Our family loves it here! Our infant had a terrible experience at another school (daycare) about 3…read moremiles away. ACM has taught us that infant rooms are not chaotic. Babies crying all day is not normal. ACM has natural lighting. They spend a lot of time outside with all ages. They hold and comfort our 9-month-old baby. He has no trouble sleeping at ACM. The guides seem to love the children. Our baby has really started talking and eating more. He is much happier now that he is at ACM! As our the parents! We have learned to trust our intuition and it is all good at Austin Children's Montessori!

ACM was fine for babies but not for toddler boys. The owner is the type to push families out…read moreinstead of relying on early childhood development expertise to help kids with a lot of energy be successful. The final straw for us was when she told me, a first-time mom who at the time didn't know any better, that my 3 year old had caused 2 teachers to leave ACM, including one who left the profession. Really? A 3 year old caused a teacher to leave the profession? What kind of ECD professional says something like that to a parent. And other parents had similar experiences at the time. My son went on to be beloved by the teachers of our next school who supported him to the point where he is recognized as a model student now in elementary school. Ms. T is a bully. Don't let her make you question what you know deep down to be right and wrong. I've noticed that many of the negative reviews have been removed. Not sure if it's an algorithm or what but if you are a new parent considering send you your kid here just know that.

My daughter loves her teachers Ella and Dixie. Everyone of the staff is amazing and the facility…read morealways looks fresh.

I wanted to provide an update to my review to provide some more information about BH…read more They have an app for communications sends you pictures, what they ate, how they were doing/feeling, education and curriculum, etc. They have sports, soccer, and ballet at the center if you choose to enroll. They give preschoolers these cute BH backpacks and it's adorable. The teacher turn over has been low and many teachers have been there far longer than either of my kids have. My middle daughter started there 7+ years ago. They actually have four different play areas and inside gym and movement room. They also do a cool water sprinkler fun time during hot months. They have a huge unicorn sprinkler that the kids love. It's really sweet.

Bright Beginnings has been a wonderful experience for our son. The structured learning environment…read morehas helped him grow and thrive tremendously over the past year. We've truly seen such positive development in him, in both his learning and character. He especially loves the outdoor time -- it's one of his favorite parts of the day, and he's rarely ready to leave when it's time to go home! We are so grateful to have found a place where we feel completely comfortable and confident sending our son each day. We would absolutely recommend Bright Beginnings to other families and look forward to enrolling our second child when he's old enough to attend!

Bright Beginnings provides an engaging environment where my 3 year old is daily learning…read moredevelopmentally appropriate play, crafts, and fun. He has grown in friendship and empathy through consistent opportunities to celebrate his peers and make holiday memories. The thoughtful and caring staff at Bright Beginnings builds a community that welcomes and supports our littles!

We had a great 4 years with INIC at their Austin Campus. I always had great communication from the…read moreteachers along the ups and downs that come with raising a baby into a little child, and felt that each teacher went out of their way to have a bond with our kiddo. There was lots of hugs and affection, and we never had any concerns around his safety or academic growth. He loved going to school and would run away from me at pickup time because he wanted to keep playing.

My family was part of the INIC community for nearly four years. I sent both of my daughters there…read moreas infants and previously left a 5-star review. I would have enthusiastically recommended this school. Today, I cannot. The issue is not the teachers. The teachers have been exceptional and are the reason so many families choose this school. Despite years of tuition increases and persistent concerns from teachers and families, the school has not made the investments necessary to retain them. In early March alone, at least 7 teachers left or announced their departures--nearly 20% of the teaching staff by parents' count. Both of my daughters experienced unexpected teacher departures in their classrooms during that same period. For young children, teachers are not interchangeable. They are trusted caregivers and a critical source of stability. When teachers leave, children lose important relationships and families are left helping them navigate yet another transition. During enrollment, families are told classrooms are staffed with a lead teacher, an assistant teacher, and additional flex staff available for coverage. In reality, my oldest daughter's classroom frequently operated at the legal minimum ratio of one teacher for fifteen four-year-olds. Multiple current and former teachers described being unable to reliably use sick days, vacation days, or even take basic bathroom breaks because there was often insufficient coverage available. When a school is staffed so leanly that teachers struggle to meet basic human needs during the day, it raises serious questions about how well both teachers and students are being supported. Teachers reported compensation in the $14-$17/hour range despite bilingual education being one of the school's primary differentiators. Comparable non-bilingual childcare positions in Austin often advertise higher wages. The result is predictable: teachers leave. Children lose stability. Families absorb the consequences. Demand for bilingual childcare in Austin far exceeds supply, and many families have few realistic alternatives once enrolled. Given that reality--and given that tuition has continued to increase year after year--I expected a greater commitment to investing in the teachers and staffing stability that families are ultimately paying for. Parents who attempted to ask questions and advocate for improvements--including efforts to reestablish the PTA--often received little to no response. While our family's relationship with the school ultimately ended following disagreements with leadership about these issues, the concerns described here are based on nearly four years of experience and conversations with numerous current and former teachers and families. The teachers are the school's greatest strength. The challenge is whether the school will make the investments necessary to retain them long enough to provide the stability and continuity that young children deserve.

We love SJN as our home parish but also for our kids! They have loved going to summer camp and the…read moreteachers were so kind and loving.

I am a father of two children who both have attended St. John Neumann (SJN) pre-school. I've had…read morean overwhelmingly positive experience with Kelly Montgomery and all of the teachers at SJN. If you are fortunate enough to find a spot for your children, I wouldn't hesitate even for even a minute. We've tried several different pre-schools in multiple cities and SJN is our hands-down favorite (and our top pick for any children joining our family in the future). I receive multiple updates per week via email from my child's Pre-K teacher, Ms. Chrysta. She includes specific aims and goals in her emails and lesson plans, and she produces great results, too! Of note, my child's social and writing skills have improved, and she takes direction far better than before attending SJN. Most importantly, my child feels loved by her teachers, and she loves them back. At this critical Pre-K age, both a trust and a bond with teachers and the administrator set the tone for everything else. Most days, my child feels moved to enter the office of "Chi Chi" (Kelly) and give her a goodbye hug. I also see this trust and love between my child and teachers not directly involved with my child's education. The small size of the school allows for this. All of the teachers and staff say "hi" and "bye" to my child by name, and ask my child questions about the day or the weekend. This makes SJN as much a community as it is a school. The classroom sizes are kept small so that each child has a chance for individual attention and instruction. SJN has early drop-off and late stay options, too. The other parents I've met tend to be highly involved in their children's lives. There are both fathers and mothers dropping off and picking up kids. I've made friends with many of the families, and hope to continue meeting even more! There is one extremely negative review of SJN pre-school here on Yelp from August 2017. I would ask other Yelp users to do their homework: inspect this reviewer's other reviews and draw their own conclusions about the fairness, accuracy, and focus of this 1-star SJN review.

Talitha Green runs a beautiful Montessori program at Helping Hands. Talitha and Carrie are both…read moreimmeasurably patient and kind, in addition to being extremely knowledgeable in all areas of early childhood development (Montessori pedagogy and beyond!). Because of the size of the school, parents are able to get a lot of feedback directly from Talitha, and it really feels like she is a partner during these topsy-turvy preschool years! The classroom itself sits in a garden, and the space inside is filled with light. One of our favorite traditions is the birthday circle that is done for each child's special day, and we look forward to that every year. The parent community is also very warm and actively involved. There is no place we'd rather be! South Austin's best kept secret!

Helping Hands has been a wonderful place for my kiddos to learn. We have been there for the last…read morethree years, and honestly I do not know what I would have done without them in our lives. Talitha, the owner is super knowledgable and CARES so much about my kids. She is always noticing things that are happening with them developmentally, and we are a team in helping our kids to reach their potential and thrive. Talitha doesn't just teach numbers and letters, although my kiddos come home proficient in those things, she also teaches kindness, empathy, potty learning and manners. I also love Talitha's co-teacher Ms. Carrie, who is always smiling and so kind to my kiddos. One of the most important things for me as a mom is knowing that the place I am leaving my kids is a safe, healthy environment for them in all ways, and it has been just that for us. The school itself feels safe, clean and happy. The community is also super supportive and are generally people I like to hang out with. Can't say enough good things :-)

Our first son went to Children's discovery center and we loved it. Years later we sent our second…read moreson and it has been a poor experience with the new school manager Jaya. We have removed him from the school due to the lack of compassion from Jaya to her employees. Shes seems more worried about being in charge then running a solid school. We have emailed her many times about our concerns and they were all quickly dismissed. We emailed her over a week ago that our son would not be retuning and have not received a response about our tuition or deposit. Its a shame as many of the good teachers have since left or been run off but I would avoid the school as long as she is employed.

My kids have been attending CDC South since they were 3 months old. They absolutely love it there…read moreand never want to leave when it's time to go home. The environment is very positive. They really encourage kids to embrace their creativity while also teaching them not only the basic things like counting, colors, etc, but also kindness, compassion and respect for others and for the earth. This place is amazing and I definitely recommend it.

Wow. I have to repsond to Austin Mom C. lashing out at comments I made concerning my child's…read moreexperience at this preschool. This person is the President of the Board of Directors at Butterfly Christian Preschool and clearly thinks I am not entitled to have an opinion on the re-enrollment policy nor to share it with others. It's important to note that not a single other preschool in Westlake has such a disruptive re-enrollment policy. That goes for Westlake Methodist, Park Hills Baptist, Westlake Presbyterian, St. John Neumann and though not Westlake, Good Shepherd Episcopal. If you want your child to adapt to a preschool schedule and develop friendships with their cohort for years only to have it all yanked away then this is the preschool for you. Clearly the focus is not on the child with respect to re-enrollment, right Austin Mom C.? I can assure you my child will no longer be a student at this school once their MWF experience comes to a screeching halt in May. I might add how unprofessional it is for the Board President to question the decision to let my child finish out the school year. I've never heard of a Board President (or Board member for that matter) encouraging a family to withdrawal from a preschool. Interesting. Board President Austin Mom C., would you prefer that I turn my child's world upside right now rather than wait until fall?

Loved the three program Ms. Kerri is a great teacher. My daughter loved the program…read more I only wish they had more choices in the fours program, they only have 4 day or 5 day program no 2 or 3 day choices.