My daughter learned and thrived and loved this preschool! She just started kindergarten and is…read moredoing great!

My son attends Faith Lutheran School and absolutely loves it! In the past he tried attending other…read moreschools but problems with the education always crept up: either too low/simple level of education, or the classroom teacher had difficulties managing the class, or the coursework failed to keep my son engaged. All of these were fixed when we finally arrived here - it is by far the best education we've seen in the area and with the kindest teachers he has encountered. You should definitely check out Faith Lutheran School if you want your child to experience excellent instruction in a caring and loving environment!

Our two daughters have grown and flourished so much since starting at PNA a few years ago. They…read morehave engaged in so many cool and interesting science projects and field trips, and they get to do so many awesome things! They do science and music and Spanish with awesome teachers, and we get lots of communication from the class. We love the routines and the social environment the kids get to enjoy that keeps them on a great track academically. We would recommend this school to anyone!

I love that the school works collectively with group projects. It's small and everyone knows each…read moreother. They do take a few field trips with one big one at the end of the year. There are many highlights and advantages to PNA. The downside is there seems to be a lack of communication and transparency. Each teacher seems to set their own curriculum and classroom standards. Academics could be more challenging. No hot lunch except for pizza Monday's. Tuition is one of, if not the highest in anchorage. Overall is suits our needs as we are only here two years but we will definitely add some tutoring this summer to make sure our kids don't fall behind the lower 48's standards.

I love this daycare and the staff. My baby was at Imagination Station for over a year and we had a…read morelot of issues and there seemed to be quite a bit of staff turn around. My baby would get shuffled from room to room, teacher to teacher and her clothes, coat etc. would be elsewhere in the facility. It was like hide-and-go-seek every night when I picked her up.......first find the child and then the outerwear. When I come to pick my baby up here she is in the same place as I left her and her belongings are in her cubby in the same room, what a concept!!! :) Sunflower is great with my baby she has no rashes and doesn't seem to go through half the diapers and wipes Imagination did (with rashes). I have not noticed staff turn around here. She goes to the same room and has the same teachers every day. The class room size is smaller and she is learning quite a bit here already to include they are helping greatly with potty training. She doesn't cry or cling to me when I drop her off, and goes right to playing. She wants to be there, that in it's self speaks a thousand words!!! She has not been bitten or hurt by another child since shes been here nor has she been so "clumsy" that she has bruises from the knees down constantly and that seemed to be the weekly norm at IS. My one and only concern is the front door. I have had nightmares that my baby gets out and heads towards Boniface Pkw. She is 2 and does not know or understand the dangers of the street yet.....nor would one at her age heed them if she did....curiosity is a strange, exciting thing for children but it is a real fear for me just the same. There is a gate at her room doorway which most the kids know how to open and all it takes is a few seconds to go out then get to that outer door and push the handle and out she goes headed straight for Boniface and traffic going faster than 40MPH. A secondary security measure at that front door would definitely put my mind at ease. All in all I am not going to deduct a star for the door issue and my possible overactive imagination or fears as the daycare is an awesome place for her to be on a daily basis. I am so happy that she is happy there and that she is properly cared for. I would recommend this daycare to anyone.

my son has been going to sunflower for a little over a year now and I would be so sad if we had to…read moreleave anytime soon! sunflower is amazing because they work closely with the children and care for them so dearly! I trust sunflower with my child 100. one of the things I appreciate the most is they started to check the weather situation the morning of and do stay open of the weather is safe. before they strictly followed ASD closures, as a single working mother I am so grateful and thankful for them.

We love the Playschool! Our oldest attended two years here and our youngest is currently enrolled…read more The teachers and staff really care about the kids and the community that the Playschool environment provides. Such an amazing space for kids to learn and play before transitioning into more full time school. Having our oldest here really helped when he started kindergarten this year. He was very socially and emotionally ready and excited to be in full day kindergarten.

My children have excelled socially and more open to learning academically as result of their…read moreexperiences at the Playschool. We are impressed with the teachers loving, caring and trustworthy openness toward making each child grow independently. The play based concept has been a true benefit for each of my children.

My daughter went here from the age of 3 until 12. At the time I worked across the street at FAA…read more The caregivers filled her days with many things to do. In the summer they choreographed dances. They played games. My daughter made life friends. Pete & Dee who run the show are easy to talk to. There was one caregiver that was difficult to get along with but there's one in every crowd. Mr Steve drives a bus to the local schools, my daughter's neighborhood school was on the route. The 8 years my daughter went there were no significant problems. I thought the caregivers loved the kids, and my daughter now 17, still loves them. If you want to look for problems I'm sure you'll find them, for me it was a safe reliable place to leave my daughter.

So I worked here for a very brief period. With that being said in the short time I worked here I…read morewas able to work in many different rooms with children of all ages and really get a grasp for how this business was run. I was placed with infants all the way up to children 3 years of age. Alaska has a pretty thick law book for childcare providers and Imagination Station handed me a rule book before I even started and told me to begin memorizing it. They follow each and every rule to the T. And I mean, you're in trouble if you can't follow directions and want to work here. They expect the strictest performance from their employees. Diapers are changed regularly- no excuses. Children are fed appropriately meal sizes and food that is considered healthy and well-balanced according to the FDA. Everything is kept clean; ridiculously clean. No child is ever left unattended- ever. There even has to be a supervisor next to the swing set at all times. This place is a bit small and admittedly unorganized. When I walked in for my interview I was a little thrown aback by the stacks of toys, kids clothes, blankets, and dishes organized around the establishment. They don't have quite enough room for everything they have to carry (and, I mean, they have 200 kids- so they have to have a lot of stuff). With that being said, after just a short period working here I quickly realized that all of the things actually had a rhyme and reason to them and all of the staff knew where to find specific items. The kids are very well-loved here. Health and education are a huge focus and safety laws are followed without exception. The only complaint I have is the fact that they pay their employees minimum wage. The employees that work here are hardworking and dedicated and deserve much more than a mere $9.50 an hour. They seem to have issues keeping people working here, and I think that's largely because it's impossible to afford to work here unless you are working a second job (I was) or have someone else in the household sharing expenses. With that being said, I cannot downgrade a business a star for what they pay their employees. I have to rate this business on the performance of the employees and the overall efforts of the establishment. I truly have no complaints. The kids are very well-loved here. The childcare is affordable and there's a good reason the waiting list is so long. I cannot more highly recommend this daycare if you're searching for an affordable, devoted place to watch your children during the day.

My son has had a great experience at ACP. He has become more independent and learned a lot. He is…read morebetter about picking up his toys. I love the progressive play based teaching style. I enjoyed the cooperative model. Parent involvement is great at all age groups at any school. Overall great school.

To Whom It May Concern: I am going to start of by mentioning…read morethat I work in the healthcare field as a licensed professional. Northern Lights Preschool and Childcare is without a doubt the WORST child care experience I've ever had. The staff are rude; most do not speak English well so they cannot tell you how your child's day was or understand what you are talking about if you have concerns and this place is DIRTY. My daughter got into a lottery school last minute and since her Kindergarten was half day I needed childcare for the other half of the day. This was the only place I could find that would accept her on such short notice that could pick her up from school and bring her to the daycare. They forgot to pick her up from school and blamed me. When I called to complain about them not picking my child up the woman argued and then hung up on me! They also never knew where my child was and I had to go to 3 or 4 different rooms every day to find her and each staff would say "She's not here today." When I complained to the manager about it being ridiculous that every day no one can tell me where my child is she simply nodded but offered no solutions. They most of the time could not even remember who my child was and would send me to where some other child was thinking I was their mother... When I did call to report she was ill and be home sick for the day, later I would get an angry call from their driver saying she is at the school and my daughter is not there so she is leaving! They do not tell the children to wash their hands, the staff does not wash their hands. My daughter had an accident and did not have extra clothes, instead of them calling me to bring her clothes they had her remove her soiled clothes and wear JUST snow pants for the rest of the day. My daughter was very embarrassed!!! They also kept telling her religious things like "666 is a bad number" and "God is your real Dad." She's 6, she does not need to be told about bad numbers and they don't even know if we are a religious family. Very inappropriate. Very high turnover of staff, and staff are not knowledgeable about childhood growth and development, other than the Eye Level program. I would never bring an infant there for care. The rooms are packed to the MAX and honestly are probably over what they are supposed to be at times. I have seen staff physically push children. I do not qualify for daycare assistance and paid out of pocket the entire time which was $650.00 per month and always on time. As soon as kindergarten was over I put in notice that my child would no longer be attending including the date of her last day. She only went there 8 days of the last month. One would think $650.00 cut in half right so the amount owed would be $325.00. Not the case as the manager decided to charge me their "daily" charge for the last few days which she said herself "Is more expensive" which amounted to $450.00 for 8 days of day care! I told her that this was an outrageous amount and again she just nods but obviously doesn't care just wants money. There are also a lot of intoxicated homeless people that hang out outside of the day care, which is not the day cares fault but there is obviously no effort to make that change. They also do not notify you very well when they will be closed. They hang up one sign that is plastered up between many other signs that are always hanging up on plain white paper with black ink. One day when we were leaving on a Thursday the teacher said "See you Monday" and when I questioned if they were closed (it was not a holiday) another teacher who I've never seen before or interacted with very rudely yelled at me "THERE IS A SIGN!" This place needs a very thorough investigation. I would have taken my child out sooner but did not want her to have to change in the middle of the school year and she was not in immediate danger. Her last day there could not come soon enough. This is not a place the supports the growth and development of children, it is the equivalent of having a high school teen watch your child.

From the owner: Northern Lights Preschool & Child Care has served the community of Anchorage, AK for over 25 years…read moreby providing professional child care and after-school children's programs in a loving and compassionate environment.

All 3 of my children have been at CCDC Lake Otis since they were about 8 months old. My oldest is…read morenow about to graduate at 5. We have had a really wonderful experience. The main administrator/front desk person is just incredibly nice to work with and so great with my kids, very easy to communicate with. All of the teachers have been caring with my children. I've found the center to be extremely reliable- they have only been unexpectedly closed due to weather events that follows ASD closures. I've been extremely impressed with the preschool curriculum- my son comes home counting in Spanish and has learned basic writing and is working on reading. Overall, I feel my children are safe and well-cared for and I would recommend CCDC to friends.

I have been bringing my son here for a couple of weeks now, after several references from other…read morepeople who have their kids here - I am extremely impressed with the care that my infant son receives, and I would be reluctant to bring him anywhere else. For infants, they keep a record of the naps, the diapers and what was in them, and the milk they drink and how much - it really is nice to know my child is in good hands!

I cannot recommend this place, especially for after-school programs. It is run by two sisters who…read moreseem more focused on increasing revenue than on providing quality care or education. Teachers are reportedly underpaid while parents are overcharged, and class sizes are much larger than what is promised. Despite assurances about small groups, they continue to enroll more students than they can reasonably accommodate. Communication with parents is also an issue - the administration can be quite rude and unprofessional when handling concerns or conflicts. After several years of my child attending both the preschool and after-school programs, their level of Spanish was far below expectations. This is not surprising, given that children spend much of their time playing in the gym rather than engaging in structured Spanish learning, and that the overcrowded classes make meaningful instruction nearly impossible.

We were lucky to get our son enrolled at Starbright South 9 months before Kindergarten was starting…read moreand we had nothing but the best experience with this preschool. Jen, the owner, has always been wonderfully upbeat and communicative. You can tell she has a passion for preschool aged kids and excelling their education while also providing a fun and clean atmosphere. The preschool always felt very well organized and sanitary. We loved all the teachers - Marques, Jen, Hannah, Kara, Liz....everyone seems to want to be there and help your kiddo through the process. It was a very friendly space and we never felt we couldn't communicate a thought or concern or even just share a joke about how our kid was bouncing off the walls that day. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this preschool to any of my friends or colleagues. Shortly after my son graduated and had his first day of kindergarten, both Jen and Marques reached out to me to find out how he'd done in the transition. They also encouraged a pop in visit down the road. You can tell they really are invested in the children there.

From the owner: Where children reach for the stars!! I have been running Starbright for over 33 years, I couldn't…read moreimagine having a more rewarding career. I love going into work daily and being able to bring sunshine and teach our young minds....