Just in case Natalie will explain my review from below in a long and overwhelming format. But you can 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. read more

Our kids have been to Birch Tree (BTA) over the past 4 years. We've had an amazing experience, and recently 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. read more

We couldn't be happier with this daycare/preschool. The teachers are warm, attentive, and genuinely care about each child's growth and well-being. The classrooms are clean, safe, and full of engaging activities that spark creativity and curiosity. Our child has grown so much socially and academically since starting here, and every day they come home excited to share what they've learned. Communication with parents is excellent--we always know what's going on and feel included in the process. It's clear this is more than just childcare; it's a nurturing community that sets kids up for success. Highly recommend to any family looking for a safe, supportive, and enriching environment! read more

We have had the worst experience here. It was clear our child, or any of the other children too honestly, were not even close to being a priority for the staff. I found out the employees are not treated fairly at all due to favoritism, double-standards, and more, so it's no wonder they end up having to worry about politics and their own well-being above the needs of the children. We switched to The Growing Tree and have been happy ever since! read more

Hey Parents! Listen up if you want a review that's worth your time reading, specific to this particular daycare, the teachers, curriculum, pricing and recommendation on whether you should have your child attend here. Recommendation: 100% yes, you should enroll your child here. Why should you care about my review: We have been a Birch Tree Academy family for 5 years to the month. I have two kiddos 6 and 2, my oldest graduated from their Kindergarten Program at the Bothell location and my youngest attended both Bothell and Lake Hills. Both of my kids have also attended other centers like Bright Horizons and A Child's Journey Montessori. I would hands-down choose Birch Tree every time. The only reason why we chose to leave BTA is because of the commute / proximity to our home. Pros: - Birch Tree is one of the few "boutique" style childcare centers where you get the best of franchise daycare establishments with quality teachers and quality programs (science, math, art, music, language etc.) but with the small-center feel of knowing all the teachers, administrative employees (including the Chef), parents and other children. - Your child will be cared for deeply - whether that's math/reading, social emotional skills or just purely learning right/wrong and being a good friend in the classroom. Every teacher we've had has been fair and has excellent classroom management skills. - Your child will be fed organic chef-prepared Russian/American meals complete with fresh vegetables fruit and a balanced diet. (My oldest child only eats the scrambled eggs from Birch Tree, no matter how hard I try to replicate it) - Your child will benefit from the focus on language whether it's immersion Russian or Spanish specialists - Your child will benefit from lower classroom ratios - Kiddos wear "inside-shoes" for inside and "outside shoes" for the outdoors to reduce the about of germs in the classroom for floor-time play. The teachers also clean religiously. - You will have an abundance of professional communication from the teachers and staff including weekly newsletters, photos during the day and real-time cameras in the classroom. As a "corporate mom", I love the organization and timeliness of the communication with parents. - You will benefit from lots of "extras" that other daycares don't provide including Holiday events (Trunk or Treat, 4th of July Parades, Friendship week etc.) and evening Webinars for parents on important topics as your kiddo grows (all at no-cost) - Pricing is extremely reasonable for the area. As of this review, Bright Horizons is charging $3,350 for a 2-year-old class vs. Birch Tree's 2's class if $2,660. Other important considerations - you may consider these cons: - Hours are 7:30am-6pm, Bright Horizons is 6:30am-6:30pm. Depending on your work hours, this may or may not be an issue - Extreme allergies or dietary restrictions may warrant you bringing in your own food. - The tuition rates will increase year over year, but seem to be in-line or lower to comparable centers Lastly, I'll say this because every parent experiences this. If your child is sick, they will be sent home. Our kids have been sent home countless times and it is extremely frustrating, but it's necessary and the policy applies to every daycare we've attended. It's an early investment in their immune system that will pay dividends in their elementary school years. read more

We chose Birch Tree daycare because they assured us that they know what they are doing and deal with children of all ages, including toddlers (we have a 3-year-old). They assured they know how to redirect the child, involve them in play, teach them how to nap in an unfamiliar environment and many more things that sounded great and instilled trust in them. We were on the waitlist first and later, paid a deposit to hold our spot that was supposed to open up 10 months down the road. We all waited with excitement. Before enrolling we were upfront with them about the fact that our toddler was having hard time sleeping outside of home but that it would be OK for us to pick him up before the nap time if they can't occupy him during that time. They reassured us that they have dealt with children who are not napping and they have plenty for them to do, including a gym room where someone can watch the non-nappers play without disturbing others. What we received was a horrid experience and most humiliating for our child and us treatment by the owner and the teachers. They arranged a half-day introductory time a week before the official start on 9/7/21. They called me in less than 2 hours asking me to come get my baby because he stepped out of class several times to explore the areas outside the classroom and because he was not going down for a nap. When I asked if they gave him a tour of the school to satisfy his curiosity and decrease his anxiety about what is behind that classroom door, they avoided answering this question. I asked the administrator, the teacher and later, the owner. No one answered if they were planning to show him around or what strategies they planned to implement to help him adjust during those 2 hours. It seemed like they just expect children to be quiet and not inquisitive, not to explore their environment and the most ridiculous thing--to be able to nap in a completely strange environment seen for the first time in their life with a dozen of other children with no support or comfort measures. When I rushed there to pick him up, I saw through the glass door that he was quietly standing in the dark by a wall, waiting all alone while 2 teachers were sitting and comforting other children to sleep. The teacher was not able to communicate to me what strategies she used to make him at ease on his first trial "day". Her "feedback" only included stating the obvious and complaining about him. She did not offer him to go potty so he went in his pull up the entire time there. She did not even take a minute to change the pull up and by the time I got him, he had a 2 lbs pull up overflowing, soaking his pants all the way down to his knees. So, they kicked us out in less than 2 hours of our baby being there because they refused to do proper introduction to the environment and provided no childcare to him. They were unable to back up their actions and unable to answer questions. They were unable to provide professional and structured feedback. Not to mention, a plan on how we can work as a team to help the child to adjust moving forward. It was just heartbreaking and shocking. I was literally heartbroken over this terrible experience for him and us. We put all of our hopes into this one school because of all the reassuring promises they provided. And now that they kicked us out after a 2-hour-trial, we are left with no school placements since all the enrollments are done and most good places are to full capacity. We have to start from square one and wait for weeks and months to get placed. My baby is very social, talkative and loving (he hugs and kisses everyone, even strangers). He has no issues letting me go away and start playing with someone. While there, he for the first time ever started to cling to me and asked me to please not to ever go back there. He looked scared and now has PTSD about childcare because we are looking for schools now and he is terrified to go try anything. We all are. They also advertise on being "clean" and "disinfecting everything". However, we found that it was very dirty in there. They couldn't even clean his cabbie as a welcome gesture (and per their own cleaning protocol) especially, knowing we are new. I brought disinfecting wipes with me just in case and had to use 5 large wipes to clean out black dirt, glitter and mud out if his cabbie and a bin for personal items. It was disgusting. They do not have any curriculum. I was personally concerned about that at the time of enrolling and they confirmed that they don't have any official classes, but supposedly have plenty of "projects" during the morning hour. They do not have official English or Russian lessons, no art or music. They only offer a PE once a week. It seems discombobulated and as if it's mostly just "faking till they make it" through the day. They do some art projects and call it "curriculum". They put up all the kids' projects on the walls to create the façade of staying busy and having a "curriculum". read more

Birch Tree Academy - overflowing pull up after not taking him to go potty and didn't even change pull up knowing I'm coming. - Language Schools Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We love love Birch Tree Academy and have had both our kids there the last two years. During the Pandemic everyone there were basically frontline workers and should be commended to the highest level for the work they did and continue to do. They implemented precautionary measures and pandemic protocols very early on and even signed up to do free testing for students and staff. My wife and I are both in healthcare and so doing virtual, at-home school for our Kindergartner age daughter was not feasible for us. Birch Tree ended up opening another Kindergarten class and our 6yo was able to attend. Let me just say, the attention she got from her teacher in advancing her learning was noticeable the first few months she started K there. She was reading, writing and doing basically first grade Math within half a year? We were so surprised at how fast she was able to pick up! No doubt because of the smaller class size and teaching. Our son who is two, also LOVES her teacher(s). We had a small graduation ceremony just today and you can just tell the staff there were not just there for a paycheck but because they really do love working with kids and seeing them grow. Myself being a hospital worker the past 11 years can definitely tell the heart of genuine caregivers when I see one. Thank you all at BT for all you do. My daughter will miss her teachers and friends there when she moves on to 1st grade. You guys have been lifesavers, pandemic heroes and definitely all deserve a raise ;) read more

If you are looking for a place that gives you peace of mind for your kids- Birch Tree Academy is the real answer. The best team of super smart and creative people work together to bring that warm and caring environment for me, as a parent, and my daughter. Your kids will love to wake up every morning to go there. Such a friendly environment, great communication, amazing teachers and staff! They provide different webinars for parents to help us with the most important transitions in children's life. Forget about what your kids will eat all day. Fresh food is provided 5 times per day.In case you miss your little one throughout the day - check the live web camera and watch his/ her your kid play)) They stay happy and at the end of the day- kids don't want to leave, I know mine doesn't :) And yes, we all want THE BEST for our little ones. read more

I wouldn't recommend this place at all. My son went to preschool there. My child was wet all the time there, from being outside, after washing hands, from doing crafts. Teacher never changed my son clothes. He was in slippers outside in October, November. Teachers and owners never said sorry, but instead blamed my 4 and a half years old son for not telling them that he was wet. Teachers saw him jumping in puddles outside and thought he was not wet. Who is working there? Are they adults people with common sense? After talking with teacher who had 20+ years of experience working with kids, all she said that my son needs to be independent and that she has 18 kids in the class and it is hard to deal with all 18 kids in the class. They have serous problem and it is called neglect of care. Do yourself a favor don't send your child to this childcare! All they care is money and not your child. read more

I'm so glad to have chosen Birch Tree academy school for my child. This is our kiddo's Kinder year. My son has truly blossomed over the past few months academically and socially. He is always eager to go to school and has a wonderful relationship with his teachers. The director and teachers make themselves very accessible and very supportive. I will be sad when my son transitions out and keep asking the owner to extend the school beyond Kinder! read more

The owners of the academy are very nice: Natalia and sherry. I was very impressed with them. They were warm and caring and seem to love what they do. We decided to enroll my daughter because we liked the facility and the teachers appeared to be excellent. During the first trial week, I noticed that there were some great teachers who were really hands on and played and talked with the kids. However, I noticed that there were also some teachers who just only chatted among themselves. On the last day of our trial, I sat in during lunch. My kid has a ton of severe food allergies where she can have trouble breathing if she consumes the food that she is allergic to. I checked beforehand w the teacher whether or not there was dairy. The teacher said that there was no dairy in the meal. My toddler ate the meal and she broke out in hives immediately afterwards. The main teacher looked concerned and quickly notified the office staff. I went out to ask the office manager whether or not I could get an ingredients list so I could prevent this from happening. She seemed unconcerned at all and said that it wasn't possible - totally unaccommodating. She shrugged the whole thing off saying that it's normal to put a little butter in fish. Again, totally unapologetic. Sherry was super responsive and apologized and tried to figure out a plan to prevent this from happening in the future, which I appreciated. The next day, I brought her back and the other teacher didn't even bother to follow up and ask how she was doing or discuss more about her allergies. I decided to pull her out. This place might be great for kids who don't have allergies but for those who do, it seemed like they didn't have much experience with handling this. read more

Very dishonest people. When interviewing for a job, they say you are a good fit for us and even negotiated a salary. Then my wife quit her previous job. The next day it turned out that they had more interviews. Why don't you say it right away. My advice to those who will be looking for work here is not worth it. No need to deal with those who lie from the very beginning. I'm sure that's how they behave with customers. read more

Its a good school for picky parents of 1-5 years olds. We have two daughter here for one year now and it has been a good experience overall. They try to keep menu organic. Building is new, clean, bright and rooms are spacious. Families that come here are very international and great people. Most of teachers are great and have lots of fun projects every day. I felt pretty happy most of the days when I dropped my girls here. read more

Birch Tree Academy - Front lobby with the mural of birch trees - Language Schools Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

My daughter has been here for almost a year. She is a picky child but the teachers are very caring and they can take care of her tantrum every morning. The food is very tasty. My daughter is also very picky in eating but now she can eat zucchini or bell peppers. The environment is very clean. Before she went here, she rarely talked but now she can speak in full sentence and know alphabet and numbers from 0 to 20. I'm very pleased with my kid's progress. read more

This is a shout out to Natalie, the owner. She's hardworking, friendly and on point, you can see the fruits of her dedication in how well organized the place is. I went in to inquire about their Russian class but our schedule situation simply can't work, so Natalie suggested to try a tutor and then went above and beyond to actually personally introduce me to one instead! Wow! Since I sat in the lobby for a bit, I saw her personally greet many kids by name and you can see the whole center is run with love and care with a can do and no sweat approach. We don't go here yet but will look forward to figuring something out in the future for our younger one when she is ready. Thanks Natalie! read more

Worst daycare ever!!! I made an appointment with director Sherri for a tour and arrived on time. She was in a meeting and asked front desk receptionist to show me around. After 30 minutes with receptionist, I found out she's new and doesn't know the important details like room ratio, and maximum children for each classroom, holiday days, e.g. So I requested to change a person to give me the tour. Then, Sherri just simply kicked me out!!! She didn't want to talk to me and directly said 'you are not fit for our center.'! I don't know what happened and why she's so rude and not show any respect to parents! I feel anyone enrolled to this daycare might be kicked out for a simple complain from parents. I feel disappointed about their management and attitude. It's not a good place for children. read more

Most of the staff are untrained and do not know safe handling instructions with children. I have seen teachers constantly on their phones or laying on the ground instead of supervising children. I have seen teachers picking up young toddlers by their limbs and showing them videos when they don't feel like teaching. I have seen a teacher left without appropriate ratios (it was 1:10 and the law is 1:7) I have experienced neglect first hand working there when a baby had a fever of 101.6 his parents were not contacted until an hour and a half after the director had been notified. This facility has served bad/sour milk to the kids and they do not keep accurate or updated forms for children's allergies. Children have been left outside unsupervised and no one knew where they were. The indoor gym did not have a cleaning/sanitizing routine until almost 10 months after the facility opened which was the cause of all 8 classrooms contraction hand foot and mouth- a very uncomfortable and painful illness common in children. They DO NOT PROVIDE support for teachers They do not have a break schedule and many teachers will work all day without their legal breaks. I caught another staff member smoking inside the building and reported it to my director who neglected to address the problem. I found images of the children posted on staff social media pages and reported it- policies have not changed. The food is made in the kitchen, but is not developmentally appropriate for all ages and does not match licensing requirements- we had children choking because they have a hard time with raw vegetables, we had children hungry because there wasn't enough food, we had sometimes no food at all for the children with dietary restrictions. NEITHER the owner, the director, or the manager of operations has any experience or background in Early Childhood Education and they threw this school together in June 2017 They put having a good work day above children's safety and it is inappropriate. I was told I was the best teacher they had seen in the 3 years they've been doing this business, AND THEN I was asked to step down from my teaching position to be a float because I was 'noticing' their failure to comply with licensing requirements and they "didn't have time to address those issues" Good place to work if you have ZERO experience and ZERO training as most of the staff there are the same. Dangerous place to take your kids! Only if you are comfortable with potentially not having a child at the end of the day should you bring your Toddler (1's-2's) there. read more

My son was going to the BirchTree for 3 years and now my daughter is starting there. I think it is the best place to preserve Russian but also introduce to English. Tanya Vashkevich is the best teacher there. My son loves her. And now when after 6 months since we moved to a different school he still remembers her and often says "And Miss Tanya said that ...". read more