Our daughter was entering her senior year of high school and ready to start applying to colleges…read more We had no idea how much the college application and admissions process had changed since we attended college. After attending an informational seminar at More Than a Teacher we decided to hire a college advisor to help us get through the college application process. After the 1st of five meetings, the advisor was very slow to respond to any of our voicemails or emails. It became apparent that we would not be able to get through the process in our remaining 4 sessions which were $250/hour. I could have upgraded to the 'unlimited' package to get additional help but I did not feel that this advisor would have my daughter's interests in mind irrespective of how much money we spent. I decided to pay a visit to my daughters school and talk with the school counselor in hopes of getting some direction. The schools don't typically endorse or recommend college advisors in the private sector but luckily I was able to get the names of a few private counselors that had previously worked in our school district. I reviewed their websites and proceeded to phone the first counselor... Carol Niemann. Wow what a difference! Not only had Carol just retired from my daughter's high school so she already had a huge advantage but she took the time to talk with me and understand our needs. We set up an initial consultation, free of charge, with my daughter to make sure it was a good fit. My daughter loved Carol and I realized that not only did she have a wealth of knowledge about college applications/admissions but she also knew how to effectively communicate with today's teenager. Carol was able to get my daughter through the application process and we successfully applied to 8 colleges. Throughout the process, Carol always responded to any questions we had and she was fabulous to work with. Without her help we would have had a lot of drama and fumbled through the process. We highly recommend Carol Niemann to anyone that is interested in having their student work with a college advisor that thoroughly understands the process and also cares about the individual.

I made a mistake and Ms. Michelle was kind enough to reach out to me and correct. Great…read morecommunication.

Both of my sons attend this school and we have a very positive experience. We have been with the…read moreschool for 6 years so far. Our older son is strong in math but weak in reading and writing so he was struggling in Eanes ISD. St. Andrews has allowed him to flourish with their support of his weaknesses and strengths. We are a diversity family and appreciate the school's diversity goals and talented students accepted with financial aid. The school is very progressive with COVID vaccine drives, regular student testing and mask mandate. We appreciate the constant evolution of the school and loving their support of the students. Highly recommend.

Excellent customer service, not. I had an appointment with the immigration service for my child,…read morenow the USCIS are a federal agency and if they require you to be somewhere you'd better be there or get deported. As a result, my child was late and because it was after 9 am, the policy is no admittance without a doctors note, so I had to take the whole day off work, something that we cannot do without jeopardizing our employment. Turns out a doctors note carries more weight than a federal agency request. As a result, my child will probably have to miss his next appointment and the children may well get to see ICE agents arrest and deport their friend.

This is a great child care center. I'm totally impressed with the staff and quality of the program…read more The care and concern for the children seems very personable. Julia is very warm and caring with the children. And I love the curriculum. Would definitely recommend!

This is a place that makes Austin "weird" and very special. A multi-decade project to catalog all…read moreof the plant life of the Southwest USA and Northern Mexico. They are at volume 4 now - out of an estimated 20+ volumes to be written. Volume 1 of "Useful Wild Plants of Texas..." is a resource that covers the appearance, traditional uses and other information. Great to have this in my library. Highly recommended if you are interested in the plant life around us!

Starbright is the VERY BEST preschool that a parent who wants the best for their child(ren) can…read morechoose! There are a LOT of options available in ATX, and preschool paves the way to the future: This is a HUGE decision for parents of young children to make! If you want your child to embrace their childhood exposed to and graced with age-appropriate experiences and learning opportunities, to learn about who they are and how to interact with & respect others, and to know what it's like to be loved and appreciated for who they are as an individual, then you found the best that Austin offers! I call Starbright the "Waldorf Prep School," as this is the underlying premise/"curriculum." My children now attend AISD vs. Waldorf, because we don't necessarily ascribe to Waldorf concepts when it comes to grade-school education/philosophy vs. the overall public school experience. For a preschool-age child, the freedom to be a kid --having fun, learning life-skills and experiencing Life, having bountiful learning opportunities, and feeling secure and cared for-- matters! Obviously for a Waldorf-minded parent, this is your preschool! For a parent wanting a preschool to solely/directly to "mold"/"prep" their child for their grueling academic future (which I personally believe subtracts from ultimate well-roundedness and childhood development), then Starbright is NOT for you. For a parent wanting your child to learn, grow, have fun, and be ready for public/private school, keep reading! The Director and the teachers at Starbright: The Director is AMAZING! Her experiential learning and degreed background (well over 30 yrs) as a teacher and guidance counselor are a big part of WHY Starbright is so awesome. She highly scrutinizes and hand-picks each staff teacher, identifying matching qualities included in their background/educational degree, and for a "whole person" concept and presence that exudes love, caring, and respect for others on all levels. Believe me, if a staff member doesn't "measure up," they won't last long at Starbright. But more importantly for a parent "shopping" for a preschool, rest assured that turnover rates are really low because the selection of staff members is so stringent. The teachers/staff at Starbright are there for 1 united purpose: To provide the very best growing/learning experience for the children at Starbright, period. Parental-involvement greatly enhances your child's experience at Starbright, just as it "should be" in the development of your own child. The more you can contribute in any capacity, the more the class (& your child) excels as a whole. I don't want to say it's a "make or break" (for those who have full-time working parents), but some of the extraordinary events that happen at Starbright REQUIRE parental involvement for the greatest experience overall. We attended for years (from 22 months to 6 yrs old x 2 kids approx. 2 yrs apart - both at Starbright) that included a plethora of involved parents: Our experience was far & beyond anything we could have imagined possible in a preschool! Bottom-line: YOUR involvement is what helps Starbright to fulfill its mission & vision FULLY! Starbright Preschool is an extremely valuable, enriching, and loving experience that I wish I had as part of my own childhood. It's not the cheapest, and it's not a specifically academically-focussed preschool. But what it IS at its core -what it provides to each child, your child - is a safe, fun, kid-based/age-appropriate learning environment that develops your child as a WHOLE person, adequately preparing your child for all-around success in grade school, Life, and the future. This review was written as my kids are currently in 3rd & 5th grade. I felt the need to post this after seeing fellow parents of Starbright "graduates" at a middle school (MS) for the writing test portion of application to the MS Academy. We parents couldn't stop talking about how much we loved and appreciated Starbright Preschool!!!

I waited a few years to write this review to have clarity on the situation and not just write with…read moreemotion. Four years later, I still have an extremely negative impression of this school. The blame, I believe, lies entirely with the director at the time, Jean. Perhaps she's still there. I get the feeling my son was accepted for an afternoon slot so Jean and Starbright could get extra money. There was no other explanation for why a new toddler would be accepted if there was no support available for him. My wife took him to the preschool for only 1.5 hours of the 3 hours we paid the first week so everyone could get used to the new situation. She would stay after to talk with teachers and let our son play on the playground. The second week, our son was there for 2 hours. At each pick up, we checked in with the teachers who assured us that our son was progressing as expected. This was his first experience with out-of-home child care. We knew he cried when we left, and we left quickly to make the transition easier for all. We also let everyone at the school know our son cries loudly and they should not be alarmed. On the Friday of the second week, we were pulled into Jean's office and told "this is not working out." She said that one teacher was out pushing him on the swings for the two hours he was in the school's care. The other teacher was with the rest of the kids. I don't blame the teachers, who seemed to lack experience, but the director for putting us and the teachers in such a situation, then not keeping us in the loop and "firing" us with no notice. And when she asked us not to return, she didn't even know our son's name! Our son went on to a fabulous preschool after this horrid place for 2 wonderful years and is now a successful elementary student. I strongly urge you to reconsider when thinking of this school.

We were looking for an admissions counselor who thoroughly understood the process and could inspire…read moreour daughter to get excited about college applications. Debbie Schatzman was all of that and more. She instantly helped us relax, took charge, and most importantly connected with our daughter right away and really inspired her. Our daughter came away from each (virtual) meeting feeling positive and excited. I've rarely seen her so self-confident. We were able to completely relax, knowing everything was in good hands. Debbie is efficient and ethical, offering custom plans and charging only for the time needed. She is supportive at every stage and truly wants the best for each student and family. So grateful both to Debbie and to Yelp for helping us find her!

Debbie Schatzman was awesome! She started working with my daughter in the summer before her senior…read moreyear. She spent quality time with her asking questions and making suggestions for her to consider to narrow down her college choices. The two of them devised a plan for the summer and fall to get her where she needed to be to make a final decision. Debbie provided my daughter with a plan that was not overwhelming and checked in frequently to help keep her on track. I would recommend Debbie because she values the relationship with the student and wants them to be successful at getting into the college of their choice. As a parent, she took the argument out of the process between parent and student. Thank you Debbie!