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March 2022 by R S.
When I started looking for a first daycare for my kid, I toured both large daycare centers and home-based daycares. Ark turned out to be the best of both the worlds. They have 25+ year experience of running the center and it shows. The director, Ms. Solange, is extraordinarily hands-on which sets an exemplary culture of the entire center. She is constantly on a move around the classrooms, playground, kitchen and never relaxing for even a minute in her own cozy office chair. Even though they have huge real estate in the heart of Bellevue, they intentionally keep it small to ensure high quality care. They have 6 classrooms and less than 40 kids. So think about it statistically - 6 lead teachers, 1 hands-on director, 1 break teacher, 2 backfill teachers, 3 weekly specialist teachers (music, soccer, chapel), 6+ rooms, 2 outdoor and 1 indoor playgrounds dedicated to less than 40 kids! It is surprising to me how come they charge lower than some other center-based daycares.Some highlights:- Smallest classroom sizes in the area across ALL center-based and home-based daycares. My kid's class size is kept to 6 kids with 6:1 student:teacher ratio for 2's class. All their classrooms are single-group classrooms. To me personally, class size is more important as student:teacher ratio. Having one teacher per class promotes a clear sense of ownership.- Very good employee retention. All teachers are moms/grandmoms and have professional degrees and multi-year industry and personal experience.- Open door policy and parents allowed inside the classroom. This helped greatly with initially settling the kid in.- Great communication. You directly get to talk to teacher and director almost everyday. Teacher sends loads of photos throughout the day.- Tons of excellent age-appropriate spread of toys throughout the facility. Each toys are in multiples so that kids don't have contention.- Very structured day and highly balanced curriculum. You know exactly what the kid is learning/going to learn. Weekly curriculum is put up on parent board and teacher writes the daily curriculum activity on whiteboard.- There is a detailed nap chart and you get written report every day that records details on food, toileting and teacher remarks. Weekly snack menu is available on parent board as well.- Individualized - There is a weekly progress plan goal put up on the curriculum for each kid.- Even in outdoor times, the same or better ratio is maintained and teachers play with the kids rather than stand and watch. They bring out different outdoor activities each day to target all-round gross motor skill development.Some things to know before signing up:- This is an older facility and the age shows but is well-kept and cleanliness and hygiene is maintained.- Lunch is not provided and kids bring their own lunch.- There are no microwaves in the class. If you don't send food in thermos, it will be refrigerated in order to adhere to food-safety guidelines.- Even though it is a small center, my kid did catch a few minor cold in the beginning- It is church-based and they have Chapel times 30 mins a week in curriculum. I am non-Christian but at Ark, I never saw any pressure to change our personal belief system.Overall, I am very happy. My kid went from speaking 1-2 words to full sentences within a month of joining. She is much more confident and have greatly improved her fine and gross motor skills.
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December 2020 by Ali R.
We have been very happy with our child's care at The Ark, from infant and onwards. The children are happy and taken care of, and the child-to-teacher ratio is kept lower than state requirements, which is very rare in a daycare. Additionally, they worked hard to successfully stay open during the entire covid pandemic, only reducing their open hours by a little despite inevitable temporary staff shortages.From the start, the director has been a loving and empathetic professional with a rigorous eye toward licensing and safety. She manages the center with grace, given the complexity and black-and-white nature of childcare laws. She's hands-on, helping out in every classroom and on the playground, and she's available at all times. We've never had to wait to speak with her about any concerns.The teachers are fantastic! The stand-out feature of the Ark is that the teachers seem to have more energy and can care for their children better than other schools. Almost everyone has multiple years of early learning experience, and several have been with the Ark for over a decade. Our son's teachers have all kept a great dialogue with us, providing daily written reports, but more importantly, being available to speak with daily (even on breaks). They've all listened carefully and tried their best to care for our son the way we ask. We often receive videos and photos, but I never saw teachers on their phones in classrooms.Another perk is Parents Night Out (suspended during covid). This once-a-month evening care is offered at a hugely reduced rate for parents to take some time for themselves while their children enjoy mingling with other children and teachers. Overall, The Ark is a safe and loving environment with a bunch of experienced teachers. It feels like a much smaller family facility because of the great communication and relationships between children, staff, and parents.
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December 2020 by Ana Benitez
Wonderful school! The staff is the absolute best and they truly care for the children. My son learned so much and made life long friends! He loved his teachers and friends! I highly recommend this school!
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December 2019 by Alisha Ritter
Professionally managed by a group of people who really love their children. Longer-term employees than many other daycares. Smaller than state-mandated ratios in many classes, where possible.
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December 2019 by ZHORA FRIEDEN
Play based learning with friendly educators and staff. Feels like being part of a great family ❤️❤️
