Our oldest has been attending Primrose Shady Hollow for 1 year and our youngest for 4 months. Both…read moreof them have advanced academically and socially since attending there regularly. They enjoy going every day and sometimes aren't ready to leave at the end of the day. Staff members are bright, smiling, kind, and patient, when we know the job is challenging. The administrative staff plans organized and well thought out events. We are really thankful to be a part of the Primrose family.

Our 3 children have had such a wonderful time learning, playing, growing developmentally, and love…read moreattending this school! The staff is always so friendly and supportive with all the students. We highly recommend Primrose Shady Hollow.

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!

It is hard to know what to expect from a school if you are new to schools. We just assumed the…read moreGoddard School was like all schools...but it is not. We know this now since we quit the Goddard School and started with another one about 3 miles away and have had a totally different experience. Just know that the Goddard School infant room is chaos. One of the ladies was always so flustered. Babies always, always, always crying. Bright florescent lights on constantly. Music playing all of the time. Babies just laying around on the floor. 5 month old babies "holding bottles" and "feeding" themselves. Babies in the cribs crying and not being soothed in any way. Pacifiers overused. Babies sitting looking at a mirror on the wall crying. No one ever looked happy there! Our baby was miserable and always red and swollen and voice was hoarse from crying all day. It was awful. We are so happy now that we are no longer there. My co-worker's baby had the exact same negative experience and I tried to push it out of my mind but...Trust your intuition! The Goddard School did not feel right and it was not right.

We've had nothing but a positive experience sending our two boys to The Goddard School…read more We get along great with the teachers and staff and everyone really seems to care about childhood development. They are professional, warm, and always willing to provide additional guidance and support to us as new parents. The building and facilities feel safe, secure, and clean. This last year of global pandemic has presented the teachers and staff with so many unique challenges and they've navigated each one effectively and with grace. Deep down I know that these wonderful ladies do a much better job of taking care of my children all day than I could ever hope to do on my own. The curriculum always blows my mind and the best part is receiving photos of my kiddos throughout the day. My favorite photo was one of my son laying on the ground and painting a "fresco" onto some butcher paper taped to the bottom of a table. Seeing them learning and engaged always brings a smile to my face. Big thanks and love to all of you ladies for being there and helping us with the big and important job of raising our two sons.

My experience at Parkside was challenging. The admin was changing over and there was little…read morecommunication, and more than a bit of aggressive interactions with admin. We had a new teacher who was enthusiastic when the students were perfect, and utterly overwhelmed and clueless when the students had challenges. My son has ADHD, and despite telling me they has experience with 2E kids, the teacher thought my son had severe emotional problems when my son would self sooth by going in a corner to be alone for a bit. They also did not communicate in any way the depth of the problems my son was having in school. I finally realized the extent of his issues when I began attending daily to see for myself. They were often rude and childish in response to issues or complaints. They had a history of keeping teachers even after multiple complaints of abusive behavior. Their insistence on parent interaction was amazing, and the singalongs were fabu. But it doesn't make up for the severely subpar teaching, the reusing of the same curriculum every year, the nasty admin, and the overall confusion of vision with a high price tag. Do not recommend this school beyond kindergarten at all!

Our daughter is three and a half, and she just finished her first year of preschool (Primary) at…read moreParkside. We couldn't be more pleased to have her attending this special school. From top to bottom, it's an excellent program with marvelous staff and leadership, and a wonderful community. Some of things we love most about Parkside: it's uniquely and authentically Montessori, which was important to us when we were looking at schools. The teachers (called guides) are loving, creative, and thorough in their teaching methods. We were blown away when barely a month in, our daughter came home singing about all the continents of the world! The 12-acre campus is beautiful and well maintained. The kids get lots of outdoor time and often take hikes together as a class. They learn to value and sing about nature, including our new favorite song, "Chlorophyll" written by the founders. Music is a big part of Parkside life, and at least 1-2 events a week are organized around it (parents are invited to participate as well). We've enjoyed all the opportunities for families to get involved at Parkside and we've made some great friends already. Even through the craziness of the pandemic, Parkside staff led the way with through health protocols and regular communication with Austin Public Health to keep the kids safe and allow school to continue. In short, we've found Parkside to be an amazing, friendly, beautiful place that is nurturing our daughter to her full potential. We highly recommend it!

Our son attended Kukumi from age 3-7 and absolutely loved all his guides and the school as a whole…read more He worked at his own pace, developed a love for math and reading, and gained confidence through cooking class. He loved dance and especially enjoyed the dance performances held every semester. He taught me a few yoga poses and breathing techniques - he was always excited to share what he learned. The mindfulness and calming techniques he learned there have stayed with him and continue to help him regulate his emotions. We're so grateful for this nurturing Montessori environment.

We are so happy with Kukumi Spanish Immersion Montessori. Our son has flourished there. We're seen…read moregrowth in everything he does, from speech to writing everyday is a surprise. Ms. Daniela is doing an amazing job, the classroom is quaint and clean, really cozy; the kids feel right at home. The Montessori curriculum and its activities are there, the space is well equipped and she makes sure the kids are working and engaged. The outdoor space is wonderful with a place for gardening and also a yard with a playground and bikes. Our son is happy to go to school, he's enjoying his time there and we are thankful as parents that he feels safe and is learning with purpose. Thank you!

Sandra, Kelsey and their team are the best! I have so enjoyed bringing music time to the little…read moreones! The atmosphere is so nurturing and the staff go above and beyond to make each child's experience here exceptional. We are so blessed to have Honey Bear in our community. Much thanks to Sandra and all!

Amazing staff and owners! They treat kids like kids and let them play! Not too rigid, but holds…read moreboundaries. My son is so much happier since going here!

My little girl has been attending ACLC since she was 12 weeks old, and we couldn't be happier. Of…read morethe 8 centers I toured, this one was instantly my favorite. It's bright, clean, and all the kids seem so happy. The teachers are so sweet, and it's clear my girl loves them. She can be fussing all morning, but as soon as she sees Rosalba, it's all smiles and giggles. It was hard getting started with the naps on demand- first she slept too much and now she doesn't sleep enough. She's very social and always on the move. They group 12wk- about 11mo when they're walking which is great. Some centers group 12wk- 18mo, and I worried about her getting stepped on. The staff is very responsive, I highly recommend them.

Amazing and energetic staff. My grandson loves it here. From prek2 to prek 4. They are AISD…read morecurriculum certified for smooth transition towards kindergarten.

I enrolled my daughter in Bright Beginnings in Aug 2020 and she's had a great experience, we're sad…read moreshe's starting pre-k in the Fall. It has the cozy feel of an in home daycare but also the curriculum and schedule of a professional preschool, it's really the best of both worlds. The teachers are very professional, caring, and communicate with parents well. The director is very involved and is always available to discuss any questions I've had. Each month has a different learning theme and my daughter comes home telling me new things, singing new songs, and is so proud to show me her artwork.

From the owner: Licensed preschool in South Austin. We have very low child to teacher ratios so every child gets…read morethat one on one attention that is needed. Loving and caring child care that is a home away from home.

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.