We were SO EXCITED to find this school! Infant massage, yoga, a great campus, delicious meals from…read morea chef... the list went on and on. Things aren't always what they seem though. Our child was there just a bit over a year and had 13 different teachers. One left during her shift and never came back, many others assured us they would be sticking around but then dropped like flies. The entire school seems to be a revolving door of staff which is never a good sign. Promises kept changing as they upped the number of kids in the rooms but continued to brag about how fantastic their ratios were. Sure they added teachers to the rooms but then teachers kept quitting and were complaining about not having proper breaks and staffing. There were ongoing requests to donate money and supplies to the classrooms - maybe it would have made sense to just increase the tuition by 10 or 20 bucks a month- I'm happy not to have to deal with this at our new daycare. Our journey ended when it became apparent that the children weren't being properly supervised and due to a safety issue we had to make a complaint to childcare licensing. The director then decided to send out updates about our complaint in emails and in Facebook posts where other staff and parents were allowed to mock the situation. Very unprofessional especially considering that the state department of licensing was in the process of citing them for lack of appropriate supervision. Licensing also helped deal with the issue of the staff not having kids regularly wash their hands (like when they came in from outside to eat meals). I feel for some of the teachers who were good but couldn't stick around. The idea behind this school is great and it would be awesome if well executed and managed.

We had high expectations of this school. The facilities and food program are great, and many of the…read moreteachers are awesome. However, the management was not consistent and had a lot of knee-jerk reactions to situations which affected our child's well being. They were very inconsistent with what they promised versus what was delivered. They claim to be child-led in philosophy, but the decisions made didn't seem to have the children's best interest in mind, rather, what was best for the administration and school seemed to be prioritized. Additionally, they were terrible at dealing with issues that arose with parents. Myself and several other parents I knew at the school were consistently told "well, group care isn't for everyone" or "that's why some people decide to hire a nanny" EVERY SINGLE TIME there was an issue--big or small. This led to fearing we were being told to leave the school. After leaving and seeing how other facilities operate and handle issues with parents, I am very glad we made the decision to leave.

As a fellow early childhood educator who has run a childcare program before, when I was looking for…read morea preschool for my son, I knew I wanted a play-based program where my child would have plenty of opportunities to explore and simply have a great time. We came across The Farmhouse School, and I was so excited. The philosophy is exactly what I hoped to find- Play-based, a focus on social emotional wellbeing, open-ended exploration, and great family support. My son had only been with me for his first three years of life, and I wasn't sure how he would take to being away from me, but he's done amazingly well so far. He is excited to go, and even asks to go on the weekend. He always has a big smile on his face while we head to school, and he tells me about how he plays with his friends at pickup. The teachers are all lovely and warm, and are very compassionate. They understand how to work with children and families to ensure the transition from home to school goes well. I can't say enough about the school. It's great, and I wish there were more schools like this in the area so more children could experience what best practices are for this age group!

The Farmhouse School is a charming and wonderful school. The teachers are very patient, kind, and…read morecontinuously ask the students great questions. Some favorite components of the school for my daughter was the rotation of exploratory areas and touch areas. For example, some weeks they have a big bin of leaves and other weeks they have interesting beads, or water play. Some weeks there are tables with writing with interesting things or ways to write your name or guess the smell in the cup. There is even a quaint writing center and student mailboxes for sharing letters. An important component is outside play everday no matter the weather. They have a wonderful outdoor play space complete with garden and live chickens. One of the most important aspects of the school is the teacher interation with the students. For ex: When students are telling a story, the teacher is writing down what they are saying or writes down titles or explanations of the artwork created by the students. The preschoolers feel respected and love that their ideas are seen as important. Last year the students were interested in collectively creating a bug hotel, they worked on this project all year. The teachers helped the students generate lists of what the hotel needed and they were continually creating collaboratively. For a few weeks the students were interested in doing a play so the teachers started writing down their script ideas and in a few days at pick up all the parents got to watch a very charming preschool production on the back porch. When you are thinking about a place to start your child's education, Farm house is a wonderful, creative, and kind place to start.

Our daughter was in the 4&5-Year-Old (aka Funderkins) class 2009-2010. She had a wonderful…read moreexperience and was very prepared to begin kindergarten this fall. I highly recommend this program.

The Funderkins Pre-K program at the Magnolia Community Center is outstanding! We put our second…read morechild here after being disappointed with another local preschool here in Magnolia. My child loved it! The teachers are really dedicated and they run a wonderful, enriching, entertaining, educational program. I had my reservations because it was part of the Community Center, I don't know why. I was proven 100 percent wrong. My son made friends, went on field trips, took swimming lessons, learned to write his name and other words and his numbers to 100, learned his phone and address, answered a math problem of the day and read a word of the day and so much more. We've compared this program with our child in Kindergarten and are so thankful we made the decision we did as he will be Kindergarten ready, without question. They really prepare them properly and in some cases, my younger son is more advanced than the one in K.

I strongly advise parents to think twice before sending their children to this school. Our…read moreexperience has been filled with severe safety oversights, poor academic planning, and a complete lack of teacher accountability. Severe Safety Concerns: The school utilizes its own forest area, but supervision is shockingly poor. My child was lost in it multiple times. In one incredibly negligent incident, a teacher completely walked away from the group without even realizing my child was left behind. Substandard & Unlicensed Staff: We found out that multiple teachers on staff do not even hold proper teaching licenses. The English instruction is highly unprofessional; the teacher struggles with basic verb tenses and passes these grammatical errors and incorrect English habits onto the students. Disorganized Curriculum: The academic planning is entirely backward. The principal pushed the curriculum into multiplication before the students had even mastered basic subtraction. Because of this structural failure, my children were left severely behind in math when they finally transferred to a different school. Lack of Care & Blame Culture: The staff consistently shifts blame onto the children instead of taking responsibility. When the kids complained about being freezing cold outside, teachers dismissed them and blamed them for "not wearing enough layers." In art class, teachers stand by while students' clothes are ruined with paint, later claiming it is the child's fault for not wearing a poncho. I have had to throw away numerous pieces of ruined clothing.

Our son was at IFS for 3 years. A few key takeaway from our experience (and why we will enroll our…read moredaughter in the next couple years when she is ready: 1. Mandarin immersion school I think of it as going to school, but you go the extra bonus of Mandarin language (with all benefit that come with growing up as bilingual child). One can argue their preference of home based daycare, regular daycare, or school. I personally prefer school (compared to daycare) to have less students turnover, more organized activity (no one come at 9.30, 10am, and 10.30 - which break the focus of the activity), and better curriculum. 2. Reggio Emilia/Project based learning I prefer not to focus too much on academic for kids under 5. There will be time for that later on. I believe that should not be the focus for 3 years old child. Project based learning allow children to play while learn. 3. Outdoor space They do not stay at "sterile" room. The school intentionally allow students to explore and play with nature. Our son (5 years old in non Mandarin speaking household) received a lot of praise from native speaker during our trip to Taiwan that he spoke fluent Mandarin. During our time here, we enjoyed all of his teachers. We are aware of some turnover impacting some other students, but at the end of the day, some of them are out of school's control. We definitely sad that we have to leave IFS family as our son was accepted at Jing Mei. Otherwise, IFS is a strong candidate for our son's continued education.

Good location, flexible. Kids are learning how to read and speak in mandarin a big plusread more

Sunny Language Academy has been a good fit for our family. We speak Cantonese at home, so our kids…read morestarted with very little Mandarin or English. Having teachers who also spoke Cantonese was an unexpected bonus and made the transition much easier. The Mandarin-English immersion has been a good fit for our family, and both kids have become much more confident in both languages. They also love the hot lunches (especially the dried tofu and noodle soup!), and we've appreciated seeing friendships grow over the years. Overall, we're grateful for the caring teachers and bilingual environment.

We've had a wonderful experience at Evergreen Montessori Academy! The Montessori curriculum is…read morethoughtfully designed and encourages our child to grow into an independent, curious, and confident learner. It's been amazing to see how much she developed both academically and socially through hands-on learning and self-directed activities. One of the things we appreciate most is the low student-to-teacher ratio. The teachers truly get to know each child and tailor their support to meet individual needs. It's clear that the staff genuinely care about the students, and that makes a huge difference in how our child feels about school every day. Another unexpected bonus has been the lunch program. Chef Renato prepare food that is healthy, balanced, and kid-friendly--and our child actually looks forward to lunch! It gives us peace of mind knowing she is being well-nourished during the day. We're so grateful to have found a school that aligns with our values and supports our child in such a holistic way.

My daughter Nora is having a great time at school here. She not only has learned to respect other…read moreteachers and friends, but also has become more independent and confident. I highly recommend EMA.

Taryn is a wonderful and experienced teacher. The flexible schedule options are so helpful when…read moretrying to coordinate multiple kids after school activities. My daughter loves it.

WE LOVE BETHANY! Bethany is an amazing preschool that provides an excellent educational experience…read morefor students in a caring environment. Students leave Bethany prepared to successfully transition into kindergarten. Bethany allows families to stay after school and play on the playground, which fosters strong relationship between the families. Bethany will be more than just a preschool for your student, it will create life long friendships for parents and students alike.