My two sons are currently attending Little Cottage and both my husband and I are very happy having them there. Our older son started at age 2 and our younger son started at 4 months. Sharika is very respectful toward the children; her primary concern is fostering their confidence and independence in a caring, patient manner. The school is always clean and she offers a variety of activities, including time outside. I think she strikes the right balance between instruction and free play, which is really important to me. I want my children to develop a love for learning and I know Sharika does too. My older son recognizes all the letters and is starting to read at age 3! He says things all the time that make it clear to me how much he is learning there. My younger son is starting to talk and Sharika is just as excited as I am when he says a new word. My youngest is incredibly bonded to one of Sharika's helpers. He never cries when I drop him off at school but always cries in other situations (e.g. when left with babysitters or grandparents) - that says a lot to me about his happiness and comfort at Little Cottage.

Both of my kids attend LCM and they love it. My daughter joined when she was 11 months old and now she is 3. She has grown and learnt so much at LCM. The Montessori material keeps her excited and challenged and the teachers provide a loving environment. It is like a second home for her and she sometimes asks to go to school on weekends. My son joined when he was 9 months old and is now 11 months. He is also enjoying his time at school. Sharika takes pride in her work and attends Montessori program seminars/courses to keep updated. She does periodic progress updates with the parents and also supports and consults through a child's development outside of school like sleeping, eating, potty training, etc. I would highly recommend LCM.

Little cottage Montessori is fantastic. My son is 3 and has been there since he was 16 months old. Sharika Ismail the head is wonderful, patient, knows my son better than I do!! She is always available to guide, work with us and is extremely flexible. True Montessori discipline and the classroom is set up as such. She gives personalized attention to each child. It's a small set up with only few kids and babies. Maybe 6 or 7 total. Her staff is fantastic too. Couldn't recommend it more.

We've had our child here since she was 1 years old, the owner and teacher Sharika is fantastic, she's like a second mom to our daughter and truly cares for each of the kids like her own. She calls when the kids are home sick to check on them, she'll call and check in to see if the kids had a rough night or morning so she can give more attention to the child that day, and really gives personal care to each child. It's a warm homey place where the kids look forward to seeing their friends, doing neat projects, field trips, and academic work as well. Sharika takes them all ages and number of days (part/full time) and fosters a community where all ages work well together and take care of each other. She also is focused on ensuring the kids are independent such as learning to put on their own coats and she was instrumental in helping us potty train. Can't say enough good things about this school.

My daughter has been attending Little Cottage Montessori since Sept 2014. The care and attention she has received at LCM is phenomenal! She has thrived in the Montessori environment, with Miss Sharika's encouragement and guidance. Miss Sharika is compassionate, loving and genuinely concerned about each child's wellbeing and development. The space is delightful, bright, with authentic Montessori materials. There is a limited number of students of various ages, so that each child gets personal attention. I highly recommend Little Cottage Montessori and I am thankful for having found such a delightful daycare for my child.

Even though we have been with Miss Sharika since March 31, 2014, I can't say enough about her. She is wonderful and I am very happy. Our daughter was almost three when we/she joined. I did not know what to expect, but I knew that I liked the Montessori approach from all the research that I had done. First, let me talk about the place/school, and then I will address Miss Sharika.

The school is very well stocked with Montessori toys that keep my daughter occupied and intellectually stimulated. The space is also very clean and organized.

Our daughter is our first and only child, and I have definitely spoiled her. She is sweet and cuddly and likes a ton of affection. Miss Sharika has helped our daughter become more independent (a positive), but she is also sensitive enough that when she knows/feels that our baby needs a hug, or wants to sit in her lap to read a book, Miss Sharika does just that. And that makes me very happy. I want my daughter to feel loved when she is away from me.
I also feel that Miss Skarika truly cares about the well-being of all the kids in her care. She is always coming up with new ideas to improve the space: a vegetable garden to teach the kids about where our food comes from, the addition of numerous toys to the back yard that improve the kids balance and/or expand their imagination. I also like the fact that Miss Sharika offers very healthy and organic snacks to the kids all day long. And finally, I find it cute/adorable that the kids do yoga and breathing excercises with Miss Sharika.

My daughter goes to Little Cottage Montessori (LCM). Before LCM, my daughter was at a daycare and I started to notice she was quite bored and did not like the place. The owner seemed quite wooden and was very unresponsive to the kids. Ever since I moved my daughter to LCM I have noticed a dramatic change in my daughter's behavior. I appreciate Sharika very much for this. She is very calm and collected. Does not get frustrated and caters to the individual kids needs. In fact she advices us and gives us feedback that has helped us as first time parents tremendously. I am completely satisfied with the environment that Sharika has created for my daughter. She is truly dedicated teacher and treats my daughter like her own child.

My son goes to Little Cottage Montessori, and we couldn't be happier. He loves it there, and asks to go even when it's not his day to attend. Sharika is calm and firm with the kids, while still being very positive. I feel that my son is learning in an environment where he is safe and happy.

Needless to say, both my husband and I are very disappointed. We emailed with Sharika because she posted a rate of $200+. We then emailed her and she came back with a rate of $380, which was fine. We met with her at her house and again, she gave us the rate of $380, which we agreed on. She just asked us to send in the paperwork by Friday. We emailed her on Thursday saying that we are good to go and couldn't wait for Sawyer to start on the agreed start date, Jan. 21. Sharika then emailed back saying that she upped her rate to $500, which is quite a big jump.

We found her to be extremely misleading that we encounter a posting online citing a rate of "$200+" per month (see: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/337986.page) then quote $360 and write us numerous emails with that agreed price, and then finally we are given this last-minute change to $500.

We decided not to go with her because if she's going to do this before we start, we just don't trust her and not good business sense. Out of principle, we will be looking elsewhere, which is frustrating since we thought through emails, in-person and everything that it was locked down and now we have to start the process over. We lost a week's worth of time.