We looked all over Thurston and Pierce Counties for the right private school and let me just start…read moreby saying, we made the right choice. It first started for us looking for a pre-K during Covid as a need, but instead it turned into gaining a whole community of friends that we adore. Since we are not the most religious in terms of being Christian or Catholic, some of the private schools in the area had too much focus on religion. Others pre-K schools felt as though we would have just been hiring a babysitter. Waldorf was a breath of fresh air, literally. The kids actually spend time outside in nature! Being kids, getting muddy, pretend play and learning about the wonders of our world. They focus on the whole child, not just academics and there are no grades, no tests, no homework and instead teach a love of learning. Not only that, they throw some really rad festivals and events for the kids - magical even! We are so blessed to have found a fun and safe place to call school.

I never thought I'd find myself writing a warning like this, but after what my daughter went…read morethrough, I feel compelled to speak up. They are not welcoming. We enrolled her in Olympia Waldorf trusting the promises of a nurturing environment, holistic education, community, and balance. What we actually experienced was chaos, lack of accountability, broken promises, and a lot of emotional strain. This school is nothing like what is advertised. Please do your research there are even documentaries that shed light on the reality. Sending my daughter here is one of my biggest regrets as a parent. If you want your child to be ostracized, send them here. Out of respect for my child I choose not to put specific details here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

My daughter attended Fern Gully for 4 years. We love it so much!! She learned so many important…read moresocial skills. The teachers are kind, patient and fun. And best of all it connected us with a community of like minded people and friends for a lifetime. I highly recommend this school!!

Unfortunately, this "school" is not what it advertises to be. If you are considering sending your…read morechild here, I recommend that you reconsider that decision for the safety and well-being of your child. "We provide Waldorf inspired, holistic, outdoor education." " a mission to nurture the whole child in all areas of development, including physical, social, emotional and spiritual, as well as intellectual." "We focus on social- emotional awareness, creativity & resiliency." None of this is actually accurate. The teachers lack the knowledge or skill (or both) to incorporate the ideologies or either Maria Montessori or Rudolf Steiner. They do not focus on social-emotional awareness. The teachers utilize punishment that is not rooted in Montessori or Waldorf. My son, who has neurodivergence, was punished so HARSHLY here that his neuropsychologist asked, unprompted by me, to send a letter to the school teachers to educate them on how to appropriately handle discipline and how to offer support instead, for young children. My son endured extreme trauma here. There are many other farm, forest and outdoor schools in Olympia. I recommend any of them over Fern Gully. I would stay far away from this place. They do not offer a safe environment for your child - they don't supervise the children and they do not keep them safe emotionally.

Love the staff and very clean. My granddaughter attended for three years. She has just started…read morekindergarten and still talks about it .

Not the best experience for our family so we switched. Our child was frequently coming home with…read moreinjuries and when we (parents) would inquire with staff, their response was that they didn't know. Also, our child wouldn't come home with incident reports. The last incident: she came home with a goose egg to the back of her head. I asked Wren first and her response "I don't work in this classroom." Then I asked Daniel and his response "I didn't know she was injured." Ms. Shelby produced an incident report days after the injury stating that our child received first aid following her fall from the table outside. I didn't understand how because the staff were unaware of the injury. Recommendation: better staffing ratios or prevent toddlers from climbing the outside table.

We waited a couple months for a spot to open up for our 2 infants in foster care. The day one of…read morethem was supposed to start I was told they needed additional confirmation. I was standing in the daycare with my baby and her bag packed. I was told the boss notified them the night before that we needed additional confirmation to start. This was never communicated to us till I was in the building trying to drop my baby off... I asked them to give me an update that day. I called twice and left voicemail. I finally get a call back from them saying she is good to start... Communication is VERY poor which is ultimately why we decided for our babies to not go here.. HOWEVER, Jess was professional the entire time. I caution anyone sending their foster kiddos here.

if I could give a 1 star I would right now, I can't stress enough how important it is to watch how…read moreyou treat people. My family and I were getting ready for the tour, the lady named Jess only greeted my husband and my 5 year old son, while I'm standing there. she never made eye contact, never bothered asked if I'm the mom, meanwhile I was the one that recommended my husband to call and schedule a tour. My point is, I want to get to know the staff well so I know who I'm entrusting my kids to. However, it was already a red flag that I was being ignored. Thank you, but I'm taking my kids somewhere else.

My son spent 2 years with Roots & Rhythms. I'm so grateful for the time he spent with Sarah &…read moreSophia. I'm admittedly a bit overprotective of my kids at times, but from the first day, I felt safe leaving him in their care. It was so nice having him with awesome humans who not only kept him safe and engaged, they taught him how to be a part of a community. I love that it was a mix of ages and that he got to be outside. I believe he's an even better person for the time spent and attention received. He learned empathy and communication skills that I think will serve him well as we transition into K this fall.

I love R&R. I met them a few years ago while visiting a park with the kid I nanny. We started…read moremeeting up at the parks they were at to play and socialize, and a year later, my nanny kiddo enrolled in their program because we loved them so much. As someone who has worked in various childcare settings, I really appreciate their approach to what they do. Such a huge emphasis on problem solving, interpersonal skills, and social/emotional intelligence in an organic, child-led manner. Sarah, Sophia, and their other employees are experienced, knowledgeable, and will always have your child's whole self and best interests in mind. I cannot recommend this program enough for those seeking an outdoor school. Furthermore, I have gained a community from this program because S & S also emphasize community engagement and being part of the neighborhoods they play it. I've met so many lovely families and seen so much chosen family form. It's a beautiful thing!

We Love Lacey Parent Coop Preschool, it is play based learning that really gets kids ready for…read morekindergarten. We have been with the school now for 3 years and plan on joining again when my baby is old enough. Kids don't have to be potty trained but just the exposure to kids that are helped my son decide he was ready. Also I love the parent involvement, there is parent helping required but it is only 2-3 times a month and it is so much fun to get to take part of not only my child's education but his classmates.

Lakeview has been the daycare of choice for our family for nealy 20 years. Staff there are kind…read more and thoughtful how they care for our littles.

The people there are amazing. They have done well with our little whom was diagnosed with…read moreRAD,Sensory Disorder, separation disorder. They are always adjusting too the needs of all their children. I would recommend them highly They are family owned small business. There fun, amazing wonderful people and I'm glad that I got the referral from a lifer of the daycare Kimberly Simpson. She went as a child and told us about how wonderful they are. Great job!!!!

We took our kids here for almost 8 years.. When we decided to pull the kids from their daycare…read moreafter our daughter got LICE twice from the teachers kids all they messaged back was " we require a two week notice, you will be charged $300 " Not to mention they charged us full tuition for months during COVID-19 to " HOLD our kids spots " the kids were home... Not to mention when the owners couldn't get to their grocery pick up due to COVID-19, my family personally bought the daycare groceries to help them get back up and running. Money was raised for this daycare multiple times and we didn't see one dime put into the building or the kids. They received a shuttle bus in donation so the kids didn't have to walk, rain or shine because the school district doesn't allow a school bus to stop because they are technically in walking distance. The bus was never used and sat in the parking lot until it disappeared. Would highly recommend looking elsewhere for your childcare. They put up a good front until its time to go separate ways and then you see their true colors.