Testimonials

We are delighted that our little girl Ava settled in Little Smarties a year ago. Sarah is amazing with children and she has made a ‘home away from home’ for Ava. Sarah’s attention to detail is fantastic and we are so thrilled that Ava is so happy to go to ‘Sarah’s’ everyday. She has grown so much in confidence and that is down to Sarah and her wonderful team.

I knew from the minute i arrived at little smarties to get an application for my son Troy that it was where I wanted him to go to Montessori. It was the good feeling that only a mother gets that I knew it was the place for him. Sarah and her staff are such lovely genuine people,they are interested only in the needs of each child and acknowledges they are all different,I couldn’t recommend it enough it has been a great year for Troy that he is going to stay for another year before going to big school.

I would highly recommend Little Smarties to parents. Like most first time moms I was very apprehensive about separating from my daughter when she started a year and a half ago but Sarah always made me feel reassured and made the transition so easy. I have watched my daughter grow and thrive at little smarties and I know she will miss it so much when she graduates in June.

Sarah and her team have created a warm, vibrant and caring environment at Little Smarties, and our little boy loves going in every day. Sarah goes above and beyond to deliver exciting and engaging activities with the kids, from events like the Christmas play and pajama day, to everyday arts and crafts and games. She and her team have a lovely warm way of interacting with the children – and has brought out the best in our son, who comes home every day with something new he’s learned. I would wholeheartedly recommend Sarah and her team at Little Smarties.

Sarah Shields ‘Little Smarties’ Montessori was a part of my life for two years. I sent my son James there when he was 2 years old on a September morning in 2008. James had not been to pre-school before Little Smarties so I was a little apprehensive. From that very first morning James loved going to Sarah’s (he never called it anything else).

The class room was a very happy environment filled with all kinds of learning toys and books. The table was the centre of activity every morning with play dough and mats laid out for each of the little members. Dropping James into class was very enjoyable every morning which made me happy for the rest of the day. The life skills that James learned at Sarah’s are still commented on by his teachers today. He plays and mixes very well with all his new class mates and is learning songs, words and craft in Irish. He has developed a strong imagination in his creativity drawing stories and reading little books by memory.

Little Smarties was a great step in James life and he remembers fondly Sarah’s little kingdom.

We have been very pleased with the progress our daughter has made at ‘Little Smarties’, where right from the beginning we felt she was both happy and very much at home.

We believe this is much to the credit of Sarah and her team who have created a warm and friendly environment in which to introduce youngsters to being taught and making friends with their classmates.

We don’t know how to thank Sarah enough for the 2 years our son, Marc, was under her care. Sarah is very professional in keeping up with the Montessori program and, being a mother of 4, is also committed to teaching her class good manners.

Marc was always very happy going to school and really enjoyed the interaction with Sarah and the other children. He always came back knowing something new, for example, counting to 10 in Irish.

The facilities are ideal. Classes are held in a bright room, nicely equipped with child-friendly tables an chairs.

Sarah was always helpful in giving advice about any issue around parenting. But the real reason we were so happy and relaxed to send Marc to Little Smarties was the fact that the small group and Sarah’s enthusiasm made the school feel like a 2nd home to all of us.

Our little boy Hugh started in Little Smarties after Christmas in 2010. He immediately warmed to Sarah’s loving manner and gentle but firm direction. Hugh is a very physical and independent boy and very quickly Sarah was able to harness his energy into positive actions around sharing, manners, singing, respect for others. As his language develops we hear more and more nursery rhymes and little songs that help him in his daily life skills. The small size of the school has been great for our boisterous boy as he gets lots of one on one attention which settles him and helps him to concentrate on the more challenging tasks like numbers, writing and letters.

I have had two of my children in Little Smarties. They both loved going. They learned lots in a caring and fun environment. I would highly recommend Little Smarties!!