Chiaravalle Montessori School

Chiaravalle is a wonderful school.  My son was in the toddler program last year and is now in 3-6.  

Above all I was looking for was a Montessori program.  We live in Andersonville and looked into Rogers Park Montessori and Near North Montessori also.  Frankly, both of those schools did not have a space for us because of siblings and limited space, so we enrolled in Chiaravalle.  I may have chosen Chiaravalle anyway because it felt more welcoming than  the others even though one of the other schools was literally 3 blocks away from where we live.

First, it is accredited by AMS, meaning it sticks pretty closely to the Montessori philosophy with some flexibility, which is important to me.

Second, they have wonderful teachers and staff.  Everyone who works there seems to take ownership of the school environment and are consistent in how they respect the children.

Third, the learning environment is beautiful.  The school has recently gone through major renovation.  The early education rooms are very clean and orderly, and the elementary spaces are amazing.  

The parent community is great.  

And finally, most importantly, my son loves going to school every day.

I am very impressed by this school.  It is our second year here and we have two kids in the pre-K program, one in Kindergarten.

Our initial plan for our children's education was to home school them, to give them independence and close and easy contact with the "teacher."  Chiaravalle offers these things in its programing--there is a low teacher/student ratio and the kids are encouraged in every way to follow their interests to higher and higher levels without the interruption of a one-size-fits-all curriculum or school agenda.

As a would-be homeschooler, I also love the mixed-age classrooms which give the school a more "natural" feel than schools with thirty same-aged kids in desks being made to do the same thing all day.  My children interact with all ages throughout the school day.  The more advanced children help the beginners and they all play together.

But most importantly, my children LOVE the school. They love their friends and teachers, every adult in the place seems to know them by name and they are sad on the weekends when they can't go to school.

We plan to stay through middle school with both of our children.

Our children are engaged, motivated to learn, and thriving academically, socially, and emotionally at Chiaravalle. We came for pre-school and ended up staying for elementary even though it wasn't our original plan. This is a wonderful community of committed teachers and families and a warm, safe environment for children to learn about the world and themselves.

This is our first year at Chiaravalle and I've never been more stressed. My son does not like going to school. He is in the Toddler Full day Program which I thought would provide some sort of stability for him as I work long hours as does my wife. One of the assistants has left. There are new adults in and out of the room constantly to assist the lead teachers. I just don;t feel they communicate well with eachother or with the parents. Once I came to pick him up early and stood behind to watch through the two way mirror and one of the assistants had her eyes closed while my son climbed almost into the fish tank. It wasn't that it happened quickly it was that she was sleeping. Maybe she needs more supervision but I find the administration challenging to talk to. They don't really give straight answers which makes me feel like there is something to hide. The other parents are either oblivious and like the "Harvard" vibe the school tried to push and I hear way too much personal information about people that should not be gossiped about at pick up. I don't think we will be retuning. Just not for my family or child.

Michelle: My daughter, Sabine, joined Chiaravalle as part of its Toddler Full Day program. Since then, she's been thriving in the environment. The independence and self-confidence she's gained in this environment is astounding. The teachers are top-notch and the administration has been continually available to me for a variety of questions I've had since joining the community. My daughter loves going to school every single day, and watching her self-motivation and growth has been a truly amazing gift for me as a parent.

The school tends to favor people who are enthusiastic about Montessori. They also look for potential parents that will make big donations and have already introduced their children to Montessori.
Things are not always as they appear to be. Try catching the teachers interacting with the children and with eachother when they don't know you are there. It's a whole lot different when they know you are watching them which is a shame.
We loved Chiaravalle when our first child went back in 2007. The toddler program was wonderful. Those 2 teachers were wonderful. They were informative, loving, and had a great connection which the children and parents felt as well.
Unfortunatley now there are so many new teachers with less experience trying to run a class and my husband and I both felt like things were very unstructured. We had a terrible time with communication and often felt dismissed.
This year we are attending Near North Montessori and look forward to a more well rounded, positive experience.

I am in my sixth year as a parent at Chiaravalle and have only good things to say about the education my children receive. What motivates me to keep my children at Chiaravalle is the respect my children receive from staff, faculty, administration, peers, other children and parents.
My children and family are valued as a part of a diverse community coming together to support and live out the philosophies of Maria Montessori.
Classrooms are large, bright and well organized. Teachers are first rate, experienced and highly professional. School doors are manned by staff and administration. The school has a full time+ receptionist for visitors, swipe cards for families, crossing guard and full time security personal.

Chiaravalle is a terrific Montessori school.  We’ve had experience with several Montessori schools, both in and out of the Chicago area, and this one is one of the best we’ve seen.  True to Montessori principles, Chiaravalle teachers accept and honor children for who they are as individuals, allowing them to explore their strengths while gently guiding and challenging them through areas they’re not as familiar or comfortable with.  The school does an outstanding job of communicating with parents and including them as an integral part of the school community.

The building itself is very well kept. There are several Montessori Schools that have no trouble managing the quality of their teachers and the building as well. Our experience at Chiaravalle felt cozy but chaotic and a bit fake. It's a shame they didn't secure the building more carefully. Our girls are at a new Montessori school in Chicago and you can feel the difference. Sometimes I felt as though the people were secondary to the materials.