Julia Brown Schools

1300 Milestone Drive

Silver Spring, MD 20904

13 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-3
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 11, 2023

My child attended Julia Brown School in Silver Spring for two years, from 18 months old to 3.5 years old, starting in the toddler program and moving into primary at about age 2.5. I cannot speak highly enough about it. He was very happy there, made several good friends, and learned a lot. He was always excited to go in and see his friends and teachers every day. We would have stayed through the whole program, but only left because we were moving out of state.The Montessori method is very good for small children. Going into it, I could not believe that they could really get my wild and chaotic toddler to set up his own mat, get his "work" from the shelf, follow its instructions, and put it back, but that's exactly what he started doing in a surprisingly short amount of time.JBS is good with communication, using a combination of email and the Brightwheel app. There are in-class observation days as well as parent-teacher conferences with progress reports. They don't do religious holidays, but they do have a few festival days where parents sign up to bring in snacks or cutlery or whatever, and there is a big event at the end of the school year including a graduation ceremony. They also do in-school birthday celebrations if you want, or they will help facilitate sending external birthday party invitations to your child's class. We particularly appreciated that, because those birthday parties were a great way to meet our child's friends and their parents, and coordinate other play dates.JBS is a school, not just a childcare facility, so it follows the school year and school hours, even for pre-k age children. They do also have before/after care (which we used) and a summer program (which we also used).Our biggest worry when starting there was that some reviews mentioned high turnover rates among the non-teaching assistants. We did see some turnover, but it never struck me as particularly high. There were some non-teaching staff who were there the entire two years. And all of the staff, including non-teaching assistants, seemed well-trained and professional.
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2023

This school is diverse in many ways. The Montessori curriculum provides the kids a great environment to challenge themselves to learn and acquire many vital academic, social and general skills. The educators are very motivated, supportive, attentive, caring and nurturing to the kids. Families are very involved with their children’s learning and growth and are required and encouraged to participate in planned classroom observations and one to one meetings with their educators. Special attention is given to kids who may need extra time or attention. For example, my child is a picky and distracted eater. She was not doing well with her school meals ,affecting her health. We were able speak to the educators and they were very helpful in coming up with a plan to have a staff member assigned to motivate and encourage our kid to eat better. It truly helped and she now is much improved! In many areas, I found this school to do an impressive job! My preschooler was coming home giving me history and science lessons at a level that I did not expect from her. The academic program, I believe is very strong and the learning environment and play areas always neat and the safety and health of the children given the highest priority!I am so glad my child is attending this school!
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2023

Our family loves the Toddler Program. Our toddler learns a lot and is always surprising us with new words at home. You can tell the teachers and staff truly care about all the children and the parents’s concerns.
Submitted by other on March 15, 2021

I strongly disagree with the negative reviews on this site. The issues appear to be related to the highly idiosyncratic qualities of a specific child and parent and it's probably erroneous to generalize to the school as a whole. This is nothing like the experience of my children at JBS.My wife and I enrolled our daughters in first grade at JBS Silver Spring mid-year during the pandemic. At that point, our girls were in public school and had been virtually learning since the latter part of kindergarten. The situation was clearly not good for our girls, who were extremely bored and constantly complained of headaches because of the long hours sitting in front of a screen. JBS, because it is a small school, offered in-person pod learning with appropriate safety protocols. Moreover, the Montessori philosophy was quite appealing, especially in the way that each child was encouraged to engage in self-motivated learning. There is also value to the way in which a class of mixed ages encourages mentorship.Since our girls have been enrolled for in-person learning, their math and especially reading skills and interests have increased dramatically. They are showing much more curiosity about the world and science and nature. For instance, lately, they tell us what they learned about important women and African American leaders from the past. When they come home they want to continue this learning and they have questions, which is fantastic. None of this was happening in the prior virtual learning situation. Our girls are happier and more engaged. They love their teacher and quickly made friends.My wife and I also like the diversity at JBS, which is often minimal in other private schools. (This is one reason why we hesitated to go the private school route.) I should note that tuition at any private school is spendy, but JBS is quite reasonable in this category, compared to its peers. (This may have something to do with the school's diversity.)We have had minor questions about things like wearing boots, uniforms, etc., and the school administrator and teacher have been very responsive and understanding. In sum, I highly recommend JBS for grade school.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2017

This school is very horrible. They didn't update the kid status unless you asked. My kids didn't eat her lunch for the weeks but nobody didn't say anything. I finally find out from friends about their food policy. If you get your kid's lunch box empty, don't assume she ate it but they thought out. She always comes hungry and doesn't want to go back to school the next day.If you have the plan to join this school, make sure you have to call them every other day.
Submitted by parent on November 28, 2016

I enrolled my three years old daughter at Julia Brown over the summer of this year. My daughter has never attended a Montessori School and we were looking forward to this new experience. I am going to express my thoughts in two ways, the pros and the cons.I am going to began with the pros. I believe my child was safe, some of the teacher assistants were warm, and I'm sure she learned. There is a decent size parking lot for pick up and drop off and the school has its own private playground. There were many things that I was not pleased with as a parent and consumer of this school. 1) The teacher my daughter had was cold, not open to new ideas/strategies, and never kept in communication with me. 2) Parents' involvement or engagement is not a philosophy of this school. They do not want parents speaking to the teachers or the assistant teachers. This idea is senseless and cruel to me. Given, that my child spends 10 hours a day at this school, it only makes sense I would like to know about her day. The school leaders, their handbook, and any meeting they hold will remind you that speaking to teachers or assistant teachers is something they do not allow because they want teachers "to pay attention to the students." Teachers and parents will only speak during the parent-teacher conferences. 3) There was a VERY unprofessional incident between myself and the owner, Julia Brown's daughter. No need to draw out the details. I want to make it clear the incident was unprofessional and could have been resolved in a different matter. However, Julia Brown defended her daughter, who is also one of the managers at the school, and never apologized for their rude and unacceptable behavior. 4) The school does not allow children to be children. This school is NOT play-based at all. Very rigid and inflexible. I learned it was not a good fit for my daughter and removed her after five months being there.5) The owner does not care about customer satisfaction.6) The school does not encourage parental engagement.7) Huge teacher assistants turn over and many whom left, informed me they did because of the way administrators spoke to them. I would not recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2016

I love Julia Brown Montessori School!My child has excelled nicely over the past two years. The teachers are excellent and the administration is nurturing. Best school experience ever!
Submitted by other on June 17, 2015

My 4 year old daughter has been here for the 2014-2015 school year and the school was fantastic! The only reason she will not be moving on with JBM is because we are moving out of state. The teachers are friendly and respectful. My daughter's teacher is so happy and sweet, she takes the time to discuss any of my concerns or how my daughter is doing in between conferences. I can call at any time to find out how her day is going, which I liked. We met Julia Brown as well and she is a sweetheart, her daughters as well. This is an awesome school, I really felt like it was a family. They went out of their way to accommodate me and I highly recommend this school. I really enjoyed the experience.
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2014

I just wanted to respond to the recent reviewer who mentioned fake positive reviews. I am absolutely genuinely a parent who commented, and not a fake. I have not heard of kids getting kicked out - it hasn't happened to my son or any of his friends, but maybe it does happen. It certainly doesn't seem like it's for any old reason. My son started at 2.5, and he is now 6, and still going there for first grade. We plan to have him attend again for second grade. They don't contact me outside of parent-teacher conferences, but I have found the teachers very responsive when I sought them out. This is most certainly not the school for heavy (or any!) parent involvement, but I preferred it that way. There does seem to be turnover among the teacher assistant staff, and some of them seem a bit detached. The teachers, however, have been wonderful. My son's reading and other academic skills are outstanding, they get significant outside play time (wonderful for children, and all too rare). He plays with kids of every ethnic background under the sun, and learns from them, too.
Submitted by parent on February 23, 2014

I wonder who is putting up these fake positive reviews for the Silver Spring site. There is no community, commuication, or joy in this school. This school has the most disrespectful administration. Your child can and will be kicked out for pretty much any reason if you question them about anything. It's shocking how many children have been kicked out because of a spiteful admin. Please read the reviews at the other locations. They also treat staff like garbage which explains the very high turnover rate. Do not send your child here if you want a happy STABLE environment for your child's preschool experience.
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2014

I love Julia Brown Montessori School in Silver Spring! We are new to this area and my 4 year old has been learning so much while making new friends. My son has improved tremendously in reading, writing, and even on how to use proper manners. I also like the fact that he is able to stay active by playing outside on a regular basis. I have had great communication with the staff as well, and they have provided great feedback on my son's performance. I highly recommend this school to parents that are looking for a positive and great experience for their children!
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2013

"My daughter started at JBMS when she was three years old. She is an only child with food allergies and JBMS accommodated all her needs. I am not worried about her health being in danger by eating something she's not supposed to and I appreciate all their help towards that. My daughter was very shy and timid when she started at JBMS and she has blossomed socially and academically since she has been at the school. She is above grade level in all her subjects and I know that she never would've excelled at this level in public school. All the JBMS staff are very friendly and welcoming. They always give me feedback and are very informative during the parent-teacher conferences. I am a strong believer in Montessori education and the freedom of choice, but JBMS incorporated a perfect balance of independent learning and self-discipline. As my wife and I both work, it has been a huge help to have a child who shows her independence at home, respect to adults, and discipline skills. I recommend this school to all my friends and family since my child is always happy there and comes home with a positive attitude and outlook on life."
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2013

I am familiar with the Montessori method and have a master's in care of children. I found this school extremely disappointing. There is virtually no communication from staff. I assumed before and after care would be more relaxed (my son is playful, goofy, & smiley) but it was rigid with a teacher holding a "silence" sign to children who spoke (and who also couldn't read, go figure). My son has become sad. He enjoys the actual Montessori class but everything else has hurt his spirit. I am withdrawing him immediately. They couldn't care less.