This is my son's 3rd year at Seattle Waldorf. We love our school. The school is a beautiful…read morecommunity where my child is seen and nurtured. Teachers and administrators are very creative and supportive in their work with all children. My child has greatly benefited from the large beating heart of this school. He's engaged in every class and is happy and excited to go to school. He's learned so much and the pace is thoughtful and age appropriate. Not only is he learning academically he's also made huge leaps socially and emotionally. He's grateful to get the chance to be outside and also creating with his hands every day. His experience in this community is helping him develop a rich depth of knowledge and self worth that will be something he can rely on for the rest of his life.

A beautiful school with a profound way of educating the human being in an age appropriate way!read more

My child has been attending WMS for four years - since the Early Childhood level. We continue to be…read moreimpressed with the rate at which our child excels and her love of learning is truly fostered. We are always amazed at what our child comes home with. They do not limit children's learning and treat them as though they can handle learning advanced vocabulary and vast concepts (because they can!). What we love - the classroom sizes and student/teacher ratio - individualized learning - the community - no limit to what children can learn/handle - fostering love of education - teaching kindness in social skills

Woodinville Montessori may not be for everyone. Its orderly environment is maintained by…read morerestricting the freedom for some kids to learn and explore on their own. When a kid fails to comply due to their age or personality, parents are simply told to take their kid somewhere else with very little regard to what it does to a young child's mind or heart. I went to a Montessori inspired school myself. Although I have never been trained or certified as a Montessori teacher, I have years of experience on the receiving end. For me, the Montessori system allowed me to learn independently at my own pace. The freedom to learn was essential for me to establish self-confidence. Because of that, we believe our 3 year old child can benefit from the Montessori system as well. Our child was accepted to the early childhood program. It's a mixed-age class with 20 children ranging from 3 to 6 years old. Being one of the youngest children in the class, it would require time for him/her to adjust to the transition. Prior to Woodinville Montessori, he/she has been going to a play-based daycare with kids in the same age group. The transition was not easy. Our child struggled adapting to the new environment. However, he/she was making progress. During our scheduled one-on-one with the teacher, we talked about his/her struggles and improvements. Everything was appearing to be heading in the right direction. There was no mention of rejecting him/her from the school during this meeting. We even asked the teacher if there is anything concerning that requires special attention. Nevertheless, we received an email from the school 2 weeks after our one on one meeting with the teacher indicating the need to discuss his/her "readiness" to continue attending Woodinville Montessori. A special meeting was set up as the result of that email. We attended the meeting ready to make necessary adjustments to better prepare our 3 year old for the school. We actually looked forward to receiving recommendations. Instead of providing constructive suggestions, the school basically told us to take our child somewhere else. It was explained to us that the primary reason for the school's decision was his/her poor ability to follow instructions. During this meeting, the school demonstrated very little understanding of our child and willingness to work with us. Our kid is not a perfect kid. He/she can be challenging at times. We are certainly not perfect parents either. However, we try our best to understand and to make the best decisions based on this understanding. The expectation from Woodinville Montessori for a 3 year old child to follow directions and stop exploring on their own was not the best for our child. The school's lack of willingness to work together was also extremely discouraging. The Montessori method was originally developed to help children with learning disabilities. It was the method for teaching the "unteachable". It's based on the understanding of how a child's mind works. Although an "orderly" environment is a major element in the Montessori method, it should not interfere with the children's natural tendency to want to explore. Montessori or not, the purpose of education is to help the children. Turning them away when they are struggling simply does not align with this fundamental goal. We saw the efforts from our child trying to adjust and to be accepted to the new environment. It was heartbreaking when all their effort was simply rejected. In the end, imagine having to explain to your child that they cannot go to the school and see their friends anymore.

This will be lengthy. I would rate the district with five stars for my normal child. It's very…read moredifficult for me to give a rating based on my slightly autistic child. Autism is becoming more prevalent and the need for teachers that are trained specifically to deal with autism isn't required (not in this state, and I'm honestly not up to date on what is required here or other states). Even our special Ed teachers, or teachers working in CLC classrooms. For the most part, I think our experience is average, and I wouldn't equate that statement to a compliment. IEP's are stressful, and at times I feel that specific needs aren't met. By law, schools are required to be inclusive, meaning our special Ed kids should have as much time in their regular grade level classrooms as possible, which is good for the general education classes to experience as well. I can understand (having a regular kid) some debate against this; I wouldn't want my general Ed child having less of an education because the teacher is spending all their time with a special needs child. And I'm uncomfortable with the cost of an aid standing by my child full time, even though he should have it if he needs it. The last couple of years my autistic child was in school, he wasn't aloud in a regular classroom setting. He does need a lot of support though, so, I'm somewhat understanding. I feel that this creates a breeding ground for bullying. He would be alone during lunch time, and excluded by the other kids who wouldn't allow him to sit at their table. He had to sit at the peanut free table while eating his pb&j, something that his teacher never did anything about. We have had some kind and compassionate teachers, and only one horrible general Ed teacher experience to speak of. I would say that my experience with having a child with autism in this school district has at times been very sad and heartbreaking. I have had other parents quit speaking to me entirely upon finding out that my child is in special Ed, and while that has nothing to do with the district, it says a lot about the attitudes you might expect. Certainly not all parents! Some haven't acted any different when they learn this. My general Ed kid goes to Crystal Springs, which unfortunately doesn't have a special Ed class. It seems like the most understanding parents I have met, have been here. I would rate this child's experience with different schools in this district with a one star. I don't wish to offend most of his great teachers with this rating, rather point out that big changes for these special needs kids needs to happen. There are so many aspects of the implemented system that can make a parent feel like their child is equal to dog poop, in the districts eyes. I would also like to add that if you met my son and didn't know anything about autism, you would never guess he had it, which can actually be a big disadvantage even dealing with teachers. I now have my child enrolled in Northshore Networks, which is a homeschool type program. Initially, when I tried to enroll him, the person I spoke with told me I had to get a new IEP written up and then the process would be started. I did exactly as directed but when I brought in the updated IEP, this very same person then indicated that they typically won't take kids on an IEP..... I felt so upset and angry about this. I am in a lucky enough position to be able to homeschool my child- not everyone can take this on! He did end up getting into Northshore Networks, and things are so much better. His teacher there is above fantastic, and my son is being educated now at his grade level, and he is no longer depressed. I am grateful to be able to do this for him, and that the district has this program. I would rate Northshore Networks with 5 stars! Great option and wonderful people here. I would still rate it this high even though enrolling him had its frustrating moments. I wish this program was a little bigger so as to allow more kids this option. That may be why they are selective? Please keep in mind that Northshore Networks is a homeschool program and means that as a parent you become entirely responsible for education, only meeting with a teacher once per week, to check assignments and get new ones. Thank you Northshore for letting us into the homeschool program, and for my daughters wonderful school. We have a ways to go though, for our special needs kids education and socialization. It's probably not the worst, but certainly room for improvement. One more thing I would like to add: my general Ed student has never had a teacher that we didn't love. Every single one. And they have all been above our expectations.

My son is 3 1/2 and started school here this year. We moved from Portland and scheduled a tour…read morewith Dianna the Friday before school started. My husband is a teacher and was incredibly impressed with the teachings of Montessori when we toured. At this point, we had toured most, if not all, daycare programs and preschools in the area and we knew what else was out there. Whole Earth Montessori exceeded our expectations. Our son was in a traditional daycare program in Portland and it just wasn't a good fit for him. There was a high turnover rate for teachers and staff and there seemed to be a lot of chaos. He was not thriving and the turnover of his teachers was tough on him. Whole Earth has been such a positive experience for him and for us. He is in Ms. Sonali and Ms. Jennifer's class and we could not be happier with his teachers. They are devoted, nurturing teachers that enrich our son's life. We love the structure and enrichment that this school provides.

Great teachers . But this school will rip you off . They will charge force donation . If you have a…read morelot of money in your pocket , then you are fine !! Just because they do not have any competition near by , they are still getting lot of kids.

The staff is professional, passionate, patient and prepared for each day. I am thankful to say I…read morewas part of this school for three wonderful years before retiring! After working in over ten preschools I must say, Park Ridge Kids has my highest recommendation. It is great to the core!

My child is studying in Redmond Elementary since Kindergarten now he is in 5th grade. I must say…read moreteachers and management are doing a fabulous job in maintaining security, culture and teaching beyond the curriculum. The principal of the school Ms. Kirsten Gometz is amazing. She is always on her toes, available in the ground when kids are outside. Her attentive and friendly behavior makes students' parent comfortable. It is hard to find a principal like her! Thanks for making Redmond Elementary a wonderful learning center for kids.

Such a shame of a school. There are some truly amazing teachers there. Mrs. Jones, and Mrs…read more Colbert we're truly exceptional teachers who truly cared for their students and wanted the best for them. Unfortunately, it seems the rest have all moved on or been replaced. But the administrative staff is still in place and that is where the real issue lies. They were unable to help my son with his ADHD and dyslexia. My son was harassed and bullied by one of the paraeducators and the administrative staff at the time let it happen and encouraged it. It leads to my son having suicidal ideologies and we need to move him to private school. Unfortunately, he did develop PTSD due to the treatment from the staff at Redmond elementary.

They're skilled at enrolling students and earning strong reviews, but their concern doesn't extend…read moreto the children or parents.

We had really high hopes for the school as Ms. Hansen, the school director, is clearly invested in…read morethe Montessori method and has been practicing for decades. The school is set in a lovely natural settings and the class sizes are small. Unfortunately, we experienced several major challenges this school year and have opted to transfer our daughter to a new school year because of them. Communication is poor. The Kirkland campus does not have a dedicated administrative assistant. All communication goes through the admin assistant at the Bellevue campus and then to the teachers at Kirkland. While there is a dedicated email address for each classroom, teachers do not check or reply to messages. And since there is no communication at pick up and drop off, there is no way to communicate with the teachers other than the two conferences throughout the school year. If an emergency arises, you will need to call the Bellevue campus and hope that someone answers the phone and is able to relay the message to the Kirkland campus. The school does not enforce its own sick policy. Students who showed up with snot streaming down their faces and persistent, barking coughs were allowed to remain in class. Our daughter missed more than six weeks of school because of this negligence. We had multiple conversations with the school director, and things would get better for a week and then return to their norm. In contrast, during our daughter's first year of preschool (at another school) she was sick once the entire year. We were not happy with some of the language our daughter picked up from the teachers. She began using the work "guys" frequently shortly after the beginning of the school year. She also learned a song with the lyrics "the little one stops to pray to heaven." Bullying on the playground was not address. There were two older boys in class who frequently put children 'in jail" and would not allow them to play on the playground (as reported by our child and several other parents). They also would not let the children play with certain toys on the playground. Bullying should never be tolerated and needs to be shut down asap. This year's class was incredibly young (many kids in diapers that could not talk, toddlers with snot streaming down their faces, etc.) and it made the school feel like a daycare. Our experience did not align with the price of tuition nor the experience we were sold. Bottom line, there are better Montessori options in the greater Kirkland area.

My kids have been attending this school since they were little, they and we love it! Great caring…read moreteachers who focus on students at all levels with a personal touch. And the kids come home and independently work on their homework even my 2nd grader! My kids complain if they miss school. Amazing!

I have 2 kids enrolled in this school since kindergarten and it's been great! We can't say enough…read moregoodness about this school. This school has challenged our kids academically, taught them about respect and responsibility. Exceptional school!