Bogdana is the most thoughtful and inspiring teacher. Our son started at Learning Garden this fall…read moreand he is thriving. He is excited for school each day. Bogdana allows space for the children to explore and encourages their curiosity. Her weekly updates allow us to have a clear sense of what our son is learning and help to support it at home.

The staff at Learning Garden is the best! My daughter was at the school for 2 yrs and dI'd 2 summer…read morecamps as well. Abby was her teacher last year. They handled Covid so professionally and supported us above and beyond! Bogdana, the owner did a really great job at including a lot of cultural from other counties and honing in on what my daughter Sofía needed specifically and provided that. Thank you all for providing your space so my little girl can flourish! She is doing so well in kindergarten.

Our daughters attended school here and we had an amazing experience.We would highly recommend this…read moreschool to anyone in the seattle area looking for a caring nurturing environment.

I have two sons who both attended MLM for two years each. Before MLM both our sons attended other…read morewell-regarded pre-school programs elsewhere. However nothing before or since compares to MLM. The teachers there were and are dedicated, intelligent, creative and experienced in the Montessori method. Particular stand-outs during our tenure there were Connie and Reshonna, both of whom are long-time MLM teachers who are wise, loving, and great fun. The current director (Amy) came on board in my younger son's final year and she was an excellent addition to the team. They each knew my kids well and gave them lots of individual attention and communicated well with us about both the successes and challenges our kids were having. The community was excellent and a commitment to diversity and collaboration in our children's education was prized. The school is overseen by a parent run board and during our years with MLM (and before and after as we lived in the neighborhood, we have known many MLM families) I was always impressed by the dedication and hard work of the parents who contribute to the school. MLM was not cheap but it was worth it. The lessons our children learned there serve them to this day (as do the lessons we, as parents learned). Both my spouse and I served on the MLM parent board and on several committees over the years so I can speak from the "inside" as well as the "outside" viewpoint. MLM is a unique and wonderful place and we'll be forever grateful for the time our kids spent there. It's been a year and a half since our youngest son graduated and have since moved away but we treasure the memories of the MLM experience and recommend it highly for those parents who want their children to enter into the school experience in the Montessori method which, while perhaps not the best fit for every child was certainly an excellent choice for us.

Sadly, they are moving out of the University district and moving to Seward Park. Still a great…read moreprogram and south Seattle is lucky to have it so close.

Easily amongst the best small preschool's in Seattle. Pristine, new facility with veteran teachers…read more Compassionately patient while passionately dedicated. This has got to be the first time I've ever wanted to post a six star review. I suppose nothing / nobody / nowhere is perfect... But if Montessori First isn't perfect I've not noticed and neither has our family. For us it's been the ideal fit.

From the owner: Montessori First values your child as a unique person with unlimited potential. Guided by the…read moreteacher with an individual learning plan, each child will advance through the curriculum and develop coordination, concentration, and independence. You will be amazed to see your young child progressing with behavioral and cognitive abilities.

Oh, how I love Sponge! I took my two-year-old for one session of Spanish with Noelia, a native…read morespeaker from Puerto Rico. My son is normally pretty slow to warm up in social situations, and she made sure he was comfortable and could participate. Sometimes it can be hard when he's surrounded by more outgoing peers. He adored her as a result and I saw him open up in ways he hadn't before. The classes are taught 100% in Spanish with a chance to review and ask questions at the end of each class in English. A handout is also provided each week with the lyrics to songs and some key vocab to practice at home. There are lots of props and fun routines that get the kids engrossed in learning. The only thing preventing me from giving a five-star review is the location; I wish something more central were available. Now that we live on the north end, it's not feasible for us to take classes with Sponge anymore. It's also fairly expensive compared to similar programs in town (Polly-glot Tots comes to mind). If it were closer and more affordable, we'd be enrolled again in a heartbeat.

Sponge was voted Seattle's best for offering language classes to children from newborn to 5 years…read moreof age. Spanish, French, Mandarin and Japanese languages are taught in an immersive and interactive environment which includes standard phrases, songs, dance, culture and parental or caregiver involvement. All instructors are native speakers who genuinely enjoy children and their jobs. Tuition is reasonable for 18 class sessions, a summer camp is offered, and one can make up classes if they are missed.

I was never interested in the idea of a co-op preschool, because the idea of helping to run a…read morepreschool felt wholly unappealing to me - and I'm SO glad we ended up at RVCP. We turned here after another more traditional preschool didn't work out for my toddler, because the teachers felt his separation anxiety was too intense for them to manage. From the first day, I realized I'd lucked into something incredibly special. The school is authentically child-centered, play-based and child-led -- but those buzzwords don't fully convey the particular genius of these teachers. They teach from firm philosophical beliefs that children already whole, and they guide children in conveying their messages about how they need to be supported. The teachers take their work very seriously - but they're also full of fun and warmth, and the space is a kid's dreamland. The co-op model can demand a lot of parents, too, but I've come to value the work as an investment in building community. Having a kid during the pandemic, I've struggled to find and create community as a parent, and the collective work of running the preschool naturally builds community in a way that other settings haven't for me. I look forward to my "working grownup" days in the classroom, I always learn from the teachers, and in our second year now, it's so rewarding to build relationships with kids other than my own and see them grow up. If you're curious, I encourage you to reach out to the school (even if it's not enrollment season) and check it out.

My kid went to this school for just one year. The teaching style and the people were great. There…read moreare required monthly meetings for the parents to attend that involve a learning session as well and, as a parent, having to spend valuable kid-free time in a meeting was not something I looked forward to, but I always came away with valuable information. Now, for the bad part. I was immensely disappointed and completely surprised to see that the demographics of the class did not match the demographics of the community, NOT EVEN CLOSE. I mentioned this at a parent-teacher meeting, it was uncomfortable for everyone and I didn't really get the sense that anything would be done about it. I'm not sure how many points is the proper amount to dock for this but it is my one and only complaint and I don't have another preschool to compare if this is just a norm with co ops.

Sending our son to Seed of Life when he was 7 months old was the best decision we ever made. Fast…read moreforward to today--he is now 8 and thriving in the before/after school care through SOL. Over the years, the teachers have become like family to us. They are so thoughtful, engaged, and uniquely skilled at balancing learning with letting kids figure things out. We are especially grateful for how they see and support our son as an individual. Whether they are fueling his love for reading or gently guiding him through competitive frustrations, their impact has been profound. Seed of Life is a phenomenal community, and we feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it. Big shout-out to Erica & Tamisha for all that they do.

I have two children, one of whom I was planning on enrolling here. I live literally around the…read morecorner on Angeline and was excited to have a wonderful local early development center near by! I was on my way to work and developed a flat tire so the closest place to immediately turn into to avoid the insanity of Rainier was their parking lot. Upon me trying to quickly change my tire a woman with dark hair immediately started to yell at me for blocking potential parking for other parents even though there were plenty of spots. I explained I just needed 10 min to change it with a smile and she said she would call the cops if I did not leave immediately. We all have stressful mornings and this community has been nothing but completely supportive of me and my family. This is not the sort of energy I want around myself or my children. I will not be pursuing this place of business. To the woman with dark hair: please remember the power you have to offer someone some support when they are in a time of need and are only asking for something small. Something small that could have a wonderful impact on their day and their feeling about the community they live in, work in and support.

Eleonore is the best preschool teacher and all around, down to earth great person. My son has…read moregraduated and he misses her so much. She has such a wonderful understanding of how little kids brains work and offers so many learning opportunities. The kids get plenty of time outdoors and got to go on many excursions to destinations like the Frye Art Museum and the South Transfer Station to see where our waste goes. We love that the kids get to cook together. The community we've cultivated while sending our kid here has been a blessing. I believe all of our children have benefited so much from the magical experience. Our son is more responsible, helpful to others and confident in his abilities as a result of spending time in this wonderful childhood ecosystem.

One of Hillman City's best kept secrets - but now that our kid is no longer there, we can break the…read moresilence. It's sort of like when you find an amazing restaurant that hasn't been discovered yet - you want to keep it on the down low so that other folk won't start crowding it and messing up the atmosphere. That's how it is with La Maternelle. Even though all the parents love it, there are very few reviews online - word just spreads through social circles. I may be actually breaking some kind of code by leaving this review. Awesome caring teachers; there's a wide spectrum of play, reading/math, and emotional health/regulation. A great place for a kid to learn how to be well-balanced. If you're wanting your kid to learn Chaucer and Calculus, you may have better luck at a school further north. If you want your children to learn how to treat other kids empathetically and be exposed to a wide variety of activities, whether visiting a nearby fire station or hiking at Seward Park twice a month, then this is the place for you. Oh yeah, they also teach the kids in French. And the lunch they serve is - yep, French food. Yum! We were always jealous of our kid because of that. So many pros...can't actually think of any cons even though I'm usually quite good at finding drawbacks.

I cannot stress enough how much I love this school and the teachers. It's a small close knit school…read moreat a home. Which has worked out so much better than the larger institutions we've tried out. The teachers here are so loving and caring. They genuinely love the kids and welcome new students each and every year. New Life has been such a blessing in our family's lives. My son has learned so much here. I highly highly recommend, and cannot thank them more than enough. We love it here.

We have sent 2 of our children to New Life Montessori over the past 3 years. We have been extremely…read moresatisfied and pleased with the amount of learning our kids have exhibited from the school, as well as the amount of attention and love that they receive from the teachers. The school has a very low student to teacher ratio. The school also has a multi-year rotating curriculum, so if you send your kid for more than one year they will be learning something new the following year. We've tried larger and fancier Montessori schools in the past with our oldest kid. We were sad that we didn't discover this gem of a school earlier.

My little one needed a break from the regular routine at her after school location/summer camp so…read morewe signed up for a few weeks here and WOW! The sign up process was a breeze, the director was super easy to work with and really flexible about about everything. My daughter loved it, from the staff to the crafts to the daily snacks, according to her it was all fantastic! We'll be sure to be back next year for part of the summer to join in the fun :)

My daughter attended the preschool program last year and is now in the before/after school program…read more We love it! The teachers and staff are fantastic, they're a kind, calm, and productive team. I know my daughter is in good hands when I drop her off. As someone with a 9-5 it's vital that I have a safe place to bring my kid before the 8:55 school bell rings (they open at 7 a.m). The classroom is located right by the Orca K-8 garden,they often gather veggies for shared snacks. There's lots of outdoors time and field trips. I highly recommend this program.