TLC Montessori

Our child absolutely *loves* TLC. I cannot say enough good things about the staff and the community offered at this school. We had previously attended a few other schools here on the plateau and I can honestly say that I wish I had enrolled my child here years earlier. My child looks forward to all the themes and extra events offered that make her feel like school is a fun place to be. My only reason for not giving the school 5 stars is that I feel strongly about the Montessori methodologies and while the teacher have the training they do not necessarily stick to the order of how the child needs to progress through the various works. All in all this is both good and bad in my eyes since the school focuses more heavily on being flexible not only with the children but also their families individual academic goals for their children.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son has been in the toddler class with Ms. Denise, Ms. Namh and Ms. Sunhee and he has a terrific experience. Their loving and thoughtful coaching has allowed him to develop and grow his confidence so much. He is now going through potty training and the patience from the teachers has been a key reason for the success we've had. Ms. Denise in particular is the best teacher we could imagine for our child - gentle and caring, and yet organized and thorough. In fact we love it so much, we are keeping our older son thru kindergarten and will also sending our youngest to the toddler class next year. I have read some of the other reviews but can't say I relate to them at all as our experience with the teachers has been very positive. The only reason for 4 stars is that I work in Bellevue and the 5.30pm pick up time and rules associated with this can be tough for me if there is back up on highway ... but if that's not a concern for you, the school is awesome.
—Submitted by a parent

Before enrolling our daughter in the pre-K program at TLC, I researched other schools, both Montessori and other, and upon visiting TLC I knew right away that the Montessori education and environment TLC provides was perfect for my daughter's first educational experience. Selecting the right school for our daughter s introduction to education and instructed learning was critical to us and finding a school that provided a safe, welcoming, nurturing environment was key. Our daughter is in her 3rd year now and will be completing Kindergarten this Spring. Each year we have seen her grown intellectually, behaviorally, and emotionally and we are absolutely thrilled with her development. We appreciate the structured, self-directed approach to learning and the balance of offerings the school provides (Language, Arts, Sports, Nature, etc). We are actually a little saddened that this will be our last year with TLC, but know that our daughter s educational foundation is strong and the confidence she has built over the last 3 years will continue into her next school experience. I would highly recommend TLC to any parent that is interested in a peacefully structured educational environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter has attended TLC since she was 20-months, and is now at the pre-school level. She comes home and delights us everyday with something new that she has learned or that has brought her joy from the learning. She adores the teaching staff and administrators! We could choose to school her closer to home, but, we value the care and guidance that is provided to her at TLC. Parent involvement could use improvement, but, that is up to parents. There are ample opportunities to be involved, it's just up to parents to step up to these roles.
—Submitted by a parent

I personally visited every school that accepted toddlers in Redmond, Sammamish and Issaquah and choose TLC for my 18 month old daughter. While the classrooms are simple in size and design, there is a great outdoor play area and the school is nestled in a safe residential area that gives it an old school house feel. The teachers in the toddler room were AMAZING at guiding young children under the Montessori method and the school did an excellent job at creating a highly structured environment. The teachers are very loving, communicative and observant. They send weekly emails with updates about what the children learned and were always available to discuss concerns or answer questions via the phone or email. The office staff and administration were also top notch. If you are open to respecting the structure TLC s teachers work to create and embracing what a Montessori education can do for your child, I highly recommend this school. My daughters growth in one year was incredible and I will be forever thankful that we had the opportunity to send her to TLC. We have since moved out of state and I have yet to find a school that matches what she had at TLC. This place is a TRUE gem!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is just okay. I was not greatly impressed but it was not terrible either.
—Submitted by a parent

Just like any school, the quality of education at TLC is dependent upon the teacher. For example, some teachers are particularly inexperienced whereas some of the other teachers are well liked. It is incredibly important to determine who will be teaching your child before signing up for TLC. As noted earlier, TLC tends to be very weak in the math/science areas
—Submitted by a parent

I regret sending my daughter here. She is now in kindergarten and dreadfully behind her peers. This school is a glorified daycare.
—Submitted by a parent

I am confused by the previous reviewer s experience. TLC Academy has a very consistent policy regarding admissions. It is TLC Academy s policy to accept payment only after all the admissions paperwork is complete and a child is fully registered. Once the child is fully registered for one of our programs and a seat has been reserved payment is required. No payment has ever been required to place a child on our waitlist. If a seat is offered to a family on the waitlist there is no obligation to accept the seat. Submitted by a TLC Academy Administrator

My daughter graduated from Kindergraten last year. She attended TLC for three years. We were vey lucky to find TLC, as my daughter excelled in reading, math, science and socially. At the end of kindergarten, thanks to individulaized teaching of very capable staff, she was reading at grade 3 level, and doing basic math facts without any difficulty at second grade level. After care program was a life saver for working parents. My daughter had a great time at TLC, as she was in a safe and loving environment.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my son's 3rd year at TLC, and we have been very satisfied parents. We have observed growth in both the academic and social areas. A normal day in the classroom includes a work time focused on academic work and social interaction- development of spoken language is encouraged during group time discussions and free play recess. We look forward to him attending the kindergarten program at TLC next year to build on the wonderful foundation he has received in his preschool years.
—Submitted by a parent

My son began attending TLC's Toddler Program at the age of 18 months. Our experience has been excellent. TLC provides our son a well established Montessori toddler curriculum taught by certified teachers in a safe, caring and fun environment. Our son's lanquage and social skills have advanced dramatically since beginning the program, and he is very excited about moving into TLC's preschool program very soon.
—Submitted by a parent

this school is highly overrated. the teachers are mediocre and the principal is only interested in growing the student base while compromising quality of instruction. no focus on math/science.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended TLC for two years now and loves it. She has also attended the summer camp, occasionally, and had a blast! A very professionally run school . Most importantly, I have always felt that my child is safe and well taken care of.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids both attend TLC. We are very happy with the education they are receiving. The teachers are very patient and are definitely qualified to be teaching Montessori. We have been at the school for 3 years, have been in different classrooms and have had nothing but wonderful experiences at TLC.
—Submitted by a parent

This supposedly good school is very poorly managed. The teaching staff are not qualified enough and defintely not experienced..Looks like the management hires teaching staff for less..The only good thing abot the school are spacious classrooms and a nice playground.
—Submitted by a parent

This has been a great school for my daughter. She attended Pre-K and Kindergarten, and we observed how much she has learned over the years. The staff is excellent -- mostly. The first pre-school teacher was not necessarily the best, but once she left, we had observed a very significant improvement in all aspects: curriculum, reports, academics, and discipline. Pre-school and Kindergarten instructors teaches each kid at their own level and competency. My daughter had really excelled there and improved significantly. After cafe (Miei Amici) is very convenient, and the staff makes it even better with great flexibility.
—Submitted by a parent