

Springfield, VA 22153

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The Springs A Montessori School

Springfield, VA 22153

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