Aloha to those reading this! I'd like to just share my own experience here. I've taken 3 out of my…read more4 children to this location in a span of 8 years. The Aunties or your children's teachers are wonderful here, For starters they are gentle, passionate about what they do and are caring for infants til their ready for Kindergarten. My youngest son has been with them from 6 weeks old til this present day, he is now 4 yrs. old. All my children are smarter and more confident because of this full time Daycare. My youngest has learned so much, learned to talk more coherently and use the potty on his own. He's become more independent and has built a stronger social skills with the help of his peers. Most importantly, they care about the parents too, with offering advice, support and assisting with resources.

My daughter has been going here for 16 months and she absolutely LOVE school! The staff are…read morewonderful with the children. They are welcoming and care a great deal about the kids. My daughter wake everyday eager to go to Alewa Heights Kamaaina Kids Preschool. She is proud of her school. Meals and snacks are provided. I whole heartedly trust this school and the staff with my daughter, which brings peace of mind while we're at work. I'm very Happy with this school. Thanks Alewa Heights Kamaaina Kids!!! My daughter can go as early as 6am and stay as late as 6pm. This time frame helps out a lot for people like me (who work all types of hours). They HELP potty train (such a plus). Sing songs, have story time, outside play, indoor play and much more. She is my youngest out of 8 children. I'm still amaze how much she has learned at a young age being at her preschool. Awesome staff! Awesome school! Overjoyed that my toddler is having a great experience at this school! Mahalo again Alewa Heights Kamaaina Kids Preschool. Sincerely, Cherrisa Rivera

The office admin is extremely rude/childish and bossy. Every time I brought up any concerns to her…read moreshe gave me mechanical and cold responses. My impression is that she does not like to handle anything and she is just hoping everyone obeys her.

My child went to this school for over two years. Unfortunatley it took me a while to find out that…read morethe traditional values I value are not supported by this school. The kids are also sent home with bags of candy multiple time per week, do to some special occasion. If I had it to do again I would choose more wisely.

Love love this place . My 2 year old son goes here . Also 2 of my nephews and my niece . They love…read moreit here . Teachers are so amazing and caring .communication is excellent . I have nothing bad to say . They really do take care . I'm so glad I chose this place for my son . I was very nervous taking my son to a preschool especially with all these stories now days about day cares and preschool but this school proved me wrong. Highly recommend this place .. && the prices for the tuition is reasonable as well. They accept assistance for child care .

Jikoen Hongwanji Lumbini is an amazing preschool that greatly cares for their students! My…read moredaughter has learned patience, perseverance, and is completely potty trained after attending for a few short months! I am amazed by how warm and welcoming the teachers are and how well they care for my daughter. I despise the yelp review which states her child was mishandled as I feel like it casts a negative view on Jikoen Hongwanji Lumbini. Please look past the review bellow, as I myself had my doubts initially due to this review; however my daughter has excelled in her ability to speak and initiate conversations most children do not even comprehend at her age. I can't thank this preschool enough for how much they have taught my daughter in such a brief amount of time. Not to mention the flexibility of the school which offers early drop off at 6:45AM and late pick up at 5:30pm. Unlike most preschools Jikoen offers 2 snacks, an AM and afternoon, as well as lunch prepared on site- All included in the tuition! For a working mother like myself, the ease of knowing my daughter is being taken care of and not worrying about what to make the night before is amazing! They offer summer school and minimal school breaks which allows for me to go to work and not have to use my leave for senseless days off. I can save my leave days for family vacations, yay! Lastly, I would like to say for all the mothers and fathers looking through these reviews and trying to figure out the best fit for their child, you won't be disappointed! If you want a preschool that gets to know your child's interests, talents, and specific needs then go with Jikoen Hongwanji Lumbini preschool!

My oldest attended Good Shepherd for 2 years…read more The teachers, teacher assistants, director and office manager all participated in my child's growth. They are responsive, professional and caring. Through all the challenges we faced, the staff helped us get passed them. In the first year, the curriculum was just right. He learned the expected ABCs, counting, and proper writing skills, but he also learned many social skills and small things like how to sneeze into his elbow, wash hands properly, speak when asked, etc. They had regular field trips, provided a wide variety of activities like sand play, water play, and free time. During his second year, the curriculum become much more academic and focused on counting, sight words, and math. They also did STEM projects, which I hope they do more of in the future. My son also had regular progress reports which were detailed and informative. Summer fun is also available which had more play elements but they still focused on learning as well. Because my son was a regular student there, they were able to continue emphasis on the areas where he was weakest. For example, my son had to strengthen his writing skills so they focused a lot of time on proper pencil grip and fine motor skills. They also had Amazing Athletes, Soccer Shots, and Ballet as extracurricular/optional activities although I'm not sure if Soccer Shots is still an option. I'm missing a lot of specifics, but the bottom line is that, today, my son is more confident, kind and curious about the world around him. I'm glad he attended Good Shepherd.

This is the Best Preschool to send your keiki to. Our 2 sons, in 2005 & 2012, attended Good…read moreShepherd Preschool and they have benefited from this program and have done excellent academically after leaving GSP. It's an affordable school, with an awesome staff. Ms. Carolyn Gima was a terrific teacher, I'm not sure if she's still there though. You will not regret enrolling your child or children here!

Love the staff at Kama'aina Kids St. Mark's. The director is very responsive and caring. My son…read moreloves going here and he is always happy and singing songs in the car that he learned in daycare on the way home. Of course daycare costs an arm and a leg but we are glad that our son is in good hands while we are at work. The kids all look happy at drop off and pick up and the teachers know all the kids names even if they are in a different age group. If you're looking for a daycare option then I would recommend this location.

I am not only very thankful to all teachers but also leaned a lot to be a good parent at this…read moreschool. My son went to this school from 3 to 5 years old. We checked out many schools in town and tried couple for few weeks but this school was most fun, loving and caring as well as had good discipline and academics. Ms. Tammy quickly realized my son was behind in writing. She told me not to pick him up till 4pm so she could work with him more personally. A couple of months later, I realized that my son and his classmates were lot ahead in academics from other kids in their age. She said she wanted kids to be confident by being ahead so they would always do well in school. Now my son is in kindergarten and has been always the top of the class in all subjects. In fact, people often asked me which preschool he went to. Ms. Tammy was also very fun and planned many activities even on weekends. She brought a whole class closer and many of us had quality time and memory together. When she taught dodgeball to kids, not only parents but also teachers jumped in to play. We got scoldings for being so loud by too much laughter :) We had so much fun. Another difference I noticed was teachers are more realistic and sustainable. Unlike other schools that focus on fancy wooden toys and recycle papers, they use the back of used papers and make many things from cardboard, fabrics and plants. I was very impressed how creative they were. What I love most about this school was all teachers were very loving, caring and fun at the same time they give good disciplines to kids. They were very nurturing and experienced mothers, they know names of all kids in school and what's going with them each day. As soon as I walked in to pick up my son, the first teacher I saw always told me how my son was. The office lady even the director were often helping kids in the classroom. They are not only sweet but strict in a good way too, and children have good understandings and behaviors. Watching how they deal with kids, I learned how to be fair to kids. Lastly, the director and teachers were very understanding and lenient with our complicated family situation. They were always there to listen and give me good advices, and I felt very supported. I referred many of my friends to this school and they are all happy. The school helped my son to be kind, strong and smart and me to be a good mom. I highly recommend this school!

This is not really a review about the operation of the school itself, but rather of my experience…read moreas a potential teacher there. I was positively impressed even though my interview happened to occur during one of the few crisis near panics that the city of Honolulu has undergone. The staff seemed to take everything in stride and kept calm so that the student body was not as panicked as was the general public in the urban environment in which this school sits.

MCS has become a second family to us and our two children. It is truly a special place where kids…read morelearn independence, confidence, skills and knowledge, all while having fun and feeling a part of the community. As parents we feel very supported by the teachers and administration. All of the teachers and staff know us and our kids. We have touchpoints with them every drop-off and pick-up and they always make themselves available if we have concerns. There is a full time counselor that is a valuable resource. If we have a concern -- even if it's a behavioral issue at home, the counselor will help support us and even do observations of the child in the classroom if it is something we want. Montessori method has also proven to be an amazing, timeless way to engage and teach children in an intuitive way. Reading some of the other reviews, it is disappointing to hear that a couple people had negative experiences. I believe these to be very specific, isolated cases, as all the other parents we know absolutely love the school and administration. We would highly recommend MCS!

I'm so sad that the time has finally come to leave a review for Strode Montessori....because it…read moremeans both my children have aged out. We have been sending our kids to Strode since 2014 (the infant care centers in downtown) and we were so upset when our daughter aged out......but then they opened the preschool!!! It was perfect. We have been there since they opened their doors in 2016 and have watched them evolve. From the beginning, Ms Kelsey was there, and Pamela Strode, with quality care and love for our kids. Their resources have been expanding as time goes on and the units and events have gotten even more engaging and interesting. Now that my older child is on the verge of finishing 1st grade, I can see that Strode's evolution is in line with preparing them to be successful in kindergarten, with events that are very similar to those in elementary school. All the teachers are wonderful and caring, the facility is clean and the rules effectively keep the kids safe. If they did elementary school, we'd stay on for that, just like another reviewer said. They sent us off with wonderful memories and memorabilia. Both our kids got into one of the top private schools on the island, with our younger child waitlisted with the other two (we got our preference, though!). The Montessori philosophy and multi-age learning has been highly valuable. Pick up and drop off is secure and simple. If I could give Strode Montessori 10 stars out of 5, I would.

Went to a preview of this school, it's absolutely amazing! I had limited knowledge of Montessori…read moreschooling but it definitely seems to be focused on fostering curiosity and independence at a young age when the kids are in the critical development age. Kelsey is the director and she is absolutely amazing at her job and is passionate about the kids. The facility is sparkling clean and spacious and I saw an outdoor area they are going to build. The facility is secure and the staff seems to be top notch and are genuinely excited to be teaching kids, something you might be missing in many other schools out there. I can't wait till my daughter starts the next year!

We love this preschool! Everyone is so nice and caring. It starts from 7:30am and finishes at…read more4:00pm everyday. You only have to pay one fee for the whole day. I know many other preschools charge you extra if your child stays after 2:00pm. You don't have to worry about that here. The school communicates with parents via the Brightwheel app, so you get updates about events, classes, and how your child is doing throughout the day. We love seeing our son bonding with all his classmates and teachers over the past year and a couple months. There are events and field trips to educate the children and they allow parents to interact with their children every month or two. We get to see how our son is learning to do things independently and become more social with his peers. They also have a nice playground for the kids to play at in between classes and after school while all the kids wait for their parents to pick them up. The Director Ms. Nancy and her team of teachers are always willing to talk with parents about what the kids are learning or if you have any concerns.

I've had two kids at this preschool, and although during my daughter's time there (2010-2013) the…read moreschool went through some turnover of teachers, this is still a fairly new school (started in 2008) and I think it probably takes time to find the right fit for things and get the foundation you need for long lasting relationships. I think and hope that their teacher roster has finally settled in, as I love the teachers there now and think each and every one of them are compassionate, creative and have invested themselves in these kids just as a good teacher should. My son is now in the 3-4 year old class and his teacher, Ms. Zyrah is awesome! (His 2's teacher, Ms. Mika, was also wonderful). Ms. Zyrah is so creative and has so many hands on activities for the kids to learn from and experience. We get an email every day on how my son's day went and although last year, my daughter would often get two or three sentences at most, Ms. Zyrah always paints a great picture of my son's day, and gives us not only the standard notes such as how much he ate, if he took a nap, etc, but also provides us with a nice idea of what he is showing strengths in and what he is still working on. For things she works on with him, she always lets us know what works and what doesn't, and this helps us work with him at home too. She also always points out nice things he says or helpful and respectful choices he makes and gives us insight into times in his day that we would love to be able to see, but of course cannot be there to witness :). She also finds time to send us pictures when they go on field trips of participate in special events and we really appreciate that. The school overall is small - which was one of the reasons we chose the school. There's just 6 kids in the 2 year old class and no more than 12 in the older classes. The kids wear uniforms (which I think is great - no hassle in the morning to get dressed!) Each year, they add more to their program and this year, the director even had a shade tent structure built over the playground - which is makes me feel so much better when I forget to put sunscreen on my son! Their playground is small, but beautiful, with nice green grass and a great hill the kids love rolling things down on...even themselves! The director also tries out different things for the special events and this year they are even having an "open mic" for Thanksgiving lunch that lets the kids or even parents sing or share any talents they may have. They also do different things for May Day and even have a grandparents tea party and Sweethearts ball for Valentines day that is so cute...just like a toddler prom! And possibly one of the best things - for me anyway - is that the school is the cleanest preschool I've ever been too! And although their sick policy is pretty strict, as a parent, I appreciate their efforts as I've been to other preschools where half the class has green snot running down their face and the teachers do nothing about it! yuck. I would recommend this preschool to anyone who is looking for a smaller class size, warm and caring teachers and staff, and a strong foundation in Christian values. Last year, I would have given 4 stars due to the high turnover, but giving 5 stars in hopes that the teachers will remain next year as my sons enters the pre-k class!