This place's waitlist is fake. It's that simple. I don't know how they actually decide if your kid…read moregets to go here or not but they definitely have a million excuses if they don't want your kids at their school. I'm left only to assume my children aren't welcome because I'm a single mother using financial aid. Unfortunately they're not even kind to you if you don't understand how you could be on the waitlist for over 1.5 years and there's been no change at all. I've spoken to Mary multiple times where she scoffs at almost every question I ask, as if I'm the one that works there and how dare I not know all the answers already, it's like i'm wasting her time. Still i'm left desperate for care which has kept me from leaving this review multiple times. I don't know if the facility can be as good as it looks if the people are this rude to moms (especially those in need). Good luck out there guys, I know it's not easy to find somewhere you'll trust. I had great luck at The Children's Courtyard, they're just no longer accepting CCS. Maybe look there if you don't use financial aid

The least responsive place I've ever experienced. We have three kids and were looking to get on…read morethe wait list. After being told the registrar would call us back soon, we waited...and waited. Four days later Jennifer, the registrar, called and left a voicemail at 5 pm. I call back within 10 minutes and she has already left for the day. Another two days of trying and no return phone call. I can't imagine sending a child here and expecting any type of meaningful feedback on a timely basis. I guess they have so many potential students due to the area so they don't care about returning calls. Must be solely due to location.

I enrolled my daughter in Bright Beginnings in Aug 2020 and she's had a great experience, we're sad…read moreshe's starting pre-k in the Fall. It has the cozy feel of an in home daycare but also the curriculum and schedule of a professional preschool, it's really the best of both worlds. The teachers are very professional, caring, and communicate with parents well. The director is very involved and is always available to discuss any questions I've had. Each month has a different learning theme and my daughter comes home telling me new things, singing new songs, and is so proud to show me her artwork.

From the owner: Licensed preschool in South Austin. We have very low child to teacher ratios so every child gets…read morethat one on one attention that is needed. Loving and caring child care that is a home away from home.

My experience at Parkside was challenging. The admin was changing over and there was little…read morecommunication, and more than a bit of aggressive interactions with admin. We had a new teacher who was enthusiastic when the students were perfect, and utterly overwhelmed and clueless when the students had challenges. My son has ADHD, and despite telling me they has experience with 2E kids, the teacher thought my son had severe emotional problems when my son would self sooth by going in a corner to be alone for a bit. They also did not communicate in any way the depth of the problems my son was having in school. I finally realized the extent of his issues when I began attending daily to see for myself. They were often rude and childish in response to issues or complaints. They had a history of keeping teachers even after multiple complaints of abusive behavior. Their insistence on parent interaction was amazing, and the singalongs were fabu. But it doesn't make up for the severely subpar teaching, the reusing of the same curriculum every year, the nasty admin, and the overall confusion of vision with a high price tag. Do not recommend this school beyond kindergarten at all!

Our daughter is three and a half, and she just finished her first year of preschool (Primary) at…read moreParkside. We couldn't be more pleased to have her attending this special school. From top to bottom, it's an excellent program with marvelous staff and leadership, and a wonderful community. Some of things we love most about Parkside: it's uniquely and authentically Montessori, which was important to us when we were looking at schools. The teachers (called guides) are loving, creative, and thorough in their teaching methods. We were blown away when barely a month in, our daughter came home singing about all the continents of the world! The 12-acre campus is beautiful and well maintained. The kids get lots of outdoor time and often take hikes together as a class. They learn to value and sing about nature, including our new favorite song, "Chlorophyll" written by the founders. Music is a big part of Parkside life, and at least 1-2 events a week are organized around it (parents are invited to participate as well). We've enjoyed all the opportunities for families to get involved at Parkside and we've made some great friends already. Even through the craziness of the pandemic, Parkside staff led the way with through health protocols and regular communication with Austin Public Health to keep the kids safe and allow school to continue. In short, we've found Parkside to be an amazing, friendly, beautiful place that is nurturing our daughter to her full potential. We highly recommend it!

We are so thankful for the prep! We moved from NY a year ago and started at the bee cave location…read moreand then switched to dripping springs once our house was built! The school is beautiful and new and kept clean. Each class has a lot of natural light which is important to me. They have a cafeteria for the older kids and a technology room with fun activities. They also have many big outdoor spaces for the kids to play and each space is for a certain age group. The staff at both locations are the biggest reason that we love the prep. All of the teachers are welcoming, warm, friendly and smart! The pre k and kinder teachers have been great as well and seem like they take great pride in what they do! Lastly the administration staff is amazing and easy to talk to! I love them anD again am so grateful for these amazing people who take care of my precious babies!!

Can't say enough praise for this place. We were so nervous to put our first child in daycare…read moreanywhere, even at 12 months. We were worried it was "too soon" and he "wasn't ready", but really it was us who were scared, our little boy LOVED the teachers and the other kids pretty much instantly. He's been there a year now and in the morning when we ask him if he wants to go to school he says "cool! cool!" (for school) and gets his PREP t-shirt and points to the letters on the front. He recognized that's his school shirt! I have to start at the top and say that the current manager there, Brittany, is hands down the best at her job (and we're talking now having seen her handle the pandemic shutdown and reopening and masks and all this craziness). Through it all, and all the personnel changes, Britanny never drops the ball when it comes to the care of the kids OR prompt responses to the parents with literally ANY concerns (for example, when my little one has a diaper rash problem for a few days, I literally call and ask them to put certain creams on in a certain order and then I'll even double check throughout the day and ask them to randomly check his diaper, etc etc - if you're reading this and think I'm crazy, you're not a mom :) - but seriously it's never even a bother. They're SO NICE at the front office. They totally understand my concerns and they TRULY want the kids to be happy. FACILITIES - clean (really clean!), new, modern TOYS - constantly introducing new toys/books/age-appropriate learning materials ACTIVITIES - they do SO MUCH stuff that I can't possibly even think of replicating at home. From outdoor play, to art projects, to sing-alongs and racing games... MANAGEMENT - just excellent. As I said, while some people have come and gone, everyone in the front office is always kind and responsive, and Brittany, the manager, runs a tight ship. I'm clearly overprotective (as you can tell by this review, I'm sure :) And I've never once had a situation where I thought Brittany wasn't 100% on it or ahead of it. TEACHERS - all have been really sweet! Again, some have been young college students here for the summer that went back to school, so there's some transition (which is totally normal for this business) but to their credit, from day one, all the teachers were really friendly and caring and responsive to my many many questions. (how long did my boy nap today?what did he eat? what are his favorite sing along songs? etc etc). Can't say I didn't like a single one. We literally had some very good reasons to MOVE out of state, and the top thing BOTH my husband and I instantly said was "not till all our kids finish daycare here! No way are we going to a different daycare". That's how strongly we feel that the PREP is just awesome...and our second kid will be starting there soon! If anything, wish I started them BOTH sooner..but you know, new mom guilt :)

Our oldest has been attending Primrose Shady Hollow for 1 year and our youngest for 4 months. Both…read moreof them have advanced academically and socially since attending there regularly. They enjoy going every day and sometimes aren't ready to leave at the end of the day. Staff members are bright, smiling, kind, and patient, when we know the job is challenging. The administrative staff plans organized and well thought out events. We are really thankful to be a part of the Primrose family.

Our 3 children have had such a wonderful time learning, playing, growing developmentally, and love…read moreattending this school! The staff is always so friendly and supportive with all the students. We highly recommend Primrose Shady Hollow.

We were in the midst of a move during the summer and needed somewhere we trusted near our new…read moreresidence when TLE Southwest came to the rescue. Our daughter was welcomed by a great teacher, Ms. Gabby, who made all of the other newness manageable. Thanks to the consistent protocols, it was easy to transition. Our daughter still speaks fondly of "Bubble School".

What do we recommend about TLE? Everything! One of the best decisions we ever made was placing our…read morebaby girl in the wonderful hands of TLE. We could not have been more pleased with our experience there. They have been an incredible blessing to our little Cora and our entire family!

We love St. Catherine of Siena Preschool! The teachers are amazing and create a safe and nurturing…read moreenvironment that all my kids have thrived in. On top of that, the facilities and equipment are new and well-kept. There's a big preschool moms community that meets every Monday (when there's no school). I could keep going.. this place is a winner. :)

I have over two decades of experience working in protective services; early childhood education;…read morelanguage development; training and development. My background has allowed me to regularly visit and work in multitudes of early childhood programs. St. Catherine's Preschool is a hidden jewel in the Austin area! The facilities are 5 star. The teaching teams and administration foster a safe, fun, nurturing and developmentally appropriate play-based environment. Look no further!

It would be difficult to overstate the impact Athena Montessori had on our son, on our family, and…read moreon our community. When I first heard about "grace and courtesy," it sounded like a lovely thing to teach, but I had no idea how far the effects would reach into the rest of his life. Roughly twenty years later, people meet our son as someone unusually composed, empathetic, and thoughtful beyond his years. From those earliest days, he became a self-starter who took genuine ownership of his own learning, and that habit has stayed with him ever since. What moves me now, looking back, is how little the school seemed to be teaching achievement and how much it was simply teaching him to become himself. The achievements came anyway, and they came on their own steam. The same thoughtfulness that began with grace and courtesy later put him on a TEDx stage. The same self-direction he practiced as a small child, choosing his own work, is what led him to start his own company and to be named a Fulbright alternate, because following his curiosity and taking responsibility quietly become who he is. I credit the entire Athena staff and community. Grace and courtesy were never a slogan; they were lived every day by teachers who treated very young children as capable humans worthy of real respect, and children flourish under that care. Independence was woven into the environment, one small responsibility at a time. Whatever he has gone on to do, the foundation was laid in those rooms by people who understood that how a child learns to move through the world matters more than any single thing they memorize. If you are a parent weighing this decision, I would say simply that the Montessori promise is real and that Athena delivers with passion. Composure, empathy, and ownership of one's own path are gifts that last a lifetime. Twenty years on, we are deeply grateful, and we always will be, that this is where our son began.

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!