We love this preschool, all three of our kids have had a wonderful experience here. My oldest son…read morewent here in 2012 when it was at a different location and Caroline was his teacher, when my second was ready for school in 2015, I put him in this bilingual preschool as well. Now my youngest daughter is attending this preschool, she is enrolled in the Chinese and English and her Chinese has significantly improved. We don't speak Chinese at home and because the school has sparked a curiosity in her, she requests Chinese words throughout the day and asks, "how do you say this in Chinese?" We were at a preschool before whose values did not align with our early learning philosophy. That school had wanted to teach every child exactly the same and ignore the needs of the child's developmental stage. We wanted a preschool that deepened our child's love for learning while treating them each as individuals and Language Garden does both. We feel so blessed to have found them. It's been over a year for my daughter and the teachers in both Chinese and English classrooms have been the same which helps build that stability a child needs to thrive. I highly recommend them!

TL;DR: We found the owners extremely inflexible, unreceptive to parent feedback, and rigid about…read more"school policy," even when those policies weren't clearly communicated. The school made a great impression during our tour, and our son's homeroom teacher, Ms. Chloe, was wonderful. Unfortunately, our experience with the owners/administration was terrible. I originally considered giving one star, but reconsidered solely because of Ms. Chloe. (More below) During our tour with the owner, Catherine, I was genuinely impressed. She knew the children by name and remembered details about their development, and I loved that she had 35+ years of childcare experience. We were also excited that the toddler teacher, Ms. Chloe had Montessori training and experience, and that the school is dual language Mandarin & English. During the tour, we saw teachers preparing what appeared to be homemade seaweed soup and other homemade food, and we were specifically told that if we sent food from home, it would be heated before serving to our child. Unfortunately, after enrolling, our son barely ate his school lunches, and the leftovers coming home provided by the school were frequently things like hot dogs and hamburgers, chicken nuggets. We started sending homemade meals instead that he would usually eat, such as stir fry and dumplings but unfortunately he continued to not eat much of his lunch. Six months later, we learned the school actually had a policy against reheating food from home. Our son started in December, and we didn't learn this until June by a new teacher. I wonder when we would have found out otherwise. This policy wasn't in the parent handbook we received and contradicted what we were told during our tour. For months, we were sending food expecting it to be warmed without realizing our son was being offered it cold. No wonder why he wasn't eating. For something as basic and important as whether our child was eating during the day, this was incredibly appalling. We also found the school extremely inflexible with scheduling. We paid for three days per week, but couldn't switch days or make up days missed due to illness or other situations. For example, if our schedule was M/W/F and we needed M/W/Th one week, Thursday required an additional payment even if our son didn't attend Friday. I understand that daycares need predictable staffing and policies, but there seemed to be very little flexibility. If we are paying for 3 days and they are saving the spot for my son, why does it matter which 3 days of the week? Another frustration was the administration's response to parent feedback. The school uses Brightwheel for communication, billing, and daily updates, but photos are uploaded separately to Flickr. Photos from the entire school are posted together, usually a day or two later, meaning I had to scroll through hundreds of photos just to find a few of my son. I repeatedly asked if photos could at least be organized by classroom so parents could easily see their own child's class. The request was repeatedly rejected because of "school policy." I also wasn't comfortable with every other parent or grandparent of the school having access to photos of my child. Eventually, I stopped checking Flickr because I simply didn't have time to scroll through 400+ photos. The best part of our experience was Ms. Chloe. She genuinely cared about our son, shared stories about his day, and made us feel like she really knew him. We also saw significant improvement in both his English and Chinese vocabulary during his time at Language Garden. Most importantly, he felt safe and comfortable with her. During the months when drop-off was difficult, we always felt relieved when Ms. Chloe was there to receive him. There are caring teachers here, and the school made an excellent first impression. Unfortunately, the gap between what we expected from our tour and what we experienced--particularly around food, scheduling, communication, and the administration's receptiveness to parent feedback--ultimately left us very disappointed. PS: my son's new daycare posts photos of him DAILY in brightwheel itself. Clearly it's possible. AND we still drop him 3 days a week, and they don't require a set schedule. We just drop him any 3 days and they are fine. That's what we should be paying for! I have done many daycare tours at this point, and am happy to share my experience with various daycares in the Eastside that may be a better fit, if anyone parents would like to reach out. Best of luck!

My son has been in this school for almost a year now. My experience so far has been really good. My…read moreson has learned many mandarin words, learned to clean up, learned to play with others.The teachers are caring. Her main teacher has a master degree in education. The director has been really nice and supportive.

Very scary my child was yelled at there by director. This is scary for small children I saw it at…read morepickup and it made me sad.

We sent our little one to Birch Tree academy which is a russian immersion program (no we don't…read morespeak russian) and were impressed by the quality care, strong curriculum, and kindhearted staff. We were looking for a childcare that was both educational and nurturing and Birch Tree has gone above and beyond to provide the best care for children. They also speak english to the kids, but ours can now speak bits of Russian along with English at home. The facility itself is homey and well organized with each child welcomed with their own cubbies for coats, shoes, and extra clothing. The space is great for kids to learn and explore with toys that are well organized and not overwhelming the environment. It allows the kids to interact, develop and form relationships. The staff are well trained and we are always greeted at the door for optimal security. They love children and are always so friendly and welcoming. You can tell they care and provide the best care. The director Stephanie is so organized, on top of everything, and is always willing to help. Her dedication and that of the teachers shows in the positive nurturing environment they provide for our little ones. Shout out to Ms. Ksenia for her big heart, amazing art activities and unique curriculum. Our toddler has learned so much and they helped us with many milestones through noticing his personality and helping him grow emotionally and mentally. For curriculum, the daily routine is well structured and full of exciting activities for the children. On top of daily activities they have spanish and music class which is so fun and great for the children's brain development. They are STEM based which is rare to find in the area. They also take the kids outside frequently which is good for their health and physical strength. The food is made in house and is organic and delicious, my toddler told me it is yummy himself. They offer a good variety of well rounded food, the appropriate numbers of snacks and even a dinner snack. They also keep us updated on any changes to menus which is a bonus. Overall, an excellent daycare/ preschool well worth it as they will provide the best care for your little one. We love Birch Tree!

Birch Tree Academy is a wonderful place for our family. Our child has learned so much, and has a…read moregenuine bond with her teachers. They have great hours (7:30am-6pm) to accommodate flexing work schedules, and they feed the children delicious meals and snacks throughout the day (no need to prepare food during the morning rush!). We're grateful to have found such amazing childcare.

I have so many positive things to say. I looked for a long time and visited, interviewed and…read moreconsidered many options before selecting this academy. The curriculum is advanced and individualized to a degree you won't get in public school. The staff takes time to ensure all children are taught how to learn, learn, and (most importantly) to enjoy learning and staying curious. I won't say more about the academics, you can look up how great they are online. But I will say they don't break kids like other aggressive academic private schools, they make them love learning. The nutrition is top notch. They feed them "home cooked" healthy organic meals 4-6 times a day. Allergies accounted for. No cakes or sweets allowed and each child gets a classroom bday celebration. Arts are built into the curriculum: culinary arts, painting, music and dance with performances, gymnastics and you even get a speech therapist. Kids are with two teachers: English speaking and Russian speaking. This was a major deal for me in terms of importance. The school is high in security and cleanliness. I know my kids are safe and I get photo updates of their time here. The school doesn't teach religion, politics, or gender stuff. That stays with the parents. I love this. It's one of the main reasons I'm here. But they are still teaching kindness, diversity and are strict on anti bullying. The school has hundreds of options for after school programs and care inclusive of science, robotics, musical instruments etc. But most importantly... I love the people. Everyone knows my kids from the daycare to the administration to the cooks to the director of the school. It feels like a warm and safe home. My kids feel comfortable and safe. They are welcomed with kindness. And I feel like they really care. The director of the school called me on the phone to tell me about my son's Iowa test and how she was concerned that someone as smart as him wasn't trying harder to take it. That level of care is so impressive to me. Hands down one of the best decisions I've made for my kids coming here. It is expensive! But very comparable to other private schools in the area. Only thing I can say is I wish the big school events (like graduation and festivals) were a bit more seamlessly organized.

We visited Sarodgini Children's Academy because we were considering it for child. Unfortunately,…read moreour first impression was very disappointing. From the moment we walked in, the administration did not seem welcoming or friendly. The communication felt rude and uncomfortable, and instead of making us feel welcome and explaining the school, we were immediately met with many questions in a manner that made us feel uncomfortable. The school itself looks beautiful and attractive from the outside, which is why we were interested in learning more about it. However, the attitude of the administration left us with a very negative first impression. For parents, the way you are welcomed and treated from the very first moment says a lot. Unfortunately, after this experience, we did not feel comfortable considering this school for our child.

My two eldest children have been attending RLS since their preschool years. The education level is…read morevery good and homework is assigned daily. The classes keeps my kids challenged and engaged without being too overwhelmed. I highly recommend this school!

My children have been attending RLS for over 5 years now, staring when they were 3 years old…read more RSL has fantastic teachers - dedicated and carrying, giving each child the attention he/she needs. Their classes are small - no more than 6 children per teacher, and every child is provided with textbooks and appropriate notebooks. You can attend classes in person, but there is an option to sign up for private classes over zoom. The school has a lot of classes to choose from, and they always help parents like me with multiple children who want to attend a variety of classes get my schedule just right. The classrooms are clean, the staff is professional. I highly recommend it!

Here's We have had a great experience at Birch Tree Academy Lake Hills so far. The staff are caring…read moreand do a wonderful job making the kids feel comfortable, and they actively teach important skills -- from building new vocabulary to self-sufficiency skills like dressing themselves, eating independently, and potty training. Enrolling our daughter here was genuinely life-changing for our family. It enabled both of us to return to work full-time with the peace of mind that our little one is in good hands. Communication from the teachers and staff is timely and thoughtful. They keep us informed about any incidents or needs as they come up -- nap-time challenges, behavioral hiccups, and the like -- always with our child's best interest at heart and always in a kind, informative way. Big shout-out to Miss Julie and Miss Kate, who run this location so smoothly -- they've helped us with everything from enrollment questions and arrangements around medications (our kid has an allergy, and they walked us through the entire emergency process) to updates on events. And the classroom teachers -- Miss Lakshmi, Miss Shomika, Miss Zamira, and Miss Raja -- clearly have our daughter's best interest at heart. We couldn't be happier.

Just in case Natalie will explain my review from below in a long and overwhelming format. But you…read morecan always give me a red heart after you enrolled you kid and really learned about what I said in a hard way. And, you are welcome. We enrolled our child here for a few months and experienced so many problems that we decided to withdraw. Honestly, it's hard to put everything into words. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be chaotic. The management is extremely disorganized, and it shows in every aspect of the school. They promise everything during the tour, but nothing is actually realized. For example, my son's potty training regressed while he was here, yet on his very first day at his new school, he was completely successful again--clearly showing where the issue was. Staffing is a major problem. The school feels understaffed, and instead of hiring enough people, they move teachers around constantly. Teachers are pulled from classrooms to cover the front desk, which leaves children without consistent caregivers and disrupts their sense of safety and stability. Sometimes multiple teachers sit at the front while classrooms and playgrounds remain short-staffed. When teachers are missing, children may be moved into other classrooms without parental consent or proper camera access. The facilities and environment are also concerning. The classrooms and floors are often dirty, even in the morning when children are first dropped off. The food quality is very poor, meals look like leftovers, often just cereal porridge with tiny bits of vegetables or meat, and not the organic quality that was promised. Supervision is lacking both indoors and outdoors. There are no cameras outside, and playgrounds are regularly understaffed. Our child was seriously injured outside and no report was provided. During one unannounced visit, I even witnessed children crying hysterically with no teacher comforting them, while other teachers raised their voices harshly at kids in full view of parents. Another disturbing concern is the culture: the school head's own child is in the school and acts as a bully in the classroom without intervention. Other staff members' children also receive special treatment. If teachers dislike your child, they may even allow or encourage other children to mistreat them. To make matters worse, they openly supports physical punishment, something every other preschool we toured explicitly prohibited. Unfortunately, our child experienced this firsthand. He was two years old, but punished in a harsh and rude way. The teacher had segregated and neglected him during nap time. We are contacting the agencies for the abuse. Hopefully they'll get punished soon. Communication with management is evasive and never provides reassuring answers. Overall, this school fails to provide the safe, nurturing, and trustworthy environment that children need. I cannot recommend it.

My 8-year old son had a great experience at GE Chinese School. He made great progress in the past 6…read moremonth, I'm really happy with the result. I think it is a great school for serious Chinese learners. The school developed its own apps to help kids do their homework everyday.

it sucks. 3 hours of class, 24 hours of homework, and if you don't pass at the end you repeat the…read moregrade.

My eight year son has been studying with Oclef the past few months and truly enjoys it. The method…read moreis so innovative and modern compared to our old traditional methods. He happily plays every day versus before he hated it. I am so happy that Oclef is in our life.

Before my older son joined Oclef 10 months ago, he had already spent four years on learning piano…read moreand was about to quit. :( All piano teachers he had before used a similar approach. They mainly focused on correcting notes, rhythms and dynamics during private lessons, and assigning pieces for my son to practice at home. Over time, my son lost his interest in piano and started refusing to practice. Thankfully, one of my friends introduced Oclef and Mr. Julian to us. In our very first interview, Mr. Julian immediately pointed out that my boy's piano learning was at a bottleneck as his sight reading and piano theory were way behind his playing level. Mr. Julian has a great vision on how a child should learn piano. Just after several lessons, we quickly noticed my son changed his attitude toward piano and had regained his interest! Oclef is totally different from any other piano teachers or school we know. They offer Kaizen classes so my son can practice piano under the teachers' guide everyday. All the teachers there are professional and wonderful. They also offer theory classes and organize performance seminars. Now my son can perform every piece he learns. More valuable, their performance seminars provide kids the opportunity of not only performing but also sharing critiques together. I will for sure send my younger boy to Oclef to learn piano once he is ready. This is my first time giving a review on yelp. Oclef is definitely a five star piano school. I hope our experience could help you and your kids.