The best preschool hands down! We were lucky enough to get a spot here and couldn't be happier with…read moreour decision. Ayfen and Torry are the best. You will instantly know they are passionate about teaching, are invested in the kids and their families and try really hard to accommodate for you and your family. I'd give a 100 stars if I could!

In a nutshell, this preschool is hands down the best place for your child to adapt and assimilate…read moreto life away from home. Ms. Ayfen and Mr. Tory are the perfect team and I personally, consider them my daughter's guardian angels. I get greeted with a genuine smile every morning and am briefed on my kid's achievements at pick-up every day. All the pictures and videos I get on a weekly basis of my daughter learning something new, doing art, singing or having fun outdoors almost makes me feel like I didn't miss a moment and that I was right there all along. Ms. Ayfen is always trying to make learning innovative and fun for the children. Every student's culture and traditions are acknowledged and studied about and even celebrated. They are very well-rounded for their tender age. There's also plenty of healthy outdoor time and they get to go on some pretty cool adventures and field trips. I couldn't ask for more as a parent!

My younger sister and I used to go to BF Day, and our baby sister goes there now, and let me tell…read moreyou, that is dang good school. It's a small-ish school (as most elementary schools are) in Fremont, near the Woodland Park Zoo. BF Day is rather diverse in all meanings of the word, and does a good job of teaching kids that everyone is important and loved. The parents are generally lovely, as are the teachers, though many of my favorite staff members have retired. It can be a bit of a hippy school, but that is far from a negative, it just encourages kids to explore their creative sides and embrace themselves. I haven't heard a single negative thing about BF Day, though I do know that due to some zoning issues, a lot of kids have lost their transportation, which is a majorly sucky, but I don't believe that the school is at fault there. tl;dr BF Day is pretty much the best and everyone who went there loved it

NOT CLOSED, people! Not at all! When I moved my boys and me…read morenorthward from Portland to Seattle, I had researched the "cluster" school system (never was a name more appropriate for a system or situation), though my research was clearly insufficient. Because I made certain that I moved into what I thought would be the perfect cluster for my kids' schooling needs and profile...I just failed to realize that would make no difference whatsoever to where they went to school. My boys are half hispanic, and I wanted very much to continue with the Spanish language education I only sporadically inflict on them at home. So I moved into the Laurelhurst-ish "cluster." What Seattle did not advertise is that its school zoning situation is not just a cluster, but the mother of all godforsaken clusters. They found no availability in any ONE school for both my boys. That's because clusters at the time were only "suggestions" of where kids could attend schools. Suggestions that were largely completely ignored, and no matter where you lived in Seattle, your kid could be bussed into nearly any zone at all. So you can basically move your family onto a tent settlement ATOP a particular school, and not be allowed to enroll in it until the 300-child wait list of kids from a school 15 miles away takes their priority. W, as the kids say, TF. So the last years have been a constant cluster indeed, with my boys in two different schools and and in and out of several. Having tried or toured quite a few schools in the area now, I can say, this one is my favorite elementary school in Seattle so far. My son has a wonderful teacher, Miss Jackson (and yes, it is so punishingly hard not to say, or at least think, "If you're nasty!" every time I say her name) who despite being forced, as all teachers are, to teach to a strict test curriculum imposed by the lowest-common-denominator-encouraging "No Child Left Behind" legislation, is still highly dynamic, wildly flexible, and very encouraging of creativity in all its manifestations. I absolutely love her, and I love the diversity of the students and the parents--a graceful blend of the privileged and the struggling, chaotic and the orderly, the uber-hippies and the uber-hipsters who all somehow manage to be very empathic and very likable. It also sits at just the right notch on the spectrum of academic rigor. We tried John Stanford International with Nico, and he called them "The Von Trapp Family Singers." Whistles to encourage hallway lineups? No talking in the corridors? Boys' and Girls' lines for 5th graders? No dark sarcasm? In the CLASSROOM?! Yikes. Plus every mom I met there without a single exception kind of gave me the impression that the only hard decision she has to make in any three-week period is whether to give her cook, nanny and housekeeper massages or Lush bars as holiday gifts. I'm extremely grateful for this school and for how happy Maximo is to attend it. Teaching excellence here is clearly valued, as is parental involvement. If you're in the area AND in the market for an elementary school, stop in and say hi. They're great people.

This is by far the most amazing environment for children. I was told by many neighbors that this…read morepreschool is phenomenal. My son is in his second year here and he loves it! The curriculum, special events, parent/teacher conferences, etc... All leave you wishing they had kindergarten classes as well. All ten of the parents in my son's class wish our kids could go here forever. Take a tour and I promise you'll fall in love as we have!

Our daughter was in the 4&5-Year-Old (aka Funderkins) class 2009-2010. She had a wonderful…read moreexperience and was very prepared to begin kindergarten this fall. I highly recommend this program.

The Funderkins Pre-K program at the Magnolia Community Center is outstanding! We put our second…read morechild here after being disappointed with another local preschool here in Magnolia. My child loved it! The teachers are really dedicated and they run a wonderful, enriching, entertaining, educational program. I had my reservations because it was part of the Community Center, I don't know why. I was proven 100 percent wrong. My son made friends, went on field trips, took swimming lessons, learned to write his name and other words and his numbers to 100, learned his phone and address, answered a math problem of the day and read a word of the day and so much more. We've compared this program with our child in Kindergarten and are so thankful we made the decision we did as he will be Kindergarten ready, without question. They really prepare them properly and in some cases, my younger son is more advanced than the one in K.

My daughter started at Amistad in pre-K with no previous Spanish experience. 1.5 years later she…read morecan have conversations in Spanish with proper verb conjugation and her accent is spot on. She reads in both Spanish and English and sometimes when she can't figure out a word in English because it's not spelled they way it's pronounced she looks at the Spanish and figures it out. I love that the student population is diverse and her teachers come from all parts of Central and South America and bring their culture into the classroom. The teachers are wonderful and my child is known and looked out for by everyone, whether they are her teacher or not. I truly look forward to the bilingual and multicultural education she will continue to have there. This kind of education is not available elsewhere in Seattle. I first learned about Amistad when I was chatting with a friend at the playground when our kids were just 3 and 4 years old. I was stressing out about how to get my child a bilingual education when I don't live in the geozone for one of the international schools (which are not immersion programs like Amistad anyway). Another parent overheard our conversation and felt compelled to jump in to say that his kids went to Seattle Amistad School and that if I wanted my daughter to have a bilingual education in a school run mostly by strong women of color I should look into Amistad. So I did! And I've been happy with the experience my daughter has had so far and look forward to continuing her education there.

We love Seattle Amistad School. The community is amazing and I see my children learning and growing…read moreeveryday. I love the nurturing environment and the world curriculum. All three of my children have attended Amistad since preschool and are completely fluent in Spanish, my oldest is in the Middle School program and my youngest is in kindergarten. I highly recommend Seattle Amistad School to any family looking for something different and special for their children and their family.

NELC is a hidden gem that we discovered by mistake (we needed daycare right away, and they had a…read morespot). We are not religious, and many families are not. The school is also LGBTQ-friendly. Don't let the religious affiliation deter you either; it's a pro because the church will sponsor and subsidize cool events for your kids, like Easter celebrations with bounce houses, a fair, food, egg hunts, and Christmas celebrations. During Christmas Santa visited and took pictures with the kids for free. It's a small school where teachers worked for many years, and the community is close. Curriculum is well thought out and connected. Kids will go outside in the shaded playground; they have an indoor gym for rainy days, two meals and multiple snacks covered, and generous hours open. Moreover, the school has monthly special events and projects all free of charge, and the summer time features a weekly theme and special event each week (like reptile guy, tumblebus, etc). Even when there have been performances by the kids, the school will professionally record it to provide to the families for free after editing. What school does that? Over the two years we've been there, the school added weekly music class and weekly dance class by Seattle Dance Institute for the kids, all free of charge, and there's talk of adding language classes. The best part for us has been the diversity of the student body. We had a cultural night this year with foods from many different countries and traditional outfits modeled by the kids. Each kid gets individualized attention, and teachers will work with each family for concerns. Due to NELC preschool, our kid was accepted into a sought-after, highly capable private K-8 school this year (and it really is NELC because we did not do any teaching or letters or numbers at home). We mentioned having metal plates for the kids, and the school is looking into switching. The only con I can think of is the birthday celebrations with cupcakes and ice cream (sugar for your kid), which happen often. But it's a small thing. The admin and teachers are so sweet and worked with us for emergencies and went out of their way to make sure our kid adjusted and felt welcome and loved.

This place has been amazing for our kids growing up. the staff is so caring and nurturing, we can…read moretruly trust them as parents. the activities are plenty and a great mix of academic, creative and cultural learning. kids also have a chance to perform on stage three times a year and it's special to see them thrive and enjoy themselves.

I love the inclusivity and care shown by the entire community here. So happy we chose them for our…read morefamily.

Giddens School centers the experience on our children- everything they need to learn, explore, and…read moregrow. It is so special to be part of this community. We have been part of the school for three years. Our daughter has grown so much from her time here. Academically, she is challenged by her teachers to think critically (even in kindergarten). The other day she asked if we wanted to make up math story problems at the dinner table, because Giddens encourages students to bring fun, creativity, and exploration into how they learn hard skills. Social and emotional learning is also a major focus for the school. Last week there was a talent show for the k-4th graders, and the amount of love, respect, and excitement the entire school showed to these brave and talented performers was incredibly moving. Giddens works hard to education future leaders, and it shows.

My son attends Interbay KinderCare, and our experience has been consistently positive. The center…read morehas always been clean and secure when I have visited, and I appreciate the frequent updates we receive throughout the day. Even when I am not the one doing drop-off or pickup, I still have a good sense of how his day is going. Most importantly, I feel confident that my son is safe, comfortable, and well cared for while he is there. Every time I have visited, the children have appeared happy and engaged. Nothing dramatic happened that prompted this review--we have simply had a good, dependable experience with the center, and that peace of mind means a great deal to me as a parent.

I am posting this review because I see that nobody else has taken the time. Some internet searching…read morehas revealed no information about how the Kindercare takeover of Mightykidz transpired, but it is important to disclose, because the transition has decimated whatever community was in place at the school. It's been roughly 4 months since the takeover was first announced by the previous owners, and in that span of time, most of our child's teachers, most of our child's classmates, and even the director of the school have left, rather than continue to work for Kindercare. The experience has been absolutely awful and unforgiveable. The children have been impacted a great deal by the transition, which has been made worse by a rapid fire push to remodel elements of the facility, which have taken both the kitchen and playground down for a time period in excess of a month, all while a very, very high amount of staff and student turnover persists. Nothing can convince us to keep our child at Kindercare, and hopefully this information is useful to folks considering sending their children here.