Guidepost Montessori is a Glorified Daycare: I Would Never Recommend Working Here
Pros
You get to work with children! Every day is vastly different working with kiddos.
Cons
This company advertises itself as an authentic Montessori school, but in reality, it operates more like a glorified daycare. As a large corporation, it has completely lost sight of core Montessori values. One of the most concerning issues is the extremely limited time off, the school is only closed for 7 days throughout the entire year. This is unrealistic and unsustainable when working with young children. Both teachers and students need adequate breaks to rest and recharge, but that simply doesn’t happen here. At the Peoria campus, I was told during my interview that PTO was given generously. This could not be further from the truth. There are numerous rules and restrictions. For example, only one teacher per classroom is allowed to be out at a time, yet administration would frequently bend this rule for certain staff, making the policy inconsistent and unfair. The campus also repeatedly ran out of basic essentials like cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, and classroom materials. Teachers are only allowed a 30-minute break, and we were told exactly when to take it. There is no designated break room. Instead, we had to use a torn-up couch (which was replaced at the end of 2025) in the loud, smelly school kitchen that could barely accommodate 6–8 teachers at once. The admin team played favorites and was often short-tempered when teachers called for assistance on the radio, despite constantly preaching that they were “there to support the teachers.” Communication was poor, especially on important matters that directly affected staff and families. They were also very loose with the sick policy. On one occasion, they allowed a child who had been sent home with continuous diarrhea to return the very next day, completely ignoring the 24-hour no-return policy. Overall, administration frequently told both parents and teachers what they wanted to hear, even when they had no intention or ability to follow through. I never fully understood how poorly teachers can be treated until I worked at this school.
