Bayside Montessori in Martinez is a school I would only recommend if you want your child to be physically abused by his/her teachers and if you can tolerate bad business practices. I enrolled my child here because I had done extensive research on Montessori schools and have heard great things about them. However, this one in particular (I'm not ruling out all Montessori schools) was an environment where my 3-year-old did not enjoy. He cried every time I dropped him off and when I would ask how school was, he would tell me he didn't like it because his teachers were mean. I observed a change in his attitude in the 5 weeks he attended and he would be very depressed and spaced out and was not the same joyful, playful kid I was used to. The final straw that made us unenroll him from the school was when he explained to us that the teachers would pinch him on his pinky finger. I understand that toddlers are in the learning process but pinching them to make them learn how to be obedient was not something I agreed with. When I told Miss Naseem, Bayside's Director, she implied that my child was lying to me and the teachers don't do that. We concluded that although we had high hopes for this school, it was not a good fit for our child. We unenrolled him shortly after paying for the second month's tuition and Naseem refused to give us a refund because she said she is running a business and it is against policy to do so. She suggested to keep him in a place he didn't want to be for the rest of the month but of course we didn't want him there to be tortured any longer and we were making the decision for the best interests of our child. Just like you can't expect a customer to pay for food at a restaurant if it never comes to the table, I believe you can't pay for childcare if it is never given. I still have yet to receive a refund. I also learned that others have taken their children out of this school and moved them into more loving and caring environments. I would give this a 0-star if I could.

Not a place where children can be kids and have fun. Very strict with emphasis on being still and silent while working alone for long periods of time rather than interacting with peers.