We love little acorn! My daughter has been attending the Sunshine class this year, and teacher…read moreLindsay and Jamie are amazing!

We love Little Acorn! My daughter is in her 3rd and final year this year. She absolutely LOVES…read moregoing to school. The teachers have all been amazing, and we really enjoy all the extra things they do throughout the year such as Santa's Workshop. Highly recommend if you're looking for preschool for your little one!

The Goddard School in Salmon Creek is amazing. The teachers helped my little guy break out of his…read moreshyness and learn how to make friends. He loves going to school, and asks to stay. The team is always responsive to our requests and needs and always, always puts well well being of kids first. Teachers are valued, respected, and a collaborative part of the leadership team. And, it shows. They're comfortable bring up ideas or concerns, and are greeted with responsiveness. This is the cleanest childcare facility I've ever seen in my life. This is also the only place that I trust my child to go during the pandemic. they already cleaned and sanitized more than any place I've ever seen. Now that's even amplified. Not only does the whole staff love my little boy, and he loves them... Not only have they helped him grow socially and emotionally... Not only does he love going to school everyday... Not only is it's a collaborative team where teachers are actually valued, respected, and listened to... But. I will never forget the night my mother-in-law passed suddenly. Because of the team's responsiveness, I never worried about if I would be able to get ahold of him during a constantly changing situation. It's not only that. I actually felt comfort knowing that I could reach out to them at any point, get a response, and that response would be to fully support my child and my family in any way possible. This school is truly amazing.

Wonderful staff & excellent leadership! My kids have been attending the Goddard School Salmon Creek…read morefor about 5 years and it has been the best experience. They love school and it's a great feeling knowing how happy they are there.

They will secure their bag no matter what. We had a bullying issue and took our kiddo out with…read moreshort notice. My kiddo was 4, other kiddos made her feel uncomfortable for being "too brown". Other parents were not notified. I wasn't impressed. The staff is not trained on how to handle social emotional learning. I wish it worked out, just wasn't pleased with the care with such a high cost. Per contract, we had to pay for the next month because we didn't give a 30 day notice. It was more important to withdraw her as we saw this took a toll on her confidence and comfort in a learning environment. Thousands of dollars to waste in our experience, making something work that wasn't working.

It was my son's LAST day at this school and he worked so hard to be good in class all day. The…read moreteacher made sure to send him home crying by LYING. She said he completely trashed an area of the classroom. My son wouldn't fuss up to it so my husband took him to view the footage. Surprise! He didn't do it. What was the point? He's not coming back? Why did y'all have to do that for? I am so glad he's finally out of this school. It felt like he's been labeled this awful kid for doing normal three year old behavior. The other kids would come up to me during pick up time and tell me how he's been "bad all day." He was placed in a class room where I was told "five minutes of reading or dancing at the carpet" was age appropriate for circle time. Then he moved up to a classroom where he'd be expected to sometimes sit at the table with no toys or activities for 15-20mins while teachers put away cots. Of course he's going to struggle and not control himself as well as the 4-4.5 year olds. He's a fresh three year old coming from a room with no established routine.

My 5 year old son is in Kindergarten (Kalama) at the Gardner School and absolutely loves it. He has…read moreattended Gardner since the 3 year old preschool, Tum Tum. A few brief facts about Gardner School: preschool through 8th grade, maximum student capacity of 120, 5 bucolic acres with view of Mt St Helens and a wetlands, integrated curriculum (more on this later), explicit inter-grade interactions. The philosophy of the school is that children have 8 distinct intelligences: Verbal/linguistic, math/logic, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist. Acknowledging that each child has each of these in varying degrees, they teach material through each of these lenses to ensure that each student has the opportunity to learn and excel in a manner best suited to them. Part of this involves teaching subjects that have virtually disappeared from public education: art, music, physical education. Reinforcing the idea that people are at different levels and learn in different ways and speeds are the mixed-age classrooms. The classrooms combine 1st grade with 2nd grade, 3rd with 4th, 5th with 6th, and 7th with 8th. An interesting side-effect of all this is that the students learn empathy. In addition to the integrated curriculum, the school has thematic studies that apply across the entire school, a great example is when the school was studying birds. The preschoolers each picked a kind of bird to be, crafted a costume, and talked about how their bird is adapted to the environment ( my son: "I'm a heron, and with my long beak I eat fish and frogs." ). This was immediately after performing The Hungry Caterpillar in Spanish. Another classroom painted watercolors of local birds that they had seen through their romps in the wetlands. My mother, who is a retired elementary art teacher, was blown away at the high level skill of all of the images, and then utterly floored when it was pointed out that they were done by 1st and 2nd graders. The 3rd and 4th graders wrote and performed a series of shadow puppet plays about how certain birds interacted with their various ecosystems. Another example of the integrated curriculum is the art projects of cell structures done by one of the classrooms--science isn't limited to just the science class and art isn't limited to just the art class. Our son has found the inter-class interactions to be very enriching. These interactions are both explicit and ad-hoc. The classes are assigned buddies in other classes. The Kindergarteners (Kalama) are paired with a 7th or 8th grader (Tahoma) and the 4 year old preschool children (Mazama) are paired with a 3rd or 4th graders (Wy'East). At various times throughout the term, they'll have special buddy activities. Additionally there's a fair amount of unstructured time for the students to interact together either in the form of Open Choice (where the students have options of what they'll do for the day and decide themselves which to do) and After Care. The end result is that 1) my son is obsessed with playing soccer (mostly with the older children insisting on being goalie and that the older kids "shoot on him"), 2) he learned to play chess, and 3) he's really into sea creatures like sharks, whales and squids. Another interesting side-effect is that it seems to much more rapidly increase the children's vocabulary (my 5 year old came home yesterday talking about "topographic maps") and comfort interacting with children younger and older and adults. Our son's class cohort is filled with great children and wonderful, genuine parents. We've become good friends with several, and our son during the first day of a long weekend trip said, "I miss J*** [another student] already." It isn't all rainbows and unicorns though. Like Portland in general, Gardner skews fairly white, but (anecdotally--I don't have any hard numbers) Gardner is seems a bit more diverse than the ambient population. Gardner can also be a significant time and financial commitment. While preschool tuition is extremely competitively with many other programs throughout the greater Portland metro, each family is expected to participate in the school and volunteer helping with events and around the school. From Kindergarten on, tuition is a bit higher, but still quite competitive with other area independent schools. Also, for us, driving from Camas to Salmon Creek everyday can be a bit of a grind, which is somewhat alleviated by carpooling and Waze. No place is perfect though, and, for us, Gardner School is the optimal fit for our needs and values.

Run as fast as you can from Gardner Arts and Science School. Your child deserves better…read more As a concerned parent, I need to warn families about Gardner Arts and Science School's serious problems, problems rooted in the current head of school's complete lack of leadership. She is indecisive, dismissive, and out of touch, leaving teachers to create their own curriculum without any real standards. Most students test below state levels, and many need tutors just to keep up. This is unacceptable for the most expensive private school in the area. Families are leaving in droves, even mid-year, because the instability and poor leadership put their children's education and emotional health at risk. This chaos echoes the split five years ago when half the board and many teachers left to start Lupine. The school board is ineffective, and parents have no real support. If you care about your child's future, don't send them here. The head of school's incompetence is driving this school into the ground.

I love serving our community alongside my coworkers! The team we have here is so lucky to have such…read morea family oriented community - nurturing relationships between the children and staff. I am thankful for the director Kaylynn's support in going the extra mile for our staff and families. It doesn't go unnoticed when a kiddos face lights up as they walk past her office! As a staff member and mother, I appreciate Miss Shelby making every drop off have ease, with a warm smile and hug. Seeing my daughter and her classmates smile as Miss Shelby guides them through the day with a song for each transition makes me so thankful to be a part of the SW Learning Center family! -Miss Lia

Just reading other people post about special needs kids, they will turn you away without letting…read moreyou know. I have a child who was special needs and was there two days ago. I tried calling and going there and I also get an answer where someone is going to call me back. I mean be up front about kids you can't take instead having a parent wondering around hoping their kids will go there, when they could have spend that time looking for elsewhere. People there's looks young maybe in their twenties. Probably one person there might be older than 50's. Maybe they don't know the business or respect. I wouldn't want someone to do that to me. Just saying!!

Our experience with Marigold has been extremely disappointing, and I feel obligated to share our…read morestory in order to provide a fair perspective for parents considering this preschool for their child's education and well-being. Our concerns primarily stem from the inappropriate and unprofessional behavior displayed by the teacher, who is also the owner of the school. She showed a pattern of passive-aggressive communication which created an atmosphere that was tense, uncomfortable, and contrary to the nurturing environment one would expect in a preschool setting. One of the most alarming incidents involved the teacher threatening to involve the police when we arranged for a family member to pick up our daughter's belongings. The overreaction was deeply unsettling. Instead, I had to involve another Mom to help get my daughter's things. Among the items returned to us was a painting my daughter had done especially for Miss Heidi after her cat died last year. This "drama" all stemmed from my husband's response to her email, letting her know we aren't moving away-just leaving the school and she verbally attacked him. However, this wasn't the first time we received a passive-aggressive and extremely long email (like this review, I've got a lot to say!) After our daughter stopped going to Marigold, we discovered that the teacher had sent an email about our family to other parents. This email contained numerous inaccuracies, further highlighting the lack of professionalism and accountability we experienced during our time at the school. This teacher's actions not only undermine the trust necessary between educators and families, but they also bring into question the very ethos of Marigold School of Early Learning. Her actions reflect directly upon the school and its values, and unfortunately, our experience was far from positive. She even would make comments about "feeling sorry" for my daughter! This is also not an inclusive preschool, which as a mom new to the whole school scene wasn't really on my radar. She made a few comments about how my Deaf son would have to go to school with other kids like him (she said this to my daughter). The teacher also tends to dish out unnecessary information to other parents about other parents. I have emails that I can show to prove her unprofessional behavior. Communication matters. It is very important. It is the essence of being human. I wasn't even going to write a bad review because her teaching style was exactly what we were looking for and she write a detailed journal of the kids' days and I thought maybe this is an isolated incident. But after hearing from other families that they had similar interactions with her, I feel like it is important I voice our experience. It is my hope that parents considering this preschool should be aware of these issues and take them into account. As parents, we entrust educators with not just the academic growth of our children, but also their emotional wellbeing. It's disheartening to think that such behavior is presented in an educational setting where developing trust, respect, and healthy communication should be a priority.

We love this school. Ms. Heidi is fantastic. What a great place for kids to play, interact, and…read morelearn and all with an amazing teacher. Her school is so calm and clean and interactive. The teacher has a really nice style. We couldn't be happier and we feel our child is well prepared for kindergarten.

Look no further--this place truly feels like an extension of family. From day one, I felt warmly…read morewelcomed into a community that lives its philosophy of learning through play. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, allowing students to suggest topics they're curious about, and the school supports these interests with genuine enthusiasm. The staff excels at helping children through transitions, fostering emotional growth and resilience. Snacks are provided, and families bring lunch from home. Expect plenty of outdoor time--there's a beautiful patio that serves as an extension of the classroom, encouraging exploration and creativity. This was my son's very first school, and I'll be forever grateful for the WSU family!

From the owner: Three years ago the WSU Vancouver Childcare Development Program closed. Innovative Services NW, a…read morelocal nonprofit organization is opening the doors again beginning October 2nd. The program utilizes Creative Curriculum while developing skills in literacy, mathematics, physical, cognitive, and social emotional areas. The program as open enrollment for students 2.5 to 5 years old. Please reach out for more information or a tour. Contact information Main line: (360)546-9069 Email: enrollmentWSU@innovativeservicesnw.org

I rarely leave a one star review, but this childcare center has been absolutely unresponsive. I've…read morenever witnessed such a lack of any customer service whatsoever.

My oldest daughter is 5 years old and my youngest is 6 months. We have been using them for over a…read moreyear now and I love them!! The staff is so friendly and caring. They really do love the kiddos. Of course, there are incident reports however the staff is very good about communicating with you on them and really do there best to keep all the kids safe!! They were outstanding at taking the extra precautions during this crazy covid-19 stuff to ensure our kid's health would not be compromised. Thank you Children's Villiage for being so amazing!!