A Joyful Childhood

Our family has been part of the Lakewood school community for the past six years. My daughters were so fortunate to have kind, patient, caring and knowledgeable teachers and staff throughout their toddler and preschool years. We love the multi-age classrooms that allowed the girls to learn from their older classmates and eventually develop into class leaders as kindergarteners. We continue to stay connected to the friends and families that we have met at Lakewood. I cannot thank the directors enough for putting together such an incredible team of teachers and a wonderful school community. We are truly grateful for our time at Lakewood!

You won’t find a more wonderful school in Boise than Lakewood Montessori. We trusted Lakewood to care for and educate our son for three years. During that time, we watched him grow and develop not only educationally, but emotionally and spiritually, in the sense of recognizing his role and responsibility in caring for the world and people in it. As parents to an only child, we also appreciated the mixed age classrooms and the way the older children were encouraged to care for and teach the younger friends. Along with traditional Montessori and educational skills, caregivers here teach kindness and empathy, and encourage the children to be brave to explore the world around them. The colorful art room, magical vegetable garden and outdoor play space are where positive memories. Our child still wants to visit the school just to play. If you are looking for a place to help grow your toddler into a well-rounded, loving and kind child who is ready for the academic challenge of 1st grade, Lakewood should be the top school on your list.

Lakewood Montessori has been such a positive experience for our family. Our youngest son attended for 3 years and we loved every part of it. Lakewood Montessori has the unique culture of being a true loving home away from home for children while also very professional. The teachers and owners are well educated in the Montessori Method and I have witnessed consistent calm and kind redirection when children are having a hard time. Our son has learned essential social skills, indepence, and academic skills. The school communicates well with parents. They have been navigating the Covid situation with a lot of thought and communication. The owners are approachable and a very active part of the school. We felt part of a loving community and are going to miss this amazing school. I honestly cannot say enough positive things about this Montessori. We wish our older son had the opportunity to attend this wonderful preschool when he was younger.

Our children attended Lakewood Montessori for several years, and it was by far one of the best decisions we've made for our family. We trust their teachers completely and know that they've always got our kids' best interests at heart. We were so impressed with our kids' progress both in the Toddler Community and the Children's House, and upon kindergarten graduation our daughter was well-prepared for grade school and showing advanced skills for her age. Most appreciated of all, however, was the love and care shown to our kids and the value placed upon their independence, all of which greatly contributed to their overall confidence. We consider Lakewood dear friends and would recommend them to anyone seeking excellent Montessori education for their child.

As parents, our primary concern with our two boys has always been that they become good citizens. The type of people who are empathetic, care about their community, and can always be relied upon to lend a helping hand. This is why, after researching primary school options in the area, we chose to spend a combined 8 years as part of the Lakewood Montessori Family. At Lakewood, our boys were welcomed daily by teachers who knew them personally and cared about their needs. They were guided through carefully crafted activities that fostered practical life skills, instilled self confidence, taught them that they are part of a community, and laid a foundation that would launch them into future academic success. Our boys are now 12 and 7 years old, and we are exceptionally proud of the feedback we receive from their teachers regarding their focus in the classroom and their ability to listen to instruction and work independently to complete assignments thoroughly. We will never tire of hearing about how they seek to be helpers and can be depended on to treat their classmates and teachers with respect. We have no doubt that the love and support that our children received as part of the Lakewood Montessori community has played a significant role in shaping the good citizens that they have become, and will continue to be. We are forever grateful to the entire Lakewood Montessori staff, and the many friends we have made over the years, for caring about our children.

Lakewood has been a significant part of our family’s life. It’s a school that fosters independence and self confidence while providing a quality hands on education. The Lakewood staff and teachers loved our children like family and really became like family themselves. The school also offers resources for parenting including a great parenting class. Lakewood is a school we highly recommend.

I knew from the moment that I met the staff at Lakewood that this school was a very special place. It became very clear to me how special when I began to teach yoga to the children there. I noticed that all of them were so polite and well mannered. They were all so respectful, independent, creative and fun to be around. And that's when I knew that these were the people that I wanted my kids to be around. I wanted them to experience the leadership of the awesome teachers there and I wanted them to become friends with these amazing children.

Our family has been blessed to be a part of Lakewood Montessori for a decade now. We have four children, and our youngest now attends Lakewood. My wife and I are both educators, and we want our children to be cared for, loved, and inspired. Lakewood checks each of these boxes. Montessori is a wonderful balance of student interest and guided learning. We started at Lakewood with our first child due to references and location. By child three, we tried a different Montessori for convenience of location (we live across town). One day, I asked the other school’s teacher, “What do you like about my child?” The teacher could not answer my question. We moved child three back to Lakewood shortly thereafter. Now with child four, just like with my other children, I don’t have to ask that question because we get routine updates and anecdotal conversation (even during COVID pick-up and drop-off) that show the teacher knows and cares about my child. The growth academically and socially over the years (ours will be there 3 years each in the 3-6 Montessori program) is amazing, and our older children left more than prepared for their future schools (letter sounds, reading, math concepts, practical life), and we look forward to the same for our youngest. Lakewood is captured best by the drive to school today when the youngest broke into song: “Lakewood Montessori is where I go to school...love is the key!”