Any Opinons on the Intercultural Montessori Language School in Oak Park, IL

My boyfriend's mom has a dual-language (english/spanish)montessori "preschool" near UIC (and I also used to be an aid at a separate m. preschool.) I asked her what she thought about Intercultural's programs and she said that they were VERY good at teaching the other languages, but that sometimes their English classes are lacking. Definitely go during a normal day to observe the working environment for yourself and the specific teacher's that will be teaching your kids if possible. It is very expensive there, so make sure you feel you are receiving the full value for your money. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

I haven't heard a thing about that preschool. The two most popular preschools in Oak Park are First United and Pilgrim. Most everyone I know attends those two preschools. A few of my friends put their kids at Concordia because of the extended hours available. Were you able to make it to the open houses in Jan. for Pilgrim or First United? If not, you can call either of those and ask for a personal tour during class hours and see what is going on in the classroom. I know they both fill up classes early in the year. My 3 children attended Pilgrim and I was very involved there. I was on the board and a volunteer fund raiser. Some of my closest friends today are friends I met in my children's preschool classes. The staff at Pilgrim is wonderful and it is a great beginning for anyone. Good Luck finding a preschool.

My older son went there in the Spanish program and I know two people who have kids there now - Spanish and Japanese programs, and are happy with it.

The school was going through a lot of turmoil back then - 4 years ago - and I know they have a new school head since then. However, the parent community and board is very good. Ask about discounts for tuition - I'm not sure what they do now, but we had a needs-based discount when we were there and I believe they still do that, especially for multiple kids (you don't need to be poor to get a discount, just unrich :-)

I think it is a good school. My son was speaking pretty fluently after just 18 months in the program (he lost it all the next year when we left - make sure you keep up the language!) They aren't lying when they tell you that the kids from their programs are better-prepared for school and that they pick up the language. But like anything else, it's really a fit - your family, your child, the teacher - especially the teacher, since it's a 3-year cycle.

You might want to visit some of the other small montessoris in oak park, too. Especially if your interest is Spanish, there are several Intercultural alumni that are running small schools now. You can email me and I can try to find contact info. My son's old teacher has a lovely little school out of her home (AMS certified) and she is awesome. It's also more flexible - you can pick a part-time option if you want, I believe.

Hi S. i used to work at intercultural back in early 90's and the owners were the Rosanova's im not sure if they still own the school, but they were very nice people to work for and treated their teaches and asst.teachers very nicely, i was an asst teacher in the Japanese program, i would send my child there if it were possible. I ended up leaving to have my child, and I'm a sahm who does daycare in my elmwood park home now.

Hi S.,

My son goes to Intercultural, and I couldn't be happier.
He's in the Spanish program from 8-12:30, naps from 12:30-2:30, then is in English class until we pick him up (between 5-6).

As others have said, you need to be sure the approach is a fit for your children, but it has been so wonderful for our son. He has a real respect for the work at hand, and all of the work they do is so considered. The teaching staff is engaging, communicative with us, and above all things, warm and encouraging. At the end of the day, I feel like they let my son be who he is and allow him to explore what he is really interested in, while still exposing him to all the possibilities. I particularly like the age structure of the classroom, 3-5, as the older kids serve as positive models for the younger ones, and the younger ones aspire to be able to do the work that the five-year-olds can do. It seems to be incredibly motivating for my son who is now 4.

Highly recommended!

My suggestion is that you visit the school a couple of times while it is in session and see the teachers and students involved in everyday activity.

After your visits, then ask to have your child come for a morning and see how s/he fits into their structure.

M.

one of my office mates' children go there and they love it. It has diversity with respect to countries of origin, so children do get exposed to many different children. Racial diversity is not as apparent and neither is economic diversity, which is not so suprising given the cost. it is now run by parents as there was a kind of coup there a few years ago. Everyone that goes there seems to love it. There are several other good options in Oak Park - Alcuin gets very good reveiws as does West Suburban. I don't remember if Intercultura is accredited. I dont think it is. There are two kinds of accreditation for montessori schools: AMS and AMI. I believe AMI is a higher standard. Keystone is accredited by both and Morningside and West Sub are accredited by AMI