Our youngest son has been attending this school since he was 3.5 years-old and potty-trained. He…read morewas very ready to ditch his large daycare in downtown Issaquah Highlands. I found Aster when it was recommended by the director of Sno-Springs School, near our home. I was admittedly skeptical as I was not particularly impressed by other Montessori schools on the Plateau and in the Highlands. Ms Aparna and her assistant director worked with me and my wife to devise a plan to acclimate our son to their environment and routine. We started with part-time enrollment in their summer camp program. My son immediately loved their large grassy and wooded play area, which was 3x bigger than his old daycare's concrete one. We then continued with Aster into the school year. Although it was very difficult for him at first, Aster Montessori was very patient with our headstrong son's adjustment to Montessori. He quickly improved his social skills ("grace and courtesy") and made good friends at the school. He looked forward to going to preschool each day. As parents we are pleased that our son is achieving his language & math milestones with ease -- he is ahead of his older sibs when they were in preschool -- we are most excited that he's maturing as person. That is, he is starting to understand and regulate his rather challenging temperament. I just wish Aster had been around when our daughters were in preschool! Pros: Happy and eager classmates Low turnover among the teaching staff; they are experienced, too Great communication with parents at pickup, by e-mail and during conference. Clean and bright classrooms Big playground for a small preschool Nurturing environment Many attendance options available Amazing music teacher Cons: Montessori not a natural fit for every personality (like my son's?) Can be difficult to get to know other parents Once-a-month snack duty (ok, not really a problem) Only offers preschool-to-kindergarten (i.e., 3-year 3-to-6 y.o. cycle through Kindergarten)

My son has enjoyed Aster Montessori since the summer camp of July, 2021. He got a lot of love and…read morefriendship from his teachers and his classmates. We have a very happy experience here, and we can see great improvement in his social, emotional and academic development, especially after he started kindergarten. Aster Montessori provides a family-style environment which is very caring, safe and cozy. My son and I fell in love with it when we toured the school, and this turns out to be a really wise choice for us! All of his teachers are nice and helpful to all kids. They love and respect my son and they teach him a lot with great patience, especially his lead teacher, also director of Aster Montessori. My son learned a lot about plants, animals, continents, countries, food, weather, every aspect about nature and science. Besides, he learned how to write numbers, letters, words and sentences, and how to do addition, subtraction and even multiplication. Aster Montessori is an amazing school which really helps lay a solid foundation for kids. Also, the music program is superb, every school concert was very impressive! Highly recommend!

My daughter attended the toddler program at Arbor, and unfortunately, our experience was not very…read morepositive. From the beginning, she was reluctant to go to school, though at her age (3 years old) she couldn't clearly express why. On the administrative side, I often found communication confusing and overly bureaucratic. The primary care director frequently stepped in when issues arose in the classroom, but her messages did not always align with the teachers', and she did not appear to have decision-making authority. When we finally decided to withdraw our daughter after several difficult months, the process was particularly challenging. We submitted our withdrawal notice one day later than the contract required (on a Sunday rather than Saturday). While I acknowledge that this was our oversight, the financial impact was in the thousands of dollars, and the school was unwilling to make any accommodation. Discussions with the primary director, assistant head, head of school, and eventually the owner all reinforced the sense that policies were rigid and prioritized the business side over the child's well-being or the family's situation. I later spoke with another parent who had a very similar experience regarding withdrawal fees, which made me realize this was not an isolated case. To be fair, there are dedicated teachers at Arbor, and I know some children do well there. However, if challenges arise, families should be prepared for limited flexibility and a process that may feel more focused on contractual obligations than collaborative problem-solving.

very unfriendly, not welcoming staff. Atmosphere/ environment is dingy not well lit, a bit…read moredepressing in-fact. not family oriented and to say it lightly biased.

To say that I love this preschool is an understatement. My son is graduating pre-k this year and I…read morewish there was a way we could stay longer. The teachers are kind and loving. They do super fun and educational activities: The biggest asset that this school has is the director Ms. Aimee. She is very hands on, and just an amazing person. She is also a super organized director, and amazing with children, they all love her. Go for a tour, I am sure you will fall in love with this little school like we did.

From the owner: Joyful Discovery Preschool provides a safe, nurturing environment with child-centered learning…read morebalanced in play, academics, and exploration! We offer classes for children 2 years old through 5 years old. *Early academic preparation *Expert, credentialed teachers *Celebrating each child's individuality *Large facility, gym + playground *Creative, rich + developmentally appropriate curriculum *Monthly Faith Focus

Pine Lake Co-Op Preschool has been amazing for my daughter. Play-based learning, exposure to…read moredifferent skills/activities and time spent outdoors playing makes my child beg to go to preschool! The teachers are wonderful and knowledgeable. Co-op model means great student-teacher/adult ratio and very affordable tuition. Getting to volunteer in the classroom has helped me learn more about child development and felt more confident as a parent. It is a great use of my time. There's a reason Pine Lake Co-Op Preschool has been a central part of the community for over 50 years! My daughter is a second generation PLCP student!

We moved to Sammamish in the middle of the pandemic, and I am so happy to have found Pine Lake…read moreCo-op Preschool (PLCP)! It is exactly what my son needed after being home for so long without regular interaction with other kids his age. At PLCP, we have found the perfect balance between flexible structure and the freedom to just play and be kids. Our family has had nothing but wonderful experiences the last two years with Teacher Kim! It's very evident that she is thoroughly experienced with these age groups and provides a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and lessons for the kids. There's no better feeling as a parent than seeing your child thrive in their first experience of school! I am grateful to have found a preschool where my son is safe, positively engaged with his peers and teacher, and excited to go to school each day. As a former K/1st teacher, I have no doubt that Pine Lake Co-op is a wonderful place for both you and your child to grow and learn together. The co-op model is unique and we have loved building connections with other families. Our younger one will be starting at PLCP in a few months, and we're so excited to see his education journey begin!!

Miss Eva has created a warm, loving and nurturing environment for kids to socialize, play and "be…read morekids". The home like atmosphere helps kids feel at home/ease. Our son enjoys/loves the freedom to be self-directed. At the same time, Miss Eva/Kristine are very well organized and have a plethora of art/creative/learning activities planned every day. These activities have traditional learning (math, reading/writing) integrated in a subtle/natural way. Miss Eva is great about communicating daily updates via mobile apps. Our son is having a blast! We recommend arTree without any reservations!

Ms. Eva cares about the students on an individual level. She is the owner of the school and wants…read moreto do a very good job. We have been to places where a care giver may care more about some students for whatever reasons (i.e., being more talkative or having more parent involvement), but we felt that she cares about every child. What she does every week is also very interesting to the kids as they do lots of hands on activities. She also share photos of the children every week that are fun to watch.

Our 1 year old has attended Evergreen Academy Montessori Issaquah since he was 4 months old and we…read moreabsolutely adore all his teachers. In the infant room he would always be so excited to see his teachers every morning, practically launching himself out of my arms reaching for them. And after a short adjustment period he is now doing the same to all his teachers in the toddler room! We have been super happy to see how well the teachers here have supported his development, helping him with everything from the major motor milestones like sitting, crawling and cruising, to things like using a sippy cup or handling a spoon. They also regularly share pictures in Tadpoles so we can see him playing with his friends, and even in the infant room would send home fun holiday crafts they did together in class. I also really appreciate that we actually feel like everyone knows us here - Miss Forozan is really hands on as Director. She's also organized fun community events for everyone, and sends out regular weekly updates. The teachers and staff here are all absolutely wonderful, we could not have asked for a better group of folks to trust with loving and taking care of our baby!

We've had our 4 yr old daughter at Evergreen for the past year and it's been a wonderful experience…read moreoverall. Ms Gowri and Ms Lucky are the best and our daughter loves being in their class and has grown and matured quite a bit in the past year. They run a very polished, tight, safe/secure ship there and she's learned so much this past year. We're very greatful to Ms Gowri and Ms Lucky and also to the admin-staff and support-staff as well!

I enrolled my daughter in Little Gems last year to get her ready for Kindergarten. She blossomed…read moreunder the tuteledge of Little Gems staff. She loves her pre-school and is ready for Kindergarten in a much better, prepared place than she would have been otherwise. The owners and the staff are wonderful educators and have a real appreciation for all the children in their charge. The activities and the interaction is awesome and my daughters command of reading, writing and socialization tripled in the time she spent with the classes. I highly reccommend this preschool as we have had great experiences all year long and my daughter continues to love learning and interacting with her teachers and students alike. A lot of 1:1 engagement and team building, hard to do with 4 and 5 year olds, but Little Gems makes it look effortless. Kudo's to Debbie and John for continuing to hold true to the values and commitment they bring to every student. Thank you! I am looking forward to sending my two year old son there when his time is ready. Sincerely, -Anna Ward acward@ix.netcom.com P.S. I am happy to answer any questions through e-mail that you might have in selecting Little Gems for your child/children.

From the owner: Check out our new Yelp page under our new name - Lil Gems Preschool!read more

We love Issaquah Montessori. Our child has blossomed from a shy toddler to a very outgoing,…read morepleasant mannered one. Teachers are so patient and nurturing and let the child take the lead. We love the very innovative strategy of teaching kids the fundamentals to read, write and look at them as a whole child instead of focusing on ticking boxes like teaching them to write, read etc, which takes the fun out of learning. We are definitely enrolling our second one here!

Both my kids are now attending the school. My daughter started 5 months ago and even though she…read moregot a new teacher, the quality remains top notch. In regards to schools, it doesn't get better than Issaquah Montessori!!!