We are more than happy with Miss Deepa. My son has improved a lot after joining Crafting Minds…read moreMontessori. he was introduced to basic science experiments, calendars, art, and craft activities, coloring, etc., apart from regular basic pre-school worksheets. Crafting Minds Montessori learning boxes are very innovative and educational for kids. I appreciate Miss Deepa's considerable efforts in developing these boxes and coming up with new activities every day. my son had a hard time with the numbers; after working with the counting butterfly activity from the learning box a few times in a row, and I can see the difference. I would highly highly recommend Crafting Minds Montessori to all pre-school toddlers.

CMM has been great for our child. The teachers are thoughtful and take great care of the kids. Our…read morechild is happy to go to school and I think the Montessori approach has been a big reason why. Our family strongly recommends Crafting Minds Montessori.

What a treat to watch our granddaughter blossom under the guidance of this incredible preschool and…read moreits teachers. She has developed a great love of "the forest" and hiking. And her appreciation of nature and living creatures is wonderful. She is always asking for the magnifying glass to look at bugs! I love that she is learning that you can enjoy outdoors in all kinds of weather and there is always something to explore.

My son attended the Outdoor Preschool the first year it was available, and he loved it! I firmly…read morebelieve nature plays an essential role in wellbeing. I'm glad schools like this exist and kids can immerse themselves in it.

I don't know why it's taken so long (about four years) for me to review this place, but it deserves…read moreabout five-star "as good  as it gets" review.  My boy was there from about 18 months until almost three years old, and really appreciated the place, particularly after mixed experiences with a subsequent Montessori school. It is open to children from 15 months to 6 years old.  The facility is the basement of a large residential home. The owner-headmaster of the school (and a much school in Issaquah) lives upstairs. The entrance is around the back, shielded by the house from the street noise of Bel-Red Road. Access from the parking lot is by a nicely landscaped boardwalk.  The schoolyard is securely fenced, with lots of forested natural scenery outside the fence. The highlight is a stream called Country Creek, through the corner of the school's property. (It starts near Cascade View Park and flows into the Sammamish River.) The city has it marked as salmon spawning habitat, but I haven't seen its salmon run. Indoors, there's a toddler school room, and preschool room, and some office and other private space. Both classrooms were brightly lit and cheerful even in the gloom of winter. They were spotlessly clean -- and our boy was there before pandemic. It was well equipped, with learning materials organized Montessori-style.  The teachers were dedicated and caring, and because of the small classes they always had abundant time for the children. And because the owner is a Montessori teacher who lives upstairs, a familiar substitute was always available when teachers needed days off.  Communications were excellent: a simple form with a few little status updates, written notes about anything unusual during the day and scheduled events ahead, plus availability to talk about any concerns at pick-up time. (They weren't champions with e-mail, but better at it than a subsequent school.)  A highlight event (scheduled well in advance so parents could see their kids' delight) while our boy was there was a visit from a mobile petting zoo. A truck (maybe more than one) arrived one day with rabbits, goats, sheep, assorted other animals -- and a pony. Their staff set up cages and hand-wash stations, and let the kids interact with the animals. In the parking lot, kids took turns riding the pony. Now I want to look at my photos and videos and share them with our boy.  The tuition was very affordable. In part, that's probably because it shares overhead with the owner's house. But it's also due to the place's one inconvenience, that parents had to send lunches when dropping off the children.  A note about Montessori schools in general: the learning style is exploratory and largely self-directed. Budget permitting, I think it's ideal for most toddlers and preschoolers, except for some with special needs. But it's not such a clear choice for elementary school and up; if a child absorbs a strong sense of self-motivation to work at school, it's superior. If not, a conventional classroom with stronger guidance may be a better fit. But Prime Time enrolls kids during the early years when Montessori is best for most children.  In retrospect I wish we had kept him there until he was too old, but we had previously wait-listed him at another Montessori school (which provided excellent lunches). Our reasoning had been to transfer him while he was little, to get the disruption of changing schools over with earlier. But as it turned out, the pandemic was a vastly greater disruption to children (and adults) of all ages.  After all that praise -- and the observation that the inconvenience of sending lunches was balanced by the very reasonable price -- I feel comfortable giving Prime Time a five-star "as good as it gets" without any concerns about grade inflation.

Great school with small classrooms! Loving teachers. They provide a very clean and nurturing…read morelearning environment and really love the kids! The playground area is very beautiful and offers lots of things for the kids to do.

SMS has provided foundational learning experiences for my three kids over the last 6yrs (youngest…read morestill attending). They are at an excellent location, easy commute from our work places, and have an excellent family-like staff & environment. Highly recommended!!!

I highly recommend SMS. It is the best and one of the most mature Montessori schools in the Redmond…read morearea. Family run and teachers stay for decades. I cannot say enough good things about them - they are excellent. The front desk staff, Jane especially, greet you with smiles and any information you need as well as help for any issue. Teachers are attentive and thoughtful, and they communicate well to parents. For issues and concerns they pick up the phone when you call, they do what they say they will do and most important - our kids loved their teachers and we parents got to be proud of our children's development. I had my two girls go through their pre-school program in 2014-2020 time frame and I couldn't be happier - big shout out to Mrs. Kerr and Mrs. Digdhe in class room 5!

Our son, who recently graduated from Goddard Pre-K into Kindergarten, started at this Goddard when…read morehe was 1 year old in the midst of the pandemic. The school kept him safe and healthy (they only had 2-3 covid cases, never in his class) and also provided an enriching, fun environment. Once he started the pre-K section he was stimulated, learned all his letters, and began learning numbers. The class worked together on packets, while continuing fun and enriching activities on the side. He left very prepared for Kindergarten and had no issues transitioning due to their solid preparation. During his time there my son made great friends who he has continued with into kindergarten. When issues arose (as they do over a nearly 5 year period) we were able to resolve them quickly through meetings with teachers and staff. We always felt listened to and felt that issues were taken seriously and acted upon. I would highly recommend this Goddard to anyone looking based on our extended experience there.

Our son Benjamin started at The Goddard School when he was just over one year old, and now, at…read morefive, he's heading off to kindergarten. As excited as we are for this next chapter, it's truly bittersweet to say goodbye to a place that has meant so much to our family. Over the past four years, the teachers at Goddard have not only cared for Benjamin, but helped shape the amazing boy he is becoming. Through their patience, professionalism, and deep dedication, they've nurtured his growth into a responsible, curious, understanding, smart, and loving child. Every positive trait he exhibits today is, in some way, connected to the values and culture instilled at this school. To all the incredible teachers: thank you. Thank you for putting your hearts into what you do every single day. You may not hear it often enough, but we want you to know how deeply grateful we are for your impact--not just on Benjamin, but on all the children and families lucky enough to walk through your doors. What you do is nothing short of extraordinary. And a special thank you to Kalis, the owner, for creating such a strong, caring, and joyful environment. You've built a remarkable team and community. Our past four years at Goddard have been filled with warmth, growth, and peace of mind--and we can't thank you enough for that. With sincere gratitude, Benjamin's parents, Sean and Lynn

The teachers are very nice and love the kids. The facility is very clean and organized. Most…read moreparents are responsible. Location is perfect (near banks, a public library, some local restaurants, UPS store, QFC market etc.) We have two kids here. Our 5-year-old who goes to the after-school program really loves it because he spends time with older kids and the teacher has a lot of interesting activities and teaches them a variety of skills. We can even drop him off for the days when the public school is closed. Our younger boy also has a lot of fun in class. The school even organizes celebrations on special occasions (Valentine, Halloween, New Year, etc). There is even a dance party that the kids work hard to prepare. On the other hand, I wish the school allowed older kids to bring their own breakfast to school since our kids sometimes preferred certain food and we didn't have time to feed them at home. The current director was very open and receptive to feedback when we discussed how to improve breakfast options for the kids.

We recently moved across the country and have had a history of high tier daycare services... BUT…read moreREDMOND KIDDIE ACADEMY IS THE BEST! My daughter's teacher, Ms Mansi, is absolutely adored (Supernova). The owners are so sweet and front desk, admin services, are too. Compared to other daycares in Redmond that value is exceptional. They feed breakfast and lunch and snack (all sourced from Costco). The outdoor area or playground is small and well structured but all that is needed to manage the toddler chaos! Things my 3 yo daughter came home talking about (because of curriculum): X-rays Parrots Biomes Spelling/letters Planets

my son (16 months) goes to this daycare. they are amazing. all the teachers are so nice and…read moreresponsible; and you can tell they all work well together and respect each other. i trust them so much. usually when i leave my son with anyone, he cries and doesn't want to let go, but when i drop him off with his teacher, he just quietly reaches for her and allows her to hold him. the director was so quick to get me enrolled, and she made the process so smooth. also this place takes subsidy, and i trust their food. they are well staffed, and they have their stuff together. i love this place

We're very happy with the daycare. My toddler is learning a lot, eating well and playing indoors as…read morewell as outdoors. Special shout out to Ms. Mansi in whose hands I am not worried at all and Ms. Dharitri who always addresses every concern of mine. Daycare also allows us to send our home cooked food and teachers ensure children have that as well. Satisfied parent.

We've had a wonderful experience with Best Beginnings, and I'm truly grateful for the amazing…read moreteachers and staff. The school has excellent teachers who genuinely care about the children. Teacher Tomoko was one of the best teachers my daughter could have started her school journey with. She helped her feel safe, comfortable, and confident, and played a big role in making her love school from the very beginning. She was also very attentive and communicative, always keeping us informed about any concerns and offering thoughtful, practical guidance. Teacher Karen runs her classroom in such a warm and engaging way that my daughter is always happy and excited to go to school. Seeing that level of joy and enthusiasm means so much to us as parents. I would like to thank all the staff and administrators at Best Beginnings for creating such a positive and supportive experience. We feel very thankful that our daughter attended this preschool and highly recommend it to other families.

Amazing school, the teachers are great! Very clean and organized in a nice neighborhood. They have…read morea fun, engaging curriculum. I definitely recommend to all parents, my son absolutely loves it!