You know a preschool/daycare is flipping incredible when the thought of leaving because your child…read moreages out makes you physically ill. So our story with guidepost is a bit long so bear with me. When the pandemic first started we needed find a place for my son. He was 2 at that time and my husband and I are both healthcare workers. GP Tigard was JUST opening up, and they were accepting kids of essential care workers. My son was the literal first and only child at the Tigard location for several weeks. We fell in love with the assistant head of school and the lead who eventually moved to Utah. We stayed for a little less than a year but only because it was a new school the turn over for settling in was higher than we liked, so we followed Ms Stephanie (assistant head of school) to Beaverton her main campus. Note, we live in Lake Oswego so driving to Beaverton wasn't terrible during the pandemic, but now with everything back to "normal" our one way drive can sometimes take 45 minutes. Fast forward, my daughter is born but they not have a Nido program so we're doing 2 pick up and drop offs one in Lake Oswego and the other in Beaverton because folks, BEAVERTON GUIDEPOST IS WORTH IT. When my daughter was finally able to be accepted we were thrilled. But the transition was very difficult for her. She would cry at drop off nearly everyday for months. Yet all the leads and assistant leads and aides would HAPPILY graciously take her. By that time my son was super established in the Beaverton campus and would help ease his sisters transition and once she acclimated both my children thrived like they've never thrived before. My sons speech was "delayed" as we speak 2 other languages at home. But once he got into Ms Briana's and Noriko's class he flourished beyond our comprehension (he was also potty trained 2.5 because of Guidepost!) Once my daughter went into the young toddler class she also thrived well beyond what we expected. Not only do I see my children's developmental growth but I see the utter love and devotion from all the adults in the school. Everyone, child and adult alike treat each other with such respect. We've been to quite a few daycares (because we moved here) and none of the other establishments had shown me this amount of organization and calm. Just 2 quick examples of how amazing the adults are at GPB. Ms Natasha brought in flowers for flower arrangements because my daughter wanted to do flower arrangements. Usually parents bring in the flowers for the arrangements but instead of sending out an email for volunteers Ms Natasha brings them herself because "I can't say no to her". Second example- Mr Jeremy recently went to goodwill to pick up electronics so that the older kids could work on STEM projects. Utterly thoughtful. I mean who does this on their own time??? The amount of care, safety, respect and love I see the adults provide for the kids is unwavering and so incredibly appreciated. Never have I been to a daycare/preschool where I feel absolute devastation for leaving when my son begins kindergarten. My husband and I have considered keeping our youngest here (many many conversations) but spending close to 3 hours a day driving for one child is daunting. But there is not a bad thing I can say about this place (besides it being far for us) I am Absolutely thrilled and feel so lucky we were able to experience and meet all these wonderful people.

I'm beyond frustration with this school. My son has been enrolled since November 2022. Until this…read moretwo plus years, there are only two Head of School stayed over 6 months. The last Head that they abruptly fire on June 18, was the one that I saw worked very hard to pull the program back on track, to be a place with standards and high quality child care. Yet, they fire him. All other times this place is in constant staffs and management changes. I remember a time with 2-3 Heads in a month or so. How can you count on them to even know your child? Teachers are doing their best they can, but imagine a place lack of consistent leadership and management. No study plan, no progress checking for the students, etc. Not a place that parents can count on, and it's so much more expensive. The management is clearly prioritizing their own gains instead of the children, teachers and parents. For parents that looking to enroll their children into this place, read all the reviews, and interview the Head and the staffs to see if they have stayed a longer period of time. But to supplement the review, the facility itself, including the building, the materials and the playground are all very nice. Organized and cleaned.

My son just started this fall and we (and he!) are very happy there. The campus is amazing. I…read moreappreciate all of the communication from the staff and the extra events they hold to bring the parents to the campus.

My son is attending Montessori School of Beaverton in Primary. He loves his teacher and loves…read morechatting after school about everything he worked on at school. The campus is simply amazing and I've been very impressed with the administration.

Little Fruit Farm Montessori has been an absolutely wonderful place for our 5-year old son. It's…read morebittersweet that he'll be graduating this summer! He's been with Teacher Lauren for 2 years now and we're so happy with the growth we've seen in him. Teacher Lauren is a fantastic educator who provides a well-balanced Montessori education. We had experience with Montessori with our older son and was looking for that experience for our younger son. Little Fruit Farm has the wide array of Montessori educational materials, but what was most notable was Teacher Lauren's intuitive ability to balance trying new things with the encouragement to continue exploring subjects with our son. Her approach feels more rooted and true to Montessori principles than all the other places we considered. Our son also received personalized attention - class sizes seemed to average around 8:1 for most of the time he's been there. He went through several emotional phases, as young kids do, and Teacher Lauren was very collaborative and worked with us. I went to observe the classroom several times and was impressed with how well the students focused on working and learning together. Little Fruit Farm is an in-home Montessori and Teacher Lauren has gone to great lengths prioritize most of her home towards teaching. It's a calm, safe, and inviting environment. She has a great backyard space where the kids play, learn about the natural world through gardening and pick organic blueberries and strawberries. We feel as a result of our son's work with Teacher Lauren that he is elementary school-ready. Not only is he reading short books, adding and subtracting up to 20, he's also developed a sense of self-reliance, calm and care for others. He's also made some adorable friendships with his classmates and has a great relationship with Teacher Lauren. We highly recommend Little Fruit Farm and are so appreciative that our son had a chance to work with Teacher Lauren. She's an excellent teacher and a lovely person, and we're lucky to have found Little Fruit Farm.

Two years ago we chose Little Fruit Farm because Ms. Lauren spent a lot of time building trust with…read moreme. Through many conversations, she emphasized her caring approach, her years of experience, and how uniquely qualified she was to work with young children. Based on those assurances, we believed this would be a safe and nurturing environment. Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be true. We were part of the school 2023-2024 for about six months. It is also important to note that Ms. Lauren was the sole teacher and only adult in the school, even though she had told me before we enrolled that she would be bringing in an assistant. There were early and ongoing red flags that I should have paid better attention to. One time, for instance, during drop-off, she was cleaning in the bathroom and expected me to simply leave my child unattended. I told her I felt uncomfortable doing that and she agreed. Another time she asked me to keep my child home from school during a state inspection. At the time, I had been taken aback. She said my kid had been acting out by jumping around and being loud during circle time. She later backtracked on this request. These and other incidents were extremely concerning, but they were minor compared to what ultimately came to light. One day at pickup our child told me that his teacher "squeezes my arm and it hurts." We spoke with Ms. Lauren that same day. She denied ever hurting the children and instead suggested that we consider having him assessed for developmental issues such as autism or ADD. A legitimate concern, however, one that should have been expressed in a separate conversation. Also, two years later, no other educator or therapist he has worked with has expressed the same concerns. The following day we received a message from another parent at the school. Their child told them that Ms. Lauren had been spanking my child or smacking him on the back with an open hand when he "misbehaved." The parent shared that they asked their child multiple clarifying questions and that he was able to consistently describe what happened and even reenacted it. We then spoke directly with those parents, including the child's mother, who incidentally worked in a professional capacity with children. They confirmed their concerns and also shared that Ms. Lauren had previously asked her to stay after drop-off to "observe" our children for signs of autism or developmental issues. This was something Ms. Lauren had never discussed with me. Of course, after this, we immediately pulled our kids from the school. We also filed a police report and a report with OR Health and Human Services, which is documented on the state child care portal with very little detail, but it does state that she used corporal punishment. I highly recommend parents review any child care center here: https://findchildcareoregon.org. Many, if not all, of the other families at the school at this time also withdrew their kids. This was not an easy thing to come here and express. But, I am hoping it may help other parents have the information they may need to protect their kids.

This school is such a loving and nurturing place for the youngest learners and we feel very…read morefortunate that our children have the opportunity to come here. Their independence and confidence has come along in leaps and bounds. Heather is a highly experienced teacher. It's clear she loves teaching and is gifted at it. She cares deeply about her students in a way only someone who has a calling to teaching could. As parents, we appreciate all the tidbits of knowledge she shares with us that have helped us overcome some of our parenting challenges at home. We are happier parents and have happier children. She also brings her musical talent to school (she is a professional jazz singer) and it's been wonderful to watch our children's love of music blossom as they sing the songs they've learned at school. We would highly recommend this school to other families in the area who are looking for a Montessori school.

My wife and I consider ourselves very lucky to have come across Happy Children's Montessori. Its…read morebeen a blessing to not only have our children attend but has given us, as parents, a valuable experience in being a part of high-performing and demanding school. I came across their location and website with a Google Map search looking for Preschools. The preschool itself makes use of a few rooms of Hillsboro Presbyterian Church. Though its not directly affiliated with the church, the school does share Christian values, by having themes during each month (ex: Respecting others, Self-control, Honesty, Patience, and Kindness). As the title of the school implies, it implements a program based on the work of Maria Montessori. The school also make use of methods based on the book Love & Logic when dealing with issues or areas of conflicts with kids. The kids typically get a lesson on an item of their choosing or something they're encouraged to work on. From there the child works on demonstrating proficiency and is on to their next piece of work. The emphasis is definitely on the child's "work". The kids start a project and can return to it each and everyday until they get it done. They learn how to respect one another, each others' space/work areas, ask for assistance when needed, and how to politely move around. Its not only about work and learning, there's time for play, outdoors in a safe play area, or a large indoor playroom for running around and burning off extra energy. They plant flowers in a garden, have a field day near the end of the year, and hold 2 concerts, 1 before Christmas break and 1 before the end of the school year. They have 1 field trip a year, when they visit a local pumpkin farm or an apple orchard during the fall. We couldn't ask for a more well-rounded preschool and more loving teachers. Heather and Kaycee really are angels to our kids. Guiding them, celebrating their achievements, and making them feel warm and welcome at all times. I will forever be thankful for having come across this school, making the choice to apply/register, and having the opportunity to get our children enrolled. God bless you, and thank you for reading our review.

Beautiful facility, greet staff and very involved management. They have great outdoor space and…read morekids can play in a rainy day too

My kids have attended this center for nearly a year and we have overall been very happy with the…read morecare they receive. Pros: - The teachers here are absolutely AMAZING! We have had the pleasure of working with most, and they are all kind and attentive to the students, but also very good at correcting and redirecting negative behavior. They respect the kids and make them feel loved and safe. My kids adore their teachers and so do we. Also the teachers are really good at honoring your requests (e.g. put on hats during outside time, change outfits during the day, apply cream at diaper change, etc.) - The new owner runs a tight ship and she cares about her business, teachers and the families they serve. We have found her to be respectful, reasonable and fair (for example, when they had to close the center due to power outages during winter storms, they adjusted their spring calendar to instead offer us care for a few of their spring professional development days). She is also always looking to improve her center and actively seeks feedback from parents. - They have a structured and detailed curriculum and do fun and educational activities with the kids every day. - I think they have pretty good hand-washing policy in the classrooms because kids don't get sick as often as they used to. -The food they provide is not gourmet, but definitely much better than the food offered at many other chain schools. They offer fresh, fruit twice daily and the food they serve is a mix of fresh, frozen and canned ingredients. The amount of sugar, carbs and processed food they offer is not too much in my opinion. They make most of the meals on site and they look and smells good. - This is a new SafariKid location and the building is newly renovated. So, naturally the toys, carpets, walls, etc. areclean and fresh. - The app they use is good and they share fun and detailed information about the kid's day and activity and you get to see pictures/short videos of them. Also, teachers are usually pretty quick in responding to you on the app if you post questions or requests. - They take the kids outside twice a day most days, and they have a covered area for when it is raining. - injuries and incidents are reported in a timely manner and with necessary details. - They offer sibling discount. - They have parent-teacher conferences twice a year to hear about how your kid is doing in class, and they have family activities planned for holidays and other occasions (e.g. Mother's day, Christmas, Easter, etc.) where you can interact with teachers and see your kids classroom Minor cons/notes: - I think this center is relatively expensive, and they require you to pay 1 month worth of tuition upfront upon enrollment. They also have a few misc. other fees (supply fee, registration fee, etc.). - They are closed most holidays and several days for professional development, Christmas-new year break, etc. This makes sense given that they are technically a preschool, but it's an adjustment if you are used to a daycare that is open every day. - Sometimes teachers forget to enter all the diaper changes/potty in the app. So, you won't necessarily know exactly how many times your kid pooped, for example. Not a huge deal, but sometimes this information is helpful when you are dealing with constipation, etc. - The outdoor space they have is not super green (no trees or greenery, just wood chips and toys). Also, the toddler outdoor space doesn't have much shade in the afternoon during the summer time, so the kids had to play in the scorching heat. - I think their hours are from 8am-5:30pm, and they don't serve breakfast (only morning snack is at 10am), so not great for those occasional days when you need to get a head start on your day or need some extra time at the end of the day. Again, this is in line with them being a pre-school, but it is something to consider. - They have a policy that drop off/pick up happens at the door and a chaperone takes your kid to and from the class. We were worried that our kids would freak out and it would be difficult to convince them to leave us at the door. This has not been the case and I feel like drop offs are now much faster and easier than before. In fact, our boys are always happy to go to their class and sometimes they go in without saying bye to us! It may be a bigger issue for kids that are younger and/or are new to the care. Also, I feel like the main con of this policy is that is reduces the chances you have to casually talk to the teacher about your kid, and getting to know the teacher. It feels a bit like you are isolated from the kids/teachers and you don't get to see the classroom and the space they spend their days. You are technically allowed to walk in when your child is in their care, but the door is always locked and it is clear that they do not expect you to come in under normal circumstances.

This school is a gem. The teachers are loving, attentive, treat the kids with respect...they're…read morecontinually evolving and learning as educators, and they bring the parents into the fold. They're open to trying new things, and are incredibly agile and adaptive. The food is healthy (they have an on-site chef!), the playground is incredible, and they help raise our kids to be critical thinkers and global citizens...without ever losing the fun.

When we relocated to portland from California in August 2011, we were anxious and nervous to look…read morefor a preschool for our daughter. After visiting 6 different places, PDX Montessori Collaborative was by FAR the most welcoming and gracious place. The staff and faculty are all about the children and our daughter has thrived ever since. It was important that our daughter be in a diverse and multicultural community. She has grown, is curious, generous, and incredibly independent. We were sad when we had to day good bye last month as we loved back to CA. Now, as we are looking for a new place, we are all missing the warm smiles, friendly classrooms, and the great community we built here. Stellar leadership and amazing staff overall!!!

We have always known a Montessori would be very beneficial to our children's learning experience…read morebut we were not prepared for how fast our child would be learning. She is always coming home with a new word or experience from school and we are always amazed with what her teacher has to say at the parent-teacher conferences. We are so grateful to have a great school with extraordinary teachers. Thank you MCH!

MCH is a wonderful school with caring, dedicated staff. We have sent three kids here, spanning…read morenearly seven years. The negative review from 2014 makes me crack up--anyone else had trouble getting their toddler to dress appropriately for weather?! :)