The Little School

Sometimes I see online reviews for an item that someone just purchased and has only experienced for 5 minutes, and I question how helpful that review is. "I just got this room 2 hours ago and it is the BEST!" This is not one of those reviews.I think it was almost 12 years ago, my daughter started at The Little School in 1st grade. She was a sensitive, talkative, curious young girl. She enjoyed art projects and writing stories. She struggled a bit socially, sometimes feeling more at home with her thoughts and the trees than engaging in play. At the Little School, the teachers there got to know her well, understanding her as a learner, and identifying her strengths and weaknesses. Her first teacher identified that while she may rarely be the first one to answer a question lobbed out to the group, he found that she was often the one taking the time to seek a deeper understanding. We loved that The Little School takes the time to recognize that attribute and celebrate it for what it is instead of penalizing her for not always being the first. While at The Little School until she outgrew after her 5th grade year, she practiced her social skills, made friends, and was supported by the educators there in learning communication skills and conflict resolution skills to navigate the inevitable challenges that accompany navigating school. After outgrowing she went on to another local private school, and we were pleased with how prepared she was for Middle and High School there. Not only had she learned important academic skills, but she also quickly made herself known in her classes because The Little School taught her that she has valuable ideas to share and that her educators are expected to be her partners in her education. She was able to appropriately speak up in class, ask questions, and contribute to conversations. We believe that her formative years at TLS were vital to developing that confidence. She graduated high school recently near the top of her class and is now at a UC school as a freshman.In case you are thinking that The Little School is only a good fit for loquacious, nature-loving girls, let me tell you about my son. He started at The Little School about 11 years ago in kindergarten. He was twitchy and restless, kind and caring, and loved playing pretend games with building toys. He had a super-quick mind and could memorize facts and trivia easily. While at The Little School, until he outgrew after 5th grade, we loved that they challenged him in the areas where he needed improvement, without getting overly distracted by his twitchiness. They made accommodations for his physical energy, recognizing that even though his eyes were darting around, he was listening carefully, could remember virtually everything said during the lesson, and could immediately apply it. They challenged him in his writing. Pushing him to get better at punctuation and grammar, and flesh out his ideas further. He did not always like it, but we watched as they encouraged him to try harder and expand on his writing. This summer he spent two weeks at a science camp hosted on a university campus, learning about the microbiology of cancer, and in the fall he will start running at Bellevue College as a high school junior. He is looking forward to the challenge and the variety of classes that will be available to him. He is FAR less twitchy, gets along well with others, and remains friends to this day with people he met at TLS.In case you are thinking that The Little School is only a good fit for sensitive, talkative, curious little girls, and twitchy, clever, gentle young boys, let me tell you about my other son (don't worry, this is the last one). He started at The Little School about 7 years ago in kindergarten. He was a typical little kid, played well with others, loved playing competitive games outside, but also played imaginative games with stuffed "loves" inside with boys and girls. As he grew and matured, the TLS educators, just like my other two kids, learned about his strengths and weaknesses and encouraged him along the way. He had a severe lisp when younger, but the lovely thing about TLS is that they walk their talk when it comes to belonging, kindness, and community. I don't ever recall him coming home sad or upset because someone teased him about the way he talked. He was a confident, charismatic social leader by the time he outgrew at the end of 5th grade. Their outdoor education/physical education program there nursed his athletic abilities and as a 5th grader, he was helping the TLS mountain beavers win ultimate frisbee games in the local league, as well as teaching his classmates about other sports that he played outside of school. He is now an 8th grader at our local public middle school, where he is in advanced math, loves social studies, and was invited into their selective programs for young mentors and leaders.Yes, if you are considering The Little School, or are simply doing some early research, we urge you to consider the school for your children as well. Maybe you are concerned that the TLS that my kids experienced is no longer the TLS of today. I can assure you that this is not the case. While my youngest is only 3 years removed from TLS, I was on the board of trustees for 6 years supporting the school with strategic governance while it rejuvenated its campus and leadership. The TLS of today still holds onto the same DNA they did when we first made a bet on them 12 years ago.

My son has attended The Little School for 3 years (2nd-5th) and I really can't say enough about this incredible school community! He was warmly welcomed into the school from the first day and has known that he is truly a valuable member of his learning community every day since. The small class sizes, outdoor learning opportunities, progressive educational model and continuous social, emotional learning have come together to create the best learning environment possible for my son. He is excited to go to school each day, and I feel so confident in the teachers and staff to guide him as he prepares for his next steps into middle school.

This is our family's first year at The Little School, and we have had a wonderful experience so far. My son is in third grade, and his transition from his old school has been much easier than I expected. The small classes and attentive teachers and staff make the school an inclusive environment to a diverse range of kids. One thing that really sold us on TLS aside from the curriculum was the beautifully forested campus. Students learn in nature and have opportunities to build forts, climb into tree houses, and observe native plants and animals. We've found the academics very strong, and taught in ways that engage our son and build a true understanding of math, reading, and science concepts that allow him to build on his knowledge and skills to the best of his ability. Social Emotional Learning is integrated into every aspect of the school and the growth of my son has shown in that regard since he started at TLS has impressed my husband and me. We consider ourselves lucky that we found TLS!

The Little School (TLS) is the BEST pre-K through 5th grade school in the Puget Sound region. This school is accepting of the individuality of each student, and is passionate about creating a learning environment that focuses as much on social-emotional learning (SEL) as on traditional academics. Neurodiversity and learning differences are celebrated and welcomed. The word "inclusion" is central to the school's ethos. Many schools talk up SEL nowadays -- TLS has been a pioneer in SEL and progressive education for 60 years! In other words, they helped create the concept of SEL and are ahead of the curve on it, not trying to catch up to this "trend." If you want your child to become a better citizen and to learn how to navigate complex social environments, learn to think critically, and not be burdened by tests and homework that have not been proven to be beneficial to early childhood education, TLS is the best choice for your family. My only guilt in sending my kids to TLS is that I feel every child should have the opportunity to go to a school such at TLS.

I went to this school as a child when Eleanor Seigl was in charge. I think it was in 1960 or 1961. Due to their humanity, excellent teaching I managed to survive over the years as a person with dyslexia and rhe after effects of child abuse. My teachers were Toby Burton and Eve Smith and I may have been in one of the first classes they had when they first started out. If you have children, don`t hesitate to send them there. Best school I ever attended.

After an uninspiring year at our local (highly ranked) elementary school, we decided to find a school that our kids wouldn`t dread going to each day, and found The Little School. Fast forward five years, and we not only have our oldest still at The Little School, but our younger kids go there as well-.and they all love school. Our nine-year-old can`t wait to tell us what he did at school each day! Because of the small classes, the teachers and staff members get to know each child well and can support and challenge each kid at an appropriate level. There is also a strong sense of community, which is fostered by everything from all school events, to playing after school on the big field, to class get-togethers. The administration is extremely approachable and willing to meet and listen to parents. We`ve found that overall the teachers at TLS are excellent, though each come to the classroom with differing perspectives and styles. The school encourages kids to grow not only academically, but puts a lot of focus on social learning and fosters acceptance, team work, empathy, self-advocacy, confidence, and problem solving. As our oldest child is about to outgrow TLS and move on to middle school, we feel she has been well prepared for future success.

My son has attended The Little School since he was three years old. He's now 10 and nearing the end of his time there, and we couldn't have been happier with his preschool and grade school experience. The warm, caring teachers and staff truly know him (and us) as individuals. Everyone there is so invested in helping the kids grow and learn and become the people they are meant to be. My son who is slow to warm up to new situations and has had a hard time speaking up, opens up year over year with the support and encouragement he receives at TLS. Academically, the integrated approach the teachers take is really fascinating and inspires him. He's gotten plenty of exposure to hands on math and science projects and reading and writing stories and essays for language arts, and he enjoys the music (ukulele) and movement classes too. The extended day program and enrichment classes after school are also well thought out and fun - he really looks forward to his time with friends after school. Personally, the part of school I love the most is the parent community and how it works with the school. I love helping out in the classroom, on field trips, with parent association events, and with the staff and faculty on projects. There are many ways to get involved in your kids'' education and in the school community, no matter how much time you have to help out.

My child will soon graduate from high school and so I''ve been reflecting on her education up until this point. She attended TLS from K-5 and it was a most wonderful, formative experience that has had a long-lasting impact. I''ve been able to observe for myself the long-term positive effects of attending a school where the emphasis is on the process of being a learner and risk-taker, rather than on being motivated by grades or other externals. This ability to focus on the desire to learn has served her well both in school and extracurriculars. The other area where I''ve seen a notable impact is in respect for others. At TLS respect went in both directions - it wasn't about age or status or power. The multi-age classrooms helped students see one another as well-rounded people with many facets, and the ways teachers fostered (rather than dictated) learning meant that my daughter never viewed teachers in an oppositional way. They were always there to support her, so the idea of disregarding or being disrespectful to a teacher was completely alien to her (and really shocking when she first observed it after arriving at her mainstream public high school). Similarly the idea of looking down upon schoolmates because they''re in a different grade simply made no sense to her. This grounding in self-regulation and healthy human interactions is what I value most from her TLS education - and it's something that will continue to serve her well in college and future employment. As a side note, just the other day she commented wistfully on how little time she gets to be outdoors during the week since leaving TLS - how much she valued having regular outdoor time in the woods and what a change it is to be stuck indoors all day long. TLS is a school that forces you to shift your perspective a bit - and in doing so, it opens up possibilities that go far beyond the narrow, nitty-gritty emphasis on this or that specific learning outcome that parents sometimes focus on when children are young (who is reading at what level, etc.). Ultimately I''ve seen that what matters is that each child's innate curiosity and thirst for learning are protected and nurtured because it is those drives that lead to mastery in any subject area.

My kids have been students at The Little School for several years. I love the small class sizes, which have given my kids the opportunity to be truly known by teachers and staff. Teachers can (and do) tailor the curriculum to the needs and interests of their students. When a class is fascinated by a particular topic (e.g. space, dinosaurs, Egypt), the teacher uses that interest as a way to explore all sorts of subjects (e.g. math, reading, science, art, music). Since the kids care about the theme of the lessons, they spend more time on and are more invested in their lessons than I've seen in other elementary-aged kids. Teachers are very responsive to the needs of the individual kids in their classes. Lessons are taught in many different ways - with conversation, exploration, and movement to name a few. Classrooms are set up in a way that allows kids to have some autonomy and take ownership of their learning. I'm continually impressed by the depth of caring and intentionality evident in every aspect of The Little School. My kids have had the opportunity to grow and learn in an environment that nurtures their inherent love of learning. I'm grateful for our years as a TLS family.