What an incredible advocate Ms. McClain is! I highly recommend her kind, knowledgeable support!read more

Kim McClain has been Godsend to our family. She is…read moreprofessional and embodies every quality that a parent would wish for in someone advocating for their child. She is extremely knowledgeable, very attentive to details, and has my child's best interest in mind. She is very clear and straightforward in representing the needs of our child at our IEP meetings. I had previously hired an attorney as we have been on a very long, difficult, and stressful journey with our School district not willing to provide the services that my daughter desperately needs. I was feeling hopeless, defeated, and overwhelmed. She gave me the strength and support I needed to keep fighting. She was able to accomplish more than what our attorney could. The great thing about Kim is that she was not only superb in meetings while advocating for our daughter and our family, she also educated us providing a range of options for the future. Kim is a valuable asset to have on your side in a very complicated legal area. I highly recommend her. Thank you Kim!

We are not year-round family at Westerly, but we consistently return for their summer camp…read more Our eleven-year-old son had attended all the local summer camps in Long Beach--JCC, 49'er camp, the city's parks and recs--over the past few years, and he ranks Westerly the highest among all camp experiences. The staff is accommodating, the hours are flexible (7:30 am to 5:30 pm), and he has a great time.

What can I say. Our family loves Westerly! Our eldest started at one of Long Beach's blue ribbon…read moreschools, but with the huge classes we decided to take a look at Westerly and we couldn't go back. Since then all our kids have thrived in their Westerly experience. It starts with a sizable campus with a beautiful grass field for sports and activities, newly constructed learning studios and the amazing arts village. What a great place to learn. Then the passionate teachers and staff deliver a whole child program, with a better than 10:1 student/teacher ratio. The Westerly program includes: Curriculum and instruction - Enthusiastic teachers with a well thought out curriculum and small class sizes enabling teachers to adapt the curriculum to the needs of your child. Technology/STEM - Westerly recently hired a full-time Director of Instructional Technology to enhance an already strong technology/STEM program throughout the curriculum. Think coding in class, 3D printing, science and engineering fairs, etc. Visual and performing arts - Incorporated in the curriculum is an annual school-wide play lead by the folks at TKTC. The visual arts program is second to none with the kids being exposed to public arts projects, ceramics in the new ceramics studio, mixed media, painting, photography, etc. I wish I could take the classes myself. Wildcat, the after school program is a blessing. Our kids beg to go to Wildcat to play with their friends, work on yearbook, take film, dance, music, robotics and other after school enrichment activities. Athletics - A legitimate, well-run PE program with enthusiastic instruction and basketball, volleyball, football teams throughout elementary and middle school. Music - Every child takes both general and instrumental music as part of their Westerly experience. Spanish - Kindergarten through 8th grade all the kids get introduced to the Spanish language through a dedicated Spanish instructor. Leadership - This is quite possibly one of the most amazing parts of the curriculum. Continuing on the theme of whole child education the Director of Student Affairs leads an amazing program that goes so beyond student council, creating leadership opportunities for so many children. Programs like student council, district representatives, green team, etc., start in Kindergarten and the kids grow in responsibility as the children grow themselves. Each child also gains leadership responsibilities as a student mentor, where each older student is paired with a younger student as a mentor. Service learning and field studies - As the kids grow in maturity so do the service learning and field studies. Our children have enjoyed trips to Catalina and other local camps, but the highlight of the program is a one week trip in 8th grade where the whole class travels to Nicaragua to conduct a service learning project, practice their spanish, and are exposed to a different culture and way of life that they are used to. Community - Westerly is a place where without question every family places a priority on securing a great, well-rounded education for their children. Being in an environment like this is so fantastic. Independent school is not cheap, but in our minds it's the best gift we can give to our children. Westerly also offers significant financial aid support, so if that is an issue be sure to discuss your situation with the school to see if they can make something work for your family. P.S. This may sound like a paid ad, but it's our true feelings about this place. It's really special.

I absolutely adore Kadiant (they use to be BECA). They have been working with my twin girls for…read moreover a year and my girls have made huge strides. I initially interviewed at least a handful of ABA companies and chose Kadiant because they took the time to evaluate my girls. Most other companies will observe children over the course of 1-2 hours and then set up a goal plan. However, Kadiant did way more than that. They evaluated my twins over the course of 5 sessions. Each session being at least 3 hours. Once they got all of the information they needed, they put together amazing goals/reports for them. Each which have been attainable and work for their needs. They provide in-home, clinical based and school based sessions, depending on the child's needs. I would highly recommend them and I am thankful every day for Kadiant.

I feel like they don't care about helping. a child they only care about the money I was very…read moredisappointed in how they responded to my child.

George Washington Carver elementary school is a great place for special-needs children. They have…read moreenough staff and TAs to take care of children that have special needs. I recommend the school if you live in the city of Long Beach or Lakewood.

I was among the first students at Carver when it first opened in 1952. It must have been the second…read moreterm of Kindergarten, because I'd been at another school in downtown LB for the first half of the year (1951). It was K-6 in those days. I loved Carver. Ruth German was the school principal. Mrs. Rasmussen (4th), Mrs. Tierney, were two of my favorite teachers. I was the bike monitor for my class Remember families lining up at Carver for our polio shots/sugar cubes. Played softball with the afterschool program. Went to 6th grade camp with class. Made some lifelong friends there. Suzy Reinhardt was my best friend. Loved learning, loved Carver.

As a mom of a 10-month-old baby, I am always looking for music classes and activities that promote…read moremy babies development. My little guy loves music and instruments. He loves nursery rhymes and foreign language lullabies. Nursery rhymes are the best stimulation for our babies. It helps to promote language and gives little ones an introduction into story-telling. So, I signed my little one for Kindermusik with Candice. This is a terrific class, taught by Miss Candice, who is a certified musical therapist attuned to each child's phase of development. Candice teaches songs, sounds and provides musical instruments that help children's senses (touch, sound, and sight). Her music classes are not over stimulating or loud. Some music classes can be loud and pretty frenetic for babies and young toddlers. I liked that my son was able to not be started by the music or the noises in the room. My little guy enjoyed her lesson and we are looking to attend more of her classes. Great alternative to Gymboree.

My 1 year old son and I attended Kindermusik with Candace last week and he LOVED it! He could not…read morestop staring at Candace while she played her guitar and sang with her beautiful voice. There were little instruments for the babies to play with and my son had so much fun!

Amy Larsen is knowledgeable on district policies, the same policies that are failing my son, and…read moreI'm sure many others children. Amy's familiar with district staff, my son's teachers, old and new. Although I haven't hired her yet. During the phone conversation Amy took HER TIME, to speak to me by phone at length. Amy heard my concerns, knew they were warranted. Then all my questions What do I do? What can I do? What would you do? Amy gave me good advice, and the truth about what she knew on what we are experiencing. The people we are dealing with. As a parent we need support when crisis hits! Help is to take our calls, hear our concerns, collaborate on what is our next move? In a time of texts and emails, real phone conversations are so important! I have 14 year old son with high functioning Autism and anxiety. He was diagnosed at 10. One of my sons doctors told me you need a special Ed advocate, no parent understands how the IEP process works and you can't walk in there alone! Oh BoY he was right, don't go in alone!

From the owner: Working collaboratively with families of children with disabilities and school districts to…read moreeffectively problem solve educational issues. Specializing in Autism. Work with families and school districts collaboratively to obtain and implement services for children with disabilities.

This is a really great school for autistic kids. My son…read moreattended here for almost 10 years and made tremendous progress. They worked with his behaviors that were his most significant challenge that prevented him from functioning in society to the point they were no longer an issue. They have many functions and GREAT people. Too many to list here so just call me if you want more info; 714-926-2192.

We've been at Beacon Day School for many years and we definitely recommend this school to parents…read more Our son is very happy, and we are very happy with the wonderful environment for students and the kindness of the staff members.

I'm not sure why the district is taking so long to distribute information for the new school…read moreyear... It's been incredibly frustrating trying to communicate with anyone at the school as they seem to have no idea what's going on, or even how to do their jobs. Has anyone else been frustrated with the way this process has been working!

Need better announcements when it's free dress day. I feel bad for all the kids that miss out.read more

This is a wonderful school. The teachers know their craft. The principal, Mr. Platus, is quite…read morepossibly the best school administrator I have encountered-- and I say this as a school administrator myself. He is visible, proactive, and knows is students. The parents are involved and the school culture is warm and inviting. We moved here from the East Coast this year and my daughter was made to feel welcome and included. That is a pretty big deal when a kid comes to a new school in the 5th grade. I feel incredibly fortunate that my children attend Lowell!

Truly excellent school. Consistently high state API scores. Broad spectrum of education models with…read moreboth GATE and special education programs. Well-qualified and passionate teachers with long tenure @ this site. Huge amount of parent involvement. Thus, a well run and well-funded PTA that supports tons of both acedemic & extracurricular activities. Safe, clean, family-oriented neighborhood. The school is nestled behind 2nd St. and walking distance to beautiful ocean outlets (lagoon, bay, Mother's Beach). My children have both attended since kinder (now 4th & 2nd graders) and LOVE their school, teachers & friends!