Elan Vital Montessori School

Posted: June 10, 2020

There was an issue I was aware of in my child’s class this past year. It did not directly happen to my child but from talking with other parents it sounds like the teacher and director were very involved and handled it well.

Posted: June 10, 2020

We loved it. Super sad to leave.

Posted: June 10, 2020

Homework for spelling tests and reading practice is sent home. No more than 10-15 minutes a few times a week. It’s manageable and nice to see what they are learning.

Posted: June 10, 2020

We were happy. Teachers are open to feedback and changing things that are not working for a child.

Posted: June 10, 2020

This is a huge plus of the school.

Posted: June 10, 2020

Posted: June 10, 2020

We didn’t have an actual experience with this but I believe they would be good with this.

Posted: August 9, 2019

Posted: August 9, 2019

Posted: August 9, 2019

Posted: August 9, 2019

10/10 we are so happy with our child's experience here for the last 3 years.

Posted: August 9, 2019

Teachers are concerned with the whole child and practice amazing communication.

Posted: August 9, 2019

Posted: July 23, 2019

I love how not only are the kids taught and encouraged to treat their friends correctly but they are also taught to problem solve effectively when there is a conflict by communicating feelings and needs. I think the teachers do a great job of being aware of the kids and their behavior which helps eliminate alot of the bullying aspect.

Posted: July 23, 2019

I could not ask for a better place to send my child!!! He is loved, he is learning, and he is thriving!! You would be hard pressed to find another school in the Baton Rouge area that has a true family feel to it!

Posted: July 23, 2019

My child is going into his 3rd year at EVM. The teachers at this school genuinely adore the kids they teach! They work with the kids to help them develop as individuals. Because of the teachers, my son is thriving!! He is testing well above his age group, and this is the only school he has attended.

Posted: July 23, 2019

I love how this school encourages the kids to respect others and the environment.

Posted: July 23, 2019

There were changes in the leadership at the school before the 2018-19 school year. The changes were DEFINTELY for the better!! The administration is now more hands on, and they certainly care for the students, parents and community!!

Posted: July 23, 2019

Posted: July 19, 2019

Posted: July 19, 2019

Montessori schools don't typically assign homework. Dr. Montessori believed that is that the classroom time of a child shouldn't be dictated, therefore, why dictate the work they choose at home. Traditionally, homework is kept to a minimum at Montessori schools. Additionally, traditional Montessori schools respect that the children having been working in the classroom during the day and that it is important for the children to have their afternoons and evenings free to enjoy extracurricular activities, family time and relaxation.

Posted: July 19, 2019

In addition to following the Montessori curriculum, the teachers at Elan Vital practice compassion and respectful communication with the children. The children use lessons of grace, courtesy and conflict resolution. We feel like the teachers here are excellent role models for compassion and academic excellence.

Posted: July 19, 2019

At Elan Vital my children have been taught express their feelings and to understand the feelings of others. We have seen our children grow in their capacity to be empathetic and compassionate through the lessons received at school.

Posted: July 19, 2019

The administration at the school has always been communicative, engaging and proactive.

Posted: July 19, 2019

One of our children has a pronounced learning difference and the administration and teachers make every effort to meet our child's prescribed accommodations.

Posted: July 19, 2019

We had an overall positive experience at this school. The school follows the traditional Montessori approach, the children are given important outdoor time, the environment fosters personal responsibility and preparation for a love of life-long learning. My older child has aged-out of Elan Vital and is well-prepared and thriving in a traditional middle school environment.

Posted: July 5, 2019

This is not something that was important to the school!

Posted: July 5, 2019

A former teacher told us that they did not do more than 3 lessons in a year. My children learned to wash their hands and polish silverware though. The teachers I believe lacked the knowledge to teach. However we were told they get paid a lot because they were talented.

Posted: July 5, 2019

They complicate right and wrong with something called a love light! My children came home and when they didn't get there way as to staying up late the told us that we made their love light dim!

Posted: July 5, 2019

The leadership is only receptive to positive comments. However they do not like anything negative. They do not realize that they are a business and I guess the customer is not right!

Posted: July 5, 2019

They don't do academics at all! They cannot distinguish between students which is the whole point of Montessori Method of teaching!

Posted: July 5, 2019

My son defend himself and was punished for this. The problem student causing the disruptions although was not punished!

Posted: July 5, 2019

This review comes a year after I took both my daughter and son out of the school. I feel the need to write a review because I don't want another parent to make the same mistake that my wife and I made by letting our children attend this school.
I would like to say that my son and daughter did not know enough to move into another year of school. This shocked the teachers and so called principal at the school.
Throughout our stay with Elan we approached the staff about the lack of academics our children were receiving and they(but they never did) made attempts to correct the problem, so we thought. It wasn't until one of my children was denied entry to a local catholic school that we were told that he did not know enough to attend 2nd grade and really should have not been in 1st grade.
Now the school is not cheap but I paid over a 1,000 a month to a tutor to catch my son up to 1st grade, but the damage was done and my son had to repeat at his current school. At the new school my children go too, my daughter had to receive extra help to catch her up so she could go to kindergarten. We fortunately accomplished this and she will be able to attend kindergarten.
When I approached the Elan's director/principal her response (to our son not knowing enough due to lack of instruction) was shocking and she got upset with us. She got very aggressive with her behavior and lashed out in defense of her so called teacher(personal friend). Their response was not apologetic but they defended themselves and the teacher at fault.

A former teacher (who left due to the lack of instruction)called me and let me know that we had reason to upset because she could count on one hand how many lessons my son did on one hand. She went on to tell me that she didn't feel right not letting us know that FACT.

Even today I still feel as if I should get an attorney to get all the money we invested in the school.

So be warned don't believe the hype about this school. They are not doing any Montessori method(unless endless months are spent learning to wash your hands and polish silver is Montessori)!It is a very expensive daycare at most. Your money will not be safe with this school. I just hope that this review will help another family not experience what my family went through.

Posted: May 30, 2019

My hope is to provide an honest review to give parents a clear representation of Elan Vital Montessori School. First, this is a school where their staff tries their best to respect people from all different backgrounds and they care about each child. These characteristics in a school are important but the day to day practice of the school needs exposing. This school is using the Montessori name to draw in families but are not Montessori in practice. While the teachers do care about the students, currently 2 classrooms are actually not Montessori certified at all and the other classroom allows their students to be outside all day resulting in unnecessary injuries/ accidents/ bug bites . If you know anything about the Montessori method you know a foundation of the classroom is the daily 2-3 hour work period. This is not happening for the 3-6 year old classroom at all. The 18-36 month old classroom has incredibly kind, nurturing teachers but are lacking the materials needed to run a classroom. The administrators focus is on making money but they are not accountable to parents/staff for how it is used and do not seem to care about carrying out the Montessori Method in the classroom. They are set up like a non-profit but operated and may be currently operating without a Board of Directors. There is a consistent amount of gossip between the staff and specific parents. The administrators are known for turning teachers against parents who they do not like, and for not keeping private information private. The school has potential but is lacking in many ways. If you're looking for a daycare experience this is the school for you, if you're looking for a school experience I suggest looking elsewhere.

Posted: May 30, 2019

Posted: May 30, 2019

Posted: May 30, 2019

Posted: May 30, 2019

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Posted: May 30, 2019

Posted: September 13, 2016

My child has attended EVM for two years. She loves her time there! I can not get over how much she has grown and blossomed in this time. She constantly surprises me with the knowledge she is gaining there. Also, I find that she excels at social skills in ways that other kids we see at that park are lacking. They truly care about teaching the children how to be "good people" as well as having a well rounded education.

Posted: April 7, 2016

I rate this school as Good, not Great because the school and its ways have not been established forever, and are constantly growing with the needs of the students and school community. But it's also something I LOVE about having my child here. If something isn't working it can be changed. We are in the lower elementary program, and my child is so happy here. The knowledge these kids gain is astonishing. They aren't sitting in a desk being lectured, they're in a respectful, peaceful environment with clear expectations that fosters exploration and curiosity. I'm loving our Montessori experience. I am appreciative of the outside time our kids get. The fact that my child comes home with bruises and bug bites (which have never seemed excessive to me,) illustrates that they are allowed to be kids!

Posted: August 5, 2015

EVM has Wonderful teachers! They truly love and care about their students and what they are doing.

Posted: August 5, 2015

Homework is not normal in Montessori and in searching for other Montessori schools it seemed that schools were unwilling to ever send work home. EVM is not that way. Homework is not the norm. But if your child is struggling or even requests to work at home they oblige happily. There are also the occasional projects that can be done at home. I like being a part of my child's learning at times so this is important to me.

Posted: August 5, 2015

Posted: August 5, 2015

We love this school! My child has been in the primary class and will move to elementary. I am surprised by the other comments as we have not had a negative experience at all. Specifically the one about the playground. Elan Vital is one of the few schools that considers recess and child directed play as a high priority. In so many schools recess has diminished greatly and it is proven that having a substantial recess helps with child obesity as well as concentration and creativity. Mosquito bites and bruises? They are kids! I used to count my bruises with pride! The kids play hard on a wonderful playground. The school requests you spray the kids with bug spray and teachers spray them as well. It's a natural setting for a playground, surrounded by greenery and trees and we live in Louisiana. They can't have poison pumped on the playground with children present to kill every bug. EVM also stresses care of the environment as well. It's marvelous. The curriculum is strictly Montessori and the teachers are very thorough with their records and parent communication. I have seen my child make huge strides in the areas of language, math and geography. I also love that besides their normal curriculum, they offer spanish, physical education, music and art. The children are exposed to so much. We love EVM!!!

Posted: May 17, 2015

I just wish there are enough reviews online for a parent to make a better decision whether or not to enroll their child in schools like Elan Vital. Since there were hardly any online reviews I decided to enroll my child with a positive mind. But guess what I regret my decision; Elan Vital is the most disorganized school I have ever come across; whether be it lunch time, snack time, field trip, the list goes on. The play yard is not kid fall safe at all, my child has had hundreds of bruises and bug bites all over her legs and hands. I just wished the school took care of little things like this. Since there is no action or improvement my child is not continuing in this school. Parents if you are looking for just fun time for your kids maybe this school is OK but if you are looking for fun plus academic development then NO please look elsewhere, my personal experience.

Posted: February 11, 2015

My child was in the primary class. The teachers are good but school does not really follow 'the Montessori' method. They don't have all the good Montessori work items on the shelf. Small primary classroom and more than 20 primary kids. But this is the only good Montessori school in Baton Rouge. Maybe you can say best of the worst Montessori schools out there in Baton Rouge.

Posted: February 13, 2014

I have two children attending this school and it is a wonderful community. The kids love getting up for school everyday. I wish it went through high school we would never leave!!