Northern Lights Montessori

Juhi Sodani a month ago

NLMS is by far the best school we’ve experienced in the Seattle area! We’ve previously tried Bright Horizons, KinderCare, and other Montessori options in Kirkland and Sammamish, but nothing compares to NLMS. What sets them apart is their incredible transparency and open daily communication via WhatsApp. We love being able to send home-cooked meals and snacks for our kids rather than relying on standard packaged snacks. The teachers personally know every single family, care deeply about each child's individual interests, and offer unmatched personal support. In fact, after moving from Redmond to Sammamish, we continued sending our daughter and son here because we couldn't find this level of care anywhere else. The school offers a fantastic balance of strong academics and physical education, ensuring well-rounded growth so kids stay ahead when transitioning to public school. Beyond academics, the community feel is amazing—birthdays and holidays are celebrated with so much thoughtfulness, and we’ve gotten to know all the other parents in the class. It is a loving, highly social ecosystem, and I cannot recommend NLMS enough!

IRENE x 2 months ago

**Summary version:** Northern Lights Montessori has been transformative for my son. He joined at three and a half barely knowing his letters, and now at five and a half he counts to one hundred, skip counts, reads three to six letter words, and loves science, geography, music, and Spanish. Ms. Ethel, Ms. Bhavani, and Ms. Shree are deeply invested in him, and Ms. Manay's art class has sparked a real love of color and creativity. My only wish as an African mom is for more diversity in the student body, though that's on families, not the school. If you want your child to thrive, this is the place. --- **Full version:** My son joined Northern Lights Montessori at three and a half, though I wish I'd enrolled him even sooner. I first became convinced of the school's impact when I watched a close friend's daughter, also a student there, reading, counting, and talking about planets with the kind of confidence I hadn't expected at that age. That was what finally convinced me to make the switch, and I'm so grateful I did. When he started, he could barely identify letters. Two years later, at five and a half, he can count to one hundred, recognize numbers, and skip count by fives, tens, and twenties. He reads three to six letter words using phonics, and his understanding of science has grown in ways that genuinely surprise me. He's developed a real love of music and asked on his own to start piano and guitar lessons. He's fascinated by geography and can talk about places all over the world, and he's even gotten a solid handle on telling time. The Spanish class has been a wonderful addition, and Ms. Manay, the art teacher, has brought out such a genuine love of color and creativity in him. What stands out most is how much his teachers care. Ms. Ethel, Ms. Bhavani, and Ms. Shree have been incredible with him. They're always available to talk through anything going on with him, and it's clear they're just as invested in his growth as I am. He adores them. Northern Lights is a place where kids are encouraged to think for themselves and grow into who they are. His language skills and understanding of the world have grown exponentially since he started. If there's one area for growth, it would be more diversity within the student body. That said, I don't think this falls on the school. The staff incorporate as much cultural representation as they can, and the makeup of the classroom really comes down to the families who choose to enroll. The school itself is doing the work. There are European and Asian American representation, with a small percentage of African representation. However they share anything my son is willing to share about his culture. That makes it beautiful and gives him a point of pride. If you're looking for a place where your child can genuinely thrive, Northern Lights Montessori is the place to go.

Oleksii Dukhno 2 months ago

My older child attended this daycare for two years. He enjoyed it so much that we never had a single day when he didn't want to go. We had a wonderful experience, and we're planning to send our younger child there as well. What really stands out about this daycare is its amazing teaching staff, outstanding educational program, and the many fun activities and celebrations throughout the year. I want to express gratitude to Ms. Bhavani and other teachers who supported us in our journey there. I would definitely recommend this daycare to other parents.

Irina Derugina a year ago

Awsome school !!! We get advance programm full time in LWSD !!!