We really like Pali View. Our kids talk about their friends and teachers all the time. Our kids are…read moreexcited about going to school, and they continually show us the Bible songs and prayers they learn. We also struggle with the amount of days off at the school. Having two demanding jobs, we are continually trying to take off time for Veterans Day, Election Day, Fall Break, early outs, etc. This makes it impossible to save up any vacation time to do anything outside of the school. Occasionally, I have meetings that start right at 8AM or end at 4:30PM in downtown Honolulu. In these cases, I am doing everything humanly possible to get to or from the meeting and to the school during the 7AM-5PM window. Coming home, If we hit a stoplight or a traffic jam, we are bound to pay them $1 a minute charge. It's exhausting. Each morning, my daughter's classroom asks that we sign her in and then go to her classroom and practice writing her name and numbers each day. With a demanding schedule, this task is challenging. So really a mixed bag. If you can make this work for your schedule, do it! The staff love your children and your kids learn great social skills. Plus they are learning the core Biblical principles. But be mindful of the time challenges as well.

We really love this school! The whole staff has been so professional, caring, informative and…read morehelpful from the start! My daughter genuinely loves her teachers & classmates, and seems to be really thriving. I personally love all the updates, photos and messages from the staff throughout the day letting us know how she's doing and what she's up to! It's such a relief being able to communicate so quickly and easily with them. They're actually so great about responding! It's been a very fulfilling and wonderful experience for our family thus far at Pali View. I honestly don't have anything negative to say! I am very happy we went with this school and would definitely recommend for parents to check out!

Clean, safe, nurturing environment. Our son loved attending. They had all kinds of fun events and…read moreexperiences (like the fire dept came to visit with their firetruck!). The teachers and space are great, couldn't ask for more.

Our son loves the teachers and the fun engaging curriculum. He gets a progress report daily that he…read moreshares with mom and dad on his day.

One of the best things about moving to Hawaii Kai is finding this gem of a preschool! We send both…read morekids here and have been so happy with their learning and development. Why we love it: Curriculum - kids learn phonics, a lot of song based learning, have supplemental workbooks and activities to learn numeracy and Sight Words to help facilitate reading. Classrooms - teachers are always super positive and welcoming and the school is incredibly clean (kids have indoor and outdoor shoes). Kids also have outside play built into their schedule in a super nice fenced in playground. Potty training is also very supportive, there's not a hard deadline and teachers work with parents to help support the kids. Happy Bento delivers to the school to help take one thing off the parents plate (Home lunch is welcome too). Lillio App has also been great to see pictures and videos throughout the day and for communicating with teachers.

We have been so grateful to find Kinder Kids International after our unexpected move to Hawaii. The…read moreschool is small, clean and beautiful. The director, Ms. Mandy always makes herself available and knows every parent and child personally. Our teacher, Ms. Dawn has built such a great connection with my daughter, and knows how to redirect her in a fun and loving way. My daughter comes home with such amazing crafts, singing new songs and learning all her shapes, colors, numbers and letters. The curriculum is learning based, and not play based, which I think is great for her personality which minimizes the usual behavioral issues when there's no structure. They do yoga, sensory activities, nature walks, gym playtime, circle time, crafts, music, potty breaks, lunch, nap time and more. They use an online app to keep you informed on their day with pictures of them playing. It updates throughout the day with the amount they ate at lunch, potty breaks taken, etc. They even have a special day when you can come and see your child at school without them knowing and see how well they behave when you're not around! :) The value that Kinder Kids provides is amazing. I am very pleased to have my daughter be a part of this amazing school that is growing to be a big part of her formative years.

This is the best school I could have asked for. My daughter started here at 2.5 years old. First…read moreyear was the Caterpillar class with Ms Kara who was an amazing and kind teacher. My daughter absolutely loved her and so did I. At 2 years old she made a volcano out of clay, painted it and did the vinegar baking soda experiment. They continued to do science experiments, practice their fine motor skills, learn counting , alphabets, shapes and practice writing. I was flabbergasted at how much of an impressive education she was getting at 2 years old. 2nd year was Cocoon class with Ms Shawn who we also ADORE. So happy and positive and encouraging and kind. In addition to everything she was already learning they learn Hawaiian words and culture. This is a Christian school and the pastor comes to read to the Keiki. They also have Amazing Athletes that comes to the school for an additional and affordable price and teach the kids physical eduacation (soccer, basketball, etc). They learn how to fold and put away their own blankets for nap, they do so much wonderful artwork, learn about culture, just so much to say. One week they learn about sea animals the next week- presidents. It's insane. This year my daughter is in her final year, butterfly class with Mr Mark who is also the director, super easy going and cool and who my daughter also loves. And Ms Verona floats between class and she is also amazing. Basically the entire staff is great. Super small class size. Less than 10 per class. Also the tuition is INSANELY affordable. Most other places I was looking at prior to enrolling were almost double the monthly tuition . I am so grateful and blessed to have found this little gem. I believe my daughter is going to be so advanced when she goes to kindergarten. I'm a very happy Mom.

I have nothing but great things to say about this school. My daughter attended Little Friends for 2…read moreyears and they really helped to prepare her for Kindergarten. The staff Mr. Mark and and Ms. Shawn are really like family. The school is located behind a church and is hard to find from the main road which I found as a huge plus for security reasons.

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!

My son has attended the green preschool Kailua for almost a year and it has been such a wonderful…read moreexperience. We really wanted a peaceful, creative, and compassionate environment for him to be part of and the green preschool is it. The children all are so very happy and everyone recognizes what a special place our school is. The kids are taught Hawaiian songs, how to sew, paint, serve others, be inclusive, express themselves, and appreciate our beautiful island. All the children are so wonderful to each other and they are so kind to each other. They also work on numbers and letters - it really is the best little school and anyone would be lucky to part of it!

The Green Preschool in Kailua is a hidden gem and it has been life changing for my daughter…read more As a parent, this school checks all of the boxes for me: small class sizes for more teacher student attention, a calming environment, flexible options for pick up, schedules accounting for fewer days per week, fabulous field trips, and an incredible teaching methodology. Aunty Pualani fosters creativity and a love of our natural environment and yet teaches important life skills with painting, baking, sewing, planting, and so much more. My daughter truly thrives here. In the last three months since enrolling, I've seen her gain confidence, become so helpful at home and with her little brother, and learn so much. She's always singing and repeating stories from school and her math skills have improved dramatically since enrolling! The school also provides organic and delicious snacks every day. There is a licensed therapy dog on site that mostly just naps but knows when he's needed and has comforted my daughter on more than one occasion. She adores him and I trust him implicitly. Most importantly, my daughter leaves school with a smile on her face, she's never overstimulated, and she's always eager to go back the next day. So many preschools that I looked into had long hours, little flexibility, large class sizes, and even larger wait lists. Do yourself and your child a favor and try The Green Preschool in Kailua. You won't regret it.

I heard many good things about this school and so when minor issues/concerns came up here and…read morethere, I just let it slide because I figured that's how all preschools are. My daughter was always tired and not very happy when coming home from school, but I thought that too was normal. But when I had a safety concern and the director did not take it seriously, and was more than a month unresponsive, I decided to switch my daughter to a different preschool after being at Queen Emma for 2 years. When I switched my daughter to a new school, she came home SO much happier! I didn't realize what a difference a good school can make! Unfortunately, Queen Emma wasn't the right fit for my daughter. I think the teachers there do a great great job! And there are many teachers that my daughter loved! However, I think the classes are so big and the teachers are overworked...and so my daughter thrived much better in a different and more family/small school environment.

Great preschool. My daughter has been there for the last two years. Teachers are happy and there is…read morevery little turnover. The kids are very happy. Strong emphasis on social emotional development. Ms Susan is the director and hands on always subbing in herself if a teacher is sick etc so she really gets to know the kids. Lots of available instruction on parenting skills from potty training workshops (before admission--as kids must be potty trained to start) to play based learning workshops. Also lots of extra curricular activities available during school hours like music, piano, soccer, hula and tumble bus. We love Queen Emma Preschool.

It's been ages (2019 covid era) since my kids attended this school. Funny thing happened this year,…read moreI was driving down Kalanianaʻole Hwy by Kalani where Aunty Lori flagged me. The boys pointed out this crazy lady waiving and said look its Auty Lori!. I have nothing but love for this school. Thank you Aunty Lori, Ms. Sue, and Ms. Cory for being great mentors for my kids. I am forever grateful.

We cannot say enough great things about Kilohana preschool. The staff is top notch, the facilities…read moreboast ample space for learning and play, the environment is nurturing and creative, and they have the best newly renovated and shaded playground! Our daughter is in red door w Ms. Naomi and loves it. She often brings home crafts and shares about her fun day at school. Ms. Naomi has such a wonderful caring and kind demeanor about her. You can tell she loves her children and vice versa. She is wonderful w the children and we feel so lucky to have our daughter in her classroom. Auntie Lori, the school's director is awesome. She works hard to make sure the school is run safely and efficiently. She is super on top of things and is great w communication. She seems to go above and beyond her required duties such as submitting and obtaining various grants for the school and never missing a single day of school! The chapel is an added bonus as the kids get the opportunity to learn some wonderful songs and perform quarterly for the school/church. Overall, we are very happy that we decided to enroll our daughter into this program. Every single teacher and staff member exudes kindness and patience and seems generally vested w/ the well being of the children. The school stresses compassion and empathy for others while raising strong, resilient children. Thank you Auntie Lori, Ms. Naomi, Ms. Soo, Ms. Gwynn, and Ms. J for taking such good care of our littles and preparing them for kindergarten!