“I am so happy that I sent my boys to Fountainhead. They’ve learned so much, but best of all they’ve learned to love school. They just assume that all teachers are going to be loving, caring, and looking out for their best interests. I love that manners are taught and enforced, and Fountainhead has taught me how to help my children respond to difficult situations like bullying, sharing, and hurt feelings. I know my children are in a safe, mutually respectful environment, and that allows me to pursue my interests with peace of mind when they are not in my care. Plus they’ve learned to read and do math well beyond my expectations!”

— Debbie V.

“We’re so thrilled to have found Fountainhead Montessori for our daughter. Not only is it an incredibly supportive environment for working parents, with flexible daycare options, [but] the teachers are also so caring and patient with the children. I have wonderful peace of mind knowing my daughter is happy to be going to school in the morning, and it is lovely to see her full of chat and stories when I pick her up after class.”

— Kathy Y.

“My first child was enrolled at Fountainhead pretty much throughout the Preschool and Kindergarten years. My second child is also enrolled at Fountainhead, and we plan to stay for as many years as we can. We wish that Fountainhead offered more grade levels beyond kindergarten, and if it ever does, we will be among the first ones in line to sign up. I have nothing but the best to say about Fountainhead. It is a school that really helps children prosper for a lifetime. All the teachers and staff we’ve met are passionate about child education and have shown the highest professionalism and quality we’ve ever experienced. We’ve recommended Fountainhead to all of our friends without any reservations. We feel so blessed to have found this wonderful school, and our children are so fortunate to be educated at Fountainhead.”

— Jesse C.

“Fountainhead Montessori School provides a fantastic learning environment for children of all cultures, languages, and ways of thinking, learning, and being.

When we started looking for a preschool for my daughter, Roya, our criteria included an aesthetically pleasing physical environment; clean, well-equipped, and orderly classrooms; and multicultural staff and families leading and attending the school. It was important for Roya to have concrete experiences of the real world of diversity.

The Fountainhead Montessori School meets these high standards. My four-year-old daughter is excited to attend school, learn critical skills, play with her friends, and participate in multiple hands-on experiences.

We look forward to each day of smiles and warm greetings; seeing an appreciation of nature in the gardens and care of animals; seeing America reflected in staff, parents, and students; and having my daughter come home and present her precious day’s work . . . ”Here Gran, Gran, Mama, or Papa . . . This is for you.”

Each day that Roya attends school, we know that she is in a safe, quality place of love and learning. We feel blessed to have found such an awesome educational place and space for Roya!”

— Nia R

“Over the course of four years, both of our children have attended Fountainhead Montessori.

Our daughter began the program when she was just under five years old at three days/week until she ‘graduated’ at five years old (attending five days/week). We couldn’t be more pleased with the foundation the school laid – both academically and socially. Now in first grade, she is simply thriving! Her ability to work independently can clearly be tied to the classroom time in which children practice ‘works’ or activities. Conversely, her success with group work (and play) time and the necessary skills she employs of learning to share, take turns, and work out problems were skills taught and practiced at Fountainhead.

Also, because of Fountainhead’s diversity, our daughter is able to recognize and enjoy the unique traits of each of her classmates – an important skill on both an academic and, more important, humanistic scale.

Our son is now in his third year at Fountainhead (attending four days/week) and he, too, is blooming! His language ability is exceptional, again in large part because of the encouragement of the teachers to ‘use his words’! The fine-tuned balance of work (structured) versus play (unstructured) time at Fountainhead is a perfect complement to his – and many other children’s – personality. We look forward to the remainder of his time at the school and will be sad when he moves on to kindergarten – while excited about all he has accomplished during his time there!

We recommend Fountainhead School wholeheartedly and believe it provides one of the best preschool educations in our area.”

— Kim H.

“It has been our family’s privilege to be a part of the Fountainhead community for the last five years.

As a teacher, coach, and parent of two, I have high expectations for the people in my children’s life. Not only has the staff at Fountainhead met my expectations; it has greatly exceeded them. When my wife and I went looking for schools, we wanted a place our children would be safe and develop a love for learning that would set them up for success the rest of their lives. After many interviews, visits, and recommendations we chose the absolute perfect school for our children. The Fountainhead family – and I do mean family – has given our daughter, now in first grade, a foundation of mindfulness, honesty, accountability, and stick-to-itiveness that have made the social transition of school seamless. Not to mention the reading, writing, math, psychomotor, and problem-solving skills that have given her a leg up in her academics. As it looks now, our son will be receiving the same advantage as his older sister. A dramatically different child, yet he is prospering in much the same way as his sister.

Over the past five years, I have recommended Fountainhead to many people. I have never had a family unhappy with the care and education their child received at Fountainhead. We have one more year at Fountainhead before our son enters kindergarten in the Fall of 2011, and we know he will be well equipped with the tools needed to be successful in his journey of life and learning.”

— Blake and Kendall T.

“My oldest daughter, Sophia, is currently in the Prep class at Fountainhead Montessori at the Orinda campus.

She started a couple of months after she turned two. When she first started, she was not as verbal or confident in group settings. In less than a year, she has transformed into a much chattier, more confident, and more independent little girl thanks to Fountainhead. She is always happy to go to school and learns something new everyday! The teachers are all so wonderful with the children and have all their well-beings in mind. They truly take the time to give every child the individual attention they require. Sophia really loves how they greet her personally every morning. They make every child feel special in every way, which in turn makes them feel more self-confident and secure!! It is such a nurturing, safe, clean, and warm environment. I am most impressed with how wonderfully behaved every child is and how truly happy everyone is to be there. My daughter always has positive things to say about her classmates and the teachers! I am also very impressed with the flexible childcare program, where they extend the Montessori methods and keep the children stimulated and well cared for.

I couldn’t have asked for a better place to send Sophia everyday! Fountainhead has far exceeded all my expectations in a preschool environment, and I feel great knowing Sophia is receiving the social, emotional, and academic backbone necessary for her future!! It is a privilege to be part of the Fountainhead community, and I thank all the teachers and childcare workers for doing such an exceptional job of creating the environment that every parent expects and wants for their children.”

—Grace K

“Our oldest daughter attended Fountainhead Montessori School for two years prior to starting kindergarten.

We were so satisfied with the experience and how well it prepared her for kindergarten that we now have our younger daughter attending preschool at Fountainhead. It’s been a great place for our children to grow!

Fountainhead is a warm, safe, and peaceful environment. The teachers have control of the classroom, so learning and development take place every day. New and interesting things are set out for children to explore. The environment is structured so that children know what to expect, what to do, and how things work.

The classroom and all other facilities are bright, clean, and very well maintained. My child wants to go to school each day and enjoys staying for childcare, too! Fountainhead’s teachers are amazing! I trust them with my child, knowing they have her well-being in mind at all times.

The teachers want to be here, and it shows. They are consistently enthusiastic with, and about, my children. They exercise sound judgment in all situations. They take their responsibilities very seriously, yet make things exciting for the children. They know where my daughter is in each developmental area and guide her to learn new things. They teach and model positive behavior such as being mindful of others, self-control, constructively communicating with each other, etc. They make learning fun and interesting.

The results are fantastic. We saw a lot of growth in our daughter after only a few months and were delighted with how much she had learned and grown by the time she went off to kindergarten. She was thoroughly prepared socially, emotionally, and academically. Fountainhead played a tremendous role in that preparation. Also, the experience for me as a parent has been wonderful. The teachers are responsive to questions and concerns, they communicate well with parents, they follow through on things, and they have effective ways of solving problems. When I have asked for advice, they have given me very thoughtful, helpful advice. We are seeing the same positive results with our younger daughter now and highly recommend FMS. Fountainhead has been very good to us, and for us. Thank you!”

— Turi M.

“I wanted to take the time to thank you for what I consider the wonderful time my girls have had at your school during the past two years.

Originally I looked into Montessori (as a concept) when my oldest daughter, Taylor, expressed an interest to “go to school” at the age of two and a half. The school philosophy interested me in that my child’s individuality would be nurtured in the course of the learning process. Based on my research, I visited several Montessori campuses in the Danville/Alamo area.

The Danville Fountainhead campus stood out to me since it was conveniently located and it had a “real” school feel. It stood out on its own as opposed to a house converted within a neighborhood. That was even before all of the improvements were made to both the classrooms and playground last year. I also appreciated the fact that the Fountainhead Montessori schools did not charge any extra fees. Other schools I visited had application, enrollment, and/or material fees—some due on a yearly basis. Most charged extra for classes that were (unbeknownst to me) included at Fountainhead, like the Music and Movement classes.

I have to say, though, the biggest deciding factor was Taylor’s reaction to both the classroom and its teacher, Heather. To me there were what appeared to be thousands of things to do in the classroom. I could never imagine a child being bored with so many things to “work” with. Taylor was instantly at home and even ended our visit with a big hug for her future teacher, whom she loves dearly to this day.

We entered Taylor into the Preschool class midyear and during our daily drop-offs, my second daughter, Devon (then 18 months) made herself quite at home. She would regularly pretend she was part of the class and desperately wanted to be. I entered her into the Prep program at age 2, during the summer program. She is now enrolled in Heather’s Preschool class and loving it! She is learning a lot in terms of writing, numbers, and even geography.

At around 4, Taylor showed an interest in the Extended Primary program. Since she expressed an interest in staying for lunch, I would leave her there for afternoon childcare. Heather was observant enough to mention Taylor’s interest in the children staying for Extended Primary. I noticed a remarkable improvement in her writing skills as a result of that added class time with that smaller, older group of children. She has since progressed to the PreK classroom and is really getting into reading and writing (which I am thrilled with)!

Taylor is scheduled to go into kindergarten this coming fall and is excited but apprehensive about meeting new friends. As her parent, I am completely confident that she will go into the new class most likely overly prepared. Whatever the curriculum presented, it is highly unlikely she will struggle. Her social skills have soared since first attending Fountainhead, and she possesses the confidence to take on a new challenge. I sincerely think it is due to the nurturing and patient guidance of all of the staff at your Danville campus. I cannot say enough nice things about everyone there. It has been nothing but a positive influence for both of my children.”

— Camille S.