I was so thrilled to have found SCS! Immediately impressed by how organized and dedicated the…read moreteachers and administrators are. As with most educational organizations, parental involvement and volunteerism are vital to its success. Currently, the Seattle Chinese School utilizes the Interlake High School facility at 16245 NE 24th Street in Bellevue, for its Saturday morning classes. They teach Traditional Mandarin Chinese, not simplified, from age 3 and up. It follows public school calendar, with 30 weeks of classes per year. For parents who prefer a more structured educational setting, I would highly recommend to take a tour, talk with other parents to see if it's a good fit for your child.

From the owner: As the flagship Chinese School in the US Northwest, Seattle Chinese School teaches 3~17 year-old…read morestudents Chinese language (in traditional Chinese characters) and culture in our preschool, bo-po-mo phonetics (class 0) and level 1~10 classes. For non-heritage, 6 years old or older students and/or whose families don't speak Mandarin Chinese, we also offer Chinese as Second Language (CSL) classes. We aim to help these students learn the commonly used Chinese vocabulary and sentence patterns, so they can communicate in Mandarin Chinese and traditional Chinese characters. Enrollment for the new families starts in May through September. School hours are on Saturday mornings for 30 weeks from early September to early June. For more information, please check the school website. Seattle Chinese School (SCS) is a self-supporting, non-profit organization and has no political nor religious affiliations. Its primary goals are to provide the education of the Chinese language and culture for overseas Chinese, to raise the awareness of overseas Chinese of their own ancestral roots. The volunteer school administrators and teachers have always strived to plant the seeds of the Chinese culture in our hearts by offering quality Chinese education.

Birch Tree Academy is a wonderful place for our family. Our child has learned so much, and has a…read moregenuine bond with her teachers. They have great hours (7:30am-6pm) to accommodate flexing work schedules, and they feed the children delicious meals and snacks throughout the day (no need to prepare food during the morning rush!). We're grateful to have found such amazing childcare.

We sent our little one to Birch Tree academy which is a russian immersion program (no we don't…read morespeak russian) and were impressed by the quality care, strong curriculum, and kindhearted staff. We were looking for a childcare that was both educational and nurturing and Birch Tree has gone above and beyond to provide the best care for children. They also speak english to the kids, but ours can now speak bits of Russian along with English at home. The facility itself is homey and well organized with each child welcomed with their own cubbies for coats, shoes, and extra clothing. The space is great for kids to learn and explore with toys that are well organized and not overwhelming the environment. It allows the kids to interact, develop and form relationships. The staff are well trained and we are always greeted at the door for optimal security. They love children and are always so friendly and welcoming. You can tell they care and provide the best care. The director Stephanie is so organized, on top of everything, and is always willing to help. Her dedication and that of the teachers shows in the positive nurturing environment they provide for our little ones. Shout out to Ms. Ksenia for her big heart, amazing art activities and unique curriculum. Our toddler has learned so much and they helped us with many milestones through noticing his personality and helping him grow emotionally and mentally. For curriculum, the daily routine is well structured and full of exciting activities for the children. On top of daily activities they have spanish and music class which is so fun and great for the children's brain development. They are STEM based which is rare to find in the area. They also take the kids outside frequently which is good for their health and physical strength. The food is made in house and is organic and delicious, my toddler told me it is yummy himself. They offer a good variety of well rounded food, the appropriate numbers of snacks and even a dinner snack. They also keep us updated on any changes to menus which is a bonus. Overall, an excellent daycare/ preschool well worth it as they will provide the best care for your little one. We love Birch Tree!

I have so many positive things to say. I looked for a long time and visited, interviewed and…read moreconsidered many options before selecting this academy. The curriculum is advanced and individualized to a degree you won't get in public school. The staff takes time to ensure all children are taught how to learn, learn, and (most importantly) to enjoy learning and staying curious. I won't say more about the academics, you can look up how great they are online. But I will say they don't break kids like other aggressive academic private schools, they make them love learning. The nutrition is top notch. They feed them "home cooked" healthy organic meals 4-6 times a day. Allergies accounted for. No cakes or sweets allowed and each child gets a classroom bday celebration. Arts are built into the curriculum: culinary arts, painting, music and dance with performances, gymnastics and you even get a speech therapist. Kids are with two teachers: English speaking and Russian speaking. This was a major deal for me in terms of importance. The school is high in security and cleanliness. I know my kids are safe and I get photo updates of their time here. The school doesn't teach religion, politics, or gender stuff. That stays with the parents. I love this. It's one of the main reasons I'm here. But they are still teaching kindness, diversity and are strict on anti bullying. The school has hundreds of options for after school programs and care inclusive of science, robotics, musical instruments etc. But most importantly... I love the people. Everyone knows my kids from the daycare to the administration to the cooks to the director of the school. It feels like a warm and safe home. My kids feel comfortable and safe. They are welcomed with kindness. And I feel like they really care. The director of the school called me on the phone to tell me about my son's Iowa test and how she was concerned that someone as smart as him wasn't trying harder to take it. That level of care is so impressive to me. Hands down one of the best decisions I've made for my kids coming here. It is expensive! But very comparable to other private schools in the area. Only thing I can say is I wish the big school events (like graduation and festivals) were a bit more seamlessly organized.

Sarogini is THE BEST HOME AWAY FROM HOME DAY CARE/SCHOOL! My granddaughter Elise spent 3 years…read moreattending that day cre! I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for the love they showed my child and for always being there for her and other kids throughout the years. You won't find better place with wonderful program for the young students, highly educated staff, and great administration! Thanks to Masha Sarogini, for all you do for our children! We wish you all the best!

My two eldest children have been attending RLS since their preschool years. The education level is…read morevery good and homework is assigned daily. The classes keeps my kids challenged and engaged without being too overwhelmed. I highly recommend this school!

My children have been attending RLS for over 5 years now, staring when they were 3 years old…read more RSL has fantastic teachers - dedicated and carrying, giving each child the attention he/she needs. Their classes are small - no more than 6 children per teacher, and every child is provided with textbooks and appropriate notebooks. You can attend classes in person, but there is an option to sign up for private classes over zoom. The school has a lot of classes to choose from, and they always help parents like me with multiple children who want to attend a variety of classes get my schedule just right. The classrooms are clean, the staff is professional. I highly recommend it!

Just in case Natalie will explain my review from below in a long and overwhelming format. But you…read morecan always give me a red heart after you enrolled you kid and really learned about what I said in a hard way. And, you are welcome. We enrolled our child here for a few months and experienced so many problems that we decided to withdraw. Honestly, it's hard to put everything into words. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be chaotic. The management is extremely disorganized, and it shows in every aspect of the school. They promise everything during the tour, but nothing is actually realized. For example, my son's potty training regressed while he was here, yet on his very first day at his new school, he was completely successful again--clearly showing where the issue was. Staffing is a major problem. The school feels understaffed, and instead of hiring enough people, they move teachers around constantly. Teachers are pulled from classrooms to cover the front desk, which leaves children without consistent caregivers and disrupts their sense of safety and stability. Sometimes multiple teachers sit at the front while classrooms and playgrounds remain short-staffed. When teachers are missing, children may be moved into other classrooms without parental consent or proper camera access. The facilities and environment are also concerning. The classrooms and floors are often dirty, even in the morning when children are first dropped off. The food quality is very poor, meals look like leftovers, often just cereal porridge with tiny bits of vegetables or meat, and not the organic quality that was promised. Supervision is lacking both indoors and outdoors. There are no cameras outside, and playgrounds are regularly understaffed. Our child was seriously injured outside and no report was provided. During one unannounced visit, I even witnessed children crying hysterically with no teacher comforting them, while other teachers raised their voices harshly at kids in full view of parents. Another disturbing concern is the culture: the school head's own child is in the school and acts as a bully in the classroom without intervention. Other staff members' children also receive special treatment. If teachers dislike your child, they may even allow or encourage other children to mistreat them. To make matters worse, they openly supports physical punishment, something every other preschool we toured explicitly prohibited. Unfortunately, our child experienced this firsthand. He was two years old, but punished in a harsh and rude way. The teacher had segregated and neglected him during nap time. We are contacting the agencies for the abuse. Hopefully they'll get punished soon. Communication with management is evasive and never provides reassuring answers. Overall, this school fails to provide the safe, nurturing, and trustworthy environment that children need. I cannot recommend it.

Our kids have been to Birch Tree (BTA) over the past 4 years. We've had an amazing experience, and…read morerecently realized how exceptional it is compared to other daycares. We took for granted the high quality care and high standards set by the management and staff. We took a short break and moved our youngest to another daycare for a month just to be closer to our house (national chain daycare in Kenmore), and it was literally night and day. The other daycare was subpar in quality and extremely short staffed, even though the tuition was comparable. We decided to move them back to Birch Tree, and drive the extra miles. What we love about Birch Tree is the management, warm and caring teachers who give lots of hugs, home cooked food, facilities, quality education, classroom camera and Bright Wheel App. Despite the locations expansion, BTA still feels locally owned and the owner Natalie and head of schools Jessica are very much involved in all of their schools. You will still see them in-person floating around the different locations. They generally know all student's names, and the local staff are always friendly and greating parents. They hold their staff to high standards and also expect the same of parents. Kids are well behaved, they wear inside vs outside shoes. Food is better than my home cooked meals, classrooms are modern with high ceilings and large windows, and all teachers have open communication with parents via the instant messaging feature. The admin staff is also on top of communication, and they have an abundance of teachers and admin staff. They also offer weekly PE, music, and Spanish classes which are all included in the price. They also offer parents night-out occasionally, and host events and weekly summer field trips for pre-k. You can do 3, 4, or 5 days a week. Speaking with staff, they enjoy working there and say that there's opportunity for them to grow and take on different roles within the school or office. Other parents we've met have moved from other daycares to go to BTA and seem very happy with BTA. They have well prepared our oldest for kindergarten and we are so thankful. None of these things we observed with the national chain daycare.

My 8-year old son had a great experience at GE Chinese School. He made great progress in the past 6…read moremonth, I'm really happy with the result. I think it is a great school for serious Chinese learners. The school developed its own apps to help kids do their homework everyday.

From the owner: Help you lean Chinese quick and efficientread more