Went to this school when I was younger. Was bullied by both faculty and students, and the…read moreexperience there was horrid. I would never send my child there. EVER.

I was actually just looking up the schedule for masses, but I saw the review and thought I would…read morepost a brief comment based on my experiences, as some folks seem to place some value on Yelp reviews. I am a graduate of Saint Agnes Elementary School as well as Arlington Catholic High School. I thought the teachers were wonderful. They provided a first rate education, as well as offering insight on how to live as a thoughtful and concerned member of society. The students all seemed to get along as well as young people typically do. Maybe because of the relative small size of the schools but, while I was there, there weren't really any cliques or anything like that. Everyone would talk to everyone else regardless of extra curricular activities, or specialized interests. Based on my experiences, I would certainly recommend both schools.

When we were considering Lesley Ellis for preschool, we asked around on the playground, and just…read moreabout every parent we talked to told us, "It's excellent! The only negative is the cost." That matched our experience perfectly. The tuition is steep - though financial aid is available! - but everything else was fantastic, and we were consistently impressed with the teachers, curriculum, field trips, awareness of kids as individuals, interaction with administration, and more. My mom worked for decades in early childhood education, and (as an interested and involved grandparent) was also very impressed. They welcomed/encouraged heavy parent involvement, from "come into the classroom to talk about something you're knowledgeable/passionate about" to occasional parent-meetups-over-coffee in the morning and more. But I was never, ever made to feel guilty about not being able to participate heavily, which was the norm once we had our second kid. (Who also went to LES for preschool, once old enough.) We can't speak to their K-8 experience, but for preschool/pre-K/TK they were fantastic.

Lesley Ellis is an independent school from pre-school to grade 6, but expanding soon to 8th. Our…read moredaughter is in her third year there and we have been delighted with the program. The teachers are an outstanding group and attuned to the needs of each individual student. The administration is truly exceptional as they create an environment where parents, children and the school come together to form a nurturing and vibrant community.

Arlington heights nursery school is an extremely clean and well thought out facility. Every…read moreclassroom has large windows that let in tons of light, the classrooms are clean and organized and the teachers and administration are super nice. My son loved his first year here. The program is play-based which is great for the littlest preschoolers. The only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars is I don't think they were as proactive as I hoped in teaching compared to programs like bright horizons or creative corner. But my little one loved school, made lots of friends and played in a healthy and safe environment.

We love AHNS! My oldest did one year of preschool and one year of Pre-K and my middle child is…read morejust finishing up his first full year in preschool. These are two VERY different kids, but AHNS has been truly fantastic for both of them. The teachers are just absolutely amazing in terms of how they're willing to see the kids as true individuals and work with them exactly where they are -- it's so nice for us to know that our kids are truly cared for. I was really nervous because the school is so big, but the teachers and staff manage to make it seem like a tiny school in all the best ways. I'm looking forward to the next two years my middle son attends, and looking forward to my third child attending when the time comes!

We moved to our neighborhood for this school, and it's been a wonderful experience for our kids…read more The PTO is wonderful and so energized.

The waitlist to get into BASP is long (it took us two years), but it's worth it. Onsite for kids…read moreat Brackett. Divided into groups by grade: K/1 are together, then the 2nd graders have their own room, then 3rd-5th. The teachers are wonderful. Kind, energetic, enthusiastic. It's incredibly organized. The woman who runs it is always available. With 3 different classrooms and 2 different outdoor play areas, everyone always knows where everyone is. I've never seen or heard of any incidents of bullying or trouble -- all the kids seem to have a great time. Things I've seen my kids doing when I come to pick them up: 1. making apple crisp or other baking projects 2. making their own board games (with other kids and teachers) 3. playing board games they invented themselves 4. blocks, construction games 5. drawing, art activities 6. reading 7. doing homework (!) -- voluntarily 8. outdoor play, structured (kick ball, basketball) and unstructured. 9. talking and joking with other kids. If you have kids entering Brackett kindergarten, sign up right away!

I worked here for a year! Amazing staff and they are always trying to make sure the children are…read morehaving fun while learning and growing. We enjoyed doing many projects and adventures with the children! Very safe environment as the children are watched closely and the staff is very good at treating each child individually. Awesome place to work, I would even go back if I could!

Dear A-Town, You…read morewere my home for two years, in my late teens. I also used to travel to you for several classes when I was even younger. I am oh-so familiar with you bus schedules. You are the home of one of the few Brigham's left, you allow very little parking on residential streets, and commuting to, and through you can be a major pain- even if you know the back roads. I know that since I moved out we rarely see eachother, but I really think it's better this way. All my best, Julia F.

We are so in love with A Place to Grow - we had such a positive experience with our daughter going…read moreto their after-school program at our elementary school, that we had to then enroll our youngest at their full daycare. APTG has amazingly low turnover - the teachers there aren't a revolving door, and instead are there for years and years. Every day we get a customized email all about our son's day, and they do a terrific job on mixing education and fun. There can be a long wait to get in, but we feel very fortunate to have both of our kids be part of APTG.

This is a truly EXCELLENT group of people. The director Carol is a caring and compassionate…read moreeducator who is constantly trying to make things better. The staff is well trained and seems to truly enjoy being there. Also, turnover seems to be very low for this kind of place. By "this kind of place, I mean a place that many young people use as a stepping stone to work in public schools. So why not 5 stars? Because of space constraints, kids in the pre-school room are grouped in a pretty broad age range. 3 through 5 can be in the same room. This is very very good for the younger kids. Its also good in some ways for the older kids, as they can mentor the younger ones. Where it falls short is that it doesn't allow as much flexibility for more of an academic curriculum. I consider this to be a relatively minor item because frankly, once they enter Kindergarten it all seems to even out anyway. APTG is a great group of people who have created a warm, loving, safe and caring environment for the kids in their care. Its hard to ask for more.

**TL;DR:** This place is not a safe environment for children of color and is filled with…read moremicroaggressions. **Full:** Enrolling my daughter in Mandarin camp turned out to be a major mistake. On the very first day, her teacher, Qiaoling, snapped at me, saying, "I sent you 2 text messages and an email yesterday! You didn't respond!" I replied, "What number did you text? I haven't received anything, and I don't check email on Sundays." It was clear she didn't speak to other parents in this manner, and after observing I was the only Black parent in the class it became apparent what was going on. Despite a conversation with the director after my daughter reported being yelled at by Qaioling (after we exchanged contentious emails), things seemed to improve for a day or two, but I should have expected more issues. Qiaoling refused to update me about out of the ordinary classroom changes that affected how I needed to dress my daughter for activities like water play or nature walks, which caused my daughter distress because she was unable to participate and felt I was dropping the ball. Additionally, she didn't inform me about an assembly performance on the last day. During the drive after pick up, my daughter was in tears after feeling isolated because the other children had their parents present at the assembly and she didn't. It's heartbreaking to think of an adult intentionally causing a child to feel neglected/alone and that their parent isn't doing their job. This was flat out cruel. She's an all around spiteful/wicked woman. Lesson learned.

We went to French camp here and within three weeks my son was trying out new French vocabulary and…read morein love with the place. Joel and Hafsa were stupendous devoted teachers.