This place is a not a true Montessori school. Teachers are poorly trained if at all, children are…read moredisrespectful and out of control. Overpriced daycare maybe but not a school.

I can't recommend this school enough. My daughter started at MDC when she was 3.5 (she's 5 now) and…read moreit has been a wonderful place for her. She's always been very quiet and reserved with people so starting school was a hard transition for her but I'm grateful we had MDC. Every step of the way her teachers were nurturing and encouraging, creating an environment where she has thrived. Socially she is still reserved but she has grown immensely. She talks in front of her whole class on sharing days! This from a kid who literally wouldn't speak anyone for the first 6 months. Our family members always comment on how far she's come and how confident she is. If she hadn't been in an environment where she felt safe and allowed to explore things at her own pace I don't think we would have had the level of success we have had with her social issues. Her teachers are extraordinary and she adores them. I have experience with another popular preschool in town and the level of compassion and care from the teachers here at MDC is far above. Academically she's on point, if not ahead. She has a late birthday so, as of now, she's not in kindergarten yet but academically she is at the same level as her friends in Kindergarten at a S/K school out south. At MDC she began reading when she was 4 and now, at 5, she is reading compound words and even some long vowels! She knows all letter sounds, several blends, recognizes sight/cvc words, creates her own story books, writes numbers, counts to 100... but beyond that she's loving learning about other cultures, the world, and art. I'm always impressed by the work she comes home with and things she tells me that she has learned at school. I know she didn't learn that from mom & dad! We plan to continue her education here as long as we can.

This school has educated a couple of generations of Salemites now. It's run by a wonderful family…read morefrom Sri Lanka. Head teacher Shanti, her husband and one of their sons, along with another teacher who was a former parent at the school herself. The kids truly learn.....academics, nature, compassion, character...... It's a wonderful option to have your kids be able to stay enrolled during their "kindergarten" year so as to have a true "full day" kindergarten rather than the typical half-day. Our son has thrived there the past two years and never complains of being "bored" as he used to do. He's learned to read and write and count and more. Once a week they have Japanese culture and language lessons and they grow to love their Japanese teacher. Several times a year they put on programs where all the students sing and dance, learning various cultures, languages, and styles along the way. The interaction of this school and our own efforts have been completely in sync and we will be sad to leave them but are truly grateful for the solid foundation they have helped give our child.

I absolutely love this school. I went here as a child in the 80's and the same family is still…read morerunning it. They have two wonderful teachers and other teacher's aides that help run this amazing Montessori school. They focus on letting the child explore their interests and encourage them in their learning. Your child can start here as early as 2.5 years old if they are 90% potty trained (very few accidents. The cost of this school is less than some other Montessori schools around and the quality of learning and teaching is awesome. My daughter has absorbed so much in the few months she has been there. They offer half day or full day preschool and kindergarten, plus before and after care at a very minimal fee! They do field trips twice a year, and do a craft and show and tell on Fridays. I can't begin to truly express how great this place is!

I'm so glad they did a remodel/ branding…read more The new menu has been great with better flavor as freshness. They also have a full bar!

Those Oregonian kids gotta have indoor places to play--it rains all the time! When I went in here I…read morethought, I wish we parents of young kids had a place like this back home. It rains so rarely where I live, it'd be a shame to be indoors all day. It'd be rad if they could open the roof on sunny warm days. Do I ask for too much? Imagine a really good indoor play structure. Like 3+ levels high! A small play area for tiny kids. Some video arcades and such. Some adult games like corn hole, shuffleboard table, darts, and such. A full restaurant and bar! A few cabana-type small rooms for parties or whatever. And it's not too loud!!! I was worried an indoor play area would be excruciatingly noisy, and not well ventilated. It seems like the space is big enough to suppress the kids' yelling, but not so big that the echoes impose. I guess the large space also helps keep the air from feeling stale, maybe they have added ventilation. The bathrooms are kinda small and I had to walk outside the main play area through the small lobby. The food is good, and they have a wide selection of beverages--including adult beverages! Free parking lot. The price is about what I'd expect for an indoor play structure, when we need to get out from the rain. PLUS there's all the other stuff. I guess the money I spend on food and beverage helps keep it open. I had fun cruising through the play structure with my 7yo and my 1-1/2yo. Some adults were conversing in groups, or alone engulfed in a book. If you have kids, go. If you choose to give a thumbs-up or not, I hope you found my review helpful!

I highly recommend Little Red. My twins go there, and I have found LR to be professional and…read morecaring towards all the students. Class sizes are smaller than public schools, which helps get your young one started well.

amazing school I love it. I recommend all kids that families that have more money should try to…read more because this school offers the best I've seen for private and all faculty and teacher make you feel like family

Our three sons attend Abiqua Academy and it has been the best academic experience we've ever…read moreencountered. I don't say this lightly - we have five children who have attended schools all over the country and in India and Abu Dhabi. I think what Abiqua gets right is the balance between a rigorous academic program and a holistic approach to understanding and nurturing the whole child. Whether your child is on the gifted end of the spectrum, somewhere in the middle, or needing additional support - the teachers have proven time and again they will "meet your child where he or she is at." It's not just lip service - we have lived this. We have considered moving out of the Salem area several times and two factors keep us here, one of which is the extraordinary education our children are receiving at Abiqua. I wish every single school in Salem provided the same experience - all children deserve this kind of education.

The owners truly care about the children first and foremost. The staff is wonderful, attentive and…read moreinnovative to solving any problems. They tend to each child's needs in a supportive manner and communicate well with parents. Students can begin as soon as the enrollment papers are completed and registration fees are paid, then tuition is due at the beginning of each week or month depending on your enrollment. They offer part time, before and after school, daily or weeks and even hourly services. The preschool class is offered Monday through Friday, 9am to 12pm, but they are open 7am to 6pm. Snacks are provided morning and afternoon for all of our classes. They even have a quiet time between 12:45-3pm. Older siblings can even visit younger siblings- within the teacher/child ratios. Lunches are parents responsibility as well as infant bottles being cleaned etc but for the price, that makes sense. The best part, or at least as I remember when I was kid enjoying the most, the field trips!! I love that they not only offer the options they do but are able to take the kids on such outings. They take the children to the movie theater every tues, library events on wed, gymnastics on thurs, and another field trip on mondays and fridays, like berry picking, peach picking, cherry picking, the water parks in the summer. Worth contacting 100% out of the high demand for childcare in the area and after shopping around this is a gem! e-mail: adventuresunlimited669@comcast.net.

I love this place. Lisa, Tasha, Pat, and William are our favorites, but everyone there is…read morewonderful. Our son, now 2, had a hard time adapting to daycare and it took 6 weeks, at least, for him to get comfortable not being at home. The whole time the entire team was super supportive and comforting. They tried different things to help him adjust and he absolutely loves going now. William is always doing projects with the toddlers and my son talks about him nonstop. A few things they could improve on, but are minor: super weird smell, it's not bad, just different; and I'd like to see more security measures taken upon pickup, please don't take this to mean it's unsafe because it's absolutely safe. There isn't always someone in the front room when I arrive to pick him up (the room is empty, no kids and no teachers) and I would feel more comfortable if someone was always close to the door. Or if there was a more secure checkout procedure instead of signing them out. Also, my son gets dirty anywhere he goes, he just migrates to sticky things-I get it, but it would be nice to pick him up with clean hands and a clean face. I should note that my son has never came home with a dirty diaper or a diaper rash-they have very good policies here. Overall, this place is legit. Great teachers, great location, THEY HAVE A BOUNCY HOUSE, huge outside area, lots of projects, affordable, and the owners care about the kids more than they care about making money (not true for other daycare facilities I was looking at). It may not be the top of the line, brand new building, institution feeling type daycare but that's not what I want. It has a soft, comfortable, home type feel to it and that's one of the things I love the most. My son just turned 2 and he can count to 8, knows his way through ABCs-few blanks here and there, and has been speaking in abbreviated sentences for a while "What mommy doing?" "Where train go?" etc. I know that if he stayed home with me that he wouldn't be this developed, academically or socially. This is the right place for our son.

Ballyntyne Learning farm is a favorite summer activity of ours. This camp embraces nature in a…read moretrue hands-on way. I knew my daughter had an amazing educational experience when she came home and began to elaborate on her learning. Kiely is an incredible teacher who has a true passion of early childhood education and the experience of nature and the learning that can come from it.

We love Ballyntyne Learning Farm. A very positive and welcoming place that offers so much fun and…read morelearning for children.

If you have a child that does not have any special needs this place would be great. Super friendly…read morestaff, clean environment, tuition is affordable. There is Limited parking making pick up challenging. I am rating 2 stars because of my experience. My daughter has a disability and after 2weeks I got a call they could no longer care for her due to behaviors. What was disappointing is there was no call prior to this to talk about the behaviors. When I talked to other childcare professionals, including a child psychologist, they said these are common behaviors especially in a new environment. It saddens me how it was handled.

From the owner: A Little Dreamer's Child Care Center has expanded to West Salem! We offer Child Care for ages 6…read moreweeks to 6 Years, as we run our year-round Preschool program. We are proud to announce that we've won The Best of the Williamette Valley for Childcare and preschool for the last 5 years! Give us a call today and see what separates us from the rest!

My son has been going here for about a year now. I LOVE the staff here. And more so my son loves it…read morehere. It was so great finding out they had interior cameras that I could access as a parent, especially with this being the first time I had my child go to care other than myself. They provide a fantastic assortment of foods to him to expand his pallete and each child has a daily report card of what they ate, diaper changes, and naps. All of the girls up there have great communication with me and send me photos of him throughout the day as well. It is a bit pricey but for the little extra I'm paying, I get peace of mind with the cameras and consistent communication and most of all my son loves all of the teachers up there.

My wife and I had our son in their care for 2-3 months last summer. The teachers were wonderful, as…read moreothers have written, but there are major issues with the ownership, foremost among them responsiveness and overall trust. Some of the issues we encountered were: 1.) They kept our initial payment of several hundred dollars because we started care a couple of weeks later than originally planned. This was not communicated to us in advance, at the logical time when we informed them of the delayed start date. It was more a case of, "We're keeping your money" when we finally began attending. Moreover, this was a regular pattern with the center, which charged its customers regular fees to keep their children's spots who weren't currently attending because of COVID. I'm not sure what the legality is, but that is what they did or still do. 2.) The Assistant Director took a full 2 weeks to respond to an inquiry when our child was already in regular care. I don't see how this is acceptable for any business. 3.) My wife and I began to notice a subtle pattern of dishonesty, where multiple times we were told one thing by the teachers and later management told us it was a mistake and that was not actually the case. There are also inaccuracies on the website. Finally, when we stopped care they kept our remaining supply of diapers, which we had provided at our own expense. They attempted to keep other personal items too, but we insisted. How is this acceptable? Sadly, it's because Salem, Oregon is in dire need of a lot more quality childcare that providers are able to get away with questionable and unprofessional practices like the ones described above.

I absolutely love this school and it's such a hidden secret! Both my girls have gone here and my…read moreonly regret is that they only go from preschool to kindergarten. My first review was in 2016 after my 1st child left the school and I am so glad that she went there. The pandemic didn't hurt her education since she was so advanced thanks to the education she got from St. John's Lutheran School. She was reading at a second grade level after she graduated from Miss. Kelly's kindergarten class! The staff at the school are incredible and have a true passion for teaching. It's by far one of the most inexpensive schools in Salem and open many more days than any of the Salem/Kaiser school districts are. Rain or shine, snow or ice storms, as long as the building has power they will not close down the school. The staff are dependable and cultivate a safe place for a well rounded education. Every class gets to go on field trips, there is a lot of time for play, learning, crafts and a perfect balance of free time and structure. There is consistency, expectations of learning and using manners. There is also the added bonus that it is faith based but not overwhelming or pushed onto the children. There once again is a perfect balance.

My daughter is a preK student in St John Lutheran Church. All the teachers are caring and loving…read more Mrs. Dawn and Mrs. Beth are the primary school teachers for 3 and 4 year old kids. They are the best teachers we have ever had! Kids are well trained to help each other and they even learned to make good choices on food. My daughter stopped eating junk food and recognized how important healthy food is to her body. The kids have Chapels each week and they learn about Jesus and God. It is a wonderful experience for our family!