100000 stars!! There aren't enough words to say how AMAZING this school is!!! Athena is a special,…read moremagical gem and we feel so absolutely lucky to have found it. The teachers and the atmosphere just radiate peace and positivity. The quality of education is incredible. My son turned 5 yesterday and is already about to start reading!! The amount of personal attention and care each student receives is incredible. My second child is about to "walk through the gates of life" this May and head to kindergarten.. I am honestly heartbroken to not go there everyday anymore lol! We have had a child there for the past 5 years and if I could keep them there forever, I would! We have had the honor to get to know Ms. Alex, Ms. Jazmin and Ms. Morgan over the years and these women are absolutely INCREDIBLE! They have huge hearts and really LOVE what they do, and it shows!! They have a magic way of connecting, communicating and relating to the kids. We are so THANKFUL for the values and knowledge they have bestowed in our children that will shape who they become forever!! We love each of you so much!! My kids made me promise to always take them back to say hello as they grow...that speaks volumes in my book. Athena is a purely magical place!

We have been blown away by our experience with Athena. The support and caring from the staff has…read morebeen amazing. Our son has flourished at the school. The growth from August until now has been exponential on all fronts. He is more independent, communicating more and becoming a member of his classroom community. The other parents as well have created a lovely community and support system as well. My husband and I didn't realize just how lucky we were to get a spot in the school!

We are beyond thankful and equally impressed with this school. From the start, the Director gave…read moreme much confidence that we were making the right choice for our then 3.5 year old son. We felt at home from the beginning when we showed up to observe on a tour last fall. I sat in on both 3-6 yr old classes (one of the classes was set up in the back of the main house while the other class took up the front space). During my 10 min observation of each class, I noticed the following montessorian traits: -focus that each child or group of children exhibited in respective work/socialization -what appeared to me as a very calm and controlled environment from the children themselves -a sense of enjoyment by all At the time, I was extremely cautious mainly around how my son would behave knowing his impulse control behaviors and most importantly his delay in speech had been issues at a prior school. I laid my concerns out for the TMC and they only reassured me that our son was the typical 3 yr old. Within a weeks time, we transferred our son to TMC with a gradual transition based on his needs. That was over 6 months ago and our son couldn't be thriving more. We attribute this to an entire staff of loving, caring and very patient super-star individuals at TMC. While our son still is difficult to understand with his speech and still has outbursts, luckily they're short-lived; but furthermore, our son's vocabulary has exploded since his time at TMC. And even more importantly is that our son really does enjoy going to school and when we pick him up rarely does he want to leave. When your child begins to talk about his friends and the teachers he says he loves, unsolicited --- you know you made the right decision with TMC!! I wish all of our friends' kids could experience The Montessori Center!

We moved to Austin recently and were in search of a summer program for our three year old. I felt…read morean instant connect with Jessica - the director of the school, she is warm and very accommodating. Our son was here for two months and we loved it. They teachers are wonderful - Bekah, Barbara, CJ and Augusta.It was easy to slip into conversation with them during pick up and they were generous with mindful observations about how my son was doing at school. The school is located in a charming street with plenty of green tress and has been a place of learning since 1970. The bricks have inscriptions on them and the tiles have pictures that peek and tell stories of children who were here. The classrooms have plenty of material for children to choose from and they are very aesthetically done. Every time I drop off the little one the atmosphere has been so lively with music and sprinklers - I wish I could stay a little longer. My wish was granted when Jessica allowed me to stay for an hour and shadow the class. The rest of my review is details of the a few hours I spent in the classroom with Barbara and Bekah. It was the last day of summer so the excitement and restlessness was palpable. Children were being dropped off and they were helping themselves to a snack of whole wheat toast and delicious cream. They started to settle down and pick activities. Some worked on alphabet activities, some with books, some with puzzles, some picked numeric activities and some art and sensory activities. Children either worked alone or in small groups. The teacher helped the children who worked with letters to understand phonetics. Two little girls settled down with books - the younger a little distracted and the older focussed, learning from each other. Another little girl got a bunch of pocket books and flipped through them alone - immersed. The teachers did a fine job of balancing - offering help when needed and letting the children be as needed. The little ones seemed to prefer sensory work - coloring, playing with cotton swabs, watering plants and painting. Each activity is set up on a quaint tray and children are encouraged to clean up after they are done. The class is soon settled and bustling with an air of calm, busy, enthusiasm. Everyone finding their zone, their space, taking time to choose an activity, work and wind up. Some stick with an activity for 10 mins, some 20 and others longer. Little girls are busy drawing a unicorn, a boy in learning to sew with thread and paper. Two little girls sit together and play with colored tiles, learning to match and compare. A little boy who has been playing with shimmer - used a dust pan to clean up and does a throughout job. Older kids tend to persist more and interaction with adults definitely encourages them. Overall a great environment to learn to pick what you like, stick and find meaning in what you do, learn to wind down and clean up when you are done and derive joy through the process.

I substitute teach around town and I love working at this school. The teachers really care about…read morethe children and they provide a sweetly prepared inside and outside environment. The children get a good amount of outside time with a healthy balance of freedom and gentle guidance. Both Rachel and Lesley are well-educated, observant, and warm. They help create a peaceful place for children to thrive.

The sweetest place you'll find for your 3-6 year olds. They're very thoughtful and caring staff who…read moretruly look after all the kids and guide them in a supportive way. I felt at ease from day one of meeting them (you know a momma's gut feeling knows!) and they've been the same every single day. Very grateful I found them.

I am so happy we found Mi Casita! The Austin daycare scene is so competitive and I was overwhelmed…read morewith where to start. We were so lucky to get our 2 year old into the school - from day one I have had 100% confidence not just in the level of care they provide, but also in their commitment to my Childs education. She is thriving, learning, and so happy to go to school every day. It's a wonderful, tight-knit community of families with plenty of opportunities for us to connect with other parents and staff throughout the year. We've been so amazed by the immense impact the Montessori approach has made in our child's independence, language skills (both Spanish and English) and compassion.

This may be a long review but will be honest for the East location…read more We were with MiCasita East for 3 months before pulling our 2 daughters due to a safety concern. This was a new location and wouldn't recommend going through the growing pains. I am giving 2 stars because I was grateful that they took our daughters in last minute (after Los Amiguitos on MLK unexpectedly delayed when they would be able to start our daughter). The teacher who spoke English and Spanish was let go which was really when I started to notice that they weren't doing much with the kids. It was more of a daycare vibe where teachers just watched the kids and made sure they stayed alive. The only teacher who ever engaged in conversation and did cool activities like had the kids help set up bird feeds. The kids are changed anywhere and everywhere. I didn't agree with this personally because of sanitary purposes and as someone with a childcare background, I believe it's important for children to have a designated bathroom place to make that connection. Especially when it's time to potty train. We had started shortly after they opened. So their playground was still under construction. There was ZERO shade at first. Kids spend 2-3 hours in hot weather. Some days the HI was as high as 103. They quit doing water play for like a month when it started to get hotter. When I brought this up to Jackie, the director, she dismissed me and stated there were no guidelines for weather according to licensing. My daughters wouldn't eat at school because of how much the heat affected them. Mosquitoes and flies are a huge issue here even though they have pest control. This is an issue if you have a child who is more reactive to mosquitoes bites. My daughter would come home with what looked like marbles under her skin from the bites due to her reaction to mosquitoes. My 3.5 year old came home learning more English than Spanish. Most parents here are only English speaking so they place their kids here in hopes they will learn Spanish. It was hard on my older daughter as there were no other children who spoke Spanish. As far as I knew from what I was told, we were the only Spanish speaking household. So if you're of Hispanic background and looking for a Spanish program, this isn't the place. What was our deciding factor? I got a call from them that my youngest daughter had a fever of 102.4. I picked her up within the hour. The HI was 103. When I got there she was outside with the rest of the children in the heat. I brought this up to Jackie, and again she dismissed me and made it seem like it wasn't a big deal. She stated they were short handed and she had went to lunch so she had my daughter go with the rest of the kids and that she had her water bottle. Apparently my daughter's health wasn't more important than a lunch break. Child care licensing states that a child that is sick and sent home needs to be isolated from other children to reduce the chances of an outbreak. So they also broke licensing regulations. My daughter came back positive with COVID. No letter was sent out to the rest of the parents regarding a positive case (especially since they refused to isolate her). This was obviously a concern as it made me wonder what illnesses they were exposing my kids to as well. After that incident is when we pulled our girls shortly after securing another spot elsewhere. I never received an apology for Jackie not being respectful of my daughter's health even though I mentioned this was the reason why. Absolutely no cares given.

Every day I am more and more amazed at how caring,professional and sincere the teachers at…read moreMainspring School are. My granddaughters are both under three years old and look forward to going to school every day. When I pick them up they tell me they had a great day and they say that every day.

I love this place it has the best Teachers.Staff..and very structured days…read more I Love the commitment of the staff and the way the children are taken care of. The smiling faces of all the children is a great indicator of a great school.

My daughter has been at ACA for over two years and will be graduating and heading to Kindergarten…read morethis fall. We are sad to be leaving the school but so thankful for the teachers, staff and administration for giving her and us a wonderful experience while she's been enrolled there. Her growth while attending ACA has been remarkable, with her language (Spanish and English bilingual class), math, reading, and independent life skills being way above average. We give so much credit to the amazing teachers she has worked with in both pre-K classes she has been in...truly wonderful people who are not just educators but curators of the kids' minds and social/emotional wellbeing. If you are looking for a welcoming and loving Montessori environment to enrich your child's early education, I could not recommend ACA more!

Our daughter has been enrolled at ACA for about six months now and here is our experience. We moved…read moreto Texas from California and first enrolled her in another montessori school. We noticed after a few months that the teachers there were stretched thin and would ask us to teach her to sit still during circle time at home. We felt that wasn't in line with what we read Montessori is about (individualized care) so we began looking for another school. When we found ACA, i read through their About Us and noticed they deliberately overstaff in order to prevent teacher burnout, keep teachers happy and energized, which will in turn trickle down to how the children are cared for. I thought this was super wise and loving so we decided to go in for a tour. We met Estella, one of the owners of the school, and she shared their philosophy and showed us the grounds. I immediately felt her energy was starkly different from the energy of our prior school. I also asked if the teachers are actually montessori certified, which i found wasn't true for our previous school. she was happy to confirm they are indeed Montessori certified and go through rigorous and regular trainings to maintain/obtain/enrich their certifications. (note to parents out there, most montessori schools in austin are "montessori inspired", not montessori certified. basically BS. we've had a chance to meet and develop a relationship with owners Sam and Estella, Ms. Hong, Ms. Sara, Mrs. Gupta, and other teachers and staff of the school. And With every single one of them, there is genuine love, honesty, and long-term thinking. This is school is love and people first, profit second. they are reasonably priced as well. and if you're looking for a daycare for your child where your child will be safe, loved, and enriched, I cannot recommend this school enough. Not just because the other schools around Austin suck (which is generally true), but mainly because the folks at ACA actually care and come from love.

Our family had an excellent experience at Julia's Garden Montessori in the Bouldin neighborhood!…read more We were looking for a small, academically-oriented environment and this school fit the bill. Our 5.5 year old went from reading single words to whole books in six months and his love for science and math was really nurtured there. Our almost two year old also flourished and has become very independent under the guidance of two incredibly loving teachers (one of which speaks Spanish with the children exclusively, so my daughter now knows almost as many Spanish words as English). There are three age groups: Infant Community (walking to 2.5), Primary (2.5-5.5), Taller (5.5-9). Each age group is in their own freestanding house with their own playground. They have a solid COVID plan, and they plan to meet all the CDC guidelines. Because of their small, isolated environment they feel they can safely offer full-time, in-person school, instead of on-line or blended learning. Julia's Garden closely follows Montessori methods, with one exception in the Taller class - each morning the elementary aged students are given four, hands-on assignments in core learning areas. Students complete this work before they may move on to other preferred activities, which I think prepares them well for transitioning into non-Montessori environments later on. Afternoons include group activities like science experiments, gardening work, tending to chickens, foreign language class, and art activities - all of which my son loved! I highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a nurturing, nature-based learning environment. I also think the academics were strong and properly individualized to each child. While at a time this school might have felt too small for some families, safety in small numbers and embracing a chance for a lower student-teacher ratio seems like the way to go!

This is an amazing program. Gardening, cooking, yoga, french lessons, story time, drama, art,…read moremusic and playtime. My daughter loves this school.

We absolutely love Bright Horizons at Braker Lane! The communication is excellent, the staff is…read moretop-notch, and the classrooms and playgrounds are clean and spacious. The program is fantastic, with lots of activities and nutritious meals! Our toddler loves it here. We receive constant updates and photos throughout the day, so we know how much fun he's having while we're at work! His teachers are amazing--very caring, creative, and attentive. They always communicate any concerns and give great advice. Initially, we were unsure of what to expect because of our previous experiences with daycares, but all our anxiety disappeared once we started at Bright Horizons! Highly recommend.

The absolute best environment to have your kiddo in. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic,…read moreempathetic & kind the BH staff are, teachers & admin. My kiddo loves his friends & is always so happy to go to school. Great curriculum, frequent updates, just perfect! Cannot fault them even if I tried. We're having to move him due to being a lot further now & it's the hardest part. They are just amazing beyond! We'll get back on their waitlist in a heartbeat if we need to!

Heart songs has been a gift for my boy, he treasures his time there with the teachersread more

Heartsong is amazing! It is so great for music and language development! The space the owner…read more(Carey) has created is wonderful for playing before/after class and connecting with the other families. My son does several paid activity classes during the week (music, gym, dance, etc.) - this is by far the best value for your money. You'll get music, teachers who have studied the curriculum and Montessori education, movement, language development, and a beautiful space for play and community after class. My son started at 11 months and I wish we started earlier! For weeks he just sat in our laps and listened most of the class. He seemed like he wasn't super excited but he was actually just slowly absorbing everything! It's now been four months and he gets so excited every time he hears music he starts dancing and smiling! We listen to all the songs in the car and someties at home and he's started singing along to several words from different songs. He even remembers which words/sounds are coming next - it's so adorable to hear him in the back of the car singing! Heartsong has been great for language development too - an unexpected plus! My son started saying words with difficult sounds (e.g., "car") that we hadn't heard as a babble sound or really used often and we figured out it's because the "ca"/"ka" sound is used in several songs we're singing this semester. Neat! I love that Heartsong follows the Music Together curriculum which means you do the same set of about 25 songs over the 10-week "semester" and then move to a different set. This allows time for the kids to get used to the sound of a song over the semester. The songs have been developed to help with language development (lots of different sounds), music development, and even self-regulation (slower/faster). I love that the teachers offer insights on why certain things they do help with development. The in-class experience will vary by teacher. Keep that in mind if you decide to do demo classes first.

Our daughter joined the Peace of Mind family two years ago, and from day one, we truly felt like…read morepart of a family. As parents, the peace of mind we felt knowing how loved and cared for she was by every member of the staff and her classmates brought us so much joy. Now that our time at Peace of Mind has come to an end, it's hard to say goodbye. You know a daycare is special when farewells are this difficult. If you are looking for a place where teachers will treat your children with love, care, compassion, and will embrace the very best parts of them--this is the place. The owners pour their hearts and souls into creating an environment that feels magical. From petting zoos and bounce houses at family events, to splash days in the summer, to the endless pictures that make you feel like you never miss a moment--it's clear how much thought and love goes into every detail. We are so grateful for our time here, and if you are lucky enough to get your child into Peace of Mind, you will quickly understand what all of us parents already know: it's a truly amazing place.

We toured Peace of Mind a couple of months before I gave birth and intended to send our son when he…read morewas around 5 months old. They were very helpful, gave us a tour, and essentially confirmed our spot. If they had given any indication there wouldn't be space I would've lined up backup daycares. A month or so after I gave birth I reached out to them to check in, and got no response. After a week I emailed again, with no response. I started panicking a little (my son was supposed to start in just a couple of months) and called frequently. No one answered or returned my calls or voicemails. Finally after a MONTH of reaching out, they emailed back and said they wouldn't have space but would reach out when they did. It's been a year and they've never contacted me. Not that I would send my children here anyways, I'd prefer a daycare I can actually get in touch with if needed... Update: It appears the owner responds via Yelp much faster than their email. And also, even though they didn't officially confirm our spot during the tour, they gave no indication there would be an issue with the approximate start time we were desiring. We were not the only family we know of that tried to contact them for weeks and got no response.