BEST Low Cost Montessori Preschool in Portland!!!! Three years ago, I moved my son from his downtown daycare to Harmony Montessori Preschool. Little did I know the power of my actions. Not only did my son enter an amazing nurturing environment, but we inherited a family of loving, supportive teachers, assistants, and parents, all working together to create a beautiful, culturally diverse education for our young ones. What drew me to Harmony was the price, NOT driving downtown, and the outdoor playground and gardens. What has kept me - and continues to keep me at Harmony [my second child will start in the fall] - is the family we have developed there. If you're looking for a place to really make a difference and feel like you belong to something bigger than yourself - THIS is it!!! Please come check out our community. I promise you won't be disappointed. Beth - Harmony Parent, 2009 - current

A few weeks after my child started at Harmony four years ago, I realized it was not just another pre-school. True to Montessori learning philosophy, the children are provided hands-on activities to develop reading, writing and math skills. But that is not all. Grace and courtesy; 'green' environment with gardening and composting; respect for self and others; acknowledging, accepting and appreciating our differences; responsibility and peaceful friendship are all fostered with gentle guidance from enthusiastic and experienced teachers who are always open to collaborating with the parents to best serve the children. And along this journey, I have found generous support and friendship in the energetic and diverse Harmony parent community. Sheela.

Harmony provides a well-rounded environment for the children to thrive and express themselves in, while encouraging their natural curiosity about the world around them. Hands-on activities is not limited to academics but extends to practical life skills as well, via the Montessori learning philosophy, fostering independence and self-confidence, respect for themselves, their friends, and their world. The trained and experienced teachers guide the children with grace, kindness and always with a smile, respecting the child's individuality, instilling a love of learning. Harmony parent community has become an extended family of sorts that I've come to appreciate for the diversity and unique perspectives they bring, supporting the staff as needed, emphasizing the fact that it indeed takes a village to raise a child, albeit a 'modern' village.

Harmony is the best decision I have made for my family. Both my kids have learned so much at this school, most of the Harmony kindergartners are great readers and have solid math skills, including some multiplication and division. But more importantly, it expounds values important to me like independence, acceptance, kindness and environmentalism in a warm and loving atmosphere. With the loving guidance of the teachers, Harmony children learn problem solving, peaceful conflict resolution, how to care for our environment (be it their classroom or the earth) and a passion for learning. Even I have benefited, some of the most supportive, fun and generous friends I have I met through this school. It is WONDERFUL!