The Valley School is a truly amazing place. Our family relocated from the east coast to Seattle…read morelast year and our kids started Valley in PreK and 1st grade. The Valley School has been the MOST warm, loving and supportive environment for our whole family. Our kids both love school, absolutely adore their teachers and have made fabulous friends. They say every weekend, "I wish we had school today". Both of my kids are truly jazzed about learning and I love that they get deep into their work, especially when it means that they come home covered head to toe in dirt! I can't recommend Valley highly enough.

The faculty at The Valley School are highly skilled and very professional. On a daily basis, I am…read moreimpressed by the creativity and patience of the teachers. It is a nurturing community and a wonderful place for children to grow and learn.

This school is an amazing school.All of the teachers are amazing and are very kind and humble. The…read moreeducation there is very amazing. All the teachers help each and every student. This is one of the best schools ever.

My child goes to the Villa Academy…read more We want our kid to be a decent citizen. If she becomes a corporate tycoon, a brilliant scientist or an astronaut, great. But we would like her to do those things while leading a life that respects her fellow man/woman. Next to the door of one of the kindergarten rooms at Villa, the teacher has created a mural with the words, "Respect, Compassion, Self-Discipline, Citizenship, Trustworthiness, Honesty, Responsibility, Fairness, Perseverance, Integrity". The Villa Academy is not some haven for rich kids that merely gives lip service to these values. They walk the walk. Even the earliest preschool classes have seasonal projects that focus on helping others. Service to others is a main focal point. Our child's teachers have all been excellent. Small class sizes with classroom assistants keeps the classroom environment orderly and focused on learning. Mrs Olson, you ROCK. To an outsider, I'm sure Villa might appear to be a bastion of the WASPs. Be careful. As soon as you drop your guard, and stop viewing people as wealthy snobs, you just might discover that most parents at Villa are really very warm hearted folks. People go out of their way to help each other out. And Villa parents are very, very dedicated to both the kids and the school. While my child has benefited from Villa, I think I have grown as a person as well. For what its worth, there are plenty of folks who are not Catholic who send their kids to Villa, and quite a few who are not Christians. We are very, very happy Villa parents. I won't make light of the cost, its not cheap. But people send their children there for a reason, and its not to brag to the neighbors. Its an excellent school, and an excellent community.

I filled out application for their summer program I was put on a waiting list and I was informed…read morethat once the enrollment program starts I will be contacted. I called and left a message but there was no follow up phone call from the school.

I went to the bush school for 7 years, and had to leave after my sixth grade year. The lower…read moreschool had it's problems, but it was mostly the middle school that was the reason for me leaving. The staff and teachers do not intervine bullying or physical fights. And I had a teacher that would bully me for the amusement of my classmate, and nothing was done about it in the end. My parents respectfully told the head of the middle school the problems, and he did absolutely nothing, and started trying to gaslight my family into thinking it was somehow fixed. The middle school counsellor was absolute garbage, she threatened to call the police on me when I stood I to leave her office to go to the bathroom after I got falsely accused of self harming in my science class. They were not flexible about teaching kids the way they need to be taught in order to learn. While I hadn't yet been diagnosed with autism I think that they still should have been more patient with me because it was obvious the way that they were teaching me, as well as a few other kids, in a way that worked for us. They also fired a bunch of beloved teachers for no good reason, and promoted a bunch of terrible teachers including one that was kind of racist. They have prided themselves about being inclusive to everyone, yet would not let me use the bathroom correlated with my gender identity because I'm trans. And they treated popular kids way bette. There's a TON of other problems with the bush school that I just don't want to get into right now, but I hope you get the point. I would put 0/5 stars if I could, I do not recommend this school at all.

Teacher Nicole is great in the 3-5' class. She plays music every day to the kids during circle…read moretime. She is very warm and fun! Our child really likes her. The other thing we are happy about is that the school offers many field trips during the school year (Burke Museum featured in the picture below). Also, the preschool shares the playground with Bryant Elementary across the street, which is really nice. We are very happy with our co-op!

I've had two Children at U Ravenna Coop and I think it's an absolutely wonderful preschool. The…read morecoop model was exactly what my shy child needed, and I saw him blossom in that environment. But my outgoing and independent kid also declared it the "best school ever" and wishes we could go every day. The range of activities for kids to do keeps them thoroughly engaged as they play and learn. There is a great balance of free play time, outdoor time, and more structured circle time. Snack is also done in a way that lets kids be independent while getting the support they need. And often there is a 'cooking snack' that they get to participate in preparing - they love that! I'm always amazed by how creative and fun the activities are. It's never just pages photocopied out of a coloring book. And there is always something new to try. I'm not sure how they come up with all their ideas but I'm sure glad they get to do all those cool messy things at school and I don't have to do them at home! The best part of coop are the teachers and parent educators. You see right away that this is a passion for them, not just a job. The kids and parents immediately feel that they care about them and that they are in a supportive, safe environment. Coop follows a positive discipline method that gently guides kids to expected behaviors in a way that is always developmentally appropriate. Teacher Christi is an actual child whisperer. She leads them effortlessly and cheerfully, never raising her voice or showing any signs of irritation. She is endlessly patient and understanding and manages to be simultaneously sweet and firm when it's necessary. I honestly wish she could be my kids' teacher for as long as they're in school! I think I am a better parent for having been in coop with my kids. The teachers, along with the parent educators are there for us as well - not just the kids. It is truly a learning experience for all involved and provides a rich community that is supportive and caring. I recommend this coop to anyone with kids this age!

Northwest Montessori has been a transformative place for our family. After a difficult time at a…read moreprevious early childhood program, we found a school that welcomed our son with open arms. The educators here are not only exceptionally skilled, but also deeply compassionate, committed to seeing and nurturing the best in every child. The school fosters independence, confidence, and a strong sense of community. Some preschools strike me as chaotic, while others seem a bit too library-like; I think Northwest Montessori strikes a thoughtful balance between academic learning and play, ensuring a structured yet lively classroom environment. We've seen our kids develop a broad range of skills--motor, executive function, literacy, math, creativity--within a highly cooperative setting, and they have of course made many close friends. I also think that the Northwest Montessori team is deeply committed to INCLUSION, embracing children of all backgrounds and needs including neurodiverse learners. I've always felt that every staff member at NWM, from teachers to administrators, is dedicated to creating a space where each child feels at home and can reach their fullest potential. The Wedgwood campus has three classrooms, each mixed-age from 2.5yo to 6yo (thru Kindergarten). I wasn't sure how a mixed-age classroom would work at first, but honestly it's been so awesome--it's super cool to watch kiddos learn to mentor and teach one another, and my kids have picked up so many leadership skills from being in a mixed-age environment. They have a lovely little playground that is both secure and offers a wide variety of equipment, and the kiddos always have a wonderful time. This school has not only supported our child's growth, but has helped our family heal from previous bad experiences. Our older child has since graduated and is thriving in public school, while our younger one is still benefiting from this incredible learning environment. We couldn't be more grateful for the dedication of the educators at Northwest Montessori, and we wholeheartedly recommend it to any family seeking a nurturing, inclusive, and empowering early education.

Was referred to this childcare from my son's other center, Lil People's World Seattle, by another…read moreparent. Wow, what a difference! NW Montessori is all that I hoped a child care center would be and more. The teachers obviously love what they do, the director and other staff are the best at what they do, and I feel more at ease knowing that there is an option in Seattle like this establishment. My son has only been there a couple months, but I think its the best decision I have made. He is much happier there than Lil People's World.

This is my son's 3rd year at Seattle Waldorf. We love our school. The school is a beautiful…read morecommunity where my child is seen and nurtured. Teachers and administrators are very creative and supportive in their work with all children. My child has greatly benefited from the large beating heart of this school. He's engaged in every class and is happy and excited to go to school. He's learned so much and the pace is thoughtful and age appropriate. Not only is he learning academically he's also made huge leaps socially and emotionally. He's grateful to get the chance to be outside and also creating with his hands every day. His experience in this community is helping him develop a rich depth of knowledge and self worth that will be something he can rely on for the rest of his life.

A beautiful school with a profound way of educating the human being in an age appropriate way!read more

We are family that came from Isreal during the war. Since we…read morehad to leave our home due to the situation in Israel, we came to Seatle to stay with our family. SJCS welcomed our children and opened their doors and hearts. Yarden loved going to school and meeting with her new friends and teachers. Despite the difficult time our family went through, we were happy to discover such a warm and loving place, with brilliant teachers and supporting staff, who welcomed us right away. We would like to express our deep appreciation to the school and thank you again for all your great help and support. Regev Family

We chose to send our child to SJCS because we sought a pluralistic Jewish education with strong…read moreacademics and a focus on social emotional learning and community. We couldn't be happier. The school has helped our son grow and addressed minor learning challenges competently and compassionately. We've noticed greater resilience and problem solving that we can attribute to the school's strong social-emotional curriculum. The teachers are caring and in tune with his and his classmates' needs, and the cohort model has suited him well where he strives in some areas academically but struggles in others. The cohort model allows him to extend in the areas that come easier to him, and he gets the support he needs in the areas that are more challenging. The community itself was incredibly welcoming (we joined in second-grade), and the kids are kind are welcoming too. We appreciate the pluralistic approach to Jewish education - although our family is on the more traditional side we feel welcome and included and we the same for kids from less-traditional families. Together the students are all developing strong Jewish identities and appreciation for our history and culture. And the Hebrew curriculum is set up so that both students with no Hebrew background (or Hebrew-speaking parents), and those with Hebrew fluency can all learn at their level.

Amy and Megan are dedicated professionals in childhood development. They respect each child and…read morethey have a controlled learning environment and the skill set to assist each student in their developmental journey.

Our son was dropped from enrollment at Montessori Garden on the Monday before school was supposed…read moreto start, which has left us in a scramble to find childcare and a supportive learning environment. Amy and Meghan had the decency to inform us over the phone this morning that they felt unable to provide appropriate support for my son, who has epilepsy. They were unwilling to administer his emergency rescue medication (which is applied rectally), or call 911 as an alternative, in the unlikely event of an emergency-level seizure (which has never happened in his medical history, let alone since he started treatment). Furthermore, they expressed discomfort with the possibility of the other kids seeing a "scary looking seizure event", and said they weren't equipped to talk with the kids about that. We will send them a children's book to help them facilitate those conversations in the future. We offered to provide training, personal or professional, on how to respond to a seizure and administer rescue medication, but they told us that their decision is final and they're not interested. I suppose they did us a favor, because I'm happy to know that my kid wasn't safe in their care. For context, our parent-run co-op pre-school did the training in January, and we had a great school year. We left for schedule-related conflicts, but are likely to return to the co-op, where the parents have shown a willingness to provide essential care and have difficult conversations about health with 4 and 5 year olds. Further important context: While we discussed my son's medical condition in June in great detail, including how to administer rescue medications, we didn't send his care plan until last week. We had good reason: his condition started in December and was still evolving. His care plan is less intense now than it had been. When they got the official medical care plan, which is more technically written, Amy and Meghan were no longer willing to have him in the classroom. I wish we had sent our now-outdated care plan in June so that they could have rejected our application right away. We never wanted to stick them with a kid they couldn't care for. It's a shame because the curriculum looks so good! But actions speak louder than words, and this morning showed that Amy and Meghan aren't confident in their ability to have difficult conversations or respond to unlikely medical emergencies.