Our youngest son has been attending this school since he was 3.5 years-old and potty-trained. He…read morewas very ready to ditch his large daycare in downtown Issaquah Highlands. I found Aster when it was recommended by the director of Sno-Springs School, near our home. I was admittedly skeptical as I was not particularly impressed by other Montessori schools on the Plateau and in the Highlands. Ms Aparna and her assistant director worked with me and my wife to devise a plan to acclimate our son to their environment and routine. We started with part-time enrollment in their summer camp program. My son immediately loved their large grassy and wooded play area, which was 3x bigger than his old daycare's concrete one. We then continued with Aster into the school year. Although it was very difficult for him at first, Aster Montessori was very patient with our headstrong son's adjustment to Montessori. He quickly improved his social skills ("grace and courtesy") and made good friends at the school. He looked forward to going to preschool each day. As parents we are pleased that our son is achieving his language & math milestones with ease -- he is ahead of his older sibs when they were in preschool -- we are most excited that he's maturing as person. That is, he is starting to understand and regulate his rather challenging temperament. I just wish Aster had been around when our daughters were in preschool! Pros: Happy and eager classmates Low turnover among the teaching staff; they are experienced, too Great communication with parents at pickup, by e-mail and during conference. Clean and bright classrooms Big playground for a small preschool Nurturing environment Many attendance options available Amazing music teacher Cons: Montessori not a natural fit for every personality (like my son's?) Can be difficult to get to know other parents Once-a-month snack duty (ok, not really a problem) Only offers preschool-to-kindergarten (i.e., 3-year 3-to-6 y.o. cycle through Kindergarten)

My son has enjoyed Aster Montessori since the summer camp of July, 2021. He got a lot of love and…read morefriendship from his teachers and his classmates. We have a very happy experience here, and we can see great improvement in his social, emotional and academic development, especially after he started kindergarten. Aster Montessori provides a family-style environment which is very caring, safe and cozy. My son and I fell in love with it when we toured the school, and this turns out to be a really wise choice for us! All of his teachers are nice and helpful to all kids. They love and respect my son and they teach him a lot with great patience, especially his lead teacher, also director of Aster Montessori. My son learned a lot about plants, animals, continents, countries, food, weather, every aspect about nature and science. Besides, he learned how to write numbers, letters, words and sentences, and how to do addition, subtraction and even multiplication. Aster Montessori is an amazing school which really helps lay a solid foundation for kids. Also, the music program is superb, every school concert was very impressive! Highly recommend!

Sammamish Children's School is our two-year old's home away from home. Every morning when he wakes…read moreup, he's excited to go 'play with friends' at 'new school'...he's been attending for two months, but this is his name for school. Our son is in the 'Dippers' class, and his teacher, Ms. Melissa and assistant teacher, Ms. Bella, are amazing. There are stations setup each morning with age appropriate and engaging activities (water play, sand play, Mr. Potato Head, etc.) which our son loves! There's music class every Monday and Thursday, an amazing outdoor play space on acreage, and nutritious, diverse meals served. Emotionally - Ms. Melissa and the staff helped reinforce preparing our son for the arrival of his baby brother by talking about being a 'big brother' and reinforcing our son's role in our family. It made the transition of bringing baby home more exciting than nerve racking. Above and beyond a typical school experience in my opinion. Operationally - SCS also has many less closure days than some of the schools my friends kiddos go to in the area, so much more predictable for work schedules. It did take us a little over 7-months to get off the wait list, but Ms. Kelly (assistant director) was awesome at helping us plan for a reasonable date to possibly join. I cannot say enough positive things about this school, the faculty, the activities, the food, and overall experience. Highly recommend to any families looking for a long-term 'home' for their kiddos.

The absolute best! Both of our kids have gone from 1 year old day care all the way through…read morekindergarten at SCS and it's the best money we've ever spent. Great Teachers (even at the early age, 1-2-3, they have a curriculum) Well run operations (sign ups, billing, updates) Awesome chef (yes, they feed the kids healthy food, you don't need to pack fruit by the foot) Safe! (Before, during, and all the way through the pandemic) The kids love it and it's really set them up for success.

We are so grateful to find Rising Mind for our 5 year daughter during covid. She was home and we…read morewere looking for something to keep her busy. We first started at Rising Mind with online classes and later we find the whole schedule and teaching classes really great for our daughter that we decided to put her in-person. School staff is so friendly and taking care of all covid measures so well. It is neat and clean and Mrs Radha make sure each parent and kid is healthy and doing good in their learning curve. My daughter loves the school and she never wants to miss a single day. Thanks to whole staff and curriculum prepared for kids growth. I would highly recommend this school for every kid who wants to learn and have fun at the same time

We are happy to send our toddler to the sprouts preschool at sammamish. Teachers are kind and…read morewelcoming and our kiddo loves to go to school. Ms. Preethi as well as other teachers are very affectionate with the children. They do crafts and sing songs and have a lot of playtime outdoors.

Our 2.5 yo son has been going to the Growing Tree for 6 months now, and we couldn't be happier. He…read morehad previously always been watched by his grandparents, but when he turned two we decided we wanted to enroll him somewhere he could learn to interact with other kids. We visited a bunch of daycare facilities, especially the big named ones, but none of them fit our schedule well and we had not heard the best reviews from a lot of them. We heard about the Growing Tree from another mom and initially we were drawn to them because of their flexibility. But quickly we realized how much these teachers care and how much we love having them in our sons' life. He comes home and talks all about 'school'. He has learned so much and asks to go to school almost every morning now. We couldn't have found a better place for our little man to go to and spend his mornings.

My kid started at 3 at this place and WOW this place is amazing!…read moreThis place provides the perfect setting for kids to develop and grow! On top of that we REALLY LOVE the TEACHERS! YES every single one! They love the kids and treat them with love!. Our kid have developed so much from this place. It was the best decision that we have made for our kid!

To say that I love this preschool is an understatement. My son is graduating pre-k this year and I…read morewish there was a way we could stay longer. The teachers are kind and loving. They do super fun and educational activities: The biggest asset that this school has is the director Ms. Aimee. She is very hands on, and just an amazing person. She is also a super organized director, and amazing with children, they all love her. Go for a tour, I am sure you will fall in love with this little school like we did.

From the owner: Joyful Discovery Preschool provides a safe, nurturing environment with child-centered learning…read morebalanced in play, academics, and exploration! We offer classes for children 2 years old through 5 years old. *Early academic preparation *Expert, credentialed teachers *Celebrating each child's individuality *Large facility, gym + playground *Creative, rich + developmentally appropriate curriculum *Monthly Faith Focus

I cannot say enough good things about the school and the staff. My son used to go to a different…read moredaycare before and the day he started going to Good Samaritan, I can see total change in his personality, he is more confident and outgoing. The principal and all the teachers are very caring, they care about kids as their own, my son is happy here and I would recommend anyone this preschool.

I would give this school ten stars if I could. The staff are absolutely incredible with the…read morechildren and care about them as if they were their own. I have had two children attend there through the years and the staff turn-over is very low. The director is incredibly thoughtful and friendly and caring. She goes above and beyond to make sure you feel comfortable with your children in their care. One of the best parts is the school's flexibility. You can choose two, three, four, or five days per week, choose the days, and choose the amount of time. The regular day is 9-1 and the kids eat lunch at school. You can also choose a longer day of 9-3, and/or before and after care which would cover a full work day. They follow the LWSD school district calendar, for the most part, and also offer summer camps. I couldn't be more pleased with our time at Good Sam School!

My daughter attended the toddler program at Arbor, and unfortunately, our experience was not very…read morepositive. From the beginning, she was reluctant to go to school, though at her age (3 years old) she couldn't clearly express why. On the administrative side, I often found communication confusing and overly bureaucratic. The primary care director frequently stepped in when issues arose in the classroom, but her messages did not always align with the teachers', and she did not appear to have decision-making authority. When we finally decided to withdraw our daughter after several difficult months, the process was particularly challenging. We submitted our withdrawal notice one day later than the contract required (on a Sunday rather than Saturday). While I acknowledge that this was our oversight, the financial impact was in the thousands of dollars, and the school was unwilling to make any accommodation. Discussions with the primary director, assistant head, head of school, and eventually the owner all reinforced the sense that policies were rigid and prioritized the business side over the child's well-being or the family's situation. I later spoke with another parent who had a very similar experience regarding withdrawal fees, which made me realize this was not an isolated case. To be fair, there are dedicated teachers at Arbor, and I know some children do well there. However, if challenges arise, families should be prepared for limited flexibility and a process that may feel more focused on contractual obligations than collaborative problem-solving.

very unfriendly, not welcoming staff. Atmosphere/ environment is dingy not well lit, a bit…read moredepressing in-fact. not family oriented and to say it lightly biased.

Our 1 year old has attended Evergreen Academy Montessori Issaquah since he was 4 months old and we…read moreabsolutely adore all his teachers. In the infant room he would always be so excited to see his teachers every morning, practically launching himself out of my arms reaching for them. And after a short adjustment period he is now doing the same to all his teachers in the toddler room! We have been super happy to see how well the teachers here have supported his development, helping him with everything from the major motor milestones like sitting, crawling and cruising, to things like using a sippy cup or handling a spoon. They also regularly share pictures in Tadpoles so we can see him playing with his friends, and even in the infant room would send home fun holiday crafts they did together in class. I also really appreciate that we actually feel like everyone knows us here - Miss Forozan is really hands on as Director. She's also organized fun community events for everyone, and sends out regular weekly updates. The teachers and staff here are all absolutely wonderful, we could not have asked for a better group of folks to trust with loving and taking care of our baby!

We've had our 4 yr old daughter at Evergreen for the past year and it's been a wonderful experience…read moreoverall. Ms Gowri and Ms Lucky are the best and our daughter loves being in their class and has grown and matured quite a bit in the past year. They run a very polished, tight, safe/secure ship there and she's learned so much this past year. We're very greatful to Ms Gowri and Ms Lucky and also to the admin-staff and support-staff as well!