Living Montessori Education Community

We have been very impressed with the Living Montessori preschool. I find the teachers extremely attuned to each child –the whole child. They make a point of not just what «work» they are doing but how the child feels about what they are doing. The principal and especially the director, teachers and staff are not only approachable but are more than happy to take the time to address any concern. There is a harmonious feeling and optimism in the classroom. and real excitement you can feel when observing these kids participating learning and workng together… I see a love of discovery. development of self confidence and a sense of joy that is continuing now in our third year with the school. A very positive experience.

Our son has been at this daycare for almost 5 months. In general I think he’s pretty happy here but I don’t have anything to compare to since this is his first daycare
Pro: we noticed during our tour that all the children were very well behaved, calm and focused with their tasks. This was the reason why we paid the hefty tuition fee ($ 1900/​month) and sent him there.
Cons: the classroom while organized is quite run down. Take a closer look and you ll realize that it needs new paint and the rugs needs a good scrub. The grass on the back alleyway leading to the playground needs a good trim. There is only one playground so the younger kids really need extra attention when the older kids are out on the playground. Communication between the school and parents in our case was really poor. We missed out on the school newsletter for the first 5 months and ended missing parent participation day during Christmas. Our poor kid sat all by himself while other kids were with their parents. It was VERY heart breaking when we saw pics of him sitting all alone five months later when browsing the schools Flickr account for the first time. We really like the lead teacher in his classroom but like the previous poster we come to notice that all the teachers that we dealt with are quite passive and have to be prompted to give you updates on your child.
Overall, I am very glad that my child is generally happy at the end of the day. I’m hesitant to move him to another school since he just adjusted.

This is a review for the Early Education part of this school/​preschool — they also have the Academy for children age 3.5+
We love LMEE for our toddler (2 years), he has been here since he was six months old.
The teachers are really, really great and show such love and care for each child. Our son is always happy to go there, and learn so many new skills. The staff is continuously educated, and you can feel that.
The Montessori approach is very good, it makes the little kids so independent. It is a joy to see our son clean up his toys, bring his plates to the kitchen and so forth at home.
The support staff is wonderful too, and always helpful. The program director is really wonderful and has much experience both running programs and actually working with children. The owner is also very involved.
As other reviewers has said the food is nutritionally balanced, mostly organic and multi ethnic (yakisoba one day, grilled cheese with tomato soup the next and so forth). Vegetarian options are available.
While the Montessori approach might not be for everyone, I highly recommend that take a tour and see for yourself.

This program has so much potential and with some structural changes I think it could be the strongest program in the Puget Sound region (eastside or west). Unfortunately, that has not happened yet and children grow up very quickly.
I am not really sure why the older reviews of Living Montessori (dating back to when this program was Planet Kids — PK) are now missing though buried in those reviews were hints that I wish we had headed.
We loved the focus on good organic food in LMEE and then LMA, but found many other things lacking. My children had more teachers than I can count in just a couple of years and often they weren’t very happy (once you get to know the teachers and they open up). The management style is, well, unique. They don’t really listen to parents (unless they agree with you to begin with); things were very random (or seemed so to us — and the teachers we spoke to); big changes were announced after we signed a contract — and the communication to the teachers was very poor.
What I also realized after the switch to another school, was how passive the LM teachers often are. They seemed to use the Montessori principles as an excuse to not intervene or do something (well, your child should be allowed to do that themselves…). Our new school is still Montessori, but the teachers are much more actively engaged with the children, while still allowing them to grow on their own.
Oh, and the new school is significantly cheaper (I would happily have paid the same, but didn’t have to :-) .
If you work for one of the local «really large» companies there are internal discussion groups dedicated to this program. This may be the right program for you though maybe not. Read those archives carefully!

Our son has been attending their school since they were initially called Planet Kids Montessori. He is now 5 years old and is in Kindergarten program. My husband and I have been very satisfied with the program well beyond our expectations. The Principal, Afrose, along with the staff are always very responsive to any concerns or issues we have as parents over the years. I was unfamiliar with the Montessori philosophy when we started our child as a 2 yo in preschool. it has been 3 years since and we are very happy with the progression our child has made over the years. Transition to Kindergarten was smooth from preschool and he already knew his letters, numbers and started writing prior to starting kindergarten. There is good teacher to student ratio as well.
I like the drop off system where you dont have to park your car, instead you sign on the ipad from the staff who is waiting for you at the drop off area.