While I was pregnant with my first child I started looking into childcare and thought, for sure,…read morethat an in-home provider would be my favorite spot. I found a woman who lived near me that I really clicked with and started there, and...My son hated it! He cried all day every day and they just didn't click like I did with the caregiver. I thought he might actually need a center where there are more people to pick you up and kootz the babies if something is wrong. One person only has so many hands, but if there's an aid or director and more organized activities, maybe he would like that better. Not only did I find something he was more happy with, but also I found extremely adept caretakers at Trillium Montessori. The teachers are the real gold here. They are steady and consistent and have been there many years. They know their age up and down and truly care about children. The infant teacher we met first put me right at ease. She is hands-down one of the best humans I have met. Every teacher after is reliable, consistent, and educated in Montessori and development. The teachers made my experience going back to work much less stressful. I have full confidence in them. I have a second child now and happily sent her through the same set of teachers. In fact, I frequently asked the infant teacher for advice and input. There is are double locked doors to enter the center and there is a check-in and out kiosk where teachers can message and upload pictures after you check-in your child. I have never worried about my child's safety here. There are shoe drop caddies outside every room. No one wears shoes in the rooms.

We swung by to check out this school, among 3 other schools. To be blunt, this school was extremely…read moreghetto. Honestly don't believe this is an authentic Montessori--how in the world did they get certified as such is beyond us. 1)Majority of the staff are Indians with an accent. Being a minority ourselves we have no issues with that but we would like our kids to be more diverse than just that. 2) all the classrooms are hard floors, including infants. This seems dangerous to us. 3) everyone wore shoes into the class where infants crawled around, touched, licked and played on 4) place smelled like urine 5) security was minimal as there was no check in checkout 6) outside play area is filled with rocks and pebbles. And playscapes were all cheap, small plastic ones. 7) price was comparable to other places that offered a lot more

My daughter had a wonderful experience with this school. We've recently moved, but Misti, Ivania,…read moreBailey and their team will all be missed dearly. The curriculum is actually implemented throughout all ages, and I truly feel my daughter is advanced from having been in this environment. This is just my experience, so make your decision AFTER you tour. All parents are different, and some families have different wants/needs. Our needs were met and our expectations were surpassed! They had a lot of events which allowed us to be involved with the teachers and other parents too! Trunk or treat, Easter Bunny, Cookouts, etc! I'm so impressed with the impact that they are making in the community. We were heartbroken when we moved, but I will forever be thankful to this school and those that work so hard to make it great!

Love our teachers and friends AMKC! They are our home away from home! And we knew they would be…read moreimmediately!

We have had a wonderful experience with Rising Stars. Low teacher turnover, very caring staff and a…read morewonderful group of kids. My daughter was beyond prepared for kindergarten! My son has found a wonderful group of friends and we have built community with other parents. We consider the staff to be like family and partners in raising our children.

I am so glad we enrolled our son here. The experience we had with Rising Stars was exceptional. The…read moreteachers are so caring a sweet. My son was happy to go to school every morning and we were sad to leave. They send out a detailed schedule for the week with planned activities and learning objectives. They host holiday themed events in class and have small class sizes.

We trusted this school with our child…read more We believed we were choosing stability, integrity, and leadership that put children first. What we experienced instead was ego-driven administration, chronic instability, and a leadership team more concerned with control than care. Teachers were underpaid. Supplies were missing. Ratios were questionable. Parents noticed. When a beloved teacher resigned after being stretched thin and under-supported, she was immediately removed from campus. Parents were told a sanitized version of events that did not align with reality. When families calmly asked for transparency, the response from ownership was not accountability. It was retaliation. Our child -- who had done absolutely nothing wrong and was thriving -- was abruptly expelled because his parents dared to question leadership. A school that claims to be child-centered removed a thriving child to avoid discomfort. The most painful part is that the teachers were wonderful. Dedicated. Loving. Doing everything they could. The problem was not the educators. It was the administration -- specifically the owner -- who consistently chose optics over honesty and control over collaboration. A school's culture is set at the top. When leadership is insecure and reactive, children and families pay the price. We are heartbroken for the teachers who work hard without support. We are heartbroken for the families who will eventually discover these patterns for themselves. And we are heartbroken that our child had to absorb the consequences of adult ego. Families deserve transparency. Teachers deserve respect. Children deserve better. At the end of the day, here's what this experience taught me: Pay attention to how leadership responds when questioned. Any organization can look polished when things are smooth. The real culture shows up when someone asks a hard question. We saw teachers working hard, often without adequate support. We saw parents raising reasonable concerns. And we saw leadership respond by closing ranks instead of opening dialogue. When trust erodes, it's rarely because of one incident. It's because transparency feels optional. We don't regret advocating for a teacher. We don't regret asking about ratios. We don't regret standing up for what felt misaligned. If anything, this experience clarified something important... The right school for our child will welcome engaged parents, not remove them.

My child attended to The Nest Since February 14th, 2022 to Octuber 31st, 2025 Overall, it offers a…read moremixed experience. On the positive side, the staff is generally friendly, and the school organizes some cute and enjoyable activities throughout the year for the children. They provide meals, which is convenient, and their hours of care are good and flexible, which can be helpful for working parents. Communication is also quite solid for infants and children under 2 years old who are not yet potty trained, with regular updates throughout the day. On the downside, staff turnover is extremely high, and changes in personnel typically happen without prior notice to parents. Communication changes significantly once children turn 2 or become fully potty trained--daily updates largely stop, and communication becomes very sporadic. We also experienced a situation where our child was repeatedly physically aggressed by another child. We raised the concern, but there was little to no effective action taken to address or resolve the issue, which was disappointing. Overall, The Nest has some conveniences and friendly elements, but there are areas--particularly staff stability, communication for older toddlers, and conflict management--that could use improvement

Leaving this review for prospective parents looking to chose this daycare for their child. I have…read morenot nor will I ever enroll my child in this facility for a few reasons. 1. They do not answer their phones. 2. They are vague via email. 3. Can guarantee you as the parent, will have more professionalism and better customer service than whoever responds to email inquiries. The phone thing, I do not get it and do not agree. This was the ONLY childcare facility that did not answer their phones once in the dozen times that I called looking for information. Every single other daycare I shopped (over a dozen) either picked up the phone or called me back. How can a childcare facility not answer their phone? I digress I had to ask whoever was responding via email if they weren't enrolling because they did not come out and say it, I also had to ask about a waitlist because this information was not offered (emails to be posted). When I reached out to this facility I let them know what the situation was the response was "we are not enrolling for that program at this time". I was asking about part time, no information on full time was given, nothing about a waitlist (I still don't know the answer about a waitlist because they never responded) Customer service is easy, offer all of the information up front and answer any questions. I asked for a phone call, I let them know I may be misunderstanding their tone, none of this was ever addressed or answered. I wanted to go with this facility because it worked for our price point, schedules, and location. However, if this were the last childcare facility accepting in Austin I would not choose to use them. They don't answer the phone or return calls and seem pretty subpar at answering emails. I'm not usually one to leave a review in this regard however, I feel it important to parents looking for a school for their children to know that they are incredibly unresponsive. Not something that you want to be when taking care of children. I sincerely hope that no one else encounters the same frustrations.

My son has been here since he was 3 months old and he turned 2 in April. We love this place…read more Absolutely love the teachers. My son's vocabulary is more advanced than my oldest was at this age. He is very talkative and active and I attribute that to the environment here. We are moving to Georgetown and I'm seriously considering driving all the way here to continue his care. It is such a great feeling knowing your kiddo is happy to see the teachers...even jumping into their arms at times.

Livia Hu and the entire Joy Park Montessori teaching staff exceeded all of my expectations. My…read moredaughter was at JPME for the last 2 years. The new campus has two turfed and shaded outdoor play areas and large and spacious classrooms. The curriculum fosters curiosity and confidence and I'm amazed at how much the kids learn! My daughter was exposed to Mandarin since birth but learned to read and speak with confidence at JPME. We were very sad to graduate and we already miss JPME greatly. THANK YOU for the love and care you showed our daughter and our family!

We feel so lucky to have found Joy Park for our daughter who is in the Primary program (ages 3-6)…read more They have a beautiful facility with a shaded playground, and a great community of parents. But the teachers are what really make the school special. We couldn't ask for a better and more caring teacher than Ms. Iris. She has an advanced degree from UT in education and a degree in teaching Chinese language. She has been so sweet to our daughter and our daughter has learned so much there. In just a couple of months, our daughter has learned her numbers and comes home each week knowing new Chinese words and phrases that she wants to teach us. My wife and I don't speak Chinese at all, so our 3 year old is teaching us! lol Livia the director has done an amazing job bringing together -- professional -- teachers who are passionate about teaching kids this age. It really shows how much thought and effort they put into the curriculum and how deeply they care about the children. I've never seen kids so patient, calm, and well behaved as I have when we've visited our daughter's classroom. Ms. Iris creates a really fun environment for them where they can be themselves and learn and it really shows. Our daughter's growth there has been amazing to see and she loves getting dropped off at school every day. We're beyond happy that we found Joy Park and I couldn't recommend it more. It's also affordable and they offer great enrichment activities like piano, Chinese language classes, soccer and more that we've enjoyed having our daughter participate in.

After much searching, interviewing and site visits we have enrolled our daughter in this preschool…read moreand are quite happy with our decision. Our daughter was previously at an all play based preschool where she would have very little structure. We wanted to find a school that not only promoted more learning but also promoted learning through play, dance and song. We found that Challenger offered that. We have always shared creative learning with our child and wanted to make sure that she had all options available to her. There are some comments on here about diversity, but this is one of the most diverse Challenger campuses. Also, Challenger is now offering a referral tuition discount program for 2017-2018 year. If you are interested in this program, please contact me so we can both have the two-way 15% referral tuition discount every month throughout the academic year! If you use me as a referral for the 2017-2018 year. Message me for details.

The school is great. Love their program. On the 1st day of school no kid was crying in my son's…read moreclass ! It was the 1st day for a lot of kids but the teachers were amazing about keeping them calm. Ms. Erika is very sweet and always willing to work with you.

My daughter has been at ACA for over two years and will be graduating and heading to Kindergarten…read morethis fall. We are sad to be leaving the school but so thankful for the teachers, staff and administration for giving her and us a wonderful experience while she's been enrolled there. Her growth while attending ACA has been remarkable, with her language (Spanish and English bilingual class), math, reading, and independent life skills being way above average. We give so much credit to the amazing teachers she has worked with in both pre-K classes she has been in...truly wonderful people who are not just educators but curators of the kids' minds and social/emotional wellbeing. If you are looking for a welcoming and loving Montessori environment to enrich your child's early education, I could not recommend ACA more!

Our daughter has been enrolled at ACA for about six months now and here is our experience. We moved…read moreto Texas from California and first enrolled her in another montessori school. We noticed after a few months that the teachers there were stretched thin and would ask us to teach her to sit still during circle time at home. We felt that wasn't in line with what we read Montessori is about (individualized care) so we began looking for another school. When we found ACA, i read through their About Us and noticed they deliberately overstaff in order to prevent teacher burnout, keep teachers happy and energized, which will in turn trickle down to how the children are cared for. I thought this was super wise and loving so we decided to go in for a tour. We met Estella, one of the owners of the school, and she shared their philosophy and showed us the grounds. I immediately felt her energy was starkly different from the energy of our prior school. I also asked if the teachers are actually montessori certified, which i found wasn't true for our previous school. she was happy to confirm they are indeed Montessori certified and go through rigorous and regular trainings to maintain/obtain/enrich their certifications. (note to parents out there, most montessori schools in austin are "montessori inspired", not montessori certified. basically BS. we've had a chance to meet and develop a relationship with owners Sam and Estella, Ms. Hong, Ms. Sara, Mrs. Gupta, and other teachers and staff of the school. And With every single one of them, there is genuine love, honesty, and long-term thinking. This is school is love and people first, profit second. they are reasonably priced as well. and if you're looking for a daycare for your child where your child will be safe, loved, and enriched, I cannot recommend this school enough. Not just because the other schools around Austin suck (which is generally true), but mainly because the folks at ACA actually care and come from love.

Thanks to Sarah, helped with process a lot! I think this school should be top pick for the kidsread more

There were a few hiccups in the beginning, but they were addressed quickly and professionally…read more Anytime I've had a concern, it's been taken seriously and resolved right away. The staff here is truly committed to creating a safe, fun environment for all the children and they act immediately if anything goes against Montessori principles--which I deeply appreciate. All the lead teachers have been in Montessori education for over a decade, and their passion really shows. My daughter absolutely adores everyone here. Miss Amanda is an absolute gem--genuinely perfect for this role. She has such a deep love for the kids and brings so much joy to the classroom. Every day, they do fun, hands-on activities and learn practical life skills like cleaning, cooking, cutting, and setting up their lunches. Mrs. Sarah is also incredible--she's such a gentle, kind soul with a calm energy that's instantly comforting. She's been in Montessori for many years and is the kind of person who just gets it. You naturally gravitate toward her. I'm so glad I gave this place a chance. It feels more like a family than a school, and my daughter truly feels at home here.

I toured a couple other preschools before settling here. One seemingly couldn't make the time to…read moremeet with us, even though it had been scheduled a week in advance. We left after waiting in the front for over twenty minutes (a.k.a. an eternity in toddler time). Another was extremely well reviewed and was also highly recommended by a coworker who had sent all their kids there. I was predisposed towards that preschool from the beginning, enjoyed the tour, and was even OK with there being a waitlist and maybe needing to wait until the next semester. The real problem though was that they indicated my son absolutely had to be walking before he could be enrolled, and he has taken his time in developing motor skills. It turned out that I would have been waiting another year to year and a half to enroll him. Fortunately though I found Nicholson who indicated right off the bat that they would never turn away a child who had not yet hit a specific milestone like that, "because every child develops differently". Since then, we haven't looked back! My son has been going here three days a week since he was 19 months old, and absolutely loves it. They e-mail photos to us regularly (sometimes more than I can even keep up with!), and you can see the love and care they lavish on all the kiddos. Dr. Nicholson has deep knowledge of early childhood education, and puts that into practice here with everything they do. And they're still small enough that even teachers of other (older) classes almost always greet my son by name. The optional "nap & snack" add-on from 12:30pm to 3pm has also been a great help, with my work schedule. Highly recommended!

We have loved our time at Nicholson. The teachers do a wonderful job connecting with students and…read morefamilies, and always communicating directly with us. The positive, nurturing environment combined with the play-based curriculum has allowed my grandson to learn and grow in a way that is fun and engaging, and he is always excited to go to school. The flexible schedule is also convenient for our family. We recommend Nicholson to any family looking for a more personal preschool experience, with a highly trained staff, and engaging curriculum.