Planet Kids

09/03/2008 Posted by h34th3r

My daughter's been at PKB since it first opened. She spent five months in the 24 - 30 month room then moved to one of the preschool rooms. She's been with the same teachers (and many of the same kids) for almost two years now and I'm thrilled with them. She's happy at the school, she's well taken care of and she's learning. It is a privately owned preschool. The owner and the program manager have made changes without a lot of advance discussion. I can't complain; all of the big changes made have been beneficial, such as first changing the "potty training" classroom into a preschool room (yay! one fewer transition) and later expanding the preschool rooms to be traditional montessori 3-6 with kindergarten. I don't know if we'll stay for kindergarten or do a full-day program at the local public school, but I'm delighted my daughter has the option of staying in a montessori classroom for kindergarten with the same teachers.

Pros: healthy and creative lunches, montessori curriculum, great teachers

Cons: outdoor play area seems small, facility closes at 6:00 instead of 6:30pm

07/31/2008 Posted by spaceneedle08

Please look up this owners previous center, it was called Haller Lake Children's Center. The reviews for HLCC are accurate and show the truth about what the owner of Planet Kids is capable of. There have been 2 complaints filed with the state of WA since this center opened. Look up PKB at the Department of Early Leaning website: www.del.wa.gov and search for a provider's record. Your children deserve to be safe and well cared for. Make an informed decision. The earlier reviews are suspicious - look at the timing and wording.

07/20/2008 Posted by xseamom

My son (who is almost 4 now) attended PKB until recently, and it was a great experience to all of us. We left the school due to relocation. Had we stayed in Seattle, we would have definitely continued to go to PKB. Most importantly my son really enjoyed going to school every day (on the weekends he was waiting for Monday). He loved his teachers, who really treat the kids with respect and give them a sense of belonging. They learn so much in there, and in so many areas. They have all kinds of Montessori work and they keep challenging the kids with new materials (we recently got lots of complements of how knowledgeable he is from another school) They also have a good enrichment program that includes Yoga and music taught by great teachers. The school keeps the parents updated on everything that goes on there via e-mails , weekly updated and monthly news letters. I also liked their menu – they serve a lot of fruits and vegetables in snacks and lunch. I heard complaints about the owner, but I have to say I never experienced any kind of problem. Whenever I had any concern I took it to the program manager or the owner’s daughter (who effectively manages the place) and everything was always solved to my satisfaction. All in all, I definitely recommend this place, especially if your child is independent and enjoys learning.

Pros: great teachers

Cons: a bit expensive

06/13/2008 Posted by jalhad

As one who has worked as a child advocate in social services and chilcare/preschools for more than 20 years, I am very appreciative to be employed at Planet kids. I have been here since the center opened and can say for certain that this is a wonderful place for families to entrust their children to receive the best care and early childhood education. The owner and managment team strive to make sure the philosophy as stated in the mission statement is always upheld. Sad to say, not the case with several agencies and schools where I have worked over the years. I know I can come to them with anything and if it benefits children- it will happen!

06/09/2008 Posted by annaogar

My youngest daughter has been attending Planet Kids for the past year. Taking into account my two older children, I have had past experiences with 6 childcares total. Planet Kids is definitely the best one. It greatest strong point is excellent teachers and stuff. I really appreciate my daughter's room teachers. They both are fully qualified professionals with a lot of experience and real love for children. Unfortunately, I've seen too many times how a childcare tries to save on teachers: one teacher and an assistant (often a student's mom) in a classroom. Planet Kids administration seems to think a lot about the direction the place is going. My daughter's classroom has plenty of educational materials (some of them quite expensive), art supplies and books. I am glad to learn from the city search review written by a teacher that the teachers are well taken care of. Planet Kids tries to make life of busy parents a bit easier. The school provides meals (quite good and healthy) - I don't have to pack a lunch bag ever day. For field trips the school rents the vans - I don't have to take half day off work to drive my daughter to a pumpkin patch. Overall, the school is kind of vibrant and pretty much alive. I would definitely recommend this school to other parents.

Pros: teachers, educational philosophy

Cons: rooms might have been bigger

06/09/2008 Posted by dadandmom

Our kids have been in Planet kids Bellevue (PKB) since the day it opened. Though it had a few bumps in its initial period, the school has proven itself to be a wonderful school. There is a great balance between Montessori work and social and enrichment activities. The teachers are fantastic. They are great teachers as well as caring and loving human beings. The fact that our kids are so happy and are always excited to go to school is the best indicator that we have made the right decision sending them to PKB.

Pros: Great balance between of Montessori work and social and enrichment activities

Cons: close to highway

06/09/2008 Posted by sbmontessori

I am Montessori teacher with 10 years experience. I've worked for 2 other local Montessori both of which have excellent reputations with parents but had high turnover because of the lack of genuine appreciation for staff members. My experience at Planet Kids (here since we opened!) has been completely rewarding and I look forward to a long future here. I have never had administration hand out birthday gifts, give bonuses, stock the staff lounge with goodies and order materials when I ask! We have excellent benefits and more than the competitive wage. One of the most important things for me as an early childhood educator is to feel like I have complete support from my director and program manager. I never feel like I'm not being respected and supported. It is so nice to work for someone who genuinly believes that early childhood eduactors are the most important part of society and have a major impact on the future of our world. This support is evident in the way my families treat us as members of their families! It is getting harder to call teaching a "thankless" job. I know so many teachers that burn out at the 10 year mark, however I feel like I'm just beginning my path as a an educator. I know I wouldn't feel this way working for another center. It takes A LOT more than just loving the kiddos!!! ;-)

Pros: Excellent benefits, supportive admin.

Cons: It rains to much in June.

06/06/2008 Posted by misbell

Before sending our 6 month old off to daycare, we did extensive research and analysis of almost all of the eastside daycares schools. After completing our research, our top two picks were Planet Kids Bellevue and Bright Horizons. To be honest the Bright Horizons facility was more impressive, however (and more importantly) the Planet Kids Bellevue staff was overwhelmingly more knowledgeable with regards to infant , toddler and child development. But to be very honest, it has to be more than just subject matter knowledge/expertise. There has to be a passion and deep care component as well. Planet Kids Bellevue truly only hires the best. To this day (my daughter is now 13 months old), every teacher I’ve met, which is most, are very passionate about their job, and truly love these kids. They have become our extended family, which is so very important when you have none living in this state!

06/06/2008 Posted by tibin

Sure, take a look at the complaints filed at www.del.wa.gov, but one doesn't have to look that closely, to see that these are not complaints filed by families of HLCC, but rather issues that the licensor discovered during a routine inspection--the issues as noted on this site are not only years old, but don’t reflect PKB’s conditions and what's more the HLCC issues were resolved. Regarding an issue in one of the complaints about volunteers being left alone or not being TB tested--not only have I gone through a thorough background check, but I've also spent my own time and money to have a TB test done in order to volunteer. Every family that I've volunteered with has done the exact same thing—and even then, we’re not left alone with the kids. Also, note these licensing issues are from HLCC NOT PKB--it may be the same ownership, but the guidelines families have to follow at PKB are indeed followed. Regarding your comments about earlier reviews being suspicious? All you have is timing and wording to place doubt in people's minds. I know each of the people who posted a review and we decided to post reviews and yes, they were posted at about the same time, but they are ACCURATE and HONEST reviews. I am a proud parent and volunteer at PKB--I cannot say enough good things about this center. I KNOW what poor care, unsafe conditions, and little or no educational value looks like--my family experienced it. PKB is the opposite of it. They strive to welcome each family and provide the best care and educational experience possible.

Pros: organic/natural foods, educated/trained staff, nurturing/educational, enrichment programs

06/06/2008 Posted by annetterenee

My son has been at Planet Kids Bellevue for nearly 2 years, since he just turned 2. We have been so happy with the love, care, support, and teaching he gets there. The Montessori program is wonderful and the kids really thrive in the environment. The teachers my son has had are top notch. They are so loving to him. he talks about them at home all the time. One of the reasons we chose PKB is for their organic food program and use of cloth diapers. Finding childcare and preschool that offered those is rare. We were hooked from the beginning. My son is now in the preschool program and loves the montessori work, counting, playing. I never want to leave!

Pros: Amazing teachers, organic food, montessori learning