Children's Workshop is still the best preschool in the Queen Anne/Ballard/Magnolia area. Teacher…read moreNadine has been operating for over 30 years, and no one can match her enthusiasm, creativity, and spirit,. She instills this love of learning and wonder for the world that is so hard to capture, through her weekly nature walks and daily yoga, in house music (guitar & piano), and interactive drama activities. This has been the best preparation for elementary school for my three kids. If you have the opportunity to get in here, consider yourself very lucky!

Nadine, Thomas, Talma, and Lacey have been so wonderful over the last two years. We still think…read moreabout them now that our child has moved on to elementary school. The level of imagination and play combined with a ton of incredible learning is unparalleled. We are so lucky to have found CW as our first family experience with a school. Wonderful!

The Valley School is a truly amazing place. Our family relocated from the east coast to Seattle…read morelast year and our kids started Valley in PreK and 1st grade. The Valley School has been the MOST warm, loving and supportive environment for our whole family. Our kids both love school, absolutely adore their teachers and have made fabulous friends. They say every weekend, "I wish we had school today". Both of my kids are truly jazzed about learning and I love that they get deep into their work, especially when it means that they come home covered head to toe in dirt! I can't recommend Valley highly enough.

The faculty at The Valley School are highly skilled and very professional. On a daily basis, I am…read moreimpressed by the creativity and patience of the teachers. It is a nurturing community and a wonderful place for children to grow and learn.

Orange Tea has a very special place in our hearts! After my toddler went to another local daycare…read morecenter for 9-months and we were very unsatisfied, we found Orange Tea and have been there ever since. My now 5-year old is graduating to kindergarten but his little sister has been here since she turned 2.5. Teachers Kerry and Andrew run a compassionate preschool with lots of exploration play, unstructured time outside, weekly themes, art, healthy food, and so much emotional intelligence education. The school is small (one mixed-age class), which means the big kids learn to care for the little kids. My kids are delightful, polite, and caring humans and I credit this school with almost all of that influence. If you're reading the reviews (which are old), know they are no longer drop-in, and masks are only worn after a community exposure event, though they were previously worn 100% of the time for almost 2 years of covid.

My 2-year-old son loves this preschool. We initially heard about OTS when they moved to our…read moreneighborhood. We had been on the waiting list for another daycare for over two years already, and when our second arrived three weeks early, we decided to give it a try. At the time, our son was acting out and very jealous of his new sister. His enrollment at OTS has really helped his transition from only child to big brother. While it's always difficult sending a child to school for the first time, I couldn't imagine a more nurturing environment for him. Teacher Kerry and Teacher Andrew are absolutely wonderful with the kids. I love their focus on emotional intelligence because it was what my son needed at the time--and truly what any child this age needs. I also noticed that his manners have improved tremendously since he started attending their school. Although we had been working consistently with him on manners, he would often need reminders. After a few months at OTS, everything finally clicked, and he even asks to be excused from the dinner table. Aside from good manners, his imagination has really taken off and he engages more in pretend play. Prior to his time at OTS, he was very needy and always asked one of us to play with him. Now he exhibits more independence and takes the lead in pretend play. I believe the small, intimate, home environment of OTS has really enabled him to thrive. It's like his home away from home, and I know he thinks of Teacher Andrew, Teacher Kerry and the other kids like family. I'd highly recommend OTS to any parent, but particularly to those whose kids are leaving home for the first time. What a wonderful find.

We love Jacqueline! Our little girl is happy there, and the environment is so warm and comfortable…read more(and fun!) that the she honestly had very little trouble adjusting on her first day. She is now in her third year there and is very happy with their activities and her friends at Enchanted Garden. You just found a little neighborhood gem!

Enchanted Garden was my son's first Preschool experience away from home and it was incredible! He…read moreis a very active little guy and Jacqueline's style of engaging the children all morning long was perfect for him. Their projects were absolutely beautiful and the smell of fresh baked bread and flowers made me smile at dropoff and pickup. What a magical place! My son was 2.5 when he started and did have a bit of separation anxiety at first. Jacqueline worked with me/him to come up with a great plan to ease that anxiety and within a few days his drop-off routine worked beautifully. I can't say enough great things about this beautiful place and am so thankful we snagged an opening last year!

When we moved to Seattle, I was in search of a preschool where my family and I could become part of…read morea special community. I found that and so much more at Illuminate Preschool. Our 2 daughters have spent 4 years there enjoying the Montessori inspired learning activities, reading program, dance sessions, field trips, and playground time. The kind and caring teachers have been so important and instrumental in the development of our children in preparing them for elementary school. It truly feels like you are part of a family, and we've formed what are sure to be lifelong friendships with many of the other families we met there. Our daughters love to reminisce about all of the fond memories they made there. It really is a special place!

Amazing school! My daughter has absolutely blossomed at this preschool, and I'm amazed at the…read morethings she is learning each and every day. I also send my 3 year old son to the Pipers Creek location, and Miss Lucy is the best! My son loves going to school every single day, and already knows his ABC's and 123's. He loves dinosaurs and Miss Lucy is very good about catering to him, she brings little things especially for him, dinosaur stickers etc.. and has taught him all about volcanoes. Miss Lucy is such a passionate teacher and the absolute best teacher/person you could imagine your 3 year old spending their day with. I have nothing but gratitude to all the great teachers who work here. Thank you Miss Molly and Mr Mike.

Buzybeez was recommended to us by another parent when we moved to the area and we have loved our…read moreexperience so far. Our three year old went in shy, quiet and somewhat unsure but has blossomed into a confident little guy who is quite the chatterbox. As he was born during Covid lockdown, Buzybeez was his first exposure to a school/childcare setting. The teacher, Ms. Kimberly is fantastic with kids and made the transition easy for us as parents as well. We would definitely recommend the preschool based on the experience we've had!

Our daughter, Aviana, joined Willow Tree in 2021, during COVID, as part of the first Tiger class…read morewhen she was three years old. After a wonderful nanny-share at home--where we could closely observe and control every aspect of her day--my wife and I were understandably nervous about transitioning her to preschool. We did extensive research and toured nearly ten preschools and daycares. Willow Tree immediately stood out. From the very beginning, it was clear that the director, Liu, and the entire staff were genuinely loving and attentive caregivers. From her first day, Aviana loved going to school. Her development accelerated noticeably--she made friends, gained confidence, and even happily ate the school-made lunches. We initially had questions about the Mandarin immersion program and whether it might delay Aviana's English development. Liu reassured us that the opposite would be true, explaining that children's brains at that age are "like sponges," capable of absorbing far more than we often realize. She was absolutely right. Aviana's English continued to flourish, and her Mandarin grew from zero to a working knowledge of the language--truly incredible. To sum it up: if we had to do it all over again, we would choose Willow Tree without hesitation. Two years later, we enrolled our younger daughter, Amelia, when she was just a year and a half old. She began in the Bunny class, moved on to Penguin, and is now in Tiger. She loves it. Her Mandarin is now as strong as her English, even though we speak only English at home. On more than one occasion, I've caught Amelia dreaming in Mandarin--a constant reminder of how much she has learned in such a short time. Willow Tree has provided an exceptional academic and developmental foundation for both of our girls, along with a truly welcoming and supportive community. As Amelia prepares to graduate, we know we'll remain connected through the friendships our daughters have built and the families we've come to know beyond the classroom. We couldn't be more grateful for Willow Tree.

Willow Tree preschool has been a great experience for our daughter. She joined the Penguin class…read morejust after she turned 2 years old and her Mandarin Chinese has blossomed from the exposure at the school. I'm so surprised how much Chinese she can understand and speak and she can even sing songs in Chinese. While I can speak Chinese, I usually forget to so it's great to know she's able to learn it at school. The teachers we've been exposed to at WT have all been warm and inviting. Our daughter doesn't warm easily and the transition was long and difficult but the teachers embraced her with love and care. I was a little skeptical at first to hear there were 20 kids, such a big class, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because there are 20 kids, there are also 3-4 teachers. By having extra teachers, this helps when a kid or two are having a meltdown or just need a little extra love and attention. With some of the kids in the class being older and being able to better regulate and play with themselves, this left the extra teachers to help with the younger, new kids who needed extra help. We attended a different preschool briefly before WT where there were 7 kids and 1 teacher and that teacher seemed to just be in survival mode because they couldn't get to all the kids that needed attention or assistance. Whereas the WT teachers always seemed happy and had good energy. We also love Liu, the director. She cares deeply for the kids and brings amazing energy. It's always a joy to run into her and catch up. Your kids will be in good hands at WT!

High quality safe environment with exceptional teachers and staff who actively engage with kids and…read morefamilies. Lots of indoor and outdoor activities including a large robust vegetable garden.

Very high turnover of staff, lack of consistency of care for children, stressful work environment,…read morepoor leadership, definitely not Reggio Emilia in practice although they claim to be on their website.