Willow Creek Children's House

"My son was expelled from MACH when he failed to meet their potty training and behavioral expectations. They concluded he had ADHD (this is unacceptable to me coming from an unqualified MACH Director), and their assessment proved false when I put him through a full psychological evaluation at UW. Their philosophy of hands off, minimized confinements, and redirection sounds great until they're venting on you, the adult, for problems they were unable to confront directly with your child (with a strict absence of humor to boot). In fact, strictly following the philosophy of anybody strikes me as somewhat cultish behavior. What's wrong with a personalized approach that treats children and adults with respect and consideration? What's the harm in enjoying your work and being flexible? MACH conceals a militant level of rigidity behind a soft facade of zero consequence to the children. It was never clear to me how, if at all, they expected their philosophy to change or shape the children. Rather, I was left with the impression they only work with personality types matching their teacher-to-student ratio, and shed those who don't. When you reach that point, it's just a business aspiring to tighten the bottom line. I volunteered a MACH, and they don't have enough resources to track their children, not even when the children are behaving well. After seeing how other private schools operate, I am putting MACH at the bottom of the list. They did have some kind and hardworking staff, and I don't want this review to be a dig at them. It was the leadership and structure of the business that I find incompatible of unlocking the full potential of children."

"We love Minor Avenue Children's House (MACH)! The dedicated caring teachers and staff really helped both of my children thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. Both my children look forward to going to school every day, and it is a true testament that all the MACH staff are passionate about helping the children grow."

"We are so lucky we found a home at MACH. It's scary for any new parent to embark on finding people they trust to watch their kiddo and be such a profound influence on their life, and it truly warms my heart to see what a special bond my daughter has forged with all the infant class teachers. Finding this community has brought such peace of mind."

"Our daughter has attended MACH since she was an infant and she has flourished thanks to the attentive care of her teachers. We have been reassured over the last 20 months of this pandemic thanks to the thoughtful communication of the school's administrators. They brought calm to an otherwise challenging time."