Montessori Shir-Hashirim | A Hollywood, CA Preschool Guide

Montessori Shir-Hashirim, also branded online as the Montessori School of Hollywood, is a private early-childhood program at 6047 Carlton Way in the East Hollywood area of Los Angeles, CA 90028. Founded in 1985, the school has spent four decades building a reputation as one of the city’s established Montessori preschools, drawing families searching for “Montessori Shir-Hashirim Hollywood” and “Montessori preschool near Hollywood Boulevard.” It serves children between two and six years old in a mixed-age “Children’s House” model, following the pedagogy Dr. Maria Montessori developed for that exact age range.

This profile walks through what the Carlton Way campus actually offers today: its Primary Program and Parent and Me classes, its published tuition and fee schedule, its admissions timeline and immunization requirements, and the curriculum areas — from Practical Life and Sensorial work to Language, Math, Science, Art, and foreign-language instruction in Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Every fact below is sourced directly from the school’s official website, its published PDFs, and its verifiable California child care license record.

We also cover what real Los Angeles parents tend to search for before enrolling: tuition costs, what a typical day looks like, how the admissions process and Parent and Me requirement work, and which private and public elementary schools graduates of Montessori Shir-Hashirim have gone on to attend. If you’re comparing Hollywood-area preschools or researching this specific program before scheduling a tour, this guide consolidates everything currently published by the school in one place, along with a few points you’ll want to confirm directly with the office.

Basic Information

Montessori Shir-Hashirim was founded in 1985 by a Hollywood educator who chose the Hebrew name — meaning “Song of Songs,” or, as the school describes it, closer to “Song of Creation”  to reflect the joy of early learning rather than any specific religious affiliation; the school states it welcomes and employs staff and families “without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” At one point the school operated two campuses, with a second Berendo-area location opening roughly 15 years after the original, but the school’s current official website lists only the Carlton Way campus as its active site. The program is licensed by the State of California as a child care facility rather than registered as a K-12 private school, which is standard for preschools serving only the 2-to-6 age range.

Contact & Location

The Carlton Way campus sits in the residential streets just south of Hollywood Boulevard, in the 90028 ZIP code, an area some directories describe as East Hollywood. Families reach the school by phone at its Carlton Way line, or by the general email address listed sitewide, which is a Berendo-branded address left over from the school’s two-campus history. The school does not publish a public contact form response time or a front-office fax, and its official hours of operation for the program day run from morning drop-off through mid-afternoon, with paid extended care available beyond that window. Prospective families are directed to schedule a tour rather than drop in unannounced.

Academics/Curriculum

Montessori Shir-Hashirim follows the classic Montessori “Primary Program” model, in which two-to-six-year-olds work in a single mixed-age classroom using hands-on, self-correcting materials rather than lecture-based instruction. The school groups its curriculum into recognized Montessori areas — Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Math form the academic core, while Geography and Cultural Studies, Science and Nature, Art, and Grace and Courtesy round out daily classroom life. Beyond the core, the school layers in enrichment: a music program, a creative dance class, and a drama program that the school says was established in 1995 and stages original, student-performed productions drawing on mythology and classic literature. Foreign language exposure includes Spanish, French, and Mandarin instruction alongside the standard curriculum.

Admissions & Fees

Admission to Montessori Shir-Hashirim follows a three-step sequence rather than a single application form. Families first attend a school tour, offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00–10:00 am between September and June; tours are for adults only and require a full time commitment, plus a vaccination record for visiting parents. Next, all applying families must complete one six-week session of the required Parent and Me program before their child can be considered, since the school uses it to assess classroom fit. Finally, families submit the Primary Program application with a non-refundable fee by February 1st. Age cutoffs and full immunization records (3 Polio, 4 DTP, 2 MMR, 3 Hepatitis B, 1 Hib, 1 Varicella) are required at application, and enrollment is only confirmed once a tuition deposit and signed contract are returned.

Facilities

The school describes its Carlton Way site as a real-world application of Maria Montessori’s “house for children” concept: a physical space scaled and furnished for young children rather than adults, with materials kept clean, complete, and within easy reach so kids can select and return their own work. The school notes that its classrooms and shared areas are filled with natural materials and finished aesthetically rather than institutionally, and that mornings regularly include hands-on cooking activities — baking bread, making soup or salad — that double as Practical Life lessons. Outdoor and gathering space supports the school’s performing-arts tradition, since the drama program stages full productions with costumes, sets, and sound for an in-person audience of families.

Staff/Leadership

The school’s public-facing “About” narrative on its official website is written in the founder’s first-person voice, describing the decision to open the school in Hollywood in 1985 and the educational philosophy behind it, though the founder is not named directly in that text. Parent testimonials published on the school’s own website credit Elena Cielak as the school’s head of school, describing her as personally involved in hiring the teaching staff and shaping the program; because this detail comes from quoted testimonials rather than a staff directory, families should confirm current leadership directly with the school. The site does not publish a full faculty roster, individual teacher credentials, or staff-to-student ratios, so these are worth asking about on a tour.

Community/Events

Community life at Montessori Shir-Hashirim centers on shared cultural experience as much as academics. The school’s own materials describe an “evolving international community” of families who bring their backgrounds into the classroom — from a grandfather singing in Mandarin to a family sharing Hindu food and dance at a birthday celebration — and highlight parents from the entertainment industry who have pitched in on sound systems and stage design for school plays. The annual drama productions, running since 1995, function as the school’s signature community event, with every student participating and families attending performance nights. The required Parent and Me sessions also double as a recurring, calendar-scheduled way for prospective and enrolled families to connect before a child’s first full year.

Accreditation

Montessori Shir-Hashirim’s official website does not publish a named third-party school accreditation body (such as AMS or WASC), which is common for programs licensed strictly as child care providers rather than as K-12 private schools. Its formal regulatory oversight comes instead from its California child care license, #191804468, issued to the Carlton Way campus. The school is also not listed in the California Department of Education’s Private School Directory, since that directory tracks K-12 institutions filing a Private School Affidavit rather than preschool-only programs serving children under kindergarten age. Families who need documentation of a specific accreditation or licensing standard for their own records should request it directly from the school office.

Conclusion

Montessori Shir-Hashirim has run its Hollywood Primary Program continuously since 1985, and its published curriculum, admissions steps, and tuition schedule give families a clear, verifiable picture of what enrollment involves before ever scheduling a tour. It’s a strong fit for the search intent behind “Montessori Shir-Hashirim Hollywood” and “Montessori preschool in Hollywood, CA” — parents evaluating a well-established, small Montessori program for a child between two and six years old. As with any preschool decision, it’s worth pairing this profile with your own tour, a look at current classroom ratios, and a direct conversation with the office about anything not listed here.

FAQ

Is Montessori Shir-Hashirim a good preschool?

Parent reviews on third-party platforms are generally strong: GreatSchools shows a 5.0-star average from 13 reviews, and the school’s Yelp listing has accumulated 36 reviews under “Montessori Schools” in Los Angeles. The school’s own site also features multiple parent testimonials describing high satisfaction with the academic and arts program. As with any school, it’s worth reading a range of recent reviews and visiting in person to judge fit for your own child.

How much does Montessori Shir-Hashirim cost?

For the 2027–2028 Primary Program year, published tuition is $29,000/year for a half-day schedule (8:00 am–2:30 pm) or $30,000/year for a full day (8:00 am–4:00 pm), payable yearly or in quarterly installments. There’s also a $200 non-refundable application fee and a one-time $2,000 new-student enrollment fee. The Summer Session runs $5,000 for six weeks, and the Parent and Me program is $600 for six sessions.

What ages does Montessori Shir-Hashirim accept?

The Primary Program accepts children roughly 2 to 6 years old. To start a new school year, a child must be at least 24 months old by May 10 or 20 months old by January 10, and children ages 3 and up must be toilet trained. The Parent and Me program accepts toddlers starting at 20 months.

How do I apply to Montessori Shir-Hashirim?

Admission requires three steps: attend a school tour (Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9:00–10:00 am, September through June), complete one six-week session of the required Parent and Me program, and submit a completed application with the $200 application fee by February 1st, along with proof of full immunization.

Does Montessori Shir-Hashirim feed into good elementary schools?

The school states that over roughly the last 15 years its graduates have gone on to schools including John Thomas Dye, Oakwood, Campbell Hall, The Open Charter School, Larchmont Charter, The Willows, Turning Point, Mirman, Saint James, Brawerman East, Brentwood School, Crossroads, Laurence, Pilgrim, Westland, and the Center for Early Education. The school notes it doesn’t teach to standardized tests but says its close knowledge of each child helps with kindergarten placement conversations.

Where is Montessori Shir-Hashirim located, and does it have more than one campus?

The active, currently listed campus is at 6047 Carlton Way, Los Angeles, CA 90028, in the Hollywood area. The school previously operated a second location near Berendo Street, opened about 15 years after the original 1985 campus, but the official website now lists only the Carlton Way campus as current.