Cascade Summit Montessori

"After almost two years, I no longer felt my child was safe at Cascade Summit Montessori. There were some positives. There are some wonderful staff and teachers. The school property is gorgeous. The playground is nice. Lunch and snacks are included in tuition, which I believed was reasonable. We tried to give the school time to regroup during this past year because we saw so much potential, but, it never got better. We received very little communication from our teachers, if any. The turnover has been extremely high. In less than two years, we've been through 3 directors and 5 teachers. We often did not know who would be teaching our child any given day, or if our teacher would even be there. The inconsistency was hard to ignore as you try to build your child up to depend on adults and to be able to rely on their teachers. A new teacher would arrive with a new routine, new rules, new keywords and phrases...and a few weeks/months later...a new teacher would arrive. The turnover rate just left our child in limbo, shuttled between classes, different teachers, different rules, for over a year. It was not a consistent, positive, nurturing experience. I was willing to overlook many of the negatives. But, this school has dealt with multiple shutdowns in the past few weeks due to COVID exposures. We would often find out on a moments notice, sometimes AT the door to drop off our child, that the classroom was closed. When we asked about reimbursement due to a staff-related exposure closure, we were told that there weren't any "fiscal updates." They didn't offer more vacation days or any other compromise or compensation. They didn't even care to follow-up or mention it again. When we inquired about their staff being vaccinated, they said it was a personal choice. But, when the classrooms closed due to a staff-related exposure, we were told to keep paying. After multiple COVID exposures, classroom closures, and extremely high teacher turnover, the school began requesting the assistance of parents to find substitutes. They also requested parents who would like to "do more within our community" to "volunteer" during pickup and dropoff to help take temperature checks for children at the door. This reminded me of one dropoff experience where I waited patiently at the door with my child, along with another parent and their child. When it came our turn, the teacher came to the door and taped a piece of paper to the door with a phone number. She cracked it open slightly, enough to let us know that "we're full, we're in ratio." My child looked up confused and said, "They're full? No school today????" The teacher said that we just needed to call the number and a teacher would come to the door. I asked if it wouldn't be too much trouble to let someone know, as I had left my phone in the car. She said "sure", closed the door, and went back to her classroom. Within a few minutes, before I could leave the parking lot, the director...and the same teacher...were at the door helping a new line of children. They were "full" and "in ratio" just a few moments prior. But, these are small examples of the inconsistent leadership at this school. Lastly, and what hurt the most, was when we told the director that we no longer felt our child was safe and we would be leaving Cascade Summit Montessori. This is the school my child had spent the past two years at. Two years. Almost half of my child's life. When I said we no longer felt safe and would not return, the entire email from the admin was "We are sorry to see her go." They didn't even bother to ask one question, or even leave a salutation, signature, name, nothing. That was how it ended. When I arrived to pickup her remaining belongings that day, the assistant director was notified I had arrived. I saw her helping other parents. She looked my way, but didn't bother to say a word. After two years, I would expect a school to be more invested in my child, invested in their safety and their care, and be more professional. After two years, they could only respond with, "We are sorry to see her go.""

"We have had a wonderful experience with Cascade Summit Montessori. The quality of care, programs offered and overall facility have exceeded our expectations. Our daughter is growing leaps and bounds. We are so glad we switched our care to this program."

"Been a parent here for 2 years and while the school was once loved, truly, we are walking away this year. Then LaPetit got its corporate hands on it and well, the kids are no longer the reason things get done, its about profit and the hiring of low-skilled, low-paid daycare workers. Oh, there are absolutely some great folks there (from the past) but they are quickly being outnumbered and their voices taken from them. Drive a few more minutes for the sake of your little one."

"Great teachers , they really care about progress of children. Nice staff. My child goes to this school and only after a few months we see a huge difference: politeness, patience, and has picked up a lot of skills. They also offer lunch, which is included in the tuition. Tuition is very reasonable compare to other montessori in the area."

"A clean, beautiful school with caring and committed teachers and excellent students! My son has attended Cascade Summit for over a year and (at 4 years old!) is conquering math, reading, sewing and many other skills that are quite advanced for his age. Each child chooses their own lessons and learns at their own pace, which enables great strides to be made. The mixed-age classroom is incredibly useful for the children, and I cannot say enough about my family's satisfaction with the Montessori experience! Highly, highly recommended."