My wife and I have taken multiple ASL classes with Visually Speaking, and they've all been amazing!…read moreThe teachers are very knowledgeable and friendly, and the classes are a fun place to learn. While youtube does provide some great resources for learning ASL, having a live instructor (online or in-person) makes a huge difference. You quickly start to feel more comfortable signing, and it's wonderful to meet other students that are learning too. Don't be afraid to jump in hands first!

I recently had several hours of one-on-one ASL lessons with Kellie G (the owner) in Bellevue…read more Kellie is extremely friendly and helpful, which made the classes all the more enjoyable. It's clear that she truly wants the student(s) to get the absolute most out of her classes as she invests a lot of herself to help them reach their goals. During one of our lessons, one of her teachers (Loki) joined us. Loki is also very down-to-earth and fun to be around. He spent over an hour with us, which gave me the advantage of having two teachers at once! I would highly recommend Kellie or any of her teachers to take your ASL / sign language skills to the next level!

We just completed a 3 week Great Start series with Chevy Geech at Parent Trust's Montlake Terrace…read morelocation and were really happy! The course was extremely comprehensive, over 3 Saturday's from 9am - 2.30pm with a total of 40 minutes of breaks throughout the day. Along with the Penny Simkin book, you are given materials and contacts throughout the course to help - all of which were fantastic. The content of the course covers everything from early labor right the way through to diaper changing. Chevy was a fantastic teacher who knows how to interact with a class well and keeps everyone active and interested for the 5.5 hour sessions - an incredible feat in and of itself! :) Each of the series culminates with a reunion that takes place once all the babies are born. We just wrapped up our series today, but will be gathering again in January to meet everyone again with their +1's (babies!) We can't wait! If you are looking for a reputable, accredited and well planned out course to take regarding childbirth and the pre and post stages as well.

This review is for the Mercer St. Location…read more I have been lucky enough to stay home with my son M-F. Recently, the opportunity to work a few extra hours during the week came up, and as it is Christmas, a lot of my mom friends (who would normally watch kiddo) are traveling, entertaining family, etc. In comes Whirlwinds. We attended a party at the UVillage location, and were thrilled with the toys and idea of a drop-off daycare center. Their max is 4 hours, which is a little tough, but it works for most situations. Also, it is CHEAP at $8 an hour. These girls are AWESOME! The one on staff this morning (Kylene?) was friendly, professional, and best of all, immediately made efforts to warm my wary-of-new-adults little guy. She also went with his pace, rather than just getting in his face and yapping and make him uncomfortable. This facility is large and has a lot of different kinds of toys to entice kids of all ages. It has a fenced off play area, a lunch area, and a clean and easy to access bathroom. I was ten minutes late to pick my son up, and even after being ten minutes early to drop him off, the staff was still very accommodating and kind. If the need arises, I will definitely be using their services again.

So I just had my son's 3rd birthday here and wanted to say how awesome the new space is. It's 3…read moretimes the size of the old place - 2000+ sq. ft. of totally open space with every kind of toy you can imagine (except musical instruments, oddly). For what I think is a very reasonable fee they supply the invitations, the plates/silverware/napkins/tablecloths, access to more toys than you'll ever have in your house, and even the cupcakes and juice (if you choose). There's also someone who does the setup and cleanup. You just show up, kids have a good time, then you go home. What's not to like? Plus there was almost no fighting over toys - and this is with 15+ toddlers. I attribute to the fact that we weren't in anyone's "house" (less possessiveness if the toy isn't "owned" by one of the kids). We did bring a little bagels & coffee for the adults, and put it in the nice gated entry area to keep it away from the kids. I will totally plan to do a party (20 kids is the max) here again - easily good for any kids under 6, and the staff was wonderful to deal with. Again, I've never used this for drop-in day care (our kid is in pre-school full time), which is their main business during the week. I'm sure that would be great, as it's the same space, toys, and so on.

I originally signed up for one of the many courses that Context International offers on the…read moresuggestion of a close friend. I didn't know what to expect, but decided I would give it a shot. What I found was an incredible set of tools and methods to be more effective in my every-day life. By understanding and focusing on what is most important to me, I have been able to combine my passion for technology with my love of working with people in a tech management role at an early-stage startup. I have since taken a variety of other courses from Context and each one has been incredibly valuable, helping me understand what motivates me, the experiences I want in life, and the legacy I want to leave behind. I would highly recommend these courses to anyone who wants more out of life.

I've taken a number of courses from Context and have received tremendous value from them…read more I took the first course when I was in college. I'd say that my experience in college was pretty typical - world of possibilities and a lot of confusion on what road to take. Through the tools and exercises in the courses, I gained a lot of clarity on what I wanted in both my professional and personal life. Having that clarity was awesome, but what really sealed the deal for me was that the courses were structured to help me achieve my goals and sustain lasting results. The most recent course I've taken is Presentation Dynamics and I would highly recommend that course to anyone. The instructor, Jim Sorensen, is an incredible public speaker and teacher. He takes a very unique approach to teaching public speaking that is extremely effective for all personality types. If you are a professional looking to get a taste of what Context has to offer, this is the course to take! Amazing!

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!

Mel and Christina are literal angels and were so kind and patient when I came in for a consult…read morefreshly postpartum. I was a teary mess and they were both so compassionate and helpful as I wandered the store after my consultation. Mel helped me get the right size flange and advised us on what products to use to avoid pumping with plastic as much as possible. She hand selected bras for me to try on and gave me a hug when I needed it. Truly the most positive retail experience I've ever had! They have everything you might need to pump with and if it's not in store, they have great recommendations. Thank you guys so much for all that you do!

Nurturing Expressions made the whole process of figuring out my breastfeeding supplies so much…read moreeasier. The staff is kind, patient, and very knowledgeable--they explained in detail the pros/cons of varying breast pumps, bottles, pacifiers etc...and in a way that was easy to understand. I love that they do breast pump accessory fittings to ensure you are ordering the correct sizes. Not having the correct size can have a huge impact on your breastfeeding experience. They're well organized and even handle insurance and billing directly. I left confident in my choice of breast pump and find peace of mind knowing I can stop by anytime if I need any help down the road. Nurturing Expressions is a gem for new and expecting parents--supportive, professional, and genuinely invested in helping families thrive. I can't recommend them enough! Thank you Nicole and team!

We loved our experience at Phinney Ridge CDC!…read more Our only child had to abruptly leave a tenuous childcare situation and a friend recommended Phinney Ridge CDC. Naturally, we were skittish after the previous experience, however, we instantly fell in love with how caring and nurturing the teachers and staff were with her - making her feel immediately welcome and special. It is difficult leaving your child with just anyone and trusting that she will be loved and cared for in the same way you would care for her. Phinney Ridge CDC did just that. They encouraged her full personality, helping her gain further confidence to speak her mind, while being respectful and helping to teach her the necessary early childhood education skills through interests that she and her classmates shared. The only reason she is no longer at the school is because of our recent move to a new neighborhood. Had we remained in that area of town, she would have continued there until kindergarten. We cannot say enough about how much we love Phinney Ridge CDC - if you're in the Ballard/Fremont/Greenlake/Greenwood/Phinney area, it is a wonderful place to send your kids. Thank you, Phinney Ridge CDC! We appreciate all that you've done for our child and family!

I have called and left five voicemails regarding childcare. I have stopped by the church office…read moretwice and told to leave my name and number and they would call me back. It's 5 months later........

We had a pretty underwhelming experience at the dramatics summer camp held by Illumination Studio…read more My daughter, who is otherwise a fast learner, and has learnt a ton in other 5 day performing art summer camps, came back home each day wanting to learn, and engage, but only to be left with random play stuff - legos, crayons, etc. Based on the website description, we hoped for an enrichment experience, but what we saw was mostly a child care center approach - if that's what parents should expect, setting the right expectation upfront is key. We did reach out to the administration sharing the same concerns, and we were told that the reason the dramatics camp could not do much dramatics related activities was the low student turnout. I do not think that's an excuse to not take accountability of not delivering what was promised and that I expected some kind of real teacher - student interaction and learning happening, which was not the case.

We originally signed our daughter up for aftercare, and then when the pandemic hit and schools…read moreclosed, we jumped on the opportunity to attend Ms. Molli's in-person 10-kid morning kindergarten program. I had heard great things about the preschool and pre-K offerings, but it still exceeded my expectations. With a personalized approach, and a playful but rigorous hands-on curriculum, my daughter loves it and is thriving, already reading independently, counting by five's and starting to tell time. Ms. Molli is so personable and is fully transparent and collaborative with the parents, so even with strict Covid policies, I feel more connected with the kindergarten experience than I would have ever hoped. I forgot to mention it's very affordable too.