Both of our boys have attended Parzival Shield Preschool. Our oldest attended for 3 years and our…read moreyoungest is in his 2nd year. We have had the most positive experience and would highly recommend for any parent looking for a wonderful, loving preschool. The teachers are fantastic, the classroom and play ground are magical and so thoughtfully designed, the activities are very intentional and use high quality supplies/ingredients, the snacks they feed the children are healthy and delicious. Our boys have loved their time at Parzival. There isn't another place we could have imagined sending them in these precious, foundational years.

This preschool is magical with wonderful, experienced, caring, teachers. Both of my children have…read moregone to this school for multiple years. Even with their very different personalities,​ this school was a great fit for them both. They run a very smooth and well-organized​ school, with lots of outdoor time, art, storytelling and more. This was such a positive preschool​ experience for my children that was invaluable.

This is our 4th year at WPELC and we are grateful to have another 2 years yet to go. Both of our…read moredaughters love attending school. The community is very special, involved and you have the opportunity to create meaningful parent relationships. The teachers are exceptional and truly show up each day intentionally creating a space for learning, wonder and adventure. I only wish it extended to Kindergarten!

Such a great school! My kiddo attended for three years and it was the best experience. Amazing…read moreteachers grounded in social and emotional development and everything was play based. Such a supportive community as well. The school has recently moved to the Platt Park neighborhood and the new space is fantastic. The school is in a church but it is not affiliated and is not religious. I recommend WPELC to anyone I meet or know who has a small kiddo. Just the best!

We are so excited to have found a place that feels like home for our 2 year old. On the surface,…read morePlum Hill is a parents dream: super clean, imaginative play space, great location & hours. Dig deeper and you will find a staff with heart that truly cares for your child's physical, mental & emotional development. I am grateful for the team that cares for my sweet boy every day.

As a former educator, I can not say enough wonderful things about Plum Hill Preschool. We have 4…read morechildren and have had several preschool experiences all over town over the years. We love everything about Plum Hill! The staff are friendly and educated. The "feel" of the school is very calm, clean and organized. We love the philosophy behind the school which is a mixture of the best parts of Waldorf, Reggio and play based. They understand the importance of unstructured play and facilitate learning based on what the children show interest in. The children go outside to play and visit the two goats Poppy and Pearl daily. The teachers seem very in tune with what is typical developmental behavior and deal with behaviors with loving redirection (we are in the youngest class). I also love the mostly wood toys instead of plastic toys that sing and flash. I really can't say enough about how happy we are with the school. My two kiddos run into school each morning and lovingly hug each teacher at the end of every day. I feel confident that they are happy and safe while they are there. I would highly recommend!

I wish I could give this dump a 0 star rating. I went to this school between August and early…read moreDecember. I left after some girls I guess created a fake report that I love school shooters and they are my hero's which is false. The reason I think they said that was because I hate taylor swift with a burning passion. The next day at like 9:30 PM the school police came to my house and searched my room. They kept delaying my meeting until I think Thursday the next week. They had school police there and they had to pat me down to make sure I didn't have a weapon. The school kept saying I was a monster and crap like that. I am furious while I'm writing this and I don't want to be doing this but it must be done. Most of the teachers are abusive to my needs I have autism and thought I was a stupid person. The force you to play a instrument and make you play cult like games and make you sing creepy cult like songs. I want you to know if you are planning to send your kid to this school please think about if it's the best fit. If your child doesn't fit in the schools cult like plan then please don't send them. Thank you for reading this and I hope you think twice before sending your child to this cult like school. You and your child will regret going to this cult like school if you don't research it first.

I attended this school from second to eighth grade and, in comparsion to my new classmates, I feel…read morelike that the education here was behind. When I was in first grade i did quite well academically and socially, but I feel that after attending this school I noticed that the curriculum was significantly behind, in subjects like math. I felt that the math taught in 8th grade stuff you should be learning in sixth grade compared to what a LOT of other schools offer. I understand that this is a waldorf school with a different education but i found it very dissapointing. A lot of my time here at this school was spent on extracurricular events rather then our academics. I remember when we were forced to go to an event my friend was harshly disciplined for not wanting to sit in a chair at an event. Despite other students doing the same. This showed me that there was some inconsistency in their disicpline was enforced and their rules. My entire friendgroup was targeted and i understand why, we were all troublemakers and did not really listen to them. But why were we simply not allowed to stand? This school's focus on "Saint Michael" and related traditions was weird taking a cult like feel. Taking up most of our time in elemntary and middle school. Instead of focusing on academics. There was also an event called "may fair" where we had to participate in dancing around a pole with ribbons instead of learning. This is an odd tradition and a waste of time. Discipline wise, there was obvious biases. If a student had history of trouble like myself, they were treated more harshly then others. The school lacks proper elective options, especially during your elementary and sixth and seventh year. You're stuck with certain classes that do not help you in any way. one being "handwork" You cannot explore other interests in elective until 8th grade which you can only do twice a week via a block schedule. Even then those options were limited. Creativity was limited and it made me feel like I had little to none career choices in my future. There was only one counselor for over 300 students. It may be different now because i no longer attend that school but it made it very hard to get support when needed. Overall I felt that as if this school doesn't take its student safety very seriously. There were few security measures in place and the school lacked proper surveillance in hallways previously. It now has better surveillance. It was easy for anyone to enter the campus. Which made me concerned for everyone's safety. The school has many flaws and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a good education.

I attended Shining Mountain Waldorf School from K-9 and cherish the magical experiences. I fondly…read morerecall the excitement of seeing new chalkboard drawings and hearing captivating stories in the cozy classrooms. Now, my son attends Kindergarten there and formed an instant bond with his teacher (not something that came naturally for him in preschool). Mrs. Cherie exceeds expectations by attending to each child's unique needs. All teachers offer individual care through home visits, parent nights, and meetings. Beyond being a great school, the parent community is enriching, and we're forming lifelong friendships. Some worry Waldorf's academic approach might not prepare students well, but my brothers, also Waldorf graduates, are now a urologist and a researcher at the Max Planck Institute. I'm a life coach with my own business. Success stems from joy in learning, which Waldorf fosters. I urge you to schedule a tour or email me for more insights at wovenwords [at] gmail [dot] com.

Being a part of Shining Mountain Waldorf School's Early Childhood program has been an exceptional…read moreexperience for my daughter and our entire family. My daughter has blossomed into a confident, playful, curious, and adventurous 5-year-old in the loving care of her teachers. The beautiful campus, nestled in the foothills, offers ample opportunity for free play in nature and daily walks to visit the school chickens, gardens, and a nearby lake. Inside the classrooms, natural materials of wood and silk create a beautiful and comforting space to learn and play. Kindergarten classes provide nourishing, organic food to the children daily. Overall, the school has a rich tradition of meaningful festivals that build a thriving school community. We couldn't be happier at Shining Mountain and look forward to continuing through middle school and high school.

Our older son (now 14) graduated from BVWS last year, having been here since his early years…read more Looking back, we're amazed at how the school shaped him -- not just academically, but as a whole person. He left with a strong foundation in math, science, and writing, but also with creativity, confidence, and a deep sense of compassion. The combination of academics, arts, music, and hands-on learning really gave him a well-rounded education that will serve him for life. Our younger son is now in middle school at BVWS, and he is thriving. Middle school can be a tough transition, but the small class sizes and dedicated teachers make such a difference. He feels seen, supported, and challenged in ways that bring out his best. The curriculum balances academic rigor with opportunities for growth through orchestra, theater, outdoor education, and practical projects -- things that keep him engaged and excited about learning. What stands out most is the sense of community. BVWS feels like an extended family where teachers, parents, and students truly know and support one another. It's a nurturing, values-based environment that helps children grow into capable, compassionate young people. We're grateful to have found a school that educates the head, heart, and hands -- and we would highly recommend BVWS to any family looking for something more meaningful than a traditional school experience.

This is not a review disparaging BVWS. It is about the lack of transparency and consideration my…read morefamily and I were given through the application and enrollment process. My daughter is no stranger to BVWS: she attended in early childhood and has spent a couple of summers there and loved it. When I reached out to the admissions director, (s)he expressed that my daughter would be welcome back and that there was space for her, so I submitted an application and she did a 3-day shadowing. To my surprise, my daughter's application was rejected. I spent several months trying to get a clear answer as to why, unsuccessfully. The following is a summary of events post-shadowing. My husband and I met with the teacher who discussed my daughter's shadowing experience and stated multiple times that (s)he "saw no red flags". I then asked questions about the founder's philosophy including topics that touched upon racism and how they have evolved, as my husband and I come from diverse backgrounds. The teacher answered them with openness and transparency, which further solidified my decision to send my daughter there. A week later, I receive an email, "after careful consideration...we do not feel that (student) is a good fit for our program." I requested a meeting to better understand the decision and sent numerous follow-up emails over the next 2 months to which I received no response, or the admissions director was sick, out of town, or catching up on work. Upon finally setting a meeting, I mentioned that I had emailed the teacher to get more specific feedback regarding my daughter's experience and if (s)he could be encouraged to respond. The response from the admissions director: "to be clear, I will be talking you through the application process...but not discussing re-opening the process". I thanked them and wrote, to "make sure I'm understanding correctly - you will not ask (teacher) to give me information about my daughter, nor will you speak about her experience at BVWS," to which I received no reply. On the call, the admissions director explained that the enrollment process was a collaborative, complicated and nuanced process. It included not just the teacher's opinion, but also input from ALL the Grade teachers, consideration on the age and maturity of the class, and the fact that the teacher is new to Waldorf teaching. If that were the case, then the shadowing, which caused disruption for everyone involved, was pointless and in fact, no new student could join. My insistence on following up was to have an opportunity for an open and transparent discussion regarding my daughter's application. If the teacher had told me during our debrief that (s)he felt the class dynamic with my daughter was not right, I would have respected the opinion. Funny that while my daughter attended BVWS there had never been any concerns raised. I can only deduce from the lack of response and transparency that this decision had less to do with my daughter and more about the questions I raised during our meeting with the teacher. In my last email after our final call, I expressed my hope that this experience be shared with the faculty and board as a learning experience and that I would always be open to dialogue. Since I never received a reply, I assume this issue had been swept under the rug. Though I know no big change will come of this, this experience will serve as a lesson when my daughter is older so that she may learn to advocate for herself with awareness and discernment. BVWS states they support DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and boasts that it cultivates a welcoming, inclusive community. A few qualities of inclusive leadership include fairness and respect, collaboration, empowerment and growth, and emotional and cultural intelligence, none of which I received. It is a shame that fear and avoidance of tough questions will now directly impact a 7-year-old's education. DEI has become very trendy in the past few years but simply taking a training without putting the principles into practice is not enough. Let's do better for our children and set the examples we want to teach them, not just have empty words on a website. That is when you muster the courage to step forward, not back.

The administration is horrible! Terrible experience for kids. A great idea on paper but…read moreunfortunately the leadership doesn't want what is best for kids. Avoid!

Yay! That's my school. Super fun, super creative place to learn and go to school. Thank you to all…read moreof the faculty and staff that work there, you guys are all awesome!!

This is an amazing school and learning environment. My granddaughter has been enjoying learning…read moreand growing so much and I am totally in awe of how wonderful the experience has been for her and her 'classmates' as she calls them. I am the oldest girl of 7 and learned much from helping my mother with my brothers and sisters. I have three children of my own and love kids. I know a great learning environment when I see one and this place is a gem! So happy we found it and that our little princess gets to experience this as her first 'school' experience. She will treasure her time at Happy Valley forever.

This school is horrible for any family that is untraditional or child may have behavior issues…read more The staff and owner are so unprofessional and disrespectful. The teachers have 80 children come in and out of their school on a weekly basis. I was asked to not speak during parent teacher conference bc there was not enough time to get thru everthing. The teachers have no real time to dedicate or give extra attention to children and families that need it. Don't send your child here just for the animals. They don't really get to interact that much with them....this preschool was a huge mistake.