We found the Montessori Child Development Center in February 2007.  We read about their new toddler program called Little Hands Montessori and were looking for a program for our daughter.  We expected she would start at the next school year around the time she would have turned two years old.  We toured the school, met the staff and the teachers, and investigated the school, equipment and program.  We liked what we saw enough that our daughter started the Little Hands program the very next week.  She was 18 months old at the time.

Hannah flourished with the program.  She developed very quickly in maturity, dexterity and motor control, and speech ability.  People often remarked on how clearly she was able to communicate and would ask if she goes to school. While the school was not the only reason she was able to talk well from such an early age (she practiced talking from the moment she woke up until the moment she went to sleep!), we always thought her ability to organize her thoughts into sentences and apply reasoning to the things she talked about was greatly enhanced by her exposure to the Little Hands program.

Hannah continued on to the program for 3 – 6 year olds, but, unfortunately, we were forced to move before she could complete the program.  Although she has adjusted well in a new school that teaches a Montessori program, one year later, her “old” school continues to be the school she talks about the most and the friends she made while there are the friends she continues to talk about, even though she hasn't seen most of them for months.  She met her best friend at this school we expect them to be friends for life regardless of the current distance between them.  We enrolled our son in the little hands program as well.  Although, he was only there a short period of time, we think that the program had a significant impact on his behavior and maturity.

If it were possible, we would have stayed in the area simply to take advantage of MCDC and LHM.  We struggled to find a school we were satisfied with in our new area.  Although we eventually found a school where we are relatively happy, MCDC set the bar so high that most schools we toured were crossed off the list within 15 minutes.  MCDC teaches the entire Montessori program without “enhancement” or deviation and it does it very well.  We recommend it without reservation.   If it were possible, our children would still be students at the school.
Kelley and Rob

Taylor has been attending Little Hands since she turned 2. She’s now 3 and I couldn’t be happier about her progress. I wanted to find a place that my daughter would grow socially and develop independence. Little Hands was the perfect choice.

She is having so much fun with her friends and absolutely loves working with Nuccia and Racheal. My favorite part of the day is the drive home from school. She’s got so many stories and can’t stop talking about the lessons she learned.

The Montessori system just makes sense. In the right environment, she’s able to do things for herself. We’ve taken the philosophy and implemented it in our everyday lives. Frustrations melt away and she is so proud and confident of the little tasks she tackles. I would recommend Little Hands to anyone that wants to give their child quality education right from the start.
Danielle

Our experience at ‘Little Hands Montessori’ has been nothing but good.  My husband and I remember many good things from the start : from researching Montessori schools in our area and coming across  MCDC, finding out they opened a sister school named LHM, meeting Miss Nuccia and Miss Katie, visiting MCDC, seeing what a great learning environment they have, and just knowing that this WAS the school we had been looking for, for our then barely 2-1/2 year old daughter Sophia.  Within a week of her enrollment, she was completely potty trained and adapted well in her new environment.  So when our second child Liam was about to turn 2, we knew the only place for him was LHM.  Liam absolutely blossomed in LHM – from that little toddler to a very “mature” young boy who can actually teach other kids in his class the basics – fall in line and sit during class meetings. 

Sophia has moved on from LHM and has been at MCDC in Miss Angela’s class now.  She is in Kindergarten this year and we are amazed at how much she has grown and learned.  She is still shy but she is learning to be a confident young girl and is truly blossoming, thanks to Miss Angela and the staff at MCDC.  I cannot say enough good things about this school.  Thank you LHM and MCDC!
Bill and Anna

Erin started school at LHM while her older brother was still going to MCDC.  I will never forget the first day of school she was so excited she got up before dawn and insisted I get her dressed, even though it was 5:00am!  When we were leaving the house she had her favorite bear in her hands, I told her “no bears at school Erin”, she turned threw it back in the house and jumped in the car. (That bear hadn’t left her side in all 2 years of her life!)  When we got to school she just about jumped out of the car.  After watching her brother, for 2 years, leave her behind she was finally going to see what goes on in there.

From the first day she was thrilled about school.   She was potty trained with a few weeks and would talk non stop about Ms. Nuccia and Ms. Racheal. Half the time I wasn’t sure what she was saying because she would talk so fast. As far as she was concerned, they were the most fascinating people in the whole wide world.

She began to learn practical life skills and would apply them to her everyday life.  One day she came to me, grabbed me by the hand and drug me to her room. She pointed and said “I want all that, down there.”  All of her clothes were on the top bar of her closet out of her reach. That day my husband added a low bar to her closet and she put all her clothes on it, she has dressed herself everyday since.  Sometimes in the most mismatched outfits but the pride in her face is priceless, I just tell her how beautiful she is.

Both of my kids have made a strong bond with Little Hands and MCDC. We live very close to the schools and need to drive by to go just about anywhere. Each time we drive by both kids shut out “Hi Ms. Nuccia, Hi Ms. Racheal, Hi MCDC”.   

That summer was difficult for Erin. Everyday she would ask "Do I go to school today?" After I would to tell her no, she would ask, "how about the day after this day?" When I had to tell her no again, she would hang her head down and tell me "summer is too long Mommy!"

I am very grateful to Nuccia and Racheal for the nurturing, positive environment they have provided for her.  The practical life skills she learned at Little Hands has helped her grow into a confident 4 year old.  Often she will tell me “Mommy, I can do it myself, Ms. Nuccia teached me how.”  I am confident she will go far in life with the "I can do it" altitude she learned from Little Hands.   After all Larry Page and Sergey Brin (founders of Google) both had a Montessori education!   Google Founders Talk Montessori

Erin has moved on to MCDC and is thriving in Ms. Angela's class. I have deep appreciation for the staff at both schools and what they do for all their students.  Thank you very much!
Jenny & Liam

"Little Hands Montessori is a hidden gem.  Our dear daughter, Dottie, came to LHM at 2 years old.  She came from a "traditional" preschool program where the "teachers" complained of her frequently hitting and pushing.  In fact, I disenrolled her from that program because this behavior became much of the focus and I was beginning to think that Dottie was hitting because this was how she could receive attention. 
 
After reviewing many other programs, I toured LHM, observed a few times, and met with Ms. Nuccia and Ms. Rachel.  It seemed like a good fit as I saw their passion for teaching.  Well, it wasn't a good fit.... it was the perfect fit for not only Dottie, but our whole family.  I was told at Dottie's parent-teacher conference (2 months after she started) that 'Dottie has never hit or pushed anyone at LHM'.  She is so engaged with the materials and is so encouraged by her teachers and her peers, that there is no reason to try to seek attention in other ways.  She now uses her power in meaningful ways, she demonstrates compassion for her fellow friends, and to top it off, sings songs in Italian :)  Dottie continues to thrive in this loving environment and has discovered capabilites that she is so proud of.  Ms. Nuccia followed Dottie's cues and alerted me as to when we could start toilet-training.  Since our family made a committment to follow Ms. Nuccia's lead and guideance for successful toilet-training, Dottie learned very quickly and within weeks is without diapers.   
 
I can not say enough good things about LHM.  Given the experience, support, and encouragement Dottie is receiving at LHM, I am confident that LHM is contributing now to our Dottie's future success.  I look forward to many years to come with LHM and MCDC." 
A.W.

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