Here is a haiku about Puddletown: Perfect, wonderful…read more and exciting just as well you should join right now! I joke, but it really is an amazing school. I have attended for 9 years and the community, the experiences and the curriculum are all great. Please enroll in the middle school program there so I am not a lonely 8th grader next year... - A Puddletown Student

My daughter joined the Elementary program at age 6 after enjoying several years at another…read moreMontessori preschool. The transition was very smooth and now in her 3rd year there, she's still doing wonderfully. The community (parents, administration, teachers, support staff) are all relaxed and intelligent people that clearly love and value children. The Montessori philosophy and learning environments are authentic and beloved by the children. There's plenty of interaction between the children and the outdoors, with fun interactive garden experiences and an interesting outdoor play area. Tuition is the same as most other Montessori schools, and they offer before and after care, and plenty of opportunities for parents to volunteer. Good times!

We are in our third year as a Childpeace family with boys in Children's House and Lower Elementary…read more The positive energy from students, teachers, staff and parents is truly amazing and heart warming. One can't walk through the doors and not smile. Like most kids, our boys have different skills, interests and personalities. Childpeace does an excellent job, meeting each child where they are developmentally and socially by designing a unique learning experience that nurtures their individual strengths while addressing weaknesses. We have found our boys' guides and assistants to go out of their way to make time to meet with us, answer questions and serve as a terrific resource for extending the classroom experience to our home. Finally, Childpeace hires and retains the absolute best people who often consider working at Childpeace to be a dream job. This love of the school shines through in every interaction.

The best teachers and positive, supportive environment. Small school with opportunities for growth…read morefor every child. I would send my child here indefinitely if they had a high school program.

This is in response to Blue R's comment below:…read more I have been a parent at Gabriel Park Preschool for the last two years and I don't think you have the right school. My son was in the 3 year old class last year and our teacher is beyond kind and compassionate and none of what was described in your post happened at our school while we have been there. There was not a child with genetic condition or diabetes enrolled last year, nor was there a decline in enrollment. Also, our president was male last Fall and our teacher has not left (and hopefully never will!) I am so sorry you experienced what you described, it sounds truly horrific! I just want to make sure you leave this under the appropriate school so that families can be warned.

We LOVE Gabriel Park Preschool! This is my daughter's first year. She is in the youngsters class…read morewhich is 2-3 years of age. She looks forward to school each week and I am always excited to see the new craft projects and hear about school. Teacher Jen is amazing! She always has fun new ideas for the kids and they just love her. This is a really fun and creative environment where children are able to go at their own pace and learn and play in their own create way. I can not say enough wonderful things. If you are looking for a cooperative preschool, this is it!

Our family dedicated 7 years of time, efforts and money to CWS and its community, but we finally…read moredecided to remove our 3 children from the school. Our decision was based on what I perceive as a shift from a pure Waldorf approach to something more of "DEI with Waldorf flavor". Additionally, I've observed a biased behavior from the school administration, including instances where students were bullied and harassed by current and previous administration due to their parents' differing views on the school's ideological direction. * * * For a detailed explanation, please visit https://www.wokeinschools.org/cws/index.html. I've provided supporting documentation on the review page and am happy to share more upon request. * * * The above is the review I originally posted in 2023. Since then, it has been repeatedly flagged and removed by Yelp, who claims it violates their Content Guidelines -- a claim I strongly dispute. I believe it's important for parents to have access to a full range of opinions -- both positive and negative -- when choosing a school for their children. This helps them make well-informed decisions about their child's future. For this reason, I will continue to repost my review.

My girls love this school and I do too. On the first day, we walked into the school and meet our…read moregirls' teacher. She was soft-spoken, warm and welcoming, and I felt like it was a perfect fit for my twins. Having been here a few more years and meeting more of the students and teachers, I have to say I am impressed with how confident and self-assured the kids are. I see them collaborating and helping each other. They really build a child's confidence and help them to find their individuality. I highly recommend Cedarwood to my friends and family and would for yours as well.

School is pretty good. However last year purchased yearbook for my student. Put him in wrong grade…read morein book. Yearbook this year correct year but I noticed no appendix and no are for the special education department.

Teachers didnt listen well at all, and yell to much. The kids tended to be rude in most situations…read more the kids are very inappropriate

I like the staff and all, as i left school this year, and the staff is nice, but i was bullied a…read morelot and made fun of. And the students are very harsh, and will make fun of you, and day racial slurs, such as the n word, so on, so forth.

Do not send your kids here. I went here when I was younger, was bullied by a kid, and it was not…read moretaken seriously. He repeatedly bullied me and several other kids, and was able to get away with all of it. Even when several other children came forward to say that they felt uncomfortable with this other kid in the classroom, again, it was not taken seriously. I was able to get away with more things going to the school than I ever have in my life. They had a little to no supervision and I was uncomfortable with the staff there.

We chose to take our four-year-old son to SunGarden after relocating. It's a lovely small community…read moreof staff, teachers and parents, but unfortunately it didn't turn out to be what we thought it would be when we enrolled. Keep in mind, we have high expectations since we're talking about our children. We're within walking distance and we prefer Montessori methods, and SunGarden is AMI vs AMS (please research the difference if you're looking into Montessori schools)... so SunGarden seemed like a great choice. Everyone is warm and welcoming, and our son grew leaps and bounds academically (which is great if you're looking to raise an Einstein), but I was disheartened by a few things listed below: 1) Time outside: We were told when enrolling our son would be able to work outside when he wanted to (with provided lanyards) and they would often be outside anyway. However, he would come home and say he was not allowed to run outside (a four-year-old not be able to run?!). And although the outside area is beautifully cared for, it's extremely small for how large the community of children is, which is why they were worried about safety if the children ran into each other or any of the garden equipment. At this age, we feel kids need to run off their energy, especially after doing serious academic "work" in a classroom all day - see below. So the outside area and the rules that go with it ended up being a downfall and we were a bit displeased. 2) Turnover: We were only at SunGarden for one year and it was the director's first year in this position, as well as our teacher's first year (her name was Amy - but she was the best part about the school experience for our son). Their "outside guide" left the school mid-year making it even more difficult to allow children outside to do their work (something we were told would happen daily, but ended up not happening much at all). 3) The environment: I have to commend the school on its materials - it complies with AMI rules and materials have to be up to a certain standard, and they are beautiful Montessori materials, kept clean and orderly. However, as much as I love a calm, organized, quite environment for learning, the rooms were unusually quite (these are children ranging from 2.5-6 years). There should be noise and laughter and giggles. Anyone who needed to "move" - which was more often than not - was told to walk briskly along a circular line tape placed on the floor. It almost felt like caged animals when I observed this. 4) Academics: AMI Montessori schools want your children to thrive academically. I want my child to thrive in this area as well but he was still 4... not heading to college yet... and the reports I would receive from my teachers were how long my child would sit, focus and work on math or other subjects. And although he learned quite a bit for a four-year-old, I felt bad the days he didn't want to enter the classroom, crying and sitting outside, because I knew in my heart it was because he was entering what he felt, was a place he couldn't essentially just "be a kid." 5) Play & Art: In our son's previous years at another Montessori school (which we all loved but was AMS), he would come home exhausted, often-times dirty from playing outside (this is a good thing, parents...), or covered in paint and/or in a change of clothes after getting wet on hot days. Unfortunately, he always returned home from SunGarden as well groomed as he had been when he went in the classroom door that morning, so it seemed that very little art exploration, imagination, creativity or getting dirty was encouraged (at least that we saw). Again, it felt exceedingly academic for little minds. I do know they have some make-believe areas (such as a small doll house), sing songs (he came home reciting the same 50 states song I too memorized in 2nd grade), and read stories, but the teachers are there mainly to observe the children do their focused work quietly. 5) Flexibility: I want to be fair, the director did allow our family some flexibility, but again, complying with AMI methods, SunGarden requires your children to attend five days a week. So if you're looking for part-time care (because we wanted our child to be able to move and explore non-academic areas on those days off), then unless they've changed their rules, you don't have that option. Overall, again, everyone was warm and kind and I do know they care about the children. Unfortunately, I left with the impression they care even more so about complying with their AMI Montessori beliefs and methods than what the children inherently desire and need to be a kid at heart. It is a great school for those looking to ensure their children simply grow in academics and social responsibility. Again, these are the areas in which we saw our child grow the most with his time there and we are grateful for this.

As current parents of two children at SunGarden (one in each room), we couldn't be happier with our…read moreexperience. New to the area, we wanted a local Montessori provider where we could feel connected to the community. From the first day we dropped in (literally) to tour the school, the director, guides, and staff made us feel welcome. Since then, we've continued to have great experiences with the school, the parents, and the community. We love living in West Linn and often comment that SunGarden was the best decision we've made here. Specific to the school, we love the building and yard, the amount of outdoor time the kids get (rain or shine, they go out!), the pictures we get from the guides, and the ongoing parent/guide conferences. There are opportunities to connect with the guides, have drinks and coffee with other parents, learn about the curriculum, and interact with the whole community (annual events). SunGarden is the right place if you're looking to be a part of a Montessori community where your children will be cared for and given individual attention.

The teachers are amazing. However, we decide to go to another school because many of the parents…read morearen't very friendly. Specifically the 1st grade parents for the 2023/24 school year. There were parents that were welcoming, but I'd say the majority felt like they were in an exclusive click and unwelcoming. Unfortunately was a bigger factor than the good education.

We have loved this school for many years. I attended here as a kid, and it is encouraging to see…read morethe school has remained strong and committed to its mission for decades. Our son is now in middle school at West Hills. He has made good friendships, learned from caring and well trained teachers, and joined an outstanding community with Jesus at the center. I give West Hills Christian School my highest recommendation!