Super fun camp. My 6 year old had a blast. Wide range of activities and he was tuckered out from…read morethe fun each day. We will be sending him next summer.

I can't recommend this school highly enough! After years of struggling in public schools, we…read moreenrolled our 5th grade son in All-Star academy and he LOVES everyday. It's so refreshing to see teachers who understand how to teach kids to love learning.

My son has attended Chess4Life camps several times, and I have been very impressed. Not only is…read morethe level of instruction and play excellent, they have a ton of tournaments that you can join. In addition, they are not just about chess, but kids attending also have some physical/sports time. Overall was very happy with having kids in the program, and location was right on the way to work, so super easy to drop off and pick up.

I have used Chess4Life curriculum for two separate after school chess clubs. I can say that without…read morehaving the program chess4life offers, the clubs would not be the success that they are today. The video lessons are short and easily understood, while the practice exercises work great on a smart board or a projector. There are four levels of instruction: Pawn, Knight, Bishop and Rook. This allowed our kids to be separated into two separate groups and be challenged at the level that was most appropriate for them. The online portal also allows kids to play against the computer and one another online. Chess4Life not only offers a great program, they also give back to the community and care about the kids. Their presence is felt in many of the chess tournaments throughout the state and they run and volunteer at many of the chess events. I am glad to have selected Chess4Life and will recommend that both clubs continue to use them for future curriculum. Thank you!

Sammamish Children's School is our two-year old's home away from home. Every morning when he wakes…read moreup, he's excited to go 'play with friends' at 'new school'...he's been attending for two months, but this is his name for school. Our son is in the 'Dippers' class, and his teacher, Ms. Melissa and assistant teacher, Ms. Bella, are amazing. There are stations setup each morning with age appropriate and engaging activities (water play, sand play, Mr. Potato Head, etc.) which our son loves! There's music class every Monday and Thursday, an amazing outdoor play space on acreage, and nutritious, diverse meals served. Emotionally - Ms. Melissa and the staff helped reinforce preparing our son for the arrival of his baby brother by talking about being a 'big brother' and reinforcing our son's role in our family. It made the transition of bringing baby home more exciting than nerve racking. Above and beyond a typical school experience in my opinion. Operationally - SCS also has many less closure days than some of the schools my friends kiddos go to in the area, so much more predictable for work schedules. It did take us a little over 7-months to get off the wait list, but Ms. Kelly (assistant director) was awesome at helping us plan for a reasonable date to possibly join. I cannot say enough positive things about this school, the faculty, the activities, the food, and overall experience. Highly recommend to any families looking for a long-term 'home' for their kiddos.

The absolute best! Both of our kids have gone from 1 year old day care all the way through…read morekindergarten at SCS and it's the best money we've ever spent. Great Teachers (even at the early age, 1-2-3, they have a curriculum) Well run operations (sign ups, billing, updates) Awesome chef (yes, they feed the kids healthy food, you don't need to pack fruit by the foot) Safe! (Before, during, and all the way through the pandemic) The kids love it and it's really set them up for success.

Just in case Natalie will explain my review from below in a long and overwhelming format. But you…read morecan always give me a red heart after you enrolled you kid and really learned about what I said in a hard way. And, you are welcome. We enrolled our child here for a few months and experienced so many problems that we decided to withdraw. Honestly, it's hard to put everything into words. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be chaotic. The management is extremely disorganized, and it shows in every aspect of the school. They promise everything during the tour, but nothing is actually realized. For example, my son's potty training regressed while he was here, yet on his very first day at his new school, he was completely successful again--clearly showing where the issue was. Staffing is a major problem. The school feels understaffed, and instead of hiring enough people, they move teachers around constantly. Teachers are pulled from classrooms to cover the front desk, which leaves children without consistent caregivers and disrupts their sense of safety and stability. Sometimes multiple teachers sit at the front while classrooms and playgrounds remain short-staffed. When teachers are missing, children may be moved into other classrooms without parental consent or proper camera access. The facilities and environment are also concerning. The classrooms and floors are often dirty, even in the morning when children are first dropped off. The food quality is very poor, meals look like leftovers, often just cereal porridge with tiny bits of vegetables or meat, and not the organic quality that was promised. Supervision is lacking both indoors and outdoors. There are no cameras outside, and playgrounds are regularly understaffed. Our child was seriously injured outside and no report was provided. During one unannounced visit, I even witnessed children crying hysterically with no teacher comforting them, while other teachers raised their voices harshly at kids in full view of parents. Another disturbing concern is the culture: the school head's own child is in the school and acts as a bully in the classroom without intervention. Other staff members' children also receive special treatment. If teachers dislike your child, they may even allow or encourage other children to mistreat them. To make matters worse, they openly supports physical punishment, something every other preschool we toured explicitly prohibited. Unfortunately, our child experienced this firsthand. He was two years old, but punished in a harsh and rude way. The teacher had segregated and neglected him during nap time. We are contacting the agencies for the abuse. Hopefully they'll get punished soon. Communication with management is evasive and never provides reassuring answers. Overall, this school fails to provide the safe, nurturing, and trustworthy environment that children need. I cannot recommend it.

Our kids have been to Birch Tree (BTA) over the past 4 years. We've had an amazing experience, and…read morerecently realized how exceptional it is compared to other daycares. We took for granted the high quality care and high standards set by the management and staff. We took a short break and moved our youngest to another daycare for a month just to be closer to our house (national chain daycare in Kenmore), and it was literally night and day. The other daycare was subpar in quality and extremely short staffed, even though the tuition was comparable. We decided to move them back to Birch Tree, and drive the extra miles. What we love about Birch Tree is the management, warm and caring teachers who give lots of hugs, home cooked food, facilities, quality education, classroom camera and Bright Wheel App. Despite the locations expansion, BTA still feels locally owned and the owner Natalie and head of schools Jessica are very much involved in all of their schools. You will still see them in-person floating around the different locations. They generally know all student's names, and the local staff are always friendly and greating parents. They hold their staff to high standards and also expect the same of parents. Kids are well behaved, they wear inside vs outside shoes. Food is better than my home cooked meals, classrooms are modern with high ceilings and large windows, and all teachers have open communication with parents via the instant messaging feature. The admin staff is also on top of communication, and they have an abundance of teachers and admin staff. They also offer weekly PE, music, and Spanish classes which are all included in the price. They also offer parents night-out occasionally, and host events and weekly summer field trips for pre-k. You can do 3, 4, or 5 days a week. Speaking with staff, they enjoy working there and say that there's opportunity for them to grow and take on different roles within the school or office. Other parents we've met have moved from other daycares to go to BTA and seem very happy with BTA. They have well prepared our oldest for kindergarten and we are so thankful. None of these things we observed with the national chain daycare.

Without question our children deserve a space where thriving in a safe environment is top priority…read moreto each parent. It is important for parents to feel at ease knowing they're sending their kids to a school that is trustworthy. It is unfortunate at this establishment safety is not one of their top priorities as mentioned in their mission statement. There have been one too many incidences that have occurred at this school with no proper communication with parents. There is no transparency from faculty members. Each faculty member are all mandated reporters which leaves me speechless as I'm sure there is a policy and procedure for all incidences that may occur with any of our kids. Yet incidences continue to arise without transparent communication and explanations to us parents. According to public records this institution has been cited for safety of our children to a lack of planned emergency planning this past year in 2025 which you all can find from public records on (find child care wa . Org) and input the schools name/address. I have also provided screenshots of my findings. Not only is safety a concern but also the turnover rate this establishment has with teachers is signaling a deeper issue in this institution. Surly as an educator/owner of a school one must know the significant impact that may have on our kids. Studies have shown a "connection of high turnover with loss of instructional quality, weaker teacher collaboration, and more classroom inconsistency" as Stephen Gibbons have done a study on. It is without question if you want your children to attend a safe and well managed school then this isn't the place you want them to be. The schools quality of care and lack in skill to care for our kids really shows.

From the beginning, there were things that made us uncomfortable. During our tour, Caroline…read moredirected most of the conversation toward my wife, who speaks Mandarin, and appeared to avoid engaging with me directly. Even when I asked questions, the answers were often given in Mandarin rather than addressed to me. As a parent trying to understand the school and make an informed decision for my child, I found this unprofessional and concerning. Over time, our concerns grew. The biggest issues for us were safety, communication, and accountability. In our experience, we did not feel confident that incidents were being properly documented or reported to parents in a clear and timely manner. With young children, accidents can happen, but parents should be informed honestly and promptly, and there should be proper records of what occurred. Our experience did not give us confidence that this was being handled appropriately. When we raised concerns, the response felt defensive and business-focused rather than child-centered. We did not feel heard, reassured, or treated like partners in our child's care. We also felt that the school often appeared to do the minimum rather than proactively creating the safest and most supportive environment possible. In addition, the number of school closures and days off, including some that were not federal holidays, added to our frustration. We also came away seriously questioning the leadership of the school. Based on our interactions, the leadership did not appear to demonstrate the judgment, communication skills, accountability, or child-centered approach we would expect from people responsible for young children. Rather than giving us confidence, the way issues were handled made us feel more concerned. For us, this was not about one isolated incident. It was the overall pattern: poor communication, lack of transparency, safety concerns, and leadership that did not seem willing or able to take parent concerns seriously. Stability, our child did not enjoy consistency in their education, given the high level of turnover of staff. Choosing a school for your child is a major decision. Parents deserve to feel that their child is safe, cared for, and that concerns will be handled with honesty, empathy, and accountability. Based on our experience, we cannot say that was the case here.

Both of our children attended Chestnut Hill Academy, and our youngest just graduated from 5th grade…read morelast week. Throughout their K-5 journey, every teacher was exceptional, supportive, and genuinely caring. Communication between teachers, staff, and parents has always been outstanding. We love CHA's focus on community building, leadership, strong academics, and the emotional well-being of its students. Both of our children loved their time at the school and formed wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime. As parents, we have had the privilege of watching our children grow into confident, resilient, and well-prepared middle school students with strong leadership skills and perseverance. We are incredibly grateful to the entire CHA community for the positive impact it has had on our family.

Our daughter attended CHA from kindergarten and will be completing 4th grade this year. The school…read morehas been incredibly supportive from the beginning. Each of her teachers from K-4 were engaged and provided regular feedback on matters related to academics, social, and well-being. We really enjoyed the school programs from performing arts, field trips, winter activities, and leadership opportunities. CHA also did a great job connecting parents and building a strong community with the school.

Northlake Academy was the most disappointing school experiences we've had, out of 4 private schools…read morein the area with our 3 kids. It's close, cheap, but that's about it. Teachers leave, curriculums are disorganized. Despite the small class sizes, our children received little support from staff over the years until we called it quits. Teachers mostly blame kids and parents during teacher parent conferences. Communication was very difficult, especially with the principal's sporadic and illogical blame emails and "no reasons for concerns". Teachers aren't native speakers with thick accents, the qualified teachers left for other schools. ITBS scores are faked, since they spend a month rehearsing almost the same tests and memorizing. Many kids we know were not qualified for accelerated classes at other schools. The restrictive year-long contract signed in Jan/Feb leaves families locked-in before final grades and staff changes. They don't release contracts and brush away parental concerns.

Fully agree with another review here from Mindy H. Our son was expelled in 2 days for 'behavioral…read moreproblems'. He was going to a daycare for a full year, before going to Northlake. The attitude in previous school was to help him if he fumbles. The apathy from preschool lead teacher was appalling. He was least welcomed. Who does that to a 3 year old. After 2 days of education, she also kept the deposit. Really regret the decision to even trying this school.

My 7-year-old loved this camp last year, and she's back for another year this year. My 10-year-old…read moreis pretty anxious generally, and had a bit of a hard time the first day (through no fault of the camp's, the vibe is lovey and inviting), but then came back the second day and the staff have been very accommodating, showing her around the farm before camp started, easing her into things, and generally doing everything right to help her settle in. Thanks so much to Jamie and the team!

My daughters first started taking lessons and attending week long summer camp in 2017. The ponies…read moreand horses are so sweet, well cared for and patient with all the new riders. Jamie and her staff are so kind and knowledgeable that soon my daughter was begging to join the training program. Jamie has a wonderful way of teaching kids and adults in a way that works best for them. Creating a solid riding foundation and encouraging my daughter to achieve her goals.