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April 2024 by Ann Bierbower
We have sent our daughter here since she was three-months old and it has been a good fit! The daycare is clean, the communication is thorough and consistent, and the care of my daughter is great. The teachers and director are always available to chat and answer any questions I have when I drop off/pick up and throughout the day via the daycare app or phone call. As a parent, having that kind of support and reassurance was vital to me to help calm my nerves and ensure my baby is being well taken care of. Thank you Empire Montessori downtown!
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May 2023 by Franc V.
I scheduled an appointment for tour with one of the ladies with an exact time and date. I came on time and rang the bell 5x right at the main door across the parking lot as directed. I called their phone numbers 10x & nobody picked up the phone. I am flabbergasted that they stood me up on the day of my appointment. My daughter & I waited at the main door for 30 minutes & wasted our time. Too bad I was gonna enroll her for preschool since this is the closest school from our home. I was shown lack of professionalism & disorganization, how can they not attend to a tour appointment that was scheduled in the first place. The staff called me to apologize the other day but nothing will convince me to enroll my daughter to this preschool. We went somewhere else instead, luckily also closer to us with a much more attentive, professional, and thoughtful staff.
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March 2023 by Dustin L.
My son has been at Empire since October 2022, and we have had the most wonderful experience. The teachers have gone above and beyond to make sure he is comfortable and happy at school everyday. My son loves the food they prepare for lunch, and will often eat more of the food they prepare than what I pack for him. My son's language has developed quite a lot since joining, and he loves the activities that he does at school everyday. The Bright Wheel app is helpful for arranging payments, and communicating with the school staff. We are really happy we chose Empire for our sons care, and highly recommend families check it out if the are looking for Montessori options in downtown San Jose. Most importantly, as an educator myself, I wanted to know that the teachers cared deeply about my child. It is comforting to know that they care for him so much, and that he is safe and comfortable, and in good hands at school. We are so lucky to be a part of this school community.
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February 2023 by Speëdy S.
Our daughter has been attending the Empire downtown campus since last June when she was 16 months. We had done a lot of research about nearby Montessori-based daycares. What makes Empire great are its people and the facility. The Director is Miss Carol Dino, a long time educator. She is super responsive and loving. Loving. That is one thing ALL the teachers have in common at Empire. They adore their children. All the teachers in all the classes know all the children's names! Miss Joy, Miss Gloria, Miss Janet, Miss Jessica, and Miss Lori are all kind and effective teachers. Miss Mei is also one of the leaders at the school and attentive to everyone and their needs. Our daughter started in the Infant Classroom (up to age 2) and in two more weeks will be in the Toddler Classroom (ages 2 to 3). To help with this transition, the teachers proactively invite her into the Toddler classroom various times of the day including whether it be for naps, lunch, or another activity. She also gets to play in the "big kids" playground. The school recently partnered with CLAPArts dance class once a week to offer convenient dance classes (ballet, jazz, hip hop) for the children. The classrooms are bright and cheery with central air and heating, child gates, two playgrounds, and locked gated access with a pin number or key entry only. The building is two stories, but the second floor is not used by the children. Empire uses the Brightwheel app for easy electronic check in and out and communication with teachers as well as the Director. We are sent daily pictures and videos of the class via the app. My messages are always answered immediately and if I need to call the school, there is always a live person answering. The school also takes health and safety very seriously and has adequate protocols in place for daily cleaning and sanitation as well as quick action after any kind of exposure, which is rare. Empire is one of the few Montesssori-based schools that still offers healthy lunches. Our daughter does not eat pork and the school has noted this. We look forward to another wonderful year at Empire!
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July 2022 by Kira B.
Our child loves Empire Montessori and has had a wonderful experience in the infant class. The teachers are so kind, and send updates and photos all day so you really know what's going on and how your child is doing. We have loved watching our child thrive and highly recommend Empire for anyone looking for a place for their baby to learn and grow.
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July 2022 by Madison R.
Our son has been attending Empire Montessori for about 6 months now. He started attending around 15 months old, and having been a total covid baby for the first 15 months of his life it was a difficult adjustment. It took him a while to warm up but everyone was sooo welcoming and loving and attentive. Ms. Joy and Ms. Lori are so sweet with him and he now runs full force into the infant classroom every day because he is so excited to be there. I have seen him improve lots of skills from pouring liquids to using utensils at dinner to so many things in between. His love for music has exploded and I love getting videos during the week of him listening and learning during circle time. I notice that his vocabulary has expanded as well and he really loves playing with the other kids and spending time outside. As new parents during a pandemic, my husband and I were somewhat nervous to drop our child off somewhere unfamiliar. But we feel so confident and safe every day when he happily bounds through those doors and is always greeted with such love and enthusiasm.
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July 2022 by Pankaj K.
Our child has been attending Empire Montessori since last Fall. She started with the Infant class, and kudos to Ms. Lori and Ms. Joy for managing the infant program so well! She recently transitioned to the Toddler room, and the school has managed her transition really well. She loves going to school and it has been an amazing place for her. The teachers are very friendly, caring, loving and kind with the kids. They provide daily updates on how she is doing at school, and we feel secure while she is in their care. They also take health protocols very seriously, which is great. Huge thanks to all the amazing teachers at this school!
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June 2022 by Jaclyn C.
My son has been going here sense he was 14months old and he just loves it and his teachers. Ms Joy and Ms Lori are so good with him. They give me daily updates and take the time to reach out and tell me how he's doing. The overall school and teachers really do a good job in making you feel comfortable with leaving your babies in their care. They use an app called brightwheel and update you with bathroom/diaper changes, food/meal, naps and will message and send you photos throughout the day.
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June 2022 by Abe R.
My kid liked going to Empire Montessori before, but the last 2-3 months have been terrible to the point that my daughter started crying every time she entered the class room. We informed the school that she didn't like her new class, but they made no attempt to resolve. We had to take her out as something didn't seem right.
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August 2021 by Prateek D.
Our son was with Empire Montessori from January 2018 until June 2021 (one and half years until 5 years of age). Putting our son at Empire has been one of the best decisions we have made. The facility is clean (sanitized every day during pandemic), all the teachers are very qualified at their jobs and the school is well run under the supervision and guidance of the Director, Ms Patti. Ms Patti actually took over the teaching responsibilities for a while during the pandemic and she was terrific- introducing the class to great artists and authors (besides teaching science, writing and math) which our son enjoyed a lot. The curriculum is truly based on the Montessori system and this has allowed our son to be a well-mannered, independent and responsible child. Throughout his time at Empire, there have been many teachers, all of whom have taught our son well and most importantly loved and cared for him. We are very grateful to every one of them. A special shoutout to Ms Cristina who has been our son's teacher from the beginning until he graduated. She is very dedicated to her work and truly cares about all the kids in school. Thank you for all that you do every single day, Ms Cristina! We would highly recommend Empire Montessori to any parent/guardian who is looking for a great school to send their kids to be taught well with love and utmost care. You will be very happy with your decision as we have been with ours.
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January 2021 by Pamela C.
Excellent school . I have been sending my son since he was 14 months old and he's really learnt a lot . Organized , clean and overall I am very happy with his development. All the teachers are very friendly , sweet and caring . Very happy with this school .
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December 2019 by elisa h.
We love Ms. July at Empire Montessori. She was the reason we stayed there. She is an exemplar teacher who cares about the whole child. She is loving, friendly, and gentle yet firm with the kids. She teaches through hands-on activities and perfectly balances the Montessori curriculum with the child's needs. She exposed him to advance materials and had rigor in her instructions without any pressure. The kids love to learn in her class. Unfortunately, we had to leave Empire Preschool because we moved to the East Bay. We really did consider commuting with our son (on the 880!?!) to San Jose, because we knew it was a big lost to not be in Ms.July's class. We moved to an area known for their good schools and ended up experiencing a couple of preschools. We are happy with one, but still nothing compares to how amazing ms. July was. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher as our son's first teacher. Empire Montessori has some fun, school events. They make the holidays special for the kids and families. We had a personal situation when we first started Empire. We talked to Ms. Patty, the director, and she was very, very understanding and helped us out. We will always be forever grateful for what Empire has provided for us.
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November 2019 by Hanna L.
I wish there's zero star. I had to pull my kid out of this place. Room 2 teacher is the director's daughter. Shes constantly yelling at the kids and make them so nervous and scared. My kid rejected to go to school because my kid told me she's scary. One time when I drop off my kid late and had to return to the classroom to give my kid the water bottle. I saw the teacher was bending over her whole body and yelling at one of the kid in his face: shut up! I was so shocked, how can a teacher yells at a two year old kid?! And I saw the way she was waking up the kids from nap, she shook the bed frame so hard up and down so the kid can wake up. This is a horrible place for kids. Please consider very carefully and talk to all the teachers when visiting this place. Get all the info you can get before sending your child to this place.
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July 2019 by Chris W.
We've been sending our 4 year old to Empire Montessori since he was only 1.5 year old. The teachers are very caring and I'm always amazed at how well behaved the kids are when I pick up / drop off.
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July 2019 by Monica F.
My son has been attending since he was one. He is now in three and in preschool he is very advanced in math and in reading. I give this rating because I love the teachers and how they teach. If only my son can stop growing so he could just remain here.
