Sammamish Children's School is our two-year old's home away from home. Every morning when he wakes…read moreup, he's excited to go 'play with friends' at 'new school'...he's been attending for two months, but this is his name for school. Our son is in the 'Dippers' class, and his teacher, Ms. Melissa and assistant teacher, Ms. Bella, are amazing. There are stations setup each morning with age appropriate and engaging activities (water play, sand play, Mr. Potato Head, etc.) which our son loves! There's music class every Monday and Thursday, an amazing outdoor play space on acreage, and nutritious, diverse meals served. Emotionally - Ms. Melissa and the staff helped reinforce preparing our son for the arrival of his baby brother by talking about being a 'big brother' and reinforcing our son's role in our family. It made the transition of bringing baby home more exciting than nerve racking. Above and beyond a typical school experience in my opinion. Operationally - SCS also has many less closure days than some of the schools my friends kiddos go to in the area, so much more predictable for work schedules. It did take us a little over 7-months to get off the wait list, but Ms. Kelly (assistant director) was awesome at helping us plan for a reasonable date to possibly join. I cannot say enough positive things about this school, the faculty, the activities, the food, and overall experience. Highly recommend to any families looking for a long-term 'home' for their kiddos.

The absolute best! Both of our kids have gone from 1 year old day care all the way through…read morekindergarten at SCS and it's the best money we've ever spent. Great Teachers (even at the early age, 1-2-3, they have a curriculum) Well run operations (sign ups, billing, updates) Awesome chef (yes, they feed the kids healthy food, you don't need to pack fruit by the foot) Safe! (Before, during, and all the way through the pandemic) The kids love it and it's really set them up for success.

Had a wonderful experience with my older child, who was in Pre-K and Older Pre-K. He really…read moreflourished there. Now that he is in kindergarten, I can see how well he was prepared. Now my youngest is in Pre-K and signed up for Older Pre-K. Covid has made his experiences very different than my oldest's, but this has still been such a loving, engaged school and Miss Shana has done so much to help him learn and grow.

I am sure you don't want the full (long) version, but I will try to give you the summary…read more Our son and daughter were there. My son, 5 and my daughter, 3. To be fair, my daughter's teacher was fabulous, so there may be hope should you decide to place your children here. My son's teacher was (IMO) horrid! To start with, she is a mother who has a nanny take care of her children so she can work at the school. I find that incredibly odd. I cannot see how a preschool teachers salary can be valuable enough to offset the cost of a full-time nanny. At any rate - our son was overheard using a "potty word" and the school let us know. We disciplined him, told him it was inappropriate, etc. Well, a few weeks later, the school called my wife and I in to have a meeting. They stated in the meeting that another 5 year old heard our sone say the "F" word. The teacher questioned my son, and cohersed him into admitting he did say a bad word. ((side note - during the entire meeting, the teacher did not speak, make eye contact, or engage in the meeting. We were speaking to the director and the associate pastor of the church.)) The staff went on to explain that bad words were not acceptable, and if he were to get a "third strike", the school would expell him. When I asked if the school saw fit to work with a child, and be accepting and forgiving, they said "no" and that bad words were NEVER tolerated and they felt strong in their desire to expell children who use these words. WOW! A christian school that isn't able to forgive, teach and nurture... odd... Furthermore, they stated that our son was in need of a special observation to see "what his issues were". The state would pay for the observation. We declined. We then moved back to Noah's Ark, and immediately saw our son flourish! He loved school, loved the teachers and the teachers loved him. When we asked (many times) if he was "challenging" or "naughty" - the answer was no. Look, I don't want to seem like our kid is bad and we are naive. We have shared this story (in greater detail) with many families and they are all appauled at the schools position. In fact, many of the families are members of this church and were begging us to let them speak to the churches board of directors. Our son never physically threatened another child, never hit, never endangered anyone. He used bad language, twice, and the school felt this was something they could not handle. I find this very odd, as we are PAYING them to teach our kids right from wrong.

We had a very disappointing experience at Living Montessori and would not recommend this school to…read moreparents in the area. The school enforces a very strict 9:00 a.m. arrival policy--if you are even one minute late, your child is not allowed to enter. This policy was never clearly communicated during the tour, so parents should read the contract very carefully. Even for doctor's appointments, they expect everything to be completed before 9:30 a.m. and require advance notice. For children under four, who frequently get sick, this lack of flexibility is unreasonable and unrealistic. The extracurricular programs were also a waste of time and money. My son was enrolled in soccer classes (ages 8-10), and we never received any weekly updates, photos, or videos. Despite repeatedly asking for feedback, we were never informed about how our son was doing in these classes. The administration was another major issue. Our interactions with Aliya were extremely frustrating. The school is holding $3,600 of our money and refusing to either refund it or apply it toward our son's tuition. We had to delay our younger son's start date for personal reasons, and Aliya confirmed via email that the $3,600 could be used whenever our son started. They have since changed their stance and are now refusing to honor that agreement. Please be very cautious before committing to this school, as they seem to find every possible opportunity to keep parents' money. We moved our elder child out within a few months, and he is doing significantly better at a different Montessori school.

Highly unprofessional and misleading conduct. My son was admitted to the center, and I paid a…read moredeposit of over USD 3600 to secure the spot. The original start date was set for the end of the year. When my plans changed, I contacted the center to request a revised start date. I was explicitly assured, both over email and verbally, that this would be accommodated and that the deposit would be carried over. The center has now reversed this position and is not honoring those commitments. They required us to repeat the tour, during which the staff member conducting it was dismissive and disrespectful. They are also requesting an additional assessment. When I asked whether the deposit would be refunded if the assessment was unsuccessful, they explicitly refused. Withholding such a significant amount of money under these circumstances is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about their business practices. This reflects poor ethics, lack of transparency, and unprofessional handling of families. Commitments made in writing and verbally were not upheld.

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 are just finishing up Pre-K at ICP and my son has loved his last two years here. The teachers…read moreare fantastic and I am grateful to have been able to spend time in class and watch him and the other students grow. It is a coop, so families are involved in the classroom. I see this as a benefit because you get to know the teachers, parents and kids much better than at a traditional preschool. I would recommend this preschool to anyone.

We spent 2 years, learning at ICP and it was incredibly valuable time. My son loved the play-based…read morelearning and I loved being in the classroom with him from time to time. Teacher Steffeny is a gem and she shows such love and care to each child. It is such a value, both financially and educationally. I strongly suggest you explore ICP as an option for your family.

I strongly advise parents to think twice before sending their children to this school. Our…read moreexperience has been filled with severe safety oversights, poor academic planning, and a complete lack of teacher accountability. Severe Safety Concerns: The school utilizes its own forest area, but supervision is shockingly poor. My child was lost in it multiple times. In one incredibly negligent incident, a teacher completely walked away from the group without even realizing my child was left behind. Substandard & Unlicensed Staff: We found out that multiple teachers on staff do not even hold proper teaching licenses. The English instruction is highly unprofessional; the teacher struggles with basic verb tenses and passes these grammatical errors and incorrect English habits onto the students. Disorganized Curriculum: The academic planning is entirely backward. The principal pushed the curriculum into multiplication before the students had even mastered basic subtraction. Because of this structural failure, my children were left severely behind in math when they finally transferred to a different school. Lack of Care & Blame Culture: The staff consistently shifts blame onto the children instead of taking responsibility. When the kids complained about being freezing cold outside, teachers dismissed them and blamed them for "not wearing enough layers." In art class, teachers stand by while students' clothes are ruined with paint, later claiming it is the child's fault for not wearing a poncho. I have had to throw away numerous pieces of ruined clothing.

Our son was at IFS for 3 years. A few key takeaway from our experience (and why we will enroll our…read moredaughter in the next couple years when she is ready: 1. Mandarin immersion school I think of it as going to school, but you go the extra bonus of Mandarin language (with all benefit that come with growing up as bilingual child). One can argue their preference of home based daycare, regular daycare, or school. I personally prefer school (compared to daycare) to have less students turnover, more organized activity (no one come at 9.30, 10am, and 10.30 - which break the focus of the activity), and better curriculum. 2. Reggio Emilia/Project based learning I prefer not to focus too much on academic for kids under 5. There will be time for that later on. I believe that should not be the focus for 3 years old child. Project based learning allow children to play while learn. 3. Outdoor space They do not stay at "sterile" room. The school intentionally allow students to explore and play with nature. Our son (5 years old in non Mandarin speaking household) received a lot of praise from native speaker during our trip to Taiwan that he spoke fluent Mandarin. During our time here, we enjoyed all of his teachers. We are aware of some turnover impacting some other students, but at the end of the day, some of them are out of school's control. We definitely sad that we have to leave IFS family as our son was accepted at Jing Mei. Otherwise, IFS is a strong candidate for our son's continued education.

I really wanted to feel like the cost of this preschool was reflected in the overall experience,…read morebut unfortunately I didn't. There are caring teachers here who genuinely want the best for the children, but there seemed to be a noticeable disconnect between teachers and leadership. Staff turnover was concerning, and at times the environment felt very rigid and top-down. It was also difficult to see visible investment in the building itself without seeing that same level of investment reflected in teacher support, classroom materials, food, or the children's daily experience. For the tuition families pay, I expected healthier and more varied meals, more regularly refreshed classroom materials, warmer and more engaging classroom spaces, and better outdoor opportunities. I also expected more from a school that presents itself as Christian. To me, those values should be reflected not only in the curriculum, but in how teachers are treated, supported, and valued. At times, the focus seemed much more centered on the business and financial side of the center than on building a strong, supportive early learning community. There are good educators here. I just wish the program invested more in the people, resources, and experiences that directly impact the children

High turnover due to management issues. Clean facility. CYA carefully if applying to work here and…read moredo not expect fairness. Good pay and some good people.

This is an amazing place for kids! My daughter went here last year when she was just 1 and now is…read more3 and is loving it. They are very caring and understanding and teach a lot of lessons. The school is always clean and there is a lot of communication with us.