We have absolutely loved the Woodland Schoolhouse. During the pandemic, our family planned to keep…read moreour 4 year old son at home. But once we learned about Ms. Nicole's outdoor school option and small class size, we had to take the opportunity. My son loved spending his days hiking, catching frogs, building forts, and learning about snakes, insects, and edible plants. He came home snuggly, tired, and happy after a full day of adventure and play. The best part of the Woodland Schoolhouse is the positive community Ms. Nicole creates everyday. She teaches children to be inclusive, speak kindly, and set respectful boundaries with one another. She is a wonderful communicator and was always willing to talk with me when we had concerns about our son. Ms. Nicole is a teacher who gives 100% of her best energy and takes the time to really know each child individually. We are so thankful our son was able to spend this year at the Woodland Schoolhouse and look forward to when our daughter can join next year.

We had had enrolled our son in a very popular south Austin preschool right before he turned 3. He…read morehated it. The teacher said he never talked, they rarely went outside and most of the day was spent sitting at a table doing table work. I searched high and low and just couldnt either find a place I liked or had openings. I called probably about 30 places and toured about 10. I came across an alt ed website and found Woodland Schoolhouse. It's run by a lovely woman named Nicole out of part of her home she has converted to be solely dedicated to school space. Words cannot express how thankful we are for Nicole and her teaching assistants. Under her care, I have watched my son find his voice. He loves school and loves Nicole. Some of the things I love about Woodland? Nicole's patience. At this age, so much of the learning is social interaction. She doesn't "deal with the kids", she gives the tools to deal with things on their own. What's the adage about give a man a fish, feed him for a meal...teach him to fish, he eats for life? I watch her patiently teach the kids to verbalize their thoughts and feelings and consequently how to respond to another's. I've watched her model and instruct these little people to have better communication skills than many grown adults I've known. We've frequently encountered another child upset or lashing out (in normal child like ways and not at school). My son has my son has learned to keep his cool and I often hear him telling his friends or family "it's ok, accidents happen." He has also learned to calmly and confidently tell others when he's not ok with things instead of getting upset or walked all over. I love that the kids spend so much time exploring outside. She encourages imagination and independence. My son is learning how capable he is of so many things both mentally and physically. I read somewhere that the core of a child's personality is set by the age of 5. With this in mind, I took it very seriously who I left my son with. I wanted someone who I felt could offset our weaknesses as parents to help develop a well rounded little person. Both my husband and I couldn't be happier and only wish we had found her sooner. We will be forever grateful for the time our son did spend at Woodland. While we are excited to see him enter kindergarten in the fall and having another son whom is 17, we know we will never have it as good as Woodland again.

This review is based solely on Ms. Arthur's Pre-K class. She is very patient and kind to all her…read morestudents. She keeps them busy with crafts, learning activities, science, classroom pets and many more activities. My son had a hard time learning to share and communicate his frustrations in the beginning of the school year. But now he loves to share and help others. And has learned to verbalize his frustrations instead of throwing fits or hurting others. He'll have the occasional bad day but for the most part, he has made a huge improvement from the first week of school. And I thank Ms. Arthur for that. I could tell she didn't want to say he was "being bad" so she'd say, "he made a couple bad choices today, but we talked about them." I will be sad to see him leave her class this year. But I'm sure she will leave a positive impact on my son's education. He is off to a great start already! And they have Brighter Bites here!

I have had children at Stepping Stone for over two years. Both of mine started in the infant room…read morewith Ms. Lola, and I TRULY do not know what I would have done without her. My youngest started in her classroom earlier this year, and this time around, we had the pleasure of having her helper, Ms. Vita! They both light up when we walk in every morning and I genuinely feel like my children are loved by them in a way that I will always cherish and appreciate. You hear horror stories about daycares, but I am blessed to leave mine every day feeling grateful for the hands that are taking care of them while I work. Ms. Monica has also been a bright spot in my kids days, and I am excited for my youngest to transition to her care soon.

I've been pondering this review for about a month now, but I REALLY FEEL OBLIGATED TO WRITE IT TO…read moreLET THE PARENTS WHO HAVE CHILDREN ENROLLED THEIR, KNOW THAT I WALKED IN FOR A TOUR, AND WAS LEFT UNATTENDED FOR 45 MINUTES. I COULD HAVE WALKED OUT WITH ANY ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN....AND ALL BECAUSE I WAS DRESSED LIKE A STEPFORD WIFE. My spouse and I made an appointment to come and view the school. He took time off of work and we headed in at our selected time. We walked up to the school and piggyback in. Was not buzzed in. No one greeted us. We just walked in. We then sat there for 10 minutes and that's when a kitchen lady came out, and told us that the principal or lady who does all of the tours, was 45 minutes late. So we just sat there. Then I said to my spouse "You know what...I want to see something". I got up and walked around. No one said anything or asked me who I was. Another 10 minutes had passed and no one said anything. So I walked to where all the children were playing outside. They're corralled like animals in a fenced in playground, with about 50 plus kids of all ages in there. I opened the doors and stood there. I stood there for 30 minutes and no one said anything to me. The two younger girls (staff members) were on their phones chatting.....and I purposely stood right next to them to see if they'd say anything to me. NOTHING!!! Sooooo I turned around and went to find my spouse and told him. I said "this is not the school for us". Then the lady walked in who was supposed to give us the tour. She was all apologetic and I told her of the SECURITY BREACH, and she said she'd take care of it. Then she proceeded to show us around the school. Mainly the rooms for the 2.5 year olds. We went in and you're hit in the face with a URINE AND POOP SMELL. I just looked at my spouse. It smelt like a dirty animal control place, where they put 100's of unneutered stray cats. It was just gross. We were polite and finished the tour, but sincerely should have just left when she was a no-show. THIS PLACE IS SCARY UNSAFE!!! AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME.....GO AHEAD AND WASTE YOUR TIME. CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF. PS-To the staff and principal of the school...who will most likely write a response to this review......SHAME ON YOU!!! And I hope Child Protective Services pays you a visit. I will not change my review. I was appalled and your place is unsafe, unsanitary and disgusting.

We highly recommend Guidepost Montessori Westlake to any family looking for a nurturing and…read morehigh-quality Montessori toddler and preschool program in the Westlake / Austin area. Our son has been attending Guidepost Montessori Westlake since he was 18 months old, and now at almost 4 years old we couldn't be happier with our experience. Our son has a big personality and can be very energetic, and the guides have always met him with incredible patience, kindness, and understanding. We've seen amazing growth in his social skills and language development, and he has become much more confident communicating with both children and adults. A very special thank you to Ms. Angela and Ms. Jacqueline. They are truly wonderful guides who care deeply about the children. Their calm, nurturing approach has made such a positive difference for our son. They were also incredibly supportive during potty training, approaching it with patience and encouragement, which made the process so much easier for our family. The school environment is beautiful, clean, and thoughtfully prepared, and the administration is always organized, responsive, and supportive. We also love the enrichment programs offered at the school like Kinder Dance, piano lessons, Spanish, and sports, which give the children wonderful opportunities to explore different interests. Most importantly, our son is happy and excited to go to school every day, which says everything. We feel very grateful to be part of the Guidepost Montessori Westlake community. Parent perspective: "As a parent, there is nothing more reassuring than knowing your child is safe, respected, and truly cared for every day. Guidepost Montessori Westlake has been an incredible place for our son to grow." If you're a parent looking for a thoughtful, patient, and well-run Montessori toddler or preschool program in Westlake or Austin, this school is truly a special place for children to learn, grow, and thrive

We have been extremely satisfied with the care and attention our son has received in the two and a…read morehalf years he has been enrolled here. Activities are well thought-out and there is ample time built into each day for arts & crafts, reading books, playground time, and other activities (and oh yes, the all-important nap!). The staff-to-child ratio is higher than what we have seen at other daycares and the current head of school, Courtnee, has gone above and beyond in getting to know each child and their parents. One benefit to a Montessori model is having mixed age classrooms. Especially with the toddler room (18 months - 3 yrs), it provides the opportunity for younger kids to see behavior and action modeled by older kids, particularly with potty training. Our son can see children of the same age or slightly older go through that step and I think it has taken out much of the anxiety. He has picked up good habits such as helping to clean up and put things back, sharing, and being kind to others, and I am confident he is safe, well cared for, and growing while at Guidepost.

A month ago Percy W. Wrote exactly what I'm going to touch base on. I've been on this waitlist for…read morea year and 3 months. They told me I was 3rd after following up 3 months after. I put a deposit and everything. I still get $0 balance invoices. I'm pretty sure they are scamming people. Taking payments that are non refundable and never returning calls. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DEPOSIT UNLESS YOUR KID IS FOR SURE IN.

We toured the facility in July and were told the wait was up to 3 months, that current teachers had…read moretheir kids there and that they had priority on the waitlist (understandable). However, they would all be moving up soon and therefore there would be openings in all the classes. We submitted a non-refundable waitlist fee of $150 (for 2 kids) on July 9th because we would be moving to Kyle in Jan. Since they never followed up I emailed them on December 8th and was told my younger child was 3rd on the list. I followed up again on Jan 12th and was told that he was now at the top of the list. I called twice in February and once again 2 weeks ago. We had to put the kids in other daycares. I called today and was told that the waitlist is longer than what I was quoted and there were people that have been on the list for 2 years. Overall not a good experience, the building is dated, and the yard is dry and bleak. The (residential) front doors can hardly be considered secure. When you enter the first thing you see is a glass wall with sun beat baby toys. If you want a daycare that will follow up and update you on the waitlist, or even return phone calls, just know it is not their policy to do so unless you are at the point of enrollment.

My sweet daughter has been attending EPA since Kindergarten. We enjoy this school due to their…read moregreat staff, scholar programs, education, and always being accommodating to parents requests. It's a tight-knit family there, and they treat all with kindness and respect. The teachers are always openly communicating with us parents, and always keeping us in the loop for our childrens education. I highly recommend EPA to any parent that wants the one-on-one more interactive teachings to their kids.

I was getting my state inspection done today and across the street was Eden Park. I saw 2 young…read moregirls trying to load or unload something in the recycle dumpster. After struggling for a few minutes one girl jumps on the dumpster and opens the hatch then she falls in. I see her rooting around for a few minutes then watch her as she struggles to get out. I see a cop and tell him about it and he said there is nothing he can do. So I stand there debating if I should run over and just get her out. I debated this because my luck people would think Im trying to do something to these kids. Then the girl finally gets out. By this time me and another customer have watched this thing unfold and one of the guys in the shop goes "we see kids doing that all the time"... Why were kids even out there unsupervised, Why were they emptying garbage? Anything could have happened from just any weirdo walking/driving by could have just snatched one or both, up to the fact that the truck could have come to empty the dumpster. So I pay up at the shop and go to the school to tell someone and they didnt seem surprised but more like "not again" type of reaction. I was kind of taken back, but they said they would handle it. I have typically heard good things about this school but after seeing this I would never ever ever ever consider this school for my children nor recommend it for others

After moving my child to a new school from The Learning Experience, I saw such a big positive…read morechange. He is improving so much now -- which only shows how harmful TLE was for him. Even today, after two months, my child still says, "I never want to go back to The Learning Experience." As a parent, I can only imagine what they must have done to his young mind for him to feel this strongly. The worst part is the dishonesty. They lie about everything. They show parents that they are giving children a lot of support, but in reality, they never did. If you try to go inside after drop-off for any reason, they make excuses and don't let you in -- they'll just take whatever you bring so you cannot check the classroom yourself. On the few times I was able to go inside, I personally saw many negative things happening in the school. The teachers are not supportive, the environment is negative, and the administration is not honest with parents. I regret ever enrolling my child at TLE, and I would never recommend it to any family who wants their child to be safe, happy, and truly supported.

We have been enrolled for almost a year and absolutely love it! We temporarily left due to an…read moreoption with my employer daycare but quickly came back to TLE Kyle under Paola's management for better care. The child/adult ratios, the communication/updates, the food/snacks, the security, and the relationships are the reason we decided to come back. We are excited to have our second baby attending TLE soon also!

We transferred here to 1st grade from a public charter school and I didn't realize how unhappy my…read moredaughter was at the charter school until she was enrolled in Sankalpa and seeing the difference. She now looks forward to going to school and describes school as awesome and fun - every parents dream come true for their kid to love school! She now comes home singing songs whereas before she needed to disconnect and would beg to watch TV (she's not interested in TV since Sankalpa - I think the environment fosters self esteem and love of productivity). She does yoga, learns Chinese and Spanish, and the staff are unflinching in their standards for teaching the children grace and curtesy. I'd say this school is great for any child, but more for children and parents who: 1. Like a quieter learning environment: it gets loud, but at specific times. During the work hours it's quiet and relaxed. 2. Love nature (they're often out and even with clipboards studying things like plants and fractals) 3. Like forging deeper relationships with others: because of the more intimate setting, you're going to interact with parents and the teachers every day. This isn't for everyone, but if you like that sense of community and extended family, it's like that here. 4. Are ok with their child not taking state tests: there are other tests given (one of the very cool things about Sankalpa, it's what first perked my ears) to see where the child is in their learning, and then to tweak their learning program to "fill in the gaps" so to speak. This is how every child has their own individual learning program. 5. Are willing to pay tuition: I was worried about this until I saw how much she loved school and learning, then I realized it was the best investment ever. They're only this little once, and it's the best thing ever to find the school where they can thrive and be enlivened. 6. Want experienced teachers: Sankalpa might be a new school but all the teachers are seasoned and it shows in their interactions with the kids. The principal also has worked at nearly all the alternative schools in Austin so she knows what's what. 7. Are okay with going through Sankalpas admission process: for us this was actually fun, but everyone is different. We enjoyed taking the tour, meeting with the principal and spending an hour getting to know each other, and our daughter loved her trial time at the school which was a week, some kids might be longer or shorter. I loved going through all this because it really helped us make a decision based on facts rather a feeling. It's like getting to know someone before getting married or making a commitment. :) If you're considering Sankalpa at least go through the admission process, it's the best way to really know if it's the right match for your family (but more importantly your child).

Our family has enjoyed our time at Sankalpa. We really appreciate how warm and welcoming the staff…read moreis every single time we see them - it is clear they are all dedicated to the students and to their growth and success. The small class size is wonderful, as it is a great location for walks and field trips. They do a great job of instilling a sense of ownership in the students - the kids are responsible for their rooms, their supplies and their work. It's awesome to witness them tiding up at the end of each day. An all around inclusive education.