We've been at The PREP for over 2 years and between our 2 kids, have been in almost every…read moreclassroom. We were drawn to The PREP initially for the independence and exploration the school offers. Kids learn beyond their classroom and the playground. There is an indoor gym, a tech room, an outside classroom, splash pad (for summer) and a cafe/art studio. At a young age, our kiddos were learning how to transition to new spaces and learn in all different environments. There have been changes with leadership and teachers during this time, but I feel like every change has been for the better and with the kids in mind. My 2 children have always felt comfortable with their teachers and as a parent I know the school leadership is listening to any concerns I might bring and addresses them appropriately. My oldest just graduated preK and I feel strongly that she is ready for Kindergarten. The PREP makes learning fun and my kids playing "school" on the weekends is a testament to the environment that is being fostered here.

Would leave 0 stars if i could. As a parent, I…read moreunfortunately cannot recommend this school. My concerns are primarily related to communication, child safety, and how behavioral incidents are handled. One of my biggest concerns has been communication with parents when serious incidents happen. I do not feel that parents are always adequately informed when their children are involved in incidents such as biting or other physical behaviors. When a child is being hurt by another student, I believe parents should be notified and given a clear understanding of what happened and how the situation was addressed. I have also had concerns about repeated behaviors such as hitting, kicking, and biting. From my perspective as a parent, there does not always seem to be a clear or consistent approach to addressing these situations. I believe children deserve to feel safe at school, and parents deserve to feel confident that appropriate steps are being taken when safety concerns arise. Another concern is the consistency of communication from management. At times, information and expectations have seemed unclear or inconsistent, which can be frustrating for families trying to understand what is happening and what procedures are being followed. Choosing childcare or a school for your child requires a great deal of trust. Unfortunately, based on my experience, I do not feel that this is an environment where I am comfortable recommending the school to other families. I strongly encourage parents considering this school to ask specific questions about HOW injuries AND behavioral incidents ARE handled, WHEN parents are notified, and WHAT MEASURES are in place to keep children safe.

Star Montessori has been fantastic for both my daughters. My older one attended for daycare when…read moreshe was 2 years old. She's now 6 and enjoys going back to their summer camp. It is special to see her maintain close relationships with her old teachers, who knew and cared for her when she was a baby. My younger daughter (2.5 years old) is currently attending their full time program, and loves going to school. She is learning so much! Teachers are nurturing, loving, and compassionate. They truly care about the kids and build close bonds with them, which is wonderful to see. Highly recommend this daycare + school.

Our daughter has gone to Star Montessori for the past 3.5 years and we highly recommend it to…read moreanyone looking for a place where their child will feel comfortable and learn a ton. Our daughter has learned so much and is beyond prepared for kindergarten. Each child gets individual attention at their learning level plus group instruction. She's a little shy but feels very comfortable and loves all of the teachers there and so do we as parents. Can't recommend enough.

I toured lots of schools. My 3 year old has made a 180 since coming here, is using more words and…read moreknows all his ABCs (not from me!). What got me wasn't the facility or the building, while nice (huge outdoor area)- it was the people. Remember, the people make the school. Director is awesome has been doing this a long time. She is common sense and really loves the kids. Same for Megan , Christina and all the teachers. All of them! Again I have been to many of the schools including chains like Primrose and this SPECIFIC kiddie academy is the best of them all when it comes to staff and care!

Girls are rude here they don't wanna help out at pick up they would rather sit around and gossip to…read moretheir coworkers you ask them a question and they just sit there and point to where it's at being lazy they seem to not have a answer when you ask them something disrespectful girls

Primrose at Vista Ridge is a phenomenal place for your kiddos. We had our 5 month old in the infant…read moreprogram. The teachers, Astrid and Daniela, are beyond caring and helpful. Its obvious they love what they do, and you can see the attachment form as they get to care for your little one. They have a solid curriculum, even for the little babies! Every week, they would have her focus on expressions, shapes, developing the senses, and community play. The sleeping situation took a bit of getting used to. There are strict guidelines laid out by the state, that they have to follow, so while our baby didn't get a dark and quiet nap space with a sound machine and blackout curtains (due to the state mandated guidelines, you wont get that anywhere), she did develop skills to fall asleep in more difficult situations, and learned how to self soothe to sleep. WIN! The front office is also lovely. Kayla and the crew are always welcoming, and the communication is stellar and consistent. They have an app where they share daily updates on food intake, nap times, activities, and pictures of your baby. It's scary, putting your infant in child care. This place makes it easy on everyone. From the first day I left our baby, I felt she was in excellent hands. I have nothing bad to say about this place. I would happily recommend this to anyone who is looking for a nurturing place for their children.

UPDATE (July 9, 2025): The incident happened May 7, 2025,…read moreunder the current owners who took over on Dec 31, 2024. In their reply, they referenced "previous ownership" -- THIS IMPLIES THEY ARE DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM THE INCIDENT AND SUGGESTING IT OCCURRED BEFORE THEY TOOK OVER, which is completely false and misleading. so as of july 9,2025 there is another "new owner"?? --------- We've been with Primrose School at Vista Ridge for nearly two years with no prior issues. We always paid on time, had a good relationship with staff, and trusted them with our son's care. Unfortunately, that trust was completely broken by how they handled repeated biting incidents -- especially the most recent one. Over the past few months, my son was bitten multiple times. We accepted the incident reports and moved on, thinking these things happen. But every time I asked my son who bit him, it was always the same child. On May 6, my son did not attend school because he had a fever over the weekend and was still recovering. He returned on May 7, and that same day, he came home with a bite on his face, just under his eye. As a parent, that's terrifying. You don't get a bite like that unless a child grabs and restrains another -- this wasn't a minor mark, and it wasn't something that should ever happen under proper supervision. And yet, the child who bit him was allowed back in class the very next day like nothing happened. All I received was a vague checkbox-style report with no narrative, no real explanation, and no documentation of what steps were taken. When I told staff on May 8 that I didn't want the same child seated near my son, I was ignored. The very next day, I saw photos showing them seated right next to each other again. To make matters worse, the school's solution was to offer to transfer my son -- the victim -- to another class not even his age group, away from his friends. When I asked why the other child wasn't moved, I was told the other parents were "willing to work with the behavioral plan," while I was the one complaining -- so my child was the one they offered to relocate. I guess you can truly measure a childcare center not by how smoothly things go on a good day, but by how they handle a serious situation -- and whether they stand up for the child who was harmed. In this case, they failed completely. Since then, I've toured several other daycares in the area. Most charge around $305 per week, including meals. We were paying $370 per week at Primrose. I realize we were being overcharged for substandard supervision and no accountability. Parents, please be warned. If something goes wrong here, don't expect transparency, accountability, or any effort to truly protect your child.

Our son started this year in the PK2 classroom. We did our homework and there are no other…read morepreschools like it. The ratios are SO small. He has 6 other children in his class with two teachers. His lead teacher has a masters degree in education and many teachers have advanced degrees. Kiddos experience enrichment activities during the day like music, cooking, spanish, and sensory. The hours allow me to be a working parent and have full-time care. His classroom is outfitted with things that are important to us- natural materials instead of plastic, lots of books, and open-ended play spaces. Yes, there is a year-long commitment required to attend but honestly, that was a selling point for us. It means his classroom community will stay the same the entire year and we will not experience the constant reshuffling that happens at "typical preschools". I work in finance and appreciate that, unlike franchise preschools that struggle with revenue fluctuation (i.e. 30-day cancellation policies), this preschool is operating with predictable and sound financial backing. Best decision we could have ever made for our child. He is loved. He is happy. I couldn't recommend this preschool enough.

We toured this preschool and they seemed to have lots of nice outdoor space, but it was summer and…read morewe were not able to meet any teachers. Even though they seemed very much in a transition phase due to the change in ownership to Trinity, we wanted to try this preschool. About halfway though the online enrollment paperwork, they sprung a year-long commitment on us (and an optional insurance policy that costs hundreds of dollars to get 60% of your money back). Most of the staff members seemed nice, except one who assumed I was a first time parent who didn't know how this is supposed to work. (Note: We are not first-time parents. With our older child, we had to move a couple times and attend multiple preschools in multiple states, and none of them required more than a 30-day cancellation notice.) I understand you are trying to conform to Trinity, but this is not yet a Trinity experience, and a year-long commitment for a 2-year-old who hasn't even met the teacher yet is not normal or reasonable. Another note if you are considering this school: Currently a child has to reapply to Trinity for Kindergarten. No guarantees that you'd get in. If they would bring their cancellation policy in line with every other preschool we have toured, we would consider them, but for now, we are exploring other options.

Our 7 yr old son has been going to Ms. Samantha since he was 3 yrs old. What started as a…read morekindergarten preparation, quickly became a kindergarten advancement class. Before our son was in kindergarten, he was bringing home 1st grade level books to read. By the time our son reached kindergarten, he was already at a 2nd grade reading level. We decided then to continue bringing him to Ms. Samantha's, during the summer, to continue his educational development. Because of Ms. Samantha's dedication to child development and education, I am proud to say that our now second grade son has been accepted into gifted and talented classes and he's currently at a 4th grade reading level! Thank you Ms. Samantha for your dedication and support towards our children. We are very grateful for your help. P.S. Picture day at Ms. Samantha's has been better than the public school pictures, every year!

This In Home Montessori School is such a good place for kids. The teacher is very compassionate and…read moreunderstanding with the children. It's like a regular school at home and there are less kids so the teachers are really great at teaching the kids one on one focusing more on their needs. 10/10 would recommend for your kid(s).

My son started his preschool classes in 2022 and I was so hesitant to put him into school. After…read moretouring the establishment, meeting Steffani, seeing how wonderful the school is I fell in love. I knew my son was in good hands. My son wasn't speaking too much before starting school but after his first year he was speaking full and complete sentences and writing. The teachers there are amazing! They all either had their own kids go through FFP or have taught there for 10+ years. Everyone just seems to be one big family there. My son is now onto kindergarten and my daughter will start her first year there come August. I have nothing but nice things to say about FFP and the wonderful people there.

First Foundations served as our family's first experience with preschool, and for that we are so…read moreextremely thankful. Our shy little daughter just blossomed at this school, to the extent that our friends and extended family remarked on the change in her confidence and demeanor. I'm admittedly a pretty anxious mama bear and I am still, a year later, so shocked at how seamless the adjustment to going to preschool felt for both my daughter and for myself. There were no tears from my little one when I dropped her off, but on more than one occasion she was adamant that she didn't want to leave the school when I picked her up. I could write paragraph upon paragraph, but I'll try to keep it short and sweet because I know firsthand how much energy it takes to search for that perfect fit. Here are some of the aspects that stood out to me! - The whole entire staff here is so wonderful. The director, Mrs. Wilkins, truly pours her heart into her school. She knows and loves each child and greets them by name. She also personally ran my daughter's lunch box/jacket/show and tell item down to her classroom on the more than one occasion that I completely forgot those items in a sleep deprived haze. Our daughter's teachers, Mrs. Gamoneda and Mrs. Pallota, were so kind and loving. Our kiddo can be stubborn, and she started the school year insisting that she didn't want finger paint on her hands. Mrs. G and Mrs. P worked with her, encouraging but never pushing (they even asked my husband and myself if there was any sort of alternative glue or paint she might find more tolerable), and our daughter was beaming with pride when she presented us with a finger painted keepsake a few weeks later. I said I'd keep this short, so bullet points for the rest. - All of the teachers are very qualified. - The school is clean and the teachers had the children wash their hands several times every day even in a pre-coronavirus world. - There are all sorts of fun theme days, class parties and a Christmas program. - This was my daughter's takeaway from our initial tour - two playgrounds! Here is my takeaway - two safe, age appropriate playgrounds that are fenced in. - In addition to the classroom, the children attend Chapel, Spanish and music class (we had the opportunity to observe a bit of the music class on our tour, and the kids were having so much fun). - A perfect combination of play based learning and learning skills that will be needed in kindergarten (our 4 y/o is now able to write her name but she had a lot of fun at school too) - The teachers incorporate super cool activities (a volcano, a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly, a classroom full of tents, reading Biblical stories via blacklight) into their daily lesson plans. - The school is safety minded. This was huge for me. - If you have a baby on your hip, everyone will help you. :) There is a wonderful drop off program, actually, in which teachers are in charge of getting kids from your car. It's very safe and coordinated well. - The school has a bridge program and a kindergarten program. This is actually how I learned about First Foundations. It's seriously the best school, and the only thing I would ever change about it is that I wish our kids could attend for a couple more years.

We are so thankful for this program. Our daughter just completed her first year there and the…read moregrowth and development we see in her is incredible. Monica is not only an amazing teacher, but an incredible support for helping us raise our children in the best possible way. Our daughter is so confident, has learned how to play independently and be at ease in a way we never saw before. Her imagination and love for art have grown so much, as well as her physical strength. She can climb trees, and play with just about any rock or stick anywhere we go. The love and dedication Monica put into this program and all the children is very clear, and the amazing bonus has been the great community of caring parents we have met through the school. We will always be grateful to have found Maestra Monica, our daughter looks forward to school everyday and we look forward to the years ahead being a part of this community.

Banyan Forest Kindergarten is a magical place! The kindergarten combines two of the most important…read morethings we were looking for that we couldn't find in any other school in the Austin area - a true forest school where the children are outside all day and a Waldorf teaching philosophy. Monica Martinez is an exceptional teacher - she is experienced, thoughtful, and intentional with her guidance to the children and to us as parents. Banyan effortlessly combines a true Waldorf curriculum (woodwork, knitting, watercolor) with a true forest school (almost the entire day in nature, kids climbing trees, playing in mud, running in the forest, jumping in puddles) -- it is a dream of a school & we are so grateful to have found this community!