My son did not like Washington International School in Redmond and I would not recommend it.  He attended the bilingual Chinese preschool for three weeks. 

He LOVED his previous school, but for this year, I wanted him to learn another language.  He cried every time I left him and kept saying how he didn’t want to go there.  Sometimes, he was upset for the whole morning.  I then switched him to another preschool and immediately his crying stopped.  My friend at the same time put his son in the Seattle preschool and also had the same experience.  Her son hated going there and adamantly said he didn’t want to return.

They said the school started at 8, but almost every morning I had to wait at least 20 minutes until someone arrived.  Usually when I came to pick him up, he was just sitting there, with no one interacting with him or any toys to play with.  The circle time was for a full hour, which I do not believe is appropriate for a 3 ½ year old.  There were times when I picked him up and they could not find his shoes or water bottle.  Not the end of the world, but a bit worrisome, as I wasn’t sure what else was happening while I was gone.  In addition, after three weeks, I learned that he was only getting a half hour of Chinese, even though he was attending from 8-1.  My friend that had her son in the Seattle preschool learned only after attending for a few weeks that Chinese instruction was only offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays and she had her son in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  They never told her and she found out only after asking.  When we both toured and signed up, we were both under the understanding that our sons were going to learn Chinese, when in fact Chinese instruction was very limited.

When I withdrew, they kept the entire month tuition, plus a $100 deposit, even though he only attended one day in the month and I had just learned that he wasn’t really receiving much Chinese instruction.  They said that the reason my son was having a hard time adjusting was that he was only attending part-time and recommended he attend full-time.  I think plenty of children attend preschool two to three times a week for half-days without problems.  My son is happily in another Chinese preschool and we are both so glad we are no longer affiliated with Washington International School.