Sierra Montessori Children's Center

We have been with this preschool for 2.5 years now and have two children (ages 3 and 5) currently enrolled. I am amazed at the many things my kids learn. My recently turned 5-year old is reading and writing sentences, and my 3-year old is able to do some things that are typically done in kindergarten. This is all done in a fun, self-directed manner with a Montessori concept, the only one in Bakersfield! This is NOT just a glorified day care. The staff genuinely seem to care and my kids love going. I also feel that the program is very responsive to individual needs, such as dietary needs. A high quality program our daughter will be attending when she turns two. I highly recommend this program.

I'm extremely happy with the school so far (we are three months in) Our son started at about 2 years 2 months old. We were battling with potty training and discipline. They had him fully potty trained within 2 weeks and his behavior has dramatically increased over the last few months. He went from saying basic things like water, mommy and daddy to singing his ABC's in 3 months! He loves his teachers and has made many friends. I hope we continue the good streak and he stays here until he is ready to start kindergarten. I have nothing but good things to say about this Center.

My daughter attended Sierra Montessori for two years (she graduated this year), and in her time at this school, I watched her grow academically and socially. We choose Sierra Montessori after a horrendous experience at CSUB's daycare (story for another day...), and the only regret we have is that we didn't just enroll our daughter at SM from the beginning. The Montessori curriculum is amazing. Our daughter went from only recognizing a few letters and numbers to writing her full name within the first week of attending SM. After two years of attending SM, our daughter has already mastered skills (counting, speaking, spelling, reading, phonetics, etc) that she isn't supposed to know/learn until Kindergarten. The atmosphere at SM is amazing. The teachers and director are caring and attentive towards every student and their needs. One of the things I appreciated the most was that the teachers from the other classrooms took the time to get to know my daughter (even though she wasn't in their classroom) and always had a kind word or story about my daughter when I picked her up or dropped her off. That being said, my daughter was in classroom C, and her teacher, Miss Nacole, was amazing and we will miss her awesome teaching ability and personality. My daughter is extremely shy, but with Miss Nacole, Miss Haley (the director), and the other teachers, my daughter blossomed into an extremely social and outgoing 5 year old. I credit the teachers, and director, for helping my daughter be comfortable in group settings, and fully preparing her for Kindergarten. The school itself is extremely clean (we were in awe when we did our walk through at how clean and well kept the school is), and the playground is a great size for the kids to run off all their energy. Over the summer our daughter took swimming lessons at the school (they have a pool that is completely fenced and locked so there are no safety worries there), and she loved it. One of the things I appreciated is that the kids would help clean up. They had to roll up their mats from play time, put different works away, picked up after themselves from the tables, and helped make sure the classroom stayed clean. It was nice to see that SM taught the kids to be responsible for themselves and their space, which is important to understand as they grow older. All of our interactions with Miss Haley (the director) were extremely pleasant and she always had an update or report on our daughter. If we had a concern or question, Haley answered/investigated it immediately and would contact us right away with whatever she found out. If Haley wasn't there, she would call me immediately the next time she was in to make sure my question(s) were answered. I never had a rude conversation/interaction in the two years we were there. I can't speak for the other parents, but I never heard/saw a negative comment or interaction with Haley. Compared to the director at CSUB, Haley is attentive, kind, and knows what she is doing. Haley was hands on, and just like the teachers, she knew every student and had amazing relationships with all of them. Sierra Montessori is a great, well rounded school. From the curriculum to the staff, your children will be well prepared for kindergarten, and social interactions. While I'm excited to see my daughter start kindergarten, we are sad we won't be seeing the staff at SM. I have recommended SM every time someone asks about preschools, and will enroll my son once he turns two.

Both my daughter and I LOVED Sierra Montessori. Every experience was a good one. The staff is knowledgeable,caring, and lovely to work with. My daughter learned so much and was completely prepared for kindergarten. We just wish Sierra was a K-8 school. My younger daughter will go there in a couple of years.

This is a great preschool. Our son started there about three months before turning 4 years old. He was bored in a traditional daycare center and learning bad behaviors from other bored kids. In just the last few months at Sierra Montessori, he not only has learned so much academically but also started blossoming socially. Their playground is beautiful, with lots of trees for shade and lots of grass for running around. And on Fridays in the summer, they have events that make it like going to summer camp: field trips to Chuck-E-Cheese, visits from experts with snakes and lizards, visits from Polynesian dancers, a day where they set up a water slide bounce house in the playground, and optional extras like swim lessons in their fenced-in pool and Spanish lessons. This is on top of the traditional Montessori curriculum led by caring and competent teachers. We have been very impressed and will be sending our younger son there as soon as we can get him potty trained. Highly recommend Sierra Montessori.