My daughter attended Fern Gully for 4 years. We love it so much!! She learned so many important…read moresocial skills. The teachers are kind, patient and fun. And best of all it connected us with a community of like minded people and friends for a lifetime. I highly recommend this school!!

Unfortunately, this "school" is not what it advertises to be. If you are considering sending your…read morechild here, I recommend that you reconsider that decision for the safety and well-being of your child. "We provide Waldorf inspired, holistic, outdoor education." " a mission to nurture the whole child in all areas of development, including physical, social, emotional and spiritual, as well as intellectual." "We focus on social- emotional awareness, creativity & resiliency." None of this is actually accurate. The teachers lack the knowledge or skill (or both) to incorporate the ideologies or either Maria Montessori or Rudolf Steiner. They do not focus on social-emotional awareness. The teachers utilize punishment that is not rooted in Montessori or Waldorf. My son, who has neurodivergence, was punished so HARSHLY here that his neuropsychologist asked, unprompted by me, to send a letter to the school teachers to educate them on how to appropriately handle discipline and how to offer support instead, for young children. My son endured extreme trauma here. There are many other farm, forest and outdoor schools in Olympia. I recommend any of them over Fern Gully. I would stay far away from this place. They do not offer a safe environment for your child - they don't supervise the children and they do not keep them safe emotionally.

We looked all over Thurston and Pierce Counties for the right private school and let me just start…read moreby saying, we made the right choice. It first started for us looking for a pre-K during Covid as a need, but instead it turned into gaining a whole community of friends that we adore. Since we are not the most religious in terms of being Christian or Catholic, some of the private schools in the area had too much focus on religion. Others pre-K schools felt as though we would have just been hiring a babysitter. Waldorf was a breath of fresh air, literally. The kids actually spend time outside in nature! Being kids, getting muddy, pretend play and learning about the wonders of our world. They focus on the whole child, not just academics and there are no grades, no tests, no homework and instead teach a love of learning. Not only that, they throw some really rad festivals and events for the kids - magical even! We are so blessed to have found a fun and safe place to call school.

I never thought I'd find myself writing a warning like this, but after what my daughter went…read morethrough, I feel compelled to speak up. They are not welcoming. We enrolled her in Olympia Waldorf trusting the promises of a nurturing environment, holistic education, community, and balance. What we actually experienced was chaos, lack of accountability, broken promises, and a lot of emotional strain. This school is nothing like what is advertised. Please do your research there are even documentaries that shed light on the reality. Sending my daughter here is one of my biggest regrets as a parent. If you want your child to be ostracized, send them here. Out of respect for my child I choose not to put specific details here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Love the staff and very clean. My granddaughter attended for three years. She has just started…read morekindergarten and still talks about it .

Not the best experience for our family so we switched. Our child was frequently coming home with…read moreinjuries and when we (parents) would inquire with staff, their response was that they didn't know. Also, our child wouldn't come home with incident reports. The last incident: she came home with a goose egg to the back of her head. I asked Wren first and her response "I don't work in this classroom." Then I asked Daniel and his response "I didn't know she was injured." Ms. Shelby produced an incident report days after the injury stating that our child received first aid following her fall from the table outside. I didn't understand how because the staff were unaware of the injury. Recommendation: better staffing ratios or prevent toddlers from climbing the outside table.

My daughter came through mid-year. She fell in love with her teachers…read more The staff took our vegan diet seriously and respectfully. They worked with us and genuinely want to give families a good experience. There was a field trip a week. There was a gorgeous farm school campus. Now, my daughter was in the Tumwater location but still learned and loved. She would skip into the classroom without turning back to say goodbye to me. I am so grateful for the wonderful experience. Thank you!

My son has been at Sequoias Treehouse since he was 3 month old, he is now 10 months, and our time…read moreat Sequoias has been wonderful! I greatly appreciate his teachers, Sandy and Laila. I call them his second and third moms! They both have such a warm command of the room, and I am provided with a detailed sheet every day reporting how much bottle he drank and at what times, also outlines his naps and wet diapers. They have an open door policy in the infant room so I often stop by on my breaks to say hello for a quick baby snuggle.

Such an amazing community to embrace your child! This is our 8th year at the school and highly…read morerecommend it! My children love the school, teachers and families here. The education they are experiencing seems way above and beyond!

This is our 6th year at ECS and we love everything about this school! From the caring teachers,…read morethe staff, the aides, the specialists, the pastors, they all love each of these students as their own. I have seen tremendous academic, spiritual and social growth in all 3 of my children. From preschool to middle school I highly recommend ECS!

My son spent 2 years with Roots & Rhythms. I'm so grateful for the time he spent with Sarah &…read moreSophia. I'm admittedly a bit overprotective of my kids at times, but from the first day, I felt safe leaving him in their care. It was so nice having him with awesome humans who not only kept him safe and engaged, they taught him how to be a part of a community. I love that it was a mix of ages and that he got to be outside. I believe he's an even better person for the time spent and attention received. He learned empathy and communication skills that I think will serve him well as we transition into K this fall.

I love R&R. I met them a few years ago while visiting a park with the kid I nanny. We started…read moremeeting up at the parks they were at to play and socialize, and a year later, my nanny kiddo enrolled in their program because we loved them so much. As someone who has worked in various childcare settings, I really appreciate their approach to what they do. Such a huge emphasis on problem solving, interpersonal skills, and social/emotional intelligence in an organic, child-led manner. Sarah, Sophia, and their other employees are experienced, knowledgeable, and will always have your child's whole self and best interests in mind. I cannot recommend this program enough for those seeking an outdoor school. Furthermore, I have gained a community from this program because S & S also emphasize community engagement and being part of the neighborhoods they play it. I've met so many lovely families and seen so much chosen family form. It's a beautiful thing!

We Love Lacey Parent Coop Preschool, it is play based learning that really gets kids ready for…read morekindergarten. We have been with the school now for 3 years and plan on joining again when my baby is old enough. Kids don't have to be potty trained but just the exposure to kids that are helped my son decide he was ready. Also I love the parent involvement, there is parent helping required but it is only 2-3 times a month and it is so much fun to get to take part of not only my child's education but his classmates.

Caring teachers and very invested principal. Mr. Kealy is very responsive to kids and parents. HFS…read moreis awesome!

We started our 4-year-old here and we're so impressed with the individualized, caring approach that…read morewe moved our two older kids to Holy Family the next year. It's a small school, and that means the entire staff knows your kids and the teachers always get back to you.