So the owner of this studio, Janie, who doesn't even live in Alaska, hosted a competition for a…read morebunch of local studios this past weekend. After collecting money from every studio, dancer etc, she bounced the checks that were given to the judges! I'm fairly certain "thousands" of dollars were collected as entry fees and she can't even use the money collected to pay the people who came here to judge it?!?! With that kind of integrity, there is no way I would even recommend this place to anyone until she is no longer affiliated with it. The few coaches who teach there I have nothing but good things to say about. They deserve someone who isn't a crook for a boss. If I could give this negative stars, I would.

I love working here, It has been so fun and I get to meet so many amazing people! I enjoy being…read morewith the children and the management really cares about me as a person.

What is child care anyways?…read more If you want to pay for 'actual' child care, don't take your child here. Firstly, like some other reviewers state, If you're child has allergies or foods you don't want them eating, they feed them whatever regardless. I have noticed, some staff have left. They come and go, and recently short staff will hire ANYONE. So I don't know if it is because new staff aren't aware that there's foods some kids can or can't eat, info perhaps, old staff never pass on or what....?? But you guys are going to end up killing a kid one day, with some type of severe allergy. I also have to update my review to be a bit nicer and state that not ALL the staff working here could possibly, ALL, be lazy or complete idiots, but.... There's a few Bright Beginnings would be better off without/replacing. Not to mention some of the staff act superior. Maybe being bigger then kids all day, makes them think they are bigger than everyone else? And two other parents have discussed with me the same issue, including reports of how the staff yell at them. When kids have to tell you that, something's not right. The kids also tell us staff are always on their phones, typing away, even making personal phone calls while in the class room working...I just don't understand... Why??? Can't this wait until after work or during breaks? You guys are NOT NOT NOT being paid to be on your phones all day long. YOU ARE BEING PAID TO TAKE CARE OF KIDS!! Your Instagrams and Facebooks can wait. Oh, and forget about following Covid guidelines. Not that I really care either way, BUT while kids are forced to wear masks, we often see staff not wearing them and getting reports that sometimes the staff are completely removing their masks in the classroom. And there's been one staff in particular, hardly ever has her mask on and when she does she doesn't wear it properly, her whole nose is sticking out and half her lip is visible. Plus it looks ridiculous! Regardless of some of these Millennials thoughts on the mask mandate, they could at least set a good example for the kids about following the rules. If you absolutely can't follow it, quit, and get a job elsewhere!? This also isn't my first rodeo, the old day care my oldest went to before we moved, never had these issues. They had camera's in every corner of every room, even the hallways and outside. Something that should really be consider here. Maybe then, staff would act more professional, and do their jobs, knowing they are being watched and supervised. It's not adult play time, or sit on your a$$ time, doing the bare minimum, playing on your phones and putting LO's endanger. It's time to get serious and get to work! TBH If you guys keep it up, nobody will want to take their kids here anymore and the place won't be able to stay in business. If thing don't change, I will be reporting this issue to Child Care Program Office and filing a complaint.

We were lucky to get our son enrolled at Starbright South 9 months before Kindergarten was starting…read moreand we had nothing but the best experience with this preschool. Jen, the owner, has always been wonderfully upbeat and communicative. You can tell she has a passion for preschool aged kids and excelling their education while also providing a fun and clean atmosphere. The preschool always felt very well organized and sanitary. We loved all the teachers - Marques, Jen, Hannah, Kara, Liz....everyone seems to want to be there and help your kiddo through the process. It was a very friendly space and we never felt we couldn't communicate a thought or concern or even just share a joke about how our kid was bouncing off the walls that day. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this preschool to any of my friends or colleagues. Shortly after my son graduated and had his first day of kindergarten, both Jen and Marques reached out to me to find out how he'd done in the transition. They also encouraged a pop in visit down the road. You can tell they really are invested in the children there.

From the owner: Where children reach for the stars!! I have been running Starbright for over 33 years, I couldn't…read moreimagine having a more rewarding career. I love going into work daily and being able to bring sunshine and teach our young minds....

My daughter has been attending this daycare for the past 2.5 years. Admittedly, 2024 was a bit…read morerocky with the loss of a director and the difficult road of finding the right replacement, which made scheduling challenging. Through it all, however, the teachers consistently showed the greatest care for my daughter. They supported her growth and learning even in the midst of the chaos, which I will always appreciate. With the new management, things have improved drastically! They are committed to hiring only quality teachers and ensuring classrooms open only when staffing allows. Their effort to rebuild trust in the community is clear and admirable. My daughter is still attending and is thriving more than ever. The new curriculum, along with the intentional attention given to each child, has made a wonderful difference. We are so grateful for the positive changes and for the teachers who continue to pour so much care into their work.

There seem to be a lot of good things about this program but there was also enough to cause me…read moreconcern that I did not decide to take my child there. 1. I wasn't given full information about prices until I had signed a contract and 2. I was privately concerned about the male "business partner" who helps out at the school. This was just my intuition (which sadly has been right in the past.) I could be wrong. I was told he could step in "if something happened to [Kate]". By this statement I thought she meant if she had a heart attack or was hospitalized or something like that. I came to learn from other parents that Kate would sometimes leave and he would be the only one at the facility (with full unsupervised access to children). This was not my understanding of his role as described during the school tour. Also, I was never introduced to one teacher who was regularly going to be my child's caretaker (and was not a parent getting a discount for helping out.) Finally, when a parent did complain about concerns regarding this man and his contact with their daughter, the response from Kate was immediate denial and defensiveness (to include sending a hostile letter to the military commander of one of the parents, complaining about the parents). Meanwhile, she is required to report allegations (concerns) about improper child touching (child abuse/grooming.) Even if nothing was amiss, the structure (or lack thereof) and response of the individual responsible for keeping children safe, was subpar. As a Better Homes and Garden's article says: Going With Your Gut, it's better to stay away and risk embarrassment than to turn out wrong ("If you 'have a bad feeling' don't ignore it...keep your child away.") I recommend you ask questions, go with your gut, and perhaps require as a condition of your payment that as a parent you can make unannounced visits at any time.

Our two daughters have grown and flourished so much since starting at PNA a few years ago. They…read morehave engaged in so many cool and interesting science projects and field trips, and they get to do so many awesome things! They do science and music and Spanish with awesome teachers, and we get lots of communication from the class. We love the routines and the social environment the kids get to enjoy that keeps them on a great track academically. We would recommend this school to anyone!

I love that the school works collectively with group projects. It's small and everyone knows each…read moreother. They do take a few field trips with one big one at the end of the year. There are many highlights and advantages to PNA. The downside is there seems to be a lack of communication and transparency. Each teacher seems to set their own curriculum and classroom standards. Academics could be more challenging. No hot lunch except for pizza Monday's. Tuition is one of, if not the highest in anchorage. Overall is suits our needs as we are only here two years but we will definitely add some tutoring this summer to make sure our kids don't fall behind the lower 48's standards.

my son has been going to sunflower for a little over a year now and I would be so sad if we had to…read moreleave anytime soon! sunflower is amazing because they work closely with the children and care for them so dearly! I trust sunflower with my child 100. one of the things I appreciate the most is they started to check the weather situation the morning of and do stay open of the weather is safe. before they strictly followed ASD closures, as a single working mother I am so grateful and thankful for them.

I love this daycare and the staff. My baby was at Imagination Station for over a year and we had a…read morelot of issues and there seemed to be quite a bit of staff turn around. My baby would get shuffled from room to room, teacher to teacher and her clothes, coat etc. would be elsewhere in the facility. It was like hide-and-go-seek every night when I picked her up.......first find the child and then the outerwear. When I come to pick my baby up here she is in the same place as I left her and her belongings are in her cubby in the same room, what a concept!!! :) Sunflower is great with my baby she has no rashes and doesn't seem to go through half the diapers and wipes Imagination did (with rashes). I have not noticed staff turn around here. She goes to the same room and has the same teachers every day. The class room size is smaller and she is learning quite a bit here already to include they are helping greatly with potty training. She doesn't cry or cling to me when I drop her off, and goes right to playing. She wants to be there, that in it's self speaks a thousand words!!! She has not been bitten or hurt by another child since shes been here nor has she been so "clumsy" that she has bruises from the knees down constantly and that seemed to be the weekly norm at IS. My one and only concern is the front door. I have had nightmares that my baby gets out and heads towards Boniface Pkw. She is 2 and does not know or understand the dangers of the street yet.....nor would one at her age heed them if she did....curiosity is a strange, exciting thing for children but it is a real fear for me just the same. There is a gate at her room doorway which most the kids know how to open and all it takes is a few seconds to go out then get to that outer door and push the handle and out she goes headed straight for Boniface and traffic going faster than 40MPH. A secondary security measure at that front door would definitely put my mind at ease. All in all I am not going to deduct a star for the door issue and my possible overactive imagination or fears as the daycare is an awesome place for her to be on a daily basis. I am so happy that she is happy there and that she is properly cared for. I would recommend this daycare to anyone.

My daughter learned and thrived and loved this preschool! She just started kindergarten and is…read moredoing great!

My son attends Faith Lutheran School and absolutely loves it! In the past he tried attending other…read moreschools but problems with the education always crept up: either too low/simple level of education, or the classroom teacher had difficulties managing the class, or the coursework failed to keep my son engaged. All of these were fixed when we finally arrived here - it is by far the best education we've seen in the area and with the kindest teachers he has encountered. You should definitely check out Faith Lutheran School if you want your child to experience excellent instruction in a caring and loving environment!

We've brought our 2 kids to Starbright for a couple of years now from ages 2 through 5. Do not let…read morethe neighborhood mislead you.. this place is excellent. Experienced teachers that build relationships with your kids and as parent I get a ton out of chatting with teachers at pick-up. Not ONCE have we had a weird/bad experience. There are many folks here that have been a very positive/constructive influence for our kids over the years and I wouldn't limit the 5 stars to one particular classroom or teacher. Starbright also strives to stay open even when ASD closes for remote learning days which is super helpful with little ones. We are extremely happy that we decided to enroll our eldest in Missy's kindergarten class here. She is one of those rare teachers folks use in those password hints "what was name of your favorite teacher in your whole life?" Also Starbright is recently under new ownership and after experiencing both the old and the new, I can say they haven't lost a beat. The new owner/director (also) Missy is awesome. Bring your kids to Starbright and upgrade your life.

Best preschool ever, I used to be one of the students. I always begged my mom to go there every…read moresummer.