Precious Beginnings Montessori

The new director, Mrs. Hunte has turned this school around. Whereas the former director was relaxed with policies and procedures, Mrs. Hunte has made the school run like clockwork by treating everyone fairly and not playing favoritism.

Some of the parents who have been at the school for a long time grumbled at first about having to do things like "pay on time" and "pick up their children on time", but now they understand that they were supposed to be doing these things in the first place.

PBMA is definitely one of the top Montessori schools in North Dallas.

Posted 05/10/09 | Report Abuse

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My kid still goes to this school. We decided to move my kid to other school. The director doesn't seems to be concentrating on school. she is promoting some herbal shake to all parents. The student teacher ratio is horrible 1 teacher for 12 to 16 kids. when you visit first time they say 6 or 7 per teacher. Thee is no activity for kids in the afternoon. very bad management..

Posted 04/29/09 | Report Abuse

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If you are questioning Montessori at all (wanting to know more about it), I found the following links helpful: http://www.montessori.org/sitefiles/Montessori_101_nonprintable.
*This is MONTESSORI 101: SOME BASIC INFORMATION THAT EVERY MONTESSORI PARENT SHOULD KNOW, by Tim Seldin (President of The Montessori Foundation).

http://www.montessori.org/story.php?id=307
This has a lot of additional info, including videos of what Montessori *teaches children.

We visited different schools in the Plano and Allen areas when we wanted to move our child from the daycare she was attending. Precious Beginnings was the first one we saw. Wendy Hunte gave us a wonderful tour, taking the time to explain how the school works and answering all of my questions. I then proceeded to visit other schools/daycares to get a feel for what was in this area of the metroplex.

Considering the price, curriculum, child/teacher ratios, and experience, we decided to give Precious Beginnings a try, taking advantage of the 1 hour trial run. My child LOVED it. She didn't want to leave. So we signed her up that day. Since then, she has been potty trained and is learning many things. She very much enjoys attending this school.

The teachers are very patient and calm with the students. They earn respect from the children as well as the parents. Anytime I have questions, they give thorough answers. For example, I wanted to know some of what my child would be learning in her new class (she moved up to the next class after being potty trained). The teacher asked me to wait a couple of minutes so she could finish seeing off one of the students. Then she took me to different areas of the class room, and for the next 10 - 15 minutes, showed me what my child would be learning while she is in this class. I asked her about her background, to which she shared with me about her many years of teaching, what she loves about it, etc. The teachers really care about these kids.

The school also does "Celebration of Life", a time to celebrate each child's birthday. They also have Gardening Day, Ornament night, holiday programs in which the kids get to perform, and other activities. A calendar of events is on their website, as well as the daily schedule, the lunch/snack schedule and menu, and a number of other things.

Ironically, the only CON I have so far is the website, which needs to be updated (some of the extra curricular activities have not been offered for a while; photos of kids need to be newer, etc).

I will provide an update to this review if things change. But overall, this is a wonderful place. I am so thankful to have a place that my child loves to attend.

Posted 03/06/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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My husband was exploring jobs in the Plano area. Even though we decided to move to a different city, I was impressed by the friendliness of the Precious Beginnings staff during our tour.

The director, Wendy Hunte, took the time to answer all of our questions and really explain how the Montessori system works. Out of all of the schools we toured in Plano, this was the only tour that didn't seem rushed or distracted. I appreciate her patience and honesty!

If we ever decide to move to Plano, this will be my choice of schools.

Posted 02/23/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Another parent told me about this site, so I decided to come to the defense of the school.

Regardless of what the two other reviewers have said, our child LOVES this school - and we love it too! How do you make a good thing better? Under the training of Wendy Hunte, the staff has become more attentive than ever.

Mrs. Hunte's previous experience as a director shows as she has brought enhanced programs, new ideas, and great energy to the school. We definitely recommend this school to anyone.

Posted 02/22/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Unlike some of the reviews posted (who were most likely from the same disgruntled employee who I heard was let go for their treatment of co-workers), Precious Beginnings is one of the top schools in Plano. Under the Wendy Hunte's leadership the school has thrived, with new programs, increased parent awareness, and an overall better management style.

As a parent whose child attends this school, I have spoken with other parents who agree with my opinion. We believe that Mrs. Hunte's leadership is invaluable, and this school is better for it. We would highly recommend this school to anyone considering a Montessori school in Plano.

Posted 02/22/09 | Report Abuse

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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I think the previous review was quite understated. The Director at Precious beginnings is the only reason I am removing my child from the school. She is highly untrustworthy. When you trust your kids' education to the hands of someone, their ethics are most important and I will never trust the Director Wendy Hunte. She dodges most questions and for questions she cannot answer lays the blame on "management." My belief is that, if you work somewhere you take responsibility. Being the Director means more responsiblility and not less.

Posted 02/05/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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The management at Precious Beginnings Montessori is not what you would expect. Director Wendy Hunte refuses to take responsibility for anything that happens at the school. A popular teacher was asked to leave the school. The Director informed the parents initially that it was the teacher's decision to leave. On further queries it was found that the teacher did not request to be relieved and also that the Director was responsible for the teacher's removal. When confronted with this info. she back tracked and laid the blame on the management. The parent' question is 'If she is not management then who is?' Her attitude is a sore point in an otherwise decent Montessori school. Looking for an alternate school.

Posted 02/05/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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This is the third Montessori school my child has attended in the past four years. And it will be the last.

To be fair, we followed a teacher from the first to the second school. But when our child was moved up to Primary, it wasn't working for us...or him. We struggled with the decision to move him, but he was unhappy and wasn't getting the Montessori curriculum and methodology that was important to us.

Enter Precious Beginnings Montessori. We visited ten other schools in the area. (We live almost to McKinney, by the way) This school wasn't much on the outside, but inside, I was very impressed. They take the education of your child seriously...but it isn't a cold, sterile environment like some of the schools we visited. The children still have fun...they play...they laugh...but they learn.

My child has been there almost a year and he is thriving. So much that I am torn about sending him to Kindergarten in the fall or keeping him at Precious Beginnings...

Ms. Tayi and her staff are amazing...If you're looking for a real Montessori experience, then pay them a visit...you won't be disappointed!

Posted 01/02/08 | Report Abuse

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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