Our first son went to Children's discovery center and we loved it. Years later we sent our second…read moreson and it has been a poor experience with the new school manager Jaya. We have removed him from the school due to the lack of compassion from Jaya to her employees. Shes seems more worried about being in charge then running a solid school. We have emailed her many times about our concerns and they were all quickly dismissed. We emailed her over a week ago that our son would not be retuning and have not received a response about our tuition or deposit. Its a shame as many of the good teachers have since left or been run off but I would avoid the school as long as she is employed.

My kids have been attending CDC South since they were 3 months old. They absolutely love it there…read moreand never want to leave when it's time to go home. The environment is very positive. They really encourage kids to embrace their creativity while also teaching them not only the basic things like counting, colors, etc, but also kindness, compassion and respect for others and for the earth. This place is amazing and I definitely recommend it.

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!

Waldorf is such a wonderful education. Unfortunately if the teacher is not great (or going through…read morepersonal crisis and has a large and demanding class) your child will suffer. Steiner's view was to nurture the soul of the child and unfortunately Austin Waldorf is seeming more budget focused and the teacher for our grade certainly really let us down and did not even have the care for us as a family to speak with us directly. I would avoid this particular Waldorf.

Beautiful campus with beautiful traditions. It is easy to get swept up in the idea of the school…read more Met the most wonderful, involved, and caring parents and a couple of wonderful teachers too. This school, however has absolutely failed my children academically. If you have a child that is neurodiverse, this school cannot meet their needs. If you have a child that is gifted, they will not be able to meet their full potential. The class sizes are at 30-33 in 1st and 2nd grade! My child's teacher assured us multiple times that my child would get the help they need. In the end my child's teacher, who had been his teacher for 1.5 years "strongly encouraged" us to find a new school midyear, with no warning. All of the previous reassurance, that they had resources for his learning needs, from her swept away. Now the same teacher is asking for parent volunteers to go in and teach children, not their own, to read. She cannot meet the needs of these children, yet you will not hear this, when the class size concern is brought up at parent meetings. You will be reassured over and over until your child has fallen so far behind, they need multiple interventions to catch up to where they should be or where they were before they started this school. My daughter was advanced for her age before this school. She requested to go back to homeschooling. She would sit in class, at AWS, with her hand raised and never get any help. She was quiet and not one of the louder children yelling out for help. She said she could not focus and would get pushed around by the boys on the playground. The school purposely holds children back from progressing "too fast." They have reasons for this. The issue is the class sizes hinder the children from moving as quickly as they need to, given the Waldorf methods, when they reach the appropriate age/grade level to do so; and they refuse to change. You will hear promises of expanding the grades to have fewer children in the classroom. This has been a promise for years. They have yet to follow through and deny any issues, even though there are many. The teachers do not fight for their students. The office staff is sweet, but when you get down to the people truly in charge, they only care about money.

We are so lucky that we discovered Mariposa when we were first looking at schools five years ago…read more We have had nothing but the greatest experience that you could ask for in a place to educate your children. Both of our daughters have been through the school, from the Nido Community (infants) to the Young Children's Community (2-3 year olds), and continuing through the Children's house (3-6 year olds). Our favorite teachers are basically like family at this point, from Miss Kristen, to Miss Virginia, and Miss Jennifer and Miss Meryze. They have been so instrumental in the upbringing of our girls and we couldn't have asked for a better school.

Not a cheap school which isn't the issue. The issue is paying so much for Montessori education and…read morethe school is not even credited for it. They lost their licensing two years in a row and are scrambling to try and get it back. All the teachers are burnt out and the head of school is very out of touch with reality and is playing a role she cannot live up to. This school is all about optics and money.

I wanted to love Magnolia. We carefully chose this program because it presented itself as a place…read morethat understood autistic children and used modern, supportive, ABA-informed practices. Unfortunately, our experience did not match those expectations. During a trial day, a young autistic child became upset after a developmentally typical frustration in a new environment. Instead of observing the calm support, co-regulation, and individualized approach we expected from a program with this stated level of expertise, we experienced a response that felt escalating rather than supportive. There were also concerns with the emotional regulation of the leading staff member, and online records that reinforced concerns related to emotional regulation and safety. The biggest concern was the disconnect between the program's stated philosophy and what we observed in practice. A moment that could have been handled as an opportunity for connection, regulation, and teaching instead left us questioning whether the environment was truly equipped to support autistic children in the way it represents, or any child. Ultimately I did not feel comfortable trusting my daughter to Magnolia. I am grateful we had the opportunity to see this before the school year began, but it was disappointing to have to reconsider so close to the start of school after believing we had found the right fit. Every child deserves a program whose practices match its promises.

We couldn't be happier with The Magnolia School. Our kindergartener found public school…read moreoverwhelming, so three months into the school year, we made the decision to switch him. The small class sizes and personalized learning at The Magnolia School have truly made a world of difference. The teachers and staff foster a warm, engaging environment where kids can have fun while still learning. Our child is now thriving!

My daughter has been attending Ladybird Montessori since she was just 4 months old, and now that…read moreshe has turned one, I truly could not be happier with our decision to choose Ladybird. The growth we've seen in her over these past eight months has been incredible. She is constantly learning, playing, exploring, and becoming more social, and I love seeing how much she is developing and discovering something new every day. As a parent, there is no better feeling than being able to drop your child off each morning and feel completely confident that they are in a safe, loving, and nurturing environment. I especially cannot say enough wonderful things about the Nido room and its teachers. Ms. Kristina, Ms. Magadelane, Ms. Tobi, and Ms. Evan have been absolutely amazing. They create such a kind, welcoming, and encouraging environment for the infants while also giving them so many opportunities to learn and grow at their own pace. You can truly tell how much they care about each child, and knowing my daughter is in their hands gives me so much peace of mind. We are so grateful for the care, patience, and love they have shown our daughter during such an important first year of her life. Choosing Ladybird, and especially having such an amazing experience in the Nido room, has been one of the best decisions we could have made for her.

Couldn't imagine sending our daughter anywhere else. She's been apart of the school for the past 8…read moremonths since she was 4months old. Her growth and development has exceeded all expectations. I can't speak highly enough of the teachers at this facility as they're some of the most thoughtful, intentional and incredibly caring individuals I've ever met. Don't walk, run! Get your child on the waitlist the moment you find out you're pregnant. This community and staff is incredible. From head of school, to the teachers and even maintenance. Everyday you're met with a smile by people who know you by name and care deeply about your child's development and safety.

I am so grateful I found Havenwood. I've been working here for a few years now, and I can honestly…read moresay there is no place like it. The owners and admin are incredible; they strive to ensure their staff feel happy and supported. They are constantly checking in and finding ways to make teachers feel good about their jobs. I love the kids and our families. Havenwood is a place for everyone.

We have been at Havenwood for a little over a year and absolutely love it! Our son has learned so…read moremuch and comes home dirty everyday from all their fun, outdoor activities! The teachers are all so welcoming and kind. They truly give their all into these kiddos and care so much. I would highly recommend Havenwood to anyone with young children!

We love school! Our 2 year old daughter goes here and the staff is incredible. Very loving and they…read moreprovide an incredible environment for her development. Can't recommend enough