Montessori schools are highly variable. The idea of a “Mozart Room” just seems ridiculous and silly, but that’s that individual school. Trust me, my kids’ preschool does not have a “Mozart Room.” Not even a “Beethoven Room” or a “John Williams Room” (though admittedly that would be hilarious).
Regarding recommendations from co-workers/friends: They can be OK as a starting point, but what I’ve found with recommendations for daycares, doctors’ offices, etc., is that people are reluctant to admit that they’ve paid for a service that is subpar unless the service is really subpar. So if a friend is using a daycare provider that like, gets caught dealing drugs out of her kitchen, you’ll probably hear about that. But if the provider is just a little less than awesome, you might get a glowing rec from this friend anyway, because the friend wants to believe that their kid is in a good situation. Know what I mean?
Regarding SMELL. There is a difference between the daily odors of busy children and bodily secretions and the accumulation of months/years of them not being cleaned up appropriately, leading to a DEEP AND ACIDIC STANK. The kind that burns your nostrils and tells your primitive brain to run like hell because something is rotten in the state of Denmark. I worked at a nursery for years and it NEVER smelled like poop or spit up. We cleaned every night with bleach water and kept the trash taken out, dirty diapers well wrapped up and taken out nightly, and had a fresh burp cloth for each new day. Floors were cleaned and vacuumed regularly. I have high expectations for cleanliness. Maybe that’s just me, but nothing says “incompetent” than not being able to control offensive odors to some degree.
There was not really a Mozart Room. I added that for drama. My point was, it was stuffy and pretentious and I felt ill at ease. Maybe it was the gaping gap in tax brackets between myself and the other parent-folk.
Especially about the smells. Unfortunately I think the place that smelled is our top choice in other ways (especially mulling over the other things people have said in this thread), so maybe I will ask to visit again to see if the smell was a one-time thing or not. I’m also pretty sure my nose has gotten hyper-sensitive since I was pregnant, as my husband didn’t seem to think it was a problem. Grrrr. I wish I could just find one place that didn’t set off some sort of irritation button with me.
I think what we have going on here are two separate fields that, every now and then, overlap. There is the world of ECE academia and its subset which promotes child welfare, and there is daycare.
I do not have a 4 year degree (In anything. I say this because I have known preschool teachers who had degrees, even masters, in design, English lit, etc etc.) I finished sophomore year of college with several early childhood classes.
I have taught preschool for over 25 years now. There are early childhood education associate programs, and I would like to get my degree, but at $10 an hour that’s not going to happen right away; my earning power diminished when I moved to small-town Florida. I was able to get a scholarship and am working toward my CDA.
Education is needful, but it is an investment that not everyone is able to make; few people in the childcare field are wealthy.
I agree with MsRobyn that childcare providers should have an understanding of child development and that this can be a big help with early intervention. (Not all parents are receptive, but that’s another matter.)
A really good daycare will have low teacher/child ratios, clean, airy, well-equipped classrooms, an engaging, safe playground, plenty of supplies, and supportive supervisory staff. Some staff should have First Aid/CPR. Continuing education is helpful. All of these qualities add up to happy staff. A school with happy staff means good morale that translates into a good vibe that a parent will feel the moment he/she walks in.