Mercy's Garden Montessori Preschool

Mercy's Garden Montessori school is truly a diamond in the rough. It is one of those places where you walk in the door and just know without a doubt that your child will be loved on and cared for during his or her time there. Our daughter has truly gained independence as a learner and has gotten to learn by using her natural curiosities to guide her. The owner is one of a kind and her staff is amazing as well. Mercy (the owner) constantly goes above and beyond the call of duty and is available to families at all hours of the day and night. Not only is she willing to answer questions about school, but she is there for her parents to help guide us through the many stages of raising children. At the beginning of the year Mercy carefully lays out all of the guidelines for the year and is very open with parents about the policies within the school. I was truly amazed that my 3yr old came home after just a few days of school and was already telling me the names of the continents and everything she had learned so far! The Montessori way of learning is truly not for everyone but if you are looking for a loving environment where your child will be able to grow at his or her own rate then this is the place for you! We have never second guessed our decision to send our daughter here and our second child is excited to be starting next year too!

This school was great at first until we started seeing that the owner is very bad at communicating. If you want updates on what is going on and what your kid is learning you have to go down there and ask the owner. She is terrible at communicating and gives absolutely no updates. The owner does not put the children’s safety first. She takes the children out of the school and walks them down Richlands highway to the dollar store, takes them on walks on back roads, lets them play in the business parking lot where cars are coming and going to the local restaurant and tells you that you have to just deal with that or remove your child from the school when you ask her not to. My son is two and barely listens to me when I walk him across a road let alone walking him along with 35 other students. My son was terrified to go to school and when I sat down at a conference to figure out why she said she had no idea, turns out they had a puppy running lose in the classroom with the children that was terrorizing my son (he’s very afraid of dogs as he was trample by one as a baby). My son has come home on several occasions soaking wet on cold windy days and covered in mud and when confronted she says (it was 50 degrees out legally I can have them out in that weather.) she has no regard for safety and in my opinion has absolutely no business running a school full of children. She spends most of her time trying to solicit you for other services like her yoga classes and uses the school as a constant fundraiser and a way to get free items and services, but when it comes to academics and doing what she’s supposed to do there is no follow through. If you are looking for a very expensive daycare where your child will run wild and have no sort of Montessori education then this is the place for you. I am very disappointed she conned us into believing she truly cared about the children, but it’s apparent her only concern is money.