I cannot say enough good things about this preschool- my daughter loved her time in the yellow room…read moreand i equally adore the staff and their focus on nurturing kind and loving human beings. Before the school year started we were able to meet our daughter's teacher, Sally, with a one-on-one classroom visit and she took special care to both share with us about her experience and what we could expect in the classroom. The staff wanted to know about our daughter ranging from her interests to level of potty training so they could help her appropriately;-) I was relieved that my three year old didn't have to be 100% potty trained before we sent her. They also sent home a picture diagram of the classroom schedule for the day so we could talk it through with our daughter and she had much less anxiety about her first school experience. Throughout the year, the preschool and staff continued to impress me with their awesome hands-on activities, music curriculum (brought in by mcphail music) and opportunities for my daughter to learn social, academic, and motor control skills. The fall parent-teacher conference was focused on how our daughter was adjusting to school and the new structured learning environment. The spring conference was very helpful in learning where our daughter excelled as well as where she could use improvement (especially before starting kindergarten). I thought our teacher, Sally, did a great job of clearly and directly communicating with us. Judson's director, Kelly Hollis, was new in the 2017-2018 school year and she has worked hard to get up to speed with the school's activities and students. It seemed like the year had just started and she knew every student's name and any individual needs (dietary, behavioral, or other). Our daughter had a bee land on her hand in the playground outside of school hours and Kelly happened to be there and very quickly calmed our daughter down (even though she wasn't stung she was scared by the incident). Kelly called and emailed us at home that night just to check on our daughter. You will be hard pressed to find someone that cares about the children more than Kelly. If you are looking for a great preschool community to be a part of- I would wholeheartedly recommend checking Judson out!

In response to the last poster- I'm a parent of two children that went through Judson in 2012-2013…read more Judson preschool offers a play-based curriculum, which based on the latest research is found to be a more effective way to instruct preschoolers. Blind focus on numbers and letters and hard academics doesn't actually help children succeed in Kindergarten. It's part of why Minnesota and other states are breaking away from the rigor of No Child Left Behind. Any kid can memorize their numbers and alphabet, or watch PBS kids to learn. We want children to understand the foundations and JOY of learning. In terms of donations, we expected to donate so that tuition could stay low. Donations are typical for private preschools. In the Catholic school my son previously attended, the suggest amount of donation- and parent volunteer times- were given in writing and we had to commit at the beginning of the year! I appreciate that Judson was more flexible and allowed parents to choose the amount of money and time they could donate. As a working mom, I need that. Parents that are not happy have ample opportunity to voice concerns to the management and teachers in Fall and Spring conferences. The school also does a survey at the end of the year. Parents can also serve on the Board. Judson school was a wonderful experience for my children. We've been through a few schools and daycare settings, and it by far exceeded what is available in the market. Even the NAEYC-accredited daycare we tried fell short.

I've gone to this school for six years and my time there was great,the teachers are very supportive…read moreand help you learn a lot

We have had our son at this school since he was a toddler and he is graduating Kindergarten this…read moreyear. Before we signed him up we would walk on the trails nearby and be amazed at the outdoor space this school offers. We would see kiddos in rain or shine deeply into play. We scheduled a tour and rest is history, we were hooked! We have watched our son happily go to school every day, seen him grow and thrive both social emotionally but also academically. The guides are amazing at what they do and the building, classrooms and grounds are deeply rooted in the Montessori method and gives our child plenty of room to grow both mentally and physically. Its a must see!

Our son has attended since he was 16 months old. Beautiful facilities and great staff. We've always…read morefelt that our son was well cared for. He loves driving by and pointing out his school. The Montessori approach supports independence and curiosity. Summer programs maintain the same high quality.

This is the best place in the area(twin cities). Our kids loved it and the teachers are amazing. I…read morehighly recommend.

Incident where my son had a "bite" open wound on chest and teachers in the room didn't tell me what…read morehappen (had to find out myself) and they couldn't tell me how it happen or who did it. No accident slip was made (till after a few days later but no point of it since no one when wht happen). Director DENISE was very rude and didnt acknowledge the situation at first but wanted to talk about payment on account. When i told her i was disappointed on lack of communication from her she told me to turn in my keys because she didnt think it was a good fit. No apologies from her or her staff (besides the assistant director only person that tried to help) and no sympathy over the fact that my son got hurt and no one knew what happen!!! Very upset and will be handling situation since head director Denise doesnt care. Daycare was nice just wish the director cared about the parents and kids more

Our children have attended Sonnet, both under prior ownership and under the new company (2021), and…read morewe loved it: love what our children learned, love the care they received from the teachers. We've enjoyed getting to know the new owners, and can say that they are dedicated to caring for their teachers, and for the children in their schools. We've also seen so many positive changes with the new ownership (the teachers also love the new owners!) and highly recommend the school! And, we fell in love with the Montessori method because of Sonnet. It truly is amazing - aligns with positive/gentle parenting, but also allows children the freedom to develop at his/her own pace. We use so many of the Montessori concepts in our home! The previous reviewers comments do not represent the school we know and love. They seem to be disgruntled about policies on past due payments. The policies were clear when we enrolled and we had no issues with them, and they were completely reasonable policies (the same as in other centers we have enrolled in). They also mentioned having 3 different directors in less than a year - we were there during these changes, and unfortunately, the directors were maybe qualified on paper but did not actually do their job - so glad the owners made the staffing changes they did to bring in the right management!)

High teacher turnover , had 3 different directors in just less a year …read more You Can find consecutive noncompliance record on MN DHR website including , read those carefully . https://licensinglookup.dhs.state.mn.us/Details.aspx?l=1043225 The average salary for teacher there is below state average - see info in indeed site. Just as one parent posts before they work with debt collector company and threatening you use them once you have one bounce check rather than work with you to understand situation seeking solution - I believe they consider parent who send kid there is money resource only. Does not recommend this place to parent who care about people more than just money . Also as another parent reviews posts before , they threaten you to

When I told a staff there someone draw something in a appropriate they said "We will take care of…read moreit". After a couple of days I still saw that inappropriate drawing. Definitely don't recommend going to that school. And also the staff there treated me like shit. And I have special needs. And I joined the flag football as a manger. And they restricted me from going to all game instead I was able to go to two games. Then when I showed to a none home game. One of the coaches said "What are you doing here. You aren't supposed to be here". At the point I wanted to say something really mean. But I remain calm and cool. And after that situation happened. Then my case manger came to the game. After that she was all in my business asking me about my father. And I was about to call my dad to handle her. But I remained calm and cool because I have the decency and maturity to forgive. And also I'm a Christian person who forgive people. Excuse my language. And I also went to two of my best friends high volleyball games. I wasn't able to go. They stopped me at the entrance. I am in my senior year right now. All this happened before the class of 2026 graduation ended. And thank the lord that none of friends would witness them treating special needs student like this. Although they have good academic success and sports. They don't have the right attitude to treat people with special needs or none special needs with kindness, compassion, respect, safe, loving, caring, respectful, and have the great attitude towards people with none special needs and or special needs. I will not be sending my siblings to this school to be treated the same as they treated me. My siblings have special needs. Everyone in my family not my parents have special needs and will not be sending my siblings there instead I will be sending them to White Bear Lake Area High School.

I would give Mounds View High School about 4 stars overall. The academic side is solid -- there are…read moredecent classes, a wide range of electives, and many teachers genuinely care and put effort into helping students succeed. You can tell that a lot of staff members are there because they want to make a difference. However, my senior year was overshadowed by a serious incident involving a staff member, which was shocking and difficult for the student body to process. Experiencing that situation firsthand made the school feel less stable and less safe than it should have, and it changed the way many of us viewed the administration and the environment. So while Mounds View has strong academics and great teachers in many areas, that experience really complicated my overall impression of the school.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin…read more A school and a staff committed to closing the achievement gap for students whom the system would normally toss a side. Lighthouse academy, an open-enrollment, college-preparatory charter school provides students with the assistance, training and resources needed to better prepare themselves for the next phase of their lives. And in the end setting the module for a better public education system for the youth in my opinion. The diversity of not just the students but the staff at this school is phenomenal. With open enrollment, students are given tests in English and Math to pool them with other students at their level of development. Utilizing an extended day of schedule, the staff get to work by understanding each youth's own set of circumstances beyond the classroom and than vigorously setting them on the path to get the best of themselves out of themselves. The next Emily Dickinson of our generation may or may not come from this school, but the commitment for learning shown by the staff and students alike is the "peculiar bent of the genius of each" that Plato once spoke of. This should be celebrated! Volunteers are always needed!

We absolutely love the education and environment that this school provides our girls. We are…read morethankful that Mr. B and the teachers are all dedicated to bringing out the best in our kids.

Phenomenally Friendly Church and School. The Education provided is top notch with teachers…read morestrongly vested in the success of the students backed with a strong Christian focus. Kids leaving here are well prepared for High School and certainly seem to be equipped to be productive members of society! The Church Facilities are expanding with a beautiful new Sanctuary opening Fall 2019, which should add nicely to the already extensive options available for use in outreach in the community!