Evergreen Academy

Favorite things about this school: 1) My son is trying to learn to hold a pencil properly. His teacher & I talked & she gave me specific activities & suggestions for things we can do at home to help him learn this fine motor skill. She also showed me specific activities she encourages him to do while inside the classroom. When I came & watched him in the classroom on various (unannounced) days, I watched as she helped him to learn these (and other) skills. 2) Open communication with all staff & parents (invited to come into & stay in class anytime without notice, encouraged to go on field trips, quick email/phone responses,etc.) 3) During times when school is on break (for holidays or teacher conferences), the school offers "camps" where a theme is chosen & the children can continue on their schedule without interruption, & parents can continue to work without having to find child care. 4) The WPTA is a small but growing group of parents who genuinely care about the school & do everything in their power to make the children's experience great, while helping the teachers in any way they can. 5) Both parents & staff have been very welcoming & open to our family. 6) Convenient car line for those days when you're running late & would just like to drop your child off and go (or have another child in the car & can't leave one to bring the other inside). On most days we choose to walk our son into his classroom & pick him up inside after school. This is the best decision we have made for our son, & feel like this is a critical part of his young life. We could have picked any one of the number of preschools/montessori schools in our area, but Evergreen gave us all of the things listed above. If they didn't we would have left. I've seen the negative reviews; I've met the (strange) woman who wrote them. She runs her own preschool & seems to be trying to slander the competition. It's unfortunate & I hope parents will investigate for themselves, like we did. more

Good: I loved the story they sold me when I toured the place, and I liked that other parents seemed to love the school. That is until I found out that most parents never set foot in the building because we were encouraged to stay in our cars -- our children would be escorted in by staff. Well, I got out of my car twice a day and found out why. The school is a dismal place and sadly most of the parents have no idea because we are told one thing and the reality is quite a different matter.. Bad: Children are meant to be afraid, this is the belief of the Vice Principal, so that they will stay in control. When a child is violent and out of control (there was one such child in my son's class) nothing is done about the repeated injuries to other children because they were afraid of losing tuition. My son used to love school, until we sent him to Evergreen. Then he would cry on the way there, come home bruised by the violent child, and talk about how he was afraid of the vice principal.. Improvements: The could start with sacking the vice principal for her astonishing disrespect of the children. Besides prefering them to be afraid she decreed that all classrooms must eat their lunch in the dark by candle light and the children must only whisper if they need to talk at all. Parents are told never to contact the teacher about our children, that the administration is their "voice mail." Might consider training the Principal in early childhood education. Her previous job a year ago was MaryKay salesman.. Other: Run! This school is a sinking ship and they will tell you whatever they think you want to hear to get your money. Teachers and families come and go quickly from this school and there are more reasons why then I can say in this review.. more

Good: Teacher and family retention. Teachers had been there a number of years and worked as a team along with the old administration.. Bad: High turn over of both teachers and students with new administration. Profit and enrollment are the primary goals.. Improvements: Kirkland and/or Bothell locations appear to be more qualified locations.. Other: Safety concerns.. more

My son went to this school last year for his Pre-K year. There were only 14 kids in the class (with 2 teachers) and I have to say that after sending him to a "strict" Montessori school in Redmond for 2 years, Evergreen Academy was a breath of fresh air. They take their teaching jobs seriously but they also want the children to have fun and grow socially. I was really thrilled with the amount of effort the new director put in to hire young teachers with energy and new ideas...it was time. And as a working parent, I couldn't have been more happy with their school break programs. It's hard to find something fun for the kids during these non-school days, but it was all right there, with no change in routine. My son loved all the themed activities and he actually looked forward to "non-school" days. I think the new director has turned this place around! more

Good: I love the education my child is receiving. My child learned to read within the first 30 days of attending. I love the Principal and VP - they are warm and loving and truly care about the children. I love the afternoon Kindergarten Readiness program - my child is off to a really great start. The school is very safe, I love that you have to enter a code at the door to come into the bldg, and you have to pass by the P and VP.. Improvements: The location of the school is a little tricky. During Drop off/Pick up times traffic is heavy, which makes it challenging to enter & leave the school. I would like to see some flashing lights - school zone- signs posted on the road to help drivers realize that there is a school on the very busy Wdvl-Duvall Rd.. Other: We are so pleased with the education our child is receiving. We speak to the teachers, P, and VP every day to make sure we are fully aware of our childs educational progress. We highly recommend this school and trust the staff with our child.. more

Evergreen Academy Preschool in Woodinville has been a blessing for our family and a truly wonderful experience. Our young daughter enrolled and within a short amount of time she was right into the routine and excelling in so many areas. The teachers and staff are patient, encouraging, kind and very communicative with us. I would highly recommend this school to anyone who is looking for somewhere for their child to grow and learn. The environment, curriculum, activities and enrichment provided to my child and me as a parent have been great. Great Job to all the staff, parents and volunteers who's time and energy have made this a great fit for our family! more

Evergreen Academy Preschool in Woodinville has been a blessing for our family and a truly wonderful experience. Our young daughter enrolled and within a short amount of time she was right into the routine and excelling in so many areas. The teachers and staff are patient, encouraging, kind and very communicative with us. I would highly recommend this school to anyone who is looking for somewhere for their child to grow and learn. The environment, curriculum, activities and enrichment provided to my child and me as a parent have been great. Great Job to all the staff, parents and volunteers who's time and energy have made this a great fit for our family! more

This is a great school! My child loves it at Evergreen Academy and has been going here for 2 years. The teachers and staff are extremely attentive and the varied curriculum has benefitted my child on a number of levels--educationally, socially, emotionally just to name a few. The individual attention and focus my child has received has clearly contributed to my child's considerable progress and I have been kept involved all along the way. I love this school and plan to enroll my child next year. more

My daughter attended this school for 3 years and my son for two. We moved so unfortunately my son had to switch preschools his last year. I looked into commuting 30 minutes each way just so he could finish out his last year here but the class was full. I cannot find a comparable preschool anywhere in the Bellevue area. The curriculum was excellent! My son was reading at the age of 4, writing words and doing math exercises. I truly believe it is because of this school. The new principal here really cares about making this school the best! She is in constant communication with the parents, always asking for feedback and trying to better the place for the kids. Very approachable which I really appreciated and miss! more

Very unhappy with this school. Principal is incompetent and VP is mean with children -- yelling at them and excessively strict on pointless rules. Policies seem set up to convienience the administrators and make the school look good to touring parents rather than to benefit existing students. Field trips are divorced from curriculum, teachers are not supported by administration, safety is ignored, profit is the main concern at this school. When I toured, this school seemed like a really nice place -- they put on a good show for parents, but it's all a sham. Once your kid is there, the pretty facade starts to wear away and you see what a horrible environment this really is for children. more

The Evergreen Academy, Woodinville Campus, is a great little school for getting your preschooler ready for a classroom environment. I really liked this preschool setting because it looked like a real classroom & it was pretty structured, as much as a preschool can be. The teachers were good and always communicative. Kids were taught great things & it was a great intro to a real school setting. more