TLDR: best school I've ever seen. The amount of work they put into the emotional well-being of…read morekids is astonishing. Teacher-student ratio is 4 (students) to 1 (teacher), students cherish every minute of the school. Where do I start? Probably 2 years ago, in a public school, where my sweet, bright, curious, always friendly 7 y o turned into a severely depressed, school-hating, crazy-acting, constantly talking about self-harm sad little person. Every day I would receive emails from school saying that my son would go above and beyond trying to escape from English classes. At home, he would beg me day and night not to take him to school. For home much longer could I stomach that? I took him out, and put him in homeschooling. Diagnosed him for dyslexia (that was pretty obvious), and started working with him myself and with dyslexia tutors. And... that did not help much! He was so confident that there was something fundamentally wrong with him, and these special classes made him believe it even more. I tried to see if he would like a couple of small private schools, he made it very clear that he would not. I was at loss, but, luckily, his therapist recommended Athena, and we signed up for a summer camp. On the first day, I had to drag him there, he came back smiling and with a forgotten peace inside. A few more days of camp - and my happy, curious, confident kid was back again!! 1,5 years later, I still feel like crying as I am writing it. It, of course, took him about a year of Athena enrollment to truly believe that he can be anyone he wants, that dyslexia is actually a superpower (now, when they taught him to read, he can read upside down and mirrored text, that is indeed a dyslexia perk). He's made a lot of friends. Teachers adore him, and he loves them back. He reads everything now. I drive him from South San Jose to Palo Alto and back, 2 hours per day. I pay expensive tuition (more that half of what I make), and I regret nothing. I would like to add that every person that works at Athena is very kind, not just polite and smiling, but deeply caring about the students. There is a lot of 1-o-1 work with each child. Teachers prepare the topics that interest students. Students, that have even deeply traumatized by their learning experience somewhere else, thrive. Thank you so much, Athena founders, teachers, and administration, for making this heavenly school.

Our child went to Athena Academy for 5 years, and I can say without hesitation that this is a…read morewonderful school for kids who are dyslexic, and who may also be 2E, and who are bright but not a good fit for public schooling. The faculty and staff and head of school are caring, experienced, and sensitive to the needs of both the student and their families. The teachers, especially those who have been there a while, are exceptional. The culture is one of kindness and respect and acceptance and joy. The small student body means that the classes are small, and personalized. In short, this is a gem of a school.

Scheduled me for an interview for a non-teaching position . Confirmed about the position via email…read more. In the interview , told me that they had the non-teaching position filled but were open to interview me for a teaching position. Posting was meant to lure in people Crook was his name , poetic .

I worked at AchieveKids Palo Alto for four months in 2019; I previously worked as a Special Ed Sub…read moreTeacher for 25 years. AchieveKids has several big problems: one is what I call "unwritten or unspoken rules" that you'll eventually figure out in due time, but I'll save your nerves: many of the staff are a "protected class", which means they can act unprofessional, disrespectful, and rude-- and the administrators will do NOTHING (sorry 'bout the caps, but that point is important!). I wish I had known before they hired me that some of my co-workers would disrespect me and treat me like shit and I was supposed to enable and/or ignore 'em. I'm a white male, and two of my co-workers who had major chips on their shoulders-- i.e. loved to initiate power struggles on a daily basis-- where minority females. Some may call it reverse discrimination, but I call it a hostile workplace. I had zero interest in proving that I was better than anyone: I just wanted to work in a professional environment and feel like an equal part of the team. I really enjoyed getting to know the students. I didn't show up at work to be put 'one down' by staff who had less education and less overall experience than me. The other big problem: the kids are emotionally sensitive and set each other off constantly like fiery dominoes. I'd say that 80% of time, staff are putting out those (metaphorical) fires: very little time to teach when most of the time it's a poor man's version of Behavioral Management 101. And most of the staff could benefit from an Emotional Intelligence/Empathic Awareness 500 hour course! Yes, many students and staff can be very nice and be fun to work with, but AK is an emotional warzone. Lastly, I planned to quit AK after I witnessed a co-worker neglect her violent student-- and the principal came and took ME into his office for advocating for "client's rights"(!?!)-- but I was fired first. Wanting co-workers to treat you with respect and advocating for students rights will get you fired!? Yep. The admin staff and system needs a major over haul! Professional ethics are more important than favoritism and petty one-upmanship. Do not work here, unless you like to be hit by students and emotionally beat up by certain staff.

I know this school is built for people with learning disabilities and ASD, but I feel like the…read morestudents here don't reach their full potential. This is not necessarily the faculty's fault, but I think the curriculum here is way too slow and dumbed down for students. My daughter struggled in this school because it was too slow for her, and she was way ahead of her classmates despite having ASD. The accommodations were great, but I believe the school didn't provide my daughter education she actually learned. She would come home and talk about how much she played on an iPad or a device, which is just unacceptable. Why are kids playing video games in class? This is school, they need to be learning different subjects. My kid talked about how their classmates were playing mobile games on their iPads that they brought to school. I think this school can be better if they focused more on pushing kids beyond what is expected, because if we keep holding our children's hands throughout life because they have autism, it invalidates that people with ASD are actually extremely capable of succeeding. I pulled my daughter out of this school, and I believe it was the best decision. She is now an undergraduate and researcher at the University of California, and I notice that no one from Hope Technology school attends the University of California, nor do any of the staff members graduate from there.

Out son had a wonderful experience at HTS that helped prepare him for public high school…read more Incredibly dedicated staff.

Backup repost from 11 months ago…read more "I'm giving four stars because I do not think the issues and censorship I experienced are an atypical response from a school. When I tried to bring light to bad deeds, I was suspended and threatened with expulsion. I never encountered physical violence. Bad deeds included severe emotional abuses, motivated by sexism, from older staff here. This and sex-based victim blaming - resembling misogynistic patterns - contributed significantly to suicidal my thoughts. Dehumanization was added through transphobia. Newer staff were less problematic than integrated ones, suggesting the administration's leadership is a source of problems. Last time I interacted, the administration did their best to manipulate the image to feign their innocence at all costs. These issues are adult topics, which adolescents like me ideally would not face; my experiences occurred about one year ago, and while I have learned to better describe them, I am not mature enough to understand the issue's whole systemic contexts."

As the parents of two high schoolers that could not be any more different, we have a deep…read moreappreciation and respect for the value of Palo Alto Prep (PA Prep) and their amazing educational staff. While one child has thrived in a traditional high school, our eldest did not. They are an amazing creative thinker but also challenged with the headwinds of a variety of learning and related social challenges. While they also handled middle school well, even thrived academically, to say that traditional high school was a train wreck is an understatement. We needed help as a family and PA Prep was there. Thankfully we discovered PA Prep through our engagement with the The Bodin Education Group (also highly recommended). After a careful evaluation of options (Bodin know them all!) and engagement with the team at PA Prep we could see that our son would benefit immensely from all that PA Prep is, and all that it offers to students like them. Is it perfect, absolutely not. But the positives for a student/young adult like our son far far FAR outweigh any minor drawbacks. The great: 1. Incredibly intimate teacher/staff/student relationships. You want your child to be known and know their school staff, they will. The ability to cater and focus on what works for your student is incredible. 2. Incredibly capable and proficient teachers who know how to work with students for whom regular school isn't a good fit. 3. Patience, understand and flexibility. Need to take a "break" road trip with your student on a moments notice? PA Prep understands and accommodates with complete understanding. 4. Diversity of classes and programs to engage an out of the box learner. From art, outdoors to flight training. Just because it's small doesn't limit the exposure of options for your student, lots to offer including independent project programs to nurture student led initiative. The realities (not bad but worthy of mention): 1. It is small, and high school is high school, no matter where you attend. This can sometimes magnify any typical social dynamics. The staff is incredibly attuned to this, but you also should be as a parent. It is important to recognize this is still high school and immediately addressing issues is critical, the staff is exceptional at partnering on this. 2. There is a diverse population of students with a diverse set of backgrounds and needs. With this comes the realities of all their experiences, lives and challenges. Your student will be exposed to this, as they would in any high school, it isn't a fully sheltered and manicured but it is absolutely safe. It is incredibly important to stay aware of this as a parent. I will ensure you the staff is very experience and aware also, together this can help any student navigate the realities of high school life safely and holistically. 3. Passion, intent and caring are the hallmarks of PA Prep staff and teachers. Organization and "manicured administration" perhaps not so much the strong suit. Do not go in expecting perfection in communication, organization or logistics. I promise this is ok, and everything is handled with the best of outcomes for the students. If you are used to the polish of a "elite" private/public high school you will notice a difference here. My strongest advice for a successful PA Prep tenure is to invest in your parental (and student) relationships with staff, they are both open and available. This will help your student, and family, easily manage what is lacking in any size, scale, capabilities on this less critical administrative front. In closing: We loved PA Prep, we could not imagine our son achieving high school success without it. For the right student this IS the right place. Attend one graduation ceremony and that is all it takes to see how different, special and wonderful Palo Alto Preparatory School is for its staff, students and families!

We had an outstanding experience with Lauren. Our daughter saw Lauren for over a year before we…read moremoved out of the area and she progressed immensely in that time frame. She's now reading! Lauren was able to really connect with her, adapt to her needs and make learning fun, which made going to sessions easy for everyone.

Lauren is fantastic! After observing her with a shared client, I hired her to work with my own son…read more She amazes me with her ability to keep him engaged and learning. My son typically has great difficulty with online instruction but Lauren connected with him instantly and motivates him to try. She understands there's not one perfect curriculum for a complex learner like my son, so she integrates many strategies. highly reccomend!

We cannot say enough good things about the community at Woodland School. From the moment we began…read morethe admissions process, we felt like more than just another application. The Admissions Director, Melanie, is truly exceptional. She went above and beyond to support our family, showing incredible flexibility and genuine care throughout the process. Beyond the administration, the school itself is impressive. We fell in love with the beautiful, sprawling outdoor campus--it's such a rare and refreshing environment for kids to learn in. One of the most striking things we noticed was how confident and articulate the students are; their comfort with public speaking is clearly a testament to the school's curriculum. We also spent a lot of time admiring the Maker Lab, which is easily one of the best we've seen. While our family's personal circumstances shifted and we couldn't enroll this year, Woodland remains at the top of our list for any family looking for a balanced, high-achieving, and supportive environment

Absolutely terrible terrible school. If I could give it 0 I would. The years I spent here were the…read moreworst in my entire life. None of the teachers want to be here they are all underpaid and regularly complain about their salary. While I was there I would consistently hear teachers say "I can't answer that that's above my pay grade" or joke about how they can't afford to pay for anything. Many of them were just bullies and put no effort into teaching us. The teachers also have no control over the students with classes being so hectic that lesson plans would get put on pause. If you are a smart student you won't be challenged here, if your a student with learning disabilities you will get NO support. The campus is laughably small and unclean. The buildings are in horrible condition with middle schoolers learning in portable classrooms. In my opinion it kind of feels like they just added the middle school on in the 80's to make more money. The food is horrible but the kids are even worse.

We worked with Lauren for our 5-year-old who had always struggled with "big feelings" but suddenly…read morehad an aggressive behavioral change. We were walking on eggshells, bracing for violent outbursts, and had run out of strategies (books, podcasts, and Instagram posts could only take us so far!). We contacted Lauren as a referral from our pediatrician and she came within a couple of days. She was direct, honest, flexible, and honored our personal constraints. Within an hour, she had connected with our kiddo and reset the tone for our family. We committed to Lauren's approach. Over the course of several weeks, we saw dramatic improvements in behavior and breakthrough moments that brought tears to my eyes--calming his body, being kind to his little brother, and demonstrating patience. We not only regained control of our household, we learned how to be much more positive and resilient parents. As we reflected back, we spent the prior year+ losing our sh** and thinking that was normal (it probably is "normal"). Lauren was the intervention we didn't realize existed. We are now more equipped, in a way that is customized and works for our very special child. Thank you Lauren!!

Lauren truly is an exceptional behavioral consultant. I can't recommend her enough!…read more She has the ability to strike just the right balance of cool aunt and drill sergeant while working with children. She's so good at what she does that she's able to get the behavioral changes needed while maintaining a positive relationship. Not to mention the children walk away feeling really good about themselves. When speaking with children she truly humanizes their experiences and makes it so relatable for them. She has been instrumental in working with our school and has provided guidance and strategies for the school that are both novel and impactful. This has made a remarkable difference. Finally, she has been immensely helpful in teaching me how to manage behavior at home.

If you're looking for support for yourself, or your child with special needs, this is a place to…read morecome to and ask questions! Most of the staff here has a family member with a disability so they're able to understand the unique experiences that come from raising a child with a disability and connect with people with that perspective. There's no judgment here, just information, resources, empathy, and empowerment. - webinars, support groups, online learning - check out their website to see the list of things they can offer. Most services are free. They have a support staff that can provide information about community resources, working with the regional center, early start programs, educational systems, accommodations and modifications, individualized, education programs, and more. They keep your information confidential. Reach out to them if you have a child with a disability, and have questions!

I have special need thank you for creating BFF project where we can have a safe place to have fun…read moreand make you some good people

There are two parts to the New Family Program: the Mother-Baby mornings from 0-6 months and the…read moreMovers and Shakers group for babies 5-18 months. The 0-6 month group meets at 10:30am on Tuesday mornings, and the 5-18 month group meets at 11am on Mondays. The older group used to have a small, one-time fee, but both groups are now free. I've been attending the Mother-Baby mornings for the past 4.5 months, and I can't say enough good things about it. The sessions are led by either Marilyn (a RN and lactation consultant) or Nancy (a family therapist), or sometimes both. The moms sit around in a circle with their babies and we go around and say how our babies are doing and we ask each other and the group facilitators all the questions (that Google can't answer) about babies, baby development, poop, pee, milk v formula, sleep, etc. Most of the moms worked before having a baby, and intend to go back to work again -- so there is a career advice and professional networking component as well. When I came to the group for the first time, baby was only 4 weeks old and it was the first time that we had left the house alone together, but this group was totally worth it. The advice is invaluable (particularly to first time moms like me) and I've made a bunch of friends, and having a little bit of structure to the week really helps.