Ashley is exactly the kind of person you want your child's mind to be around. She gets it! I am so…read moreexcited that she is a resource available to us as my family is now living in Bend after a move from Portland! Her kids camp agenda is full of incredible and thoughtful planning and I truly believe she is going to change the world by cultivating a love of learning and self in minds of our future. From meditation and mindfulness tips and tricks, tutoring sessions from a teacher herself, and starting a love affair with food and nutrition... I kind of wish that I was a kid again so I could take part in this stuff. ;)

Ashley's cooking classes for kids are absolutely wonderful- not only do the kids learn delicious,…read morehealthy recipes, they learn so much about making healthy food choices and how to recognize strong vs weak foods in their everyday lives. I took my best friend's 8-year-old to class all summer and he loved learning kitchen techniques and sharing his creations and knowledge with us when he got home. Ashley is a wonderful, inspiring teacher dedicated to equipping kids with practical skills for making good choices- we need more people like her in this world! I would highly recommend these classes to anyone whose child is interested in food and cooking. You can be assured everything they make is healthy, easy to do at home and the classes are also accommodating to kids with allergies to gluten/dairy etc which is a huge plus.

This school was a safe space for my daughter to move to after being at a school she felt unsafe in…read more We've been here for a year and a half, and she's never once complained about being unsafe or feeling scared, which was a huge problem at her previous school. Beyond the emotional support and safety, she is enjoying the freedom to choose her learning and is excelling in her knowledge and understanding of the world! I'm forever grateful for this safe space for my daughter.

Miss Alana and Mr. Mel have been such a blessing to our family. We searched Bend for the best…read morepreschool and could not have found a better learning environment for our son. Our son is thriving and learning so much. We began the year with expectations of a preschool environment and Miss Alana has far exceeded them. The curriculum, communication and structure of the preschool are so well organized. Miss Alana's Preschool is such an amazing environment for learning and a few things have stood out to us this past year: -Weekly email updates and schedules for parents -Conferences to update parents on each individual child's progress -Dual language learning -Planned curriculum such as learning about a new country and letter each week, yoga, STEM activities, art and skill based activities like painting, drawing, using scissors and writing names -Programs throughout the year like a Christmas concert, holiday parties, Easter egg hunt and graduation -Special visits from the dentist, sheriff, pen pal, etc. -Secure entrance for parents -HUGE backyard for a lot of outdoor structured playtime While looking for a preschool, we expected a structured environment, however, the greatest surprise for us has been the commitment to social emotional development and Miss Alana's passion for teaching. We find this part most important in preparing our son for elementary school while also reinforcing our home life experiences. Our son loves going to preschool and is excited for Monday to come around so he can see his friends, teachers, learn, explore and play. When we pick him up, he is always asking to stay "just one more minute." Miss Alana and Mr. Mel are more then his preschool teachers, they have become like a second family. We feel safe and secure in dropping him off everyday and love watching him learn and grow. We cannot recommend Miss Alana's Preschool enough to friends who are looking for a preschool. Thank you Miss Alana and Mr. Mel for all you do to create the best preschool environment possible.

There are not enough words to express how WONDERFUL Miss Alana and Mr. Mel are! If you are looking…read morefor a top-notch preschool, this is it. We had heard of Miss Alana's preschool through word of mouth from three separate sets of friends. When it came time for our oldest to enter preschool, we were thrilled to snag a full time spot for her. Through her year with Miss Alana, she thrived. The curriculum takes on a world-view, with classwork units based on a country (as a middle school Social Studies teacher, this was an added bonus). During a 2-3 week unit on a a country, students are immersed in the language of the country, traditional folktales, how to count in that language and in English, art activities that stress letter sounds and recognition, as well as counting and sorting skills. Our daughter came home every night excited to tell us about her day, what she learned, and how much fun she was having with her friends. Along with the incredible academics, students learn social-emotional skills, like how to deal with conflict, sharing, hygiene, routines, and free play through imagination. Miss Alana's preschool has the perfect set-up for students to let their imaginations soar, inside with their kitchen and toys, and with the many outside structures for students to run around, play on, and pretend they are on a plane to Argentina with. My daughter especially liked the garden that students helped with and being able to play in the sprinklers in the summer time. They consistently highlight the strengths of their students and work with them on their less strong skills. Miss Alana and Mr. Mel go out of their way to make the preschool experience special and meaningful for every child. They put on a holiday program every year, an annual Easter Egg hunt, and a summer BBQ and Graduation Ceremony for students who will be entering Kindergarten. Weekly emails are sent out that outlines what students will be learning and the activities they will accomplish. Pictures are routinely sent through text, and updates on your child if you request are sent throughout the day. Miss Alana also sets up conferences with families that documents progress from the beginning to the end of the year. Having this data available before our oldest went into Kindergarten was extremely valuable, as we were able to share this information with her new teacher. Miss Alana noticed strategies and behaviors in our daughter that we did not see, and could have held her back. We managed to overcome these in Kindergarten and our daughter was more than prepared to be successful. In fact, three of our daughter's classmates from Miss Alana's ended up in the same Kindergarten class and all four of them are doing extremely well, academically and socially. Miss Alana and Mr. Mel are now teaching our second daughter, as well as our nephew, in their first year of preschool, and we are continually impressed with everything this school accomplishes. When it comes time for our son to enter preschool, he will be attending as well. They go beyond being teachers and have become a part of our family.

We love this school! Not only does our child have a sweet, kind, and nurturing learning…read moreenvironment, but the parents are also a real community. We can make decisions together as a team about what is best for our children and what they are being taught in the classroom. You get a choice with waldorf and its 100% worth paying for.

As a student of Waldorf back in when I was in 3rd grade when we first moved to Bend Oregon, I an…read moreattest that this school significantly lowered mine and my sisters academic ability. So much so that when we moved back to public school (more specifically to Buckingham, a fantastic IB league school that actually teaches your children) they recommended that my sister and I repeat a year as we were so far behind. Do not send your children to this place. Childrens academics should not be geared towards how to be more at peace with themselves and nature, it should be the very groundwork's of math, science, English, you know... things that would positively impact their adult lives.