Bilingual Montessori Pre-School UMAMI

This is a fantastic school for foreign and local children. Very well organized and professionally run. The management and teachers are highly committed to student and parents success and goes above and beyond to make the educational experience fun, safe and memorable. The school has a great infrastructure and offers tremendous value for their monthly fees. Highly recommended!

I can no longer recommend UMAMI. I will leave my original review which was written about 1-1.5 months after our son started attending UMAMI for you to see below, but add new details which make me unable to recommend UMAMI. We left UMAMI 3 months after our son started attending. In the 3 months we attended there was a lot of turnover amongst teachers, with 3 teachers leaving the school (1 of whom was the only fully certified AMI Montessori eacher). The management at UMAMI lied to the parents surrounding the circumstances of the teachers leaving. When discussing concerns with management they often argued with me and were not upfront and honest. We did not feel comfortable sending our son to a school with so much teacher turnover, but more importantly we did not feel comfortable sending our son to a school in which staff told blatant lies. I can not entrust the safety and well being of my child to a school that is dishonest. ------------- Original We love UMAMI! We toured multiple Montessori preschools in Kyiv and UMAMI was palpably different! My son's eyes (mine too!) lit up when we toured UMAMI! He is very shy and reserved around new people, but he was a chatterbox during our tour and kept asking, "what's next"? The teachers at UMAMI are caring, kind, patient, compassionate, and simply wonderful. We love the way they talk to and about the children and they have done an amazing job making our son feel comfortable while also encouraging him to challenge himself. We moved to Ukraine from the US and sent him to preschool for the 1st time all within the same month! That's a lot of change for a 2.5 year old and we're so happy we chose UMAMI for his school and this transition. There are English speaking teachers (and other children) who make him feel comfortable speaking to him in his native language, but he's also exposed to Ukrainian/Russian on a regular basis through the other teachers and children. We think the teachers are the most important aspect of a school, but the facility at UMAMI is amazing and definitely worth seeing for yourself. They obviously have all of the appropriate Montessori materials, but their play equipment and the facility itself are very unique and inviting! They also have their own kitchen and chef to prepare nutritious meals for the children. I could keep going, but instead I'll urge you to see UMAMI for yourself if you're looking for an incredible school in Kyiv!

Fantastic institution for children🤍 I have never met such a level of attention to the child and parents. I have 4 children and I have something to compare with! The son started attending the institution for 1.5 years. A month later, on the initiative of the educators themselves, the child was accustomed to the toilet and we refused the diaper. Every day I receive a photo report. In addition, I receive a written report from the educators about the day: why the children learned, what interests the son showed and why he managed to learn. The child is currently 2 years old. He began to speak actively, using words from both the Ukrainian language (we are a Ukrainian-speaking family) and English, he can put on a jacket, pants ... as well as eat and clean up after himself. And food💚 Honestly, sometimes I envy my son😊

A wonderful new garden in a convenient location on Vozdvizhenka. Everything here is done as conveniently as possible for children, it is felt that the owners have put their whole souls into equipping such a cozy and high-quality place for children) In addition, excellent and professional teachers work here; the building of the kindergarten has its own kitchen, the food is very closely monitored so that everything is as balanced as possible, healthy, and tasty))) all kinds of developmental activities take place throughout the day, and of course all this is according to the method of Maria Montessori. We loved this place at first sight!

Having visited Umami, I really want to share my impressions with other parents. Firstly, I felt like Gulliver in the land of Lilliputians, in the kindergarten everything is made for children: chairs, tables, washbasins, play and study rooms, a playground - everything is in bright colors, everything for a happy childhood and the acquisition of many necessary skills. For me, as a mother, it is very important to know that my child is comfortable, and I always see this at his desire to go to kindergarten, and unwillingness to leave it. I would also like to note the professionalism of teachers and educators and their kind hearts and love for children, and this already characterizes the mistress and founder of this amazing children's world, filled with joy and smiles - Julia! I highly recommend all parents to come on a tour and fall in love with this children's space!