Feature Article

Junior Achievers

By Kevin Alexander

Page 5 of 8

Kingsley Montessori School

30 Fairfield St., Boston, 617-226-4900, kingsley.org. One of the best Montessori schools in the city, Kingsley offers its students spectacular Back Bay digs. As a bonus, kids also have use of a full science lab that can give them a head start on that quest for a Nobel Prize. Facilities: Six classrooms, a library, an art studio, a large “gross motor activity” room (fancy speak for “playroom”), and the aforementioned science lab, all housed in a townhouse that was once the Saltonstall family’s private estate. Educational approach: Montessori. Student-teacher ratio: 8-1. Programs offered: Half day and full day. Tuition: Half day, $12,800; full day, $17,800. Admissions: Applications due January 15; decisions made March 10. Tours begin in October, during which parents meet administrators and current students’ parents.

Lee Academy Pilot School

155 Talbot Ave., Dorchester, 617-635-6619, boston.k12.ma.us/leeacademy. Lee boasts the lowest student-teacher ratio of any public school in town. And in Kyle Dodson, principal of the pilot lab school, it has a brainy administrator (Harvard undergrad, MBA from Columbia) whose open-minded approach toward curriculum—a rare quality in the public system—earns him high praise from fellow school directors, who call Lee a school worth watching. Facilities: A dedicated wing in Joseph Lee Elementary Schools, with which it shares a gym, auditorium, pool, and outdoor fields. Educational approach: Open lab school. Student-teacher ratio: 6-1. Programs offered: Full day and extended day. Tuition: Full day, free; extended day, $25 per week. Admissions: Follows the Boston Public Schools lottery system. Preference is given to students’ siblings and to children who live within walking distance. Waitlist: Yes.

Lemberg Children’s Center

Brandeis University, Lemberg Hall, 415 South St., Waltham, 781-736-2200, brandeis.edu/lemberg. A horde of attentive student teachers culled from Brandeis University’s early-education program make instruction intimate and individualized. Lemberg’s novel sliding-scale tuition—which charges families based on their income—is managed by a staff eager to help parents negotiate the intricacies of state assistance when it comes time to apply to elementary schools. Facilities: The first floor of Brandeis’s Lemberg Hall, plus an expansive playground. Educational approach: Developmentally based lab school. Student-teacher ratio: 4-1. Programs offered: Full day. Tuition: $990–$1,540 a month, based on family income. Admissions: Applications accepted year-round, with children being admitted whenever spaces become available. Waitlist: Yes.

Lesley Ellis School

41 Foster St., Arlington, 781-641-1346, sfcinc.org/lesley/preschool.htm. This progressive school has an innovative anti-bias program that’s integrated into all aspects of a child’s classroom experience. Lesley Ellis also wins acclaim for its language arts and prereading instruction. Facilities: The former Gibbs School building, featuring sunlit classrooms, a library, a 7,000-square-foot “flex” space used for art and music instruction, and two outdoor play areas. Educational approach: Developmentally based, with an academic focus. Student-teacher ratio: 7-1. Programs offered: Half day and full day (three to five times a week). Tuition: Half day, $7,575–$12,198; full day, $10,052–$16,327. Admissions: Applications due January 15; decisions made February 15 for preschool, and March 10 for pre-K. Parents visit with their child for observed play time in December or January. Waitlist: No. When eligible applicants outnumber the available spaces, the school uses a lottery system.

The Meadowbrook School

10 Farm Rd., Weston, 781-894-1193, meadowbrook-ma.org. Alums of Meadowbrook consistently go on to some of the finest private high schools in Massachusetts, which makes the powerhouse elementary’s pre-K program a favorite of W-town elites. Facilities: A 27-acre campus with playgrounds, woods, and a pond. Educational approach: Developmentally based, academic-centered. Student-teacher ratio: 7-1. Programs offered: Half day, with an afterschool option. Tuition: Half day, $17,215; afterschool option, $11–$15 per hour. Admissions: Applications due in February; decisions made by March 10. Candidates complete a session with a professional evaluator, followed by a group screening with other hopefuls.


 

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User comments

Echo Falls Preschool
Posted by Larni | Sep. 2, 2007 at 11:08 AM
COMMENT:
A list of the top preschools in the Boston area is incomplete without Echo Falls, 545 Grove Street, Newton Lower Falls (617-965-3606). Both of my children attended this top notch preschool. It has an academic curriculum with creative committed professionals who have been with the school for many years. I did an extensive preschool search before choosing Echo Falls, which included some of the schools on your list, and would never have chosen another placement for my children. If you overlooked this school, I hope you will include it in any future articles on this subject.
Cambridge Monetessori School
Posted by Robert | Sep. 6, 2007 at 9:49 AM
COMMENT:
A shocking omission. Calls into question the thoroughness of your methodology.
Joke
Posted by Anonymous | Sep. 8, 2007 at 4:58 AM
COMMENT:
pre-school rankings, really?
Life Outside the Northern and Western 'Burbs
Posted by Anonymous | Sep. 12, 2007 at 3:20 PM
COMMENT:
Ugh! When are you people going to branch out past the West and North Shore suburbs and realize that there are great communities on the Cape and South Shore? Also, did the magazine consider top daycare centers that also have excellent pre-schools like Bright Horizons and Mulberry?
give me a break
Posted by Anonymous | Sep. 16, 2007 at 6:46 AM
COMMENT:
what will you do when your kids grows up and goes to a community college, after all this money you wasted on preschool??? The only one of my old school friends who went to preschool became a hairdresser. The rest of us did not attend at all, and one graduated Stanford...can you believe Stanford with no preschooling!?
Is this the latest trend in town?/ Or, If your kid does not attend this "prestigious" institutions you won't be invited to the next party?
Posted by Anonymous | Sep. 25, 2007 at 1:31 PM
COMMENT:
I totally agree with helping your child to reach his/her potential. But I believe you are better off putting that money for Pre-school into a college fund and enrolling your kid in piano, guitar or violin lessons. Down the road, it will help with his mathematical/science reasoning. A must if he wants to apply and be accepted into a good University.
We loved Lemberg Children’s Center
Posted by ginger | Sep. 27, 2007 at 6:52 AM
COMMENT:
My daughter went to Lemberg, everyday she told me "she had great day". The teacher-student radio is 4-1, education model is phenominal, all activities are well planed, fun and educational. The community is intimate, we loved LCC and miss those days.
German International School Boston
Posted by Katherine | Oct. 3, 2007 at 3:34 PM
COMMENT:
The German International School Boston, in Allston, offers a wonderful full-day bilingual preschool program. Learning a second language comes easily to the younger set, and the GISB offers an alternative to French. It sets children on a path to becoming citizens of the world.
Supporter of Preschools
Posted by Michelle | Oct. 6, 2007 at 11:45 PM
COMMENT:
For all the anonymous naysayers out there I would argue that these preschools are an excellent alternative to traditional daycare for working parents with childcare needs. Most are half day programs which allow for other activities as well. The school my daughters go to has provided an excellent foundation for learning and has developed their social interaction skills beyond what they get out of playgroups.
British School of Boston
Posted by Anonymous | Oct. 24, 2007 at 12:36 PM
COMMENT:
It is interesting to see such a problem-riddled school on this list. Granted the pre-school is taught by some brilliant faculty, but the "for profit" environment, the high turnover of staff, and the 11th hour pulling of the IB diploma programme has most of us parents shaking our heads.
Preschool great alternative to daycare centers
Posted by Anonymous | Jan. 15, 2008 at 10:46 AM
COMMENT:
I agree that the tuitions of these schools are out of control. However, for a working parent these preschools offer a great alternative to daycare centers that at times cost about the same amount of money and does not provide 1/3 of advantage accademically or care that these schools can offer parents and their children. I am a fan of these institutions and it never hurts to teach the young ones as much as possible as soon as possible while their learining abilities are at their best!
The Advent School's early childhood program
Posted by Anonymous | Jan. 25, 2008 at 7:09 PM
COMMENT:
The naysayers really don't understand the value of developmentally appropriate early childhood education. Another school that was overlooked here was The Advent School in Boston. This school embraces a Reggio Emilia philosophy where children learn by experimentation, exploration, and collaboration. This newly expanded program creates learning conditions that help children develop strong thinking skills through exposure to expressive, communicative, and cognitive experiences and takes advantage of its city location to extend the classroom beyond the walls of the school.
Preschool should be universal and government supported
Posted by Anonymous | Feb. 7, 2008 at 10:51 AM
COMMENT:
Preschool is important, but the cost is prohibitive. It is unfair that those with such wealth have such an advantage in this society. It is about time that we have universal preschool and high quality childcare.
Importance of preschool
Posted by Krista | Apr. 2, 2008 at 4:54 PM
COMMENT:
As a preschool teacher I am saddened by those who do not see the value in it. Preschool is much more than learning your ABC's. Learning to pay attention, follow instructions, take turns and work together are social skills needed to be sucessful in kindergarten.
September '08 issues
Posted by Wendy | Aug. 25, 2008 at 5:35 PM
COMMENT:
When will the Sept '08 issue be available online? We subscribe and would like to forward an article from this month's magazine to friends who are out of state. Thank you.
Brimmer and May
Posted by Anonymous | Aug. 28, 2009 at 2:30 PM
COMMENT:
No listing of early childhood and lower school programs is complete without including Brimmer and May! While the school does continue through high school, the lower school has a unique and distinct culture and curriculum with the resources of a full campus!
Lesley Ellis School
Posted by Marilyn | Nov. 4, 2009 at 12:06 PM
COMMENT:
Lesley Ellis School serves children preschool through grade 5 and will be adding grade 6 in the fall of 2011. Please check us out on our website for more up-to-date information (www.lesleyellis.org), visit us at our next Open House (Sat., Nov. 14 10 am - 12 pm) or become a fan on Facebook (search Lesley Ellis School).

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