The Hitchcock Center is a place that offers education on here, the place we live. It's really nice…read moreand important to take a look around and learn about what you are looking at. The plants and animals in the area. Public schools should really do something like this. My son and I are taking a class and it's one of my favorite things he does after school.

Wonderful facility and staff! We had such a positive experience with their summer camp this year --…read moreour 8 year old joined them for two sessions and came home full of stories and excited for the next day. We loved how supportive the counselors all were and are could tell how much everyone cared about the kids and their program. Outdoor classrooms, variety of activities, animals and environmental education, combination of facilitated and open play, great communication, gender neutral facilities and all gender supportive community, easy drop off and pick up, sliding scale enrollment fees based on ability and scholarships available. It's tough to register, though, as spaces are swooped up VERY quickly, and this year they capped families at two weeks for the summer.

An amazing school for preschool level children. The teachers and true community of parents create…read moresuch a wonderful experience and as your child grows here you understand how special this place is.

We've had our daughter at Nonotuck for 3 years and could not be happier. All of the teachers and…read moreadministrators are stellar--very knowledgable, well trained, caring and attentive. The open, emergent curriculum fosters imagination, creativity and confidence, and gets the kids outside and moving their bodies frequently throughout the day. The school's focus on social and emotional skills has been a great benefit as well. We often comment that children from Nonotuck seem to have an easier time sharing and navigating conflict with other children. Nonotuck also offers a cooperative community of families and teachers working together to not only raise strong, intelligent, confident children, but also to support parents and families as they work through the challenges of raising children. Many friendships are made between children and parents alike.

Great nature park in Easthampton Mass. Wonderful place to…read morePractice forest bathing and tree hugging. Birding, hiking, canoeing. Resident red tail hawk.

Peaceful and not a huge challenge to walk it for this less athletic. Water views and a look out…read moretower.

Had a great experience with Teacher Melissa S. in Phoenixville, PA. She easily accommodated us and…read morea couple other kids late to the session. She was enthusiastic and engaging. Our group had several kids under 2, a handful of 2-4yos, and a couple 5yos. Tinkergarten is 100% outdoors; they use public parks as classrooms. Lessons focus on songs, stories, and visuals about animals and nature. They often incorporate the elements (fire, wind, earth, water) into lessons, as well as a featured animal or plant each time. Sign language (ASL) is taught for each lesson feature. Learning-play is the main activity, such as a treasure hunt, making lanterns, or creating "soup" from nature in the park and spices brought by the teacher. I'd signed up for a spring session just before COVID hit the US, and as with everything, Tinkergarten had to cancel. They offered online sessions, but my toddler was too young to really grasp that Zoom type interaction. Fast forward a year and a half, and I signed up late into this past fall session. Tinkergarten pro-rated it for us, which was great. I think this is best suited for ages 3-5, though it is offered for 6mos-8 years. If you want to get neat ideas about outdoor play, and meet like-minded parents/kids, I would definitely recommend this to the younger end of the age range. If you already are really creative and play outdoors often, this class will not be as exciting to your child, but it is a great opportunity to socialize with other kids. For older kids, classes are normally during school hours on weekdays, so I could see homeschooled kids attending, but everyone else will be in school. For me, it was a great motivator to spend more time outside, and it was fun taking a class with my child. We would normally spend much of the day outside, but we wouldn't be seated and focused on a lesson the same way, and Teacher Melissa's energy really helped us get enthusiastic about our lesson. My toddler LOVES the Tinkergarten song, too! Great bonding time with your kids! Great toddler socialization! Great at intriguing kids to lean into nature! My rating if only 4 stars was for a couple of cons. One, the cost is higher than similar programs at the YMCA, etc., and communication was difficult via email with Tinkergarten and our teacher. Also, I thought I'd be getting all my sessions live and in person, but the last two were online only. Otherwise it was a quality experience.

Our experience was with the Lexington, MA location while my daughter was 22 months old. My…read moreobservation is that this type of outdoor guided learning is effective if your child is over three and doesn't get a chance to spend much time outdoors. My daughter does well in playgroups indoors, but here kids are not confined to a small space (which is great) but - as such, your child's participation in activities is dependent on his/her obedience to the Leader and topic interest. In my personal case, my daughter and I spend time outdoors everyday and she is well versed in mud pies, foraging and very familiar with that particular park. Perhaps at her age she just didn't understand why she wasn't able to freely do these things at her own pace or our group was the most disciplined bunch of 20-22 month olds I had ever seen. I was also very hurt when I told the group leader that I was having a hard time keeping my daughter with the group and her response was to tell me that the other kids were her same age. As a teacher of children, she should know that all kids learn differently and comparing 20-22 month olds in an effort to shame me isn't helpful. I emailed the company to cancel and got a partial refund. I think age 4-5 is about when we'd get the most educational value and bang for our buck. My toddler was just too young and too into her own self-guided learning to follow the Leader - she'd get a similar experience when I take her to parks and nature trails myself. Sadly because of our experience with that teacher, we will not sign up in the future.

We have been sending our son to Renaissance since he was age eligible. We chose Renaissance based…read moreon its proximity to UMass (a stone's throw!) and affordability. When I learned that Miss Dottie used to run the lab school at UMass, I was sold. I feel that people who teach aspiring teachers are up to date on best practices and truly dedicated to the field. We have been very pleased with the school. They have a really great staff to student ratio. There are a lot of interns from UMass, which is very exciting for the children. The class is incredibly diverse, with almost all of the children speaking different languages at home. I would highly recommend it!

My son just finished his second year at the Renaissance School and we will all miss it so much…read more Renaissance is a warm and loving place where kids get to play and learn by following their own interests and curiosity. Ms Dotty is so thoughtful and purposeful in how she puts together the curriculum, arranges the classroom, and talks with the kids about their developing social and emotional abilities. We really felt that our son was well taken care of here.

My two sons have attended the Common School for five years, and our family could not feel more…read moresupported during this time. Most importantly, our children feel cared for, safe and socially and academically stimulated. The Common School is a ongoing project that evolves along with the its community expectations and, committed to a just society, through equity practices.

In my opinion, parents should be very careful about considering The Common School for their…read morechildren and should seek out former families to speak to rather than just taking the word of school leadership or selected references. I believe there are serious issues related to student safety and that the school and board leadership retaliate against parents who raise concerns. https://thingsincommon.substack.com/

This is a review of the Toddler program only. I can't review any other program because my son only…read morewent to the toddler program for one year. I wanted more for my son for his early year than day care so my wife and I spent the extra money to send him here. We have no regrets. Felice DiMartino, Kirsten Dudkiewicz, Kathy Holmes and Liz Montgomery are badasses! They always have plans for the kids and are very attentive to their needs and wants which is really fakking hard sometimes. They are great! Totally worth the money.

Simply an amazing school. Highly recommend it for all ages. Highly trained, courteous, and peaceful…read moreteachers/ guides. Children thrive at AMS.

Wildwood Lane Childcare Center has the kindest, most fun, amazing daycare owner, and she is such a…read morenatural with babies, from infancy to 2+ years old! I've never seen someone who is such a baby whisperer :) I was the part-time babysitter for one of the babies at her childcare center, and had the pleasure of picking her up and seeing the joy on all the babies' faces when interacting with Chelsea (owner). It is a small, close-knit community of babies and teacher, so there is a lot of intimate care and learning happening. Only about three babies at a time, sometimes less, and so many beautiful structures, toys, and books in a bright, comfortable home daycare space with a big beautiful backyard, with toys perfect for babies! If I ever have a child they were surely go here!! Amazing experience.