Paideia Academy Montessori Pre-School

Very engaged and attentive staff. My child learned a great deal here and enjoyed it. more

After giving a lot of thought, pulled my child out this school. This was after witnessing chaos one afternoon, right under the directors nose! Two teachers were frantically trying to HERD the kids to eat while one of them (the teachers) was being lectured by the director instead of being able to pay attention to what looked like two dozen excitable kids returning from play, running and tripping all over the place and fighting with each other. Her lone colleague of course couldn't watch all the kids, so screaming and crying ensued. The kitchen lady stepped in to help, to no avail. One kid fell down while reaching to wash his hands, and more screaming ensued, the teacher who was being lectured ran panicked to the child while the director kept on lecturing and lecturing about something petty like sleeping mats. Who cares about sleeping mats when kids are running wild around bathrooms and lunch areas, falling all over themselves and getting hurt?! I had heard things about this place from a couple of other parents and I didn't want to stick around to confirm their complaints after what I saw, which was irresponsible child care with priorities all wrong. I think this place needs more teachers to watch the kids, or less tired teachers, or a more helpful director, or SOMETHING. more

Reasons to never send your children to this school: - Administration hires desperate immigrant women who will work for low pay and no benefits, and endure verbal assaults from superiors. Extremely exploitative practices. - Teacher's are often dispassionate; caring for children is hard work, and if the administration fails to provides breaks, lunches, vacations or other benefits essential for physical well being, workers will naturally get worn out. They will not care about your children as well as you'd like them to. - Roaches in the kitchen - Fairly behind in following licensing regulations. - Owner also runs a sweat shop that sells to Nordstrom, no joking. Don't send your children there. They will not be taken care of as you wish, or as you think they may be. You will be supporting a greedy director who seriously lacks ethics and heart for her fellow man. more

My 4-yr old has been at Paideia for a year and a half now and we coulnd't be happier. The low stress approach to learning is perfect for kids that age. He loves his teachers and frequently tells us he's not ready to go home at the end of the day. more

Good: Pat, daily class structure, most of the staff is wonderful, the location is central and convenient.. Bad: No one is taking charge of making sure the building management fixes an ongoing flooding problem. It should not be the responsibility of the parents to manage this situation and get it fixed.. Improvements: Better snack nutrition. There is too much toast or pancakes & jam type snacks. Not enough whole food snacks.. more

I've had two children attend Paideia Academy, so I speak from experience. My children are well cared for in a learning enviornment by (for the most part) great teachers. Additionally, the price cannot be beat for dowtown Seattle. The adminstration has been a little lax in the past, but a new assistant adminstratior (Pat) looks to have things turned around. more

My child currently attends the Toddler 1 class four days a week and loves it. Her teacher is loving, patient and caring and each week provides a structured environment that includes play, music, art, math, social skills & more. My child has also learned sign language. Our teacher and her assistants are usually happy, smiling and calm, no matter when I stop by. I often stop in to have lunch with my child and I have never witnessed anything like the environment and situation outlined by the "former teacher" Anonymous J. For the last 6 months there have been only two new teaching assistants. The other lead teachers have been at the school for 5 years or more. From my observations, the director of the school, Julie, employs a staff where everyone I have met seems to be very happy. There is plenty of support, teamwork and lots of structure. I am confident that my child is safe and receiving quality care at Paidea Academy. more

I was hired at Paideia Academy when I first moved to Seattle, and quit 6 months later. As a lead teacher I was disappointed with the poor management, unethical treatment of the children in our care, and adult-centered environment. My fellow employees were frequently yelled at by our director, who took advantage of women with little English skills by employing them at incredibly low wages. We were not provided with bathroom breaks for over 4 hours at a time. We were promised a health insurance plan that never took effect. There were so many management problems that made this school a stressful environment for teachers and children. I would NEVER feel safe leaving my children there. more

My son is 18 months old and started at Paideia at 7 months old. He loves his teachers, and they are very loving and patient. He still visits his teachers from his previous two classes. The class sizes are small. The school is clean and well-run. His current teacher has taught him sign language, and he comes home knowing new words and wanting to do activities that he has learned at school. I think Paideia is a great daycare - if you can get in. more

Paideia Academy is a fantastic daycare/preschool. The director has undertaken this venture as a labor of love with a clear philosophy and direction. The staff is carefully chosen for their ability to both nurture and challenge the children in their care. The facility is open and light and well equipped. My children, now ages 7 and 4, started at Paideia four years ago. The academic challenges in the preschool were presented in a manner that captivated and entertained them so much that they eagerly looked forward to "going to school" each day. As a result, the oldest started kindergarten far ahead of many of her classmates. More importantly, however, she still talks of how much she misses her teachers and friends from Paideia. In many ways they are more like extended family than just teachers. more