River Valley Montessori of Excelsior

We have been at River Valley Montosorri School for three years with a toddler and now a six month old. Let me start by saying Nala has been the most important and greatest caregiver in my son life. Not only does she go above and beyond, but she makes sure that he Hi Brady is loved cared for. Every day we ask Tommy, did you have a good day at school and he shouts “YES!!” River Valley Montosorri School is a wonderful place and we cannot recommend it enough!

Our children have loved their time here at RVM Excelsior. They are in love with their teachers and regularly speak about them at home as people they look forward to seeing each day. Ms. Nallah, Ms. Calli, Ms. Eli, and Ms. Abby each bring their unique talents to show the children how much they love them. They continuously are coming home with new skills, larger vocabularies and increased knowledge. We also were excited to see Ms. Amy coming from the Shakopee location in the Assistant Director role. She is someone who is immensely talented with children. My kids will pop by her office multiple times to say goodbye at the end of the day and she always responds so warmly to them. I've also have appreciated her administrative work as she is always super prompt in communicating with parents. That additional teachers who come in to support are all excellent as well. By the end of the day, they know my children's names and can give me updates on how their days went. All in all, the staff there is truly amazing.

I am writing this review to provide a transparent, objective account of our family’s experience, in the hope that it helps other parents make an informed decision. Our daughter enrolled shortly after the recent acquisition, so we only know the center under its current management. Unfortunately, we experienced a consistent lack of oversight, structure, and care that ultimately led us to withdraw her. A few critical areas of concern during our time here: - Staffing and turnover: There is incredibly high staff turnover. Many of the individuals brought in appeared to be temporary hires who lacked a background in early childhood education or proper training. - Safety and basic care: Our daughter frequently came home in other children’s clothing or left in soiled undergarments. More concerningly, she experienced multiple unexplained bruises and scratches. When observing the classrooms and playground, I witnessed unmanaged chaos, frequent falls, and a concerning lack of patience and anger management from the staff. - Misleading curriculum: Having come from a beautifully run, authentic Montessori program, it is clear that this center does not follow Montessori principles. Classrooms lacked structure and intentionality. Keeping "Montessori" in the name feels highly misleading to families seeking that specific educational framework. Most telling of all, and most heartbreaking, was our daughter’s reaction. While enrolled here, she cried often, dreaded going, and began acting out. Since moving her to a new school, she has returned to her happy, positive self and genuinely looks forward to going to class every day. I urge parents to look closely at my experience and the several other similar reviews here before enrolling. Every child deserves a safe, structured, and nurturing environment, and unfortunately, that was not our experience under the current management.

I rarely write reviews, but after seeing the changes at this school over the past few years, I feel a responsibility to share our family’s experience so that other parents can make an informed decision. Before the ownership change, this was the standard by which we measured every other daycare and preschool. It was a warm, nurturing environment with engaged teachers who genuinely cared about the children. There was consistency in the staff, a strong sense of community, thoughtful leadership, and a structured learning environment that reflected the Montessori philosophy. We trusted the school completely. Since the acquisition by a private equity firm, we have witnessed a steady and concerning decline in nearly every area that mattered most to our family. Teacher turnover increased significantly, experienced staff left, temporary staff became more common, classrooms felt increasingly crowded and cluttered, and the overall quality of care and attention each child received noticeably diminished. Cleanliness, communication, consistency, and curriculum have all suffered. What has been most disappointing is the shift in priorities. The focus appears to have moved away from providing exceptional care and education for children and toward operational and business considerations. The culture that once made this school special has gradually disappeared. For families specifically seeking a Montessori education, I would encourage you to look closely at whether the current program truly reflects Montessori principles in practice rather than in name alone. This perspective comes from observing a consistent pattern of decline over an extended period of time. We ultimately made the decision to leave because the environment no longer reflects the level of care, stability, and educational quality that originally drew us to the school. My advice to prospective and current families is to spend time observing the classrooms, asking questions about staff retention, teacher-to-child ratios, curriculum, and plans for improvement. Evaluate the environment with fresh eyes and determine whether it aligns with the standards you want for your child. I sincerely hope the school recommits itself to the quality of care and educational excellence that once made it such a special place.

My wife and I moved our here shortly after it opened and we loved it. Beautiful facility, great staff and an all around great experience. However, after the acquisition from Learning Care Group (American Securities) everything slowly got worse. - New policies put in place but undue burden on the staff which eventually caused many of our favorite teachers to leave - Those that remained were often shorthanded and had to rely on substitute staff - Other tasks fell by the wayside like cleaning, organizing, and regular diaper changes With the departure of the Director (who was the original) and no consistent backfill, there has been a lull in hiring and all the problems have gotten worse. This has forced us to consider other options for childcare.