We've had a wonderful experience with Best Beginnings, and I'm truly grateful for the amazing teachers and staff. The school has excellent teachers who genuinely care about the children. Teacher Tomoko was one of the best teachers my daughter could have started her school journey with. She helped her feel safe, comfortable, and confident, and played a big role in making her love school from the very beginning. She was also very attentive and communicative, always keeping us informed about any concerns and offering thoughtful, practical guidance. Teacher Karen runs her classroom in such a warm and engaging way that my daughter is always happy and excited to go to school. Seeing that level of joy and enthusiasm means so much to us as parents. I would like to thank all the staff and administrators at Best Beginnings for creating such a positive and supportive experience. We feel very thankful that our daughter attended this preschool and highly recommend it to other families. read more

Amazing school, the teachers are great! Very clean and organized in a nice neighborhood. They have a fun, engaging curriculum. I definitely recommend to all parents, my son absolutely loves it! read more

If I could give 10 stars, I would. Director Kerry, and her wonderful staff of teachers welcomed us into the Best Beginnings family when my first son attended back in 2018. We loved our experience so much the first time around, our second son is currently attending. Here is what sold me on the school. The bright light, and environment. I love that the school is above ground, gets natural light, and smells neutral. Everything is up to date, and very tidy. I also love that its secure. I feel my child is safe when I leave after drop off. The teachers: From Lori, to Karen, to Corinne and Magda, each teacher becomes like family. They work hard and strive for the best, for each child. They have thoughtful lesson plans, and it's a joy to see the kid art that comes back. Both of my boys loved getting ready each day for preschool. If you're looking for a new preschool, look no further. read more

We absolutely LOVE Best Beginnings. My oldest daughter attended 3's Preschool and Pre-K at Best Beginnings, and we will sign up our younger daughter as soon as she is old enough. The classrooms are clean, bright (SO many windows), and well organized for each day of activities. There is an outdoor playground that is covered by large pine trees so the kids can get outdoor time even when it is raining, without getting wet. My daughter especially loved the swings! The staff is amazing - they welcomed my daughter with open arms and treated her like family as a 3 year old who was away from home for the first time. She went to school excited every day and never had any issues with separation anxiety. The teachers sub for each other, so most of them (including the director), knew my daughter by name. I always dropped her off knowing she was safe and well cared for. The majority of my daughter's 3's class moved on to Pre-K with her the following year, so she has had the same friends for 2 years, which is amazing for both of us! I have personally made so many friends during drop off and pick up, and we feel like such a part of the community. Most days the kids stay after class and play so the parents talk and hang out. We are moving on to Kindergarten this year and sad to leave our Best Beginnings family behind. If you are looking for a clean, safe, well-organized preschool that treats your child like one of their own family, you should definitely consider Best Beginnings. read more

All 4 of my boys have attended Best Beginnings! It has been exactly what I wanted in a Preschool! It is play based and mainly works on social learning. Of course my boys learned and practiced letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. but I was more interested in a slow introduction to more structured learning. Which is exactly what they got! All the staff have been wonderful! Kerry, Stephanie, Lori, Paula, Jill, Corrine, Sarah, Karen and Magda! They are all so kind, extremely patient and so helpful as the kids learn socially and academically! I wholeheartedly recommend Best Beginnings! We will miss it! I can't thank them enough for the love and dedication they have shown my boys and family! read more

I had bad experience with this school. The same as other parents I met there. The teachers doesn't have patience with children, use negative reinforcement, the education is mediocre and I think they try to keep your child in the school an additional year for some reason. This is my experience, when my son was 3 years old Lori recommended to go to evergreen speech therapist because he couldn't pronounce a letter well. During session with them he developed stutter, of course they recommended my son should continue going to therapy. Rather odd. She didn't like when children were loud, she complained with parents often (children are load unfortunately, is normal). Another episode, at the end of the second year in a teacher's conference Kerry said my son is unmature and tattle teller (well he is 4 years old) and he should stay one more year. I didn't listen to that and he went to kindergarten without problems. My my son is gifted, still working on his stutter problem but smart boy. I have the feeling best beginnings can not handle children well and they might instead give them a problem parents have to fix later. I just try to help here. read more

We found Best Beginnings through a family member when we moved to Washington just over 2 years ago. Our family researched and visited many schools. After touring Best Beginnings it was clear that the environment, location and program were exactly what we were looking for. We've been so impressed. The staff is excellent, attentive and the classrooms are extremely clean. Highly recommended. read more

We sent our now 7-year-old daughter to Best Beginnings in 2007 and 2008, and we will be sending our almost 4-year-old son there starting this fall (2011). We will also eventually send our 1-year-old daughter there. We were very pleased with the experience that my oldest daughter had there. Her social skills blossomed nicely. Her verbal abilities and handwriting improved dramatically. She became very interested in various arts and crafts. And she always looked forward to going to Best Beginnings to see her friends and her teachers. Best Beginnings has two campuses, the one that we went to (on 162nd Ave) is in the Holy Cross Episcopal Church. The other is in Woodinville. My daughter attended twice per week when she was 3 and three times per week when she was 4. They now also have a three times per week class for the 3-year-olds, which is what my son will be doing. The twice per week classes cost $190 per month, while the three times per week classes cost $245 per month. If you compare this to the other options out there, it is actually very competitive, especially for what you get. I really liked that the school focused on a well-rounded experience for the kids. And I liked that the teachers had background in elementary education, speech therapy, art, early childhood education, and special education. All of them were also trained in CPR and first aid. And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, all of them were moms themselves. The director, Sally, is very warm and welcoming and very professional to work with. If you live in or around Education Hill in Redmond, and you're looking for a solid pre-school option for your young one, I recommend Best Beginnings. read more

Summer's almost over, and my 4 year old keeps on asking when he can go back to Preschool! My son was enrolled in the afternoon 3's program last year. We relocated to Seattle summer of 2013, from Dallas, TX. My son was 3, 3 1/2. We didn't know many people at the time, and have no family around either. I liked the preschool co-ops around here, but my daughter was 6 months old at the time, and it would have been too difficult to join and/or volunteer consistently. This was a completely new experience for my son, having been with me and around grandparents and close family all his life. I couldn't have been happier with Best Beginnings. Sally, is the director, and she was ever so helpful in answering all my questions and addressing my concerns. He had Teacher Lori, Andrea, & Katy. Each of them are *SO* loving and caring, and inspiring. They really instilled a love of learning in his heart. I enrolled him in the afternoons, 3 days a week, 2.5 hours a day. Tuition was decent, $260/month, and for the 4s program, you have the option to add 1.5 hours for the Lunch Program. MOST important of all, EVERYDAY, he would come back happy, smiling, and calm. Here's what I liked: 1. I believe, especially at this age, the teacher-student interaction is far more valuable than the student-student one. So, I really liked the low student-teacher ratio (10/12 : 2 teachers). 2. All the teachers are mothers (and the director made a point to emphasize this), and this reflects in the positive classroom environment. Everything is taught with gentleness, love, yet firm when needed. 3. My son's manners, listening skills, ability to follow directions all improved. He learned how to play/interact well with others. 4. The preschool is located on church property. We aren't Christian, so we were a bit concerned about this. However, this wasn't an issue. They do have a non-religious curriculum. Best of all, my son's teacher always made a point to be aware of our personal needs regarding his faith. Yet at the same time, she wouldn't make him feel excluded. The only time there is overlap is Chirstmas, where the Pastor talks to them about the nativity story, which you can opt out of. 5. Love their playgrond, and they get 15 min outside time everyday :) 6. Most of the teachers have some kind of background or specialization in teaching/therapy/ etc., so combine that with "mom powers", it's truly amazing. Some things to work on: 1. The 3's program is a bit too holiday-centric. With the exception of 2-3 months, the rest of the year's activities surround Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Easter, etc. This can be challenging if you don't take part in these celebrations, and with how diverse the community is getting, I do wish the program was truly more secular in nature and the activities and themes of the months weren't so holiday focused. HOWEVER, the staff is so welcoming to other's holidays. When we had our Eid, I provided them books, songs, etc. so my son's class could celebrate with him, because outside of us, that's his second family! So if he wasn't celebrating with them, then he would be really confused. Their response to this concern was that 3's are in the school environment for the first time, and at that age they experience culture around them, and that is what's familiar to them, so when teachers bring that into the classroom, it's so exciting for them. I can see it from that point of view. But for the rest of us, where 75% of what my son is seeing in preschool is fairly strange to him or new, it can be confusing. Other families with kids that went there say that 4's is a bit less holiday-centric, and the teachers really prepare them well for kindergarten, so at the end of the day that's what matters...and that your kid is happy :o) I will probably send my daughter there too. read more

We will soon be approaching the end of our first year at Best Beginnings Preschool with our almost-4-year-old. This has been our daughter's first experience at preschool -- and the first time being in a group situation without a parent. I stay home to care for her, she is an only child, and we have no extended family living near us, so aside from some parent-child classes (Gymboree, music, art) and some evenings with the babysitter, she was new to being on her own with other kids. Although she got off to a rough start (clinging, crying pretty much every time for the first several weeks), her teachers were endlessly patient and kind and wonderfully supportive. Within a couple of months my daughter was running off without a backward glance. We chose Best Beginnings for several reasons. (1) The schedule we selected -- two mornings a week -- was the best fit for us, with a first-time preschooler. Next year she will be returning for 3 mornings a week. Other options (# of times per week, morning vs. afternoons) are also available, and they offer an extended day program called Lunch Bunch for those who want a slightly longer class experience. (2) Tuition is economical. At right around $200 a month for our chosen schedule, the price is right, especially compared to almost all of the other comparable programs we considered at other nearby preschools. (3) Great location. BBP's Redmond campus is located on the grounds of the Holy Cross Church in a quiet, fairly low-traffic, residential neighborhood. The fenced-in playground is well equipped with solid structures. The property is well-maintained. (4) Non-religious curriculum. The school is on church property and shares its facilities, but children of all faiths are welcome, and prayer or bible teachings are not incorporated into the lessons. We recognize that many families desire a religious curriculum, but it was important to us to find a secular program. (5) BBP employs a well-rounded approach to children's first educational experience. Some parents prefer a more rigorous academic program, but we wanted our daughter -- at age 3 -- to learn about more than just letters and numbers. BBP's approach is play-based, and they balance the importance of learning ABCs and 123s with age-appropriate, behavioral/social/emotional awareness and development. (6) BBP was founded by moms and all the teachers are moms. Nothing against teachers who aren't parents, but knowing our daughter was in experienced hands was so reassuring. Why not 5 stars? We love, love, love our daughter's teachers. We give them 5+ stars. BBP's approach to learning and discipline is exactly what we were hoping for. The lessons are just right for kids of this age. Really wonderful. I hold back 1 star, however, because how I wish the school and the staff reflected a bit more cultural diversity. On the whole, Redmond is a fairly diverse city, but it pains me a bit to see so little of that reflected at BBP. A particular experience or two has deepened my concern, and I plan to address them directly with the school staff. Another mother at the school recently expressed similar concerns to me. So I know that at least I am not alone in my reservations. That said, we do plan to return next year -- but with a sense of heightened awareness for making sure we actively seek out more cultural and ethnically diverse experiences outside of preschool. read more

I couldn't be happier with Best Beginnings and have recommended them to all my friends with little ones. The school is lovely, the teachers we've experienced are phenomenal, it has a great community, I honestly can't think of one thing I'd change about this school or my family's experience there. If you're like me and your primary goal for preschool is a warm, caring environment where your children can grow socially and learn to love school, then I can't recommend Best Beginnings highly enough. I'm sad to leave next year but it's a little easier knowing my twins are prepared for kindergarten after their experience in this school. read more

Sadly, this is our only year at BB. My daughter will be going to kindergarten next year but if she wasn't, I'd absolutely send her back to BB again. We attend the Redmond campus and love it there. She's learned how to behave in a classroom setting while still having fun, which is perfect for kindergarten. They take academics/k-prep seriously at BB (almost more seriously than I take it!), and they want make sure anyone leaving their program is ready for success in elementary school. I love them! read more

My son is a student at Best Beginnings and he absolutely loves going to preschool! I was nervous about sending my first child to preschool, but after a week I had no regrets! He is learning so much, he gets to play outside everyday, and he comes home with the cutest art projects! I adore his teachers, the director and everyone involved! He will be going back next year and our daughter will follow the next year! I highly recommend this preschool! read more

My daughter love this school. Teacher Lori and teacher Paula were awesome. I would highly recommend this school. Unfortunately we have to leave this school this year since I need to send her full time from 9-4 and BB doesn't have full day program. Otherwise I would have continued in the same school. Overall we were pleased with the experience. read more

I can't say enough good things about this preschool. We have several preschools that are closer to our house but we chose this one because it felt like the best fit. Our oldest daughter was so prepared for kindergarten after attending Best Beginnings and our younger two are thriving there! They provide a great balance of play (lots of outside time) and learning and the teachers have loads of experience. We're so happy with our decision to attend there! read more

Our older daughter attended, and our younger son currently attends Best Beginnings, Woodinville. The teachers are kind, gentle and extremely responsive to parents-- there also seems to be little turn over (no staff turn over?) in the four years that we'v been involved with the program, so my son has had the same teachers that my daughter had. We love the emphasis on a well-rounded experience for the children, and, the emphasis on teaching children academics as they are ready. Both of my children were always excited to go to school, and gained social and academic skills to ready them for pre-school. In looking for a school, we wanted a program that was a few days a week (at 3 my children attended twice weekly, at 4 they attended three times a week.) My son, who we felt needed a bit more social interaction, is also enrolled in the school's lunch bunch, so once a week he spends a few extra hours with the teachers and a small group of his classmates, and it's made a world of difference for him. read more