We moved both of our kids to Cascade Summit after them being at another Montessori school from the…read moretime they were both 3 months old. We really agonized over this decision but ultimately we have been very pleased with the move. Our son who is older and had a tough time adjusting a first told me soon afterwards "can we please stay at this school?" and has talked about how much he likes going there. The teachers and staff are wonderful and I have no hesitation leaving my children with them all day. The class sizes are great and I can tell how much time and attention my kids are getting. My four year old is already doing addition and subtraction and learning so much about various countries, the human body, how to write, etc. And for my toddler, they have been fantastic at assisting and supporting potty training which is such a nice bonus. She cannot wait to run in and hug her teachers and friends every day. As a parent and working mom, I really appreciate that we have NEVER once had to keep our kids home because the center lacked ratio, something that happened constantly at our last daycare and was a source of extreme frustration. Their prices are fair, they provide all the food and snacks, and they have minimal days that they are closed, in particular if you choose their extended day program. The people and other families are friendly, and the place has a great vibe to it, something you can sense as soon as you walk in. Overall this daycare center has been a great find and a huge asset for our family. I highly recommend them.

After almost two years, I no longer felt my child was safe at Cascade Summit Montessori. There were…read moresome positives. There are some wonderful staff and teachers. The school property is gorgeous. The playground is nice. Lunch and snacks are included in tuition, which I believed was reasonable. We tried to give the school time to regroup during this past year because we saw so much potential, but, it never got better. We received very little communication from our teachers, if any. The turnover has been extremely high. In less than two years, we've been through 3 directors and 5 teachers. We often did not know who would be teaching our child any given day, or if our teacher would even be there. The inconsistency was hard to ignore as you try to build your child up to depend on adults and to be able to rely on their teachers. A new teacher would arrive with a new routine, new rules, new keywords and phrases...and a few weeks/months later...a new teacher would arrive. The turnover rate just left our child in limbo, shuttled between classes, different teachers, different rules, for over a year. It was not a consistent, positive, nurturing experience. I was willing to overlook many of the negatives. But, this school has dealt with multiple shutdowns in the past few weeks due to COVID exposures. We would often find out on a moments notice, sometimes AT the door to drop off our child, that the classroom was closed. When we asked about reimbursement due to a staff-related exposure closure, we were told that there weren't any "fiscal updates." They didn't offer more vacation days or any other compromise or compensation. They didn't even care to follow-up or mention it again. When we inquired about their staff being vaccinated, they said it was a personal choice. But, when the classrooms closed due to a staff-related exposure, we were told to keep paying. After multiple COVID exposures, classroom closures, and extremely high teacher turnover, the school began requesting the assistance of parents to find substitutes. They also requested parents who would like to "do more within our community" to "volunteer" during pickup and dropoff to help take temperature checks for children at the door. This reminded me of one dropoff experience where I waited patiently at the door with my child, along with another parent and their child. When it came our turn, the teacher came to the door and taped a piece of paper to the door with a phone number. She cracked it open slightly, enough to let us know that "we're full, we're in ratio." My child looked up confused and said, "They're full? No school today????" The teacher said that we just needed to call the number and a teacher would come to the door. I asked if it wouldn't be too much trouble to let someone know, as I had left my phone in the car. She said "sure", closed the door, and went back to her classroom. Within a few minutes, before I could leave the parking lot, the director...and the same teacher...were at the door helping a new line of children. They were "full" and "in ratio" just a few moments prior. But, these are small examples of the inconsistent leadership at this school. Lastly, and what hurt the most, was when we told the director that we no longer felt our child was safe and we would be leaving Cascade Summit Montessori. This is the school my child had spent the past two years at. Two years. Almost half of my child's life. When I said we no longer felt safe and would not return, the entire email was "We are sorry to see her go." They didn't even bother to ask one question, or even leave a salutation, signature, name, nothing. That was how it ended. Seven words. When I arrived to pickup her remaining belongings that day, the director was notified I had arrived. I saw her helping other parents. She looked my way, but didn't bother to say a word. Nothing. After two years, I would expect a school to be more invested in my child, invested in their safety and their care, and be more professional. After two years, they could only respond with, "We are sorry to see her go."