Kirkland Children's School

Great School
Oct 21st, 2023

Our oldest daughter is a proud graduate of Kirkland Children's School. Over the last four years, we have felt so grateful that our daughter was able to attend KCS. Each of her classes was a warm, nurturing environment that promoted learning and true connection between students and their teachers. The staff at KCS was also a pleasure to deal with throughout our time at the school. Finally, I have to commend KCS on their handling of the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. KCS was very conscientious in the application of health and safety precautions throughout this period, and the staff was very flexible as health guidelines continually changed. Overall, I couldn't recommend KCS more, and we will miss everyone there as our daughter moves on to first grade!
Aug 7th, 2022

My 5 and 3 year old both go to KCS.  KCS is like a second home.  Everyone is so warm, welcoming, caring, and genuinely love kids.  Many of the faces I see there were there when my eldest first started 4 years ago.  If I start naming names, it would be a huge list because everyone I have encountered at KCS have been amazing.  When we walk in the hallway even teachers from other classes tend to know my kids names and give us a warm welcome as we pass by.  I am always in such awe of the curriculum, and way they are always changing the layouts in the classrooms with exciting ways to play and bring alive learning experiences.  Their in house kitchen makes such delicious homemade food for the kids that I wish I could eat there as well!  They have such an impressive array of outdoor/playground areas for the kids to enjoy in rain or shine.  I could not imagine a more well run daycare!  They really know what they are doing!!! They were great at keeping up with latest Covid recommendations from the state for daycares and communicating the updates to everyone as clearly as possible.  My friends with kids elsewhere would ask me about KCS Covid guidelines, and were always so impressed with how well KCS managed the craziness of the past couple years. I am sad that my eldest will be leaving KCS, but happy my youngest has another couple years.  Today was the last day of the school year, and my kids' teachers gave such touching cards and gifts to my kids for them to remember the year.  Thank you to everyone at KCS!  One of the best choices I ever made was deciding to send my kids here!
Jun 29th, 2022

I first toured this day care in 2010 and was very impressed so I put my daughter on their waitlist (which took 2 years to get a spot). In the meantime I placed my daughter at Bright Horizons which happened to be excellent (and a lot more money). I ended up not taking the KCS spot as I didn't want to change. HOWEVER, I did take my second child to KCS in 2015, she started in the 1 yr old class with Miss Caroline and did well, however the transition to the 2 yr olds wasn't so smooth. There were of course all the incidents of her being bit by the other kids which is somewhat normal, but then once I showed up and one of her teachers (Sarah) mentioned that Mia had gone to sleep for her two hour nap without having lunch, when I asked if she wasn't hungry their response was "she didn't want to wash her hands and we told her that she couldn't eat without washing her hands". I explained that kids don't always make the best choices and asked if they could go ahead and wash them for her and she said no. I brought this up to Karen, KCS director, who did an investigation and addressed by letting us know that this is not a standard procedure (a few weeks later Sarah resigned). In another occasion when I arrived to pick up my daughter, she was outside with half of her classroom and a substitute teacher, I could see her walking around in circles crying, her face red and frostbite. She ran to me in tears to say "I am cold mommy" her fingers were red, swollen and freezing cold. I brought it up to the business office manager who said "they were probably out too long". This was a constant issue and her mittens were still in her cubby. She had a coat on but not mittens. I have, over the last year and a half, constantly brought in and reminded teachers to make sure they put mittens on and often I have arrived when my child's fingers are cold but this time it was excessive. Drop offs were always long for us as we wanted our child to be comfortable but I did notice the teacher either yelling or one time I saw her push slightly a child out of the way, who fell down and then she said "why do you keep falling today". I ended up giving notice even though there are several really nice teachers there but I had to believe that there was a better place for my kid. I moved my daughter 14 days ago and it was the best decision. Every morning when I take her to her new school she says "I don't want to go see (the teachers at KCS)" Today when I asked her if her teacher was not nice she said "Ms. ______ (the KCS teacher) hurt my elbow and then she kissed me". Drop offs now are so smooth, takes one minute, she likes her teacher and comes home happy everyday. If you are considering this school, do be an involved parent always, you have to be your child's advocate. Listen to your kid. I appreciated Karen the director's quick response to my concerns but unfortunately not all her hires are good ones.
Mar 13th, 2017

After a year at KCS, I can honestly say I can't imagine my daughter going anywhere else. Picking a day care or school was one of the harder things I've had to do as a parent (so far). As a working parent, there's so much guilt about not spending "that" time with your child that you want to ensure they're given the attention and love you would have provided. I am impressed with the quality of the teachers in the school (specifically in the infant and toddler room), the genuine care and love they have for kids, and the well rounded curriculum, even at the toddler age. There isn't a day my daughter doesn't come home with a new set of words, or experiences and I love that they understand the capabilities of each child and are invested in helping each of them learn at their own pace.
Mar 13th, 2014