My kids have been attending summer camp at Belmont Day for the last few years. Their program is…read moreamazing. I really appreciate that they swim 2x/day (lesson in the morning, free swim in the afternoon). The counselors are awesome. The staff - led by Zach - is super well organized. They send you all the detailed info that you need to know including theme weeks, what to bring and what not to bring, etc. Pick up and drop off are easy. The facilities are nothing short of amazing - including a huge indoor "barn" which is really an AC space that has multiple bball courts downstairs and art/music upstairs. The camp groups are small so our kids have made good friends and have had a great experience here for multiple years and counting. Be sure to register as soon as registration opens up because spots fill up very fast!

Amazing school. Caring, sensitive, creative...lives up to its stated values and mission statement,…read morewhich is a rare find.

CNS has been our home for the past three years, since my son started just before turning three. It…read moreis truly a magical place for early childhood, one that honors childhood for what it is and never rushes our kiddos to grow up. Today, we had the opportunity to experience CNS through a different lens, attending Heather Hauser's toddler group with my youngest daughter, who is almost two. I was absolutely blown away by the thoughtful provocations, the intentionality behind every experience, and how beautifully everything was aligned with the developmental needs of young children. What stood out to me most was Heather's modeling for us as caregivers. She so naturally demonstrated flexibility, respect for children's autonomy, and the importance of allowing little ones to lead their own play and exploration. There was such a beautiful balance of intention and freedom, something that can be difficult to capture but is so meaningful in early childhood. CNS is the kind of place I wish every child had the opportunity to experience. I cannot recommend the school enough, and if you're looking for a special way to spend your Thursday mornings with your toddler, Heather's group is truly something wonderful. We are so lucky to have this community!

We love this co-op school, its beautiful classrooms and playground, the staff and a deep sense of…read morecommunity. It follows a Reggio Emilia based curriculum which is tailored to follow the interests of kids enrolled. They also offer special developmentally appropriate classes such as yoga, cooking, music and art. We have been very happy at this school and highly recommend it to parents looking for a high quality thoughtful preschool experience for their kids.

I am a huge fan of Mount Hope Christian School! They take kids from the community starting at 15…read moremonths. We love the community of educators and families that make the school. We feel that our children are safe, loved and being taught the values that represent our family's core values. The corner stone, of course, is that the education is great - my children are equipped with life skills and a solid educational foundation for a bright future. I have three kids: one who went to the toddler program, preschool, pre-K and is now in the elementary school; another is in pre-K; the last will begin preschool when she's 2.9 years old. One thing that continues to impress me is that every single year, we get an awesome group of teachers to instruct and partner with us to raise our kids. most of the classes are pretty small but have consistent and ample staffing to provide a stable and engaging environment. They are accredited by EEC & have a fun but challenging curriculum for each age/grade. Through early Covid, the school reacted and engaged with the students at a very high level online. In fall 2020, they opened back up for in person learning. Our family did not partake in that school year but we missed a lot of things about it and tried to stay informed. The only thing that has made me sad is when families move to public school for elementary and the little friendships and parent relationships fall off. I am encouraged that there is talk of expanding the school to include middle school in the near future and I hope this has an impact on more kids staying. Either way, we know Mount Hope is the right place for us! The facilities are well-kept and have recently been renovated (all of the bathrooms are new and updated and the playground equipment has been recently changed). There is a hot lunch program, which is prepared on site and catered by Burlington famous pizza. There is also for school and after school care options available. It's definitely an investment to get great childcare and education, but it's an investment well worth it! Our kids are our now and our future!

My experience with this school was extremely disappointing…read more My son spent 4 years here and completed 2nd grade unable to read independently. During that time, we trusted the school's guidance, paid thousands of dollars in tuition, and believed he was making academic progress. Only after seeking outside evaluations did we discover that he was significantly behind in reading and writing. In my opinion, this school is not properly equipped to support children who need additional academic help or who have speech and communication delays. Rather than providing meaningful support and intervention, it often felt as though children with extra needs were viewed as a burden. What disappointed me most was the lack of urgency and concern regarding my child's learning progress. As parents, we expected honest communication, early intervention, and a clear plan to help him succeed. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. Parents should carefully monitor their child's academic development and ask questions early and often. Do not assume everything is on track simply because your child is being promoted to the next grade. Every child deserves educators who are genuinely committed to their success and willing to provide the support they need to thrive.

We chose GMS-Belmont as our son's first school at 16 months old (over a year ago) & have had such a…read morepositive experience. The teachers are so patient and loving as they help incoming children settle into a new routine. They work so hard to cultivate a deep love for learning/exploration, and a sense of confidence and independence in children. The Montessori method is put into effective practice each day through work-cycle & thoughtful, creative activities. The teachers have a lot of experience implementing healthy practices to help children with emotional regulation and social aspects of learning. During the academic year, the school has a rich curriculum spanning language, math, science, practical life, sensorial, and gross/fine motor - the teachers create this and share via monthly newsletters. Two major highlights of the year are the holiday & summer concerts where all children in the school perform together - this is a tremendous undertaking and months of preparation by the teachers for a most delightful family-oriented tradition! Director Ms. Sahar and co-director Ms. Jenn are fully present and so dedicated - they know each child by name, each family, and are always on the ground to ensure smooth daily functioning. There is little-to-no staff turnover and the teachers have a wealth of experience. Our family is super grateful for the strong foundation and core values that the teachers have given our son, and again, highly recommend GMS-Belmont!

We had a very positive experience at this school! Our son spent his first primary year of…read moreMontessori education at GMS and he so clearly thrived in the environment nurtured by his teachers and Miss Sahar/Tara. He joined at the age of 3.5 and within a few weeks made significant strides in terms of his learning & development, independence (such as dressing himself, cleaning up after play time, and helping out around the house), and overall curiosity on reading / writing / coloring. GMS still has that small community feel even as the classes continue to grow and the system becomes more mature over time. We are sad to have only learned of this school late in our time in the greater Boston area and wish we could've stayed for the full 3-year cycle.

The Goddard School in Lexington is a well run and fully staffed location. They are focused on…read moretaking care of the children and are always open to talking about your child's progress and are always open to working with you on anything. As a parent of 2 children who have been enrolled over the past 2 years (our oldest is aging out and moving to Kindergarten in Sept), we have watch the children transition from the Toddler room and into the Pre-School and then Pre-Kindergarten rooms. All the teachers show that they care for the children and are open and approachable. The daily photos and summary e-mails allow you to see what is happening with the children and the teachers take the time to write a note if necessary so that you know if there was a particularly good thing or something that you might want to address. The owners are on-site and are actively involved in the running of the location and their child is a student so it is great to see their active involvement and also know that they want the best for the children. During the COVID-19 shutdown, they set up Zoom sessions for all the kids as well as posted the teachers reading stories and doing activities on Facebook to allow the kids to keep interacting and it was great for my children to see their classmates on Zoom and be able to talk with them, as opposed to just staying home.

Goddard Lexington is a very well-run organization from the top down and you will know it as soon as…read moreyou set foot in the beautiful and clean building. The teachers are very experienced and the administration is very friendly and great at communication. Take it from someone who's been here since the beginning (and since has a niece and nephew here as well), I would absolutely recommend this wonderful child care to anyone I meet.

This preschool has truly been a blessing for our son Nicholas. He has spent 2,5 years there and we…read morecould not be happier. Principal Donna and all the staff are amazing and caring people that love kids. Nicholas started going there when he was just 2 years and 9 months. His native language was Russian, and he didn't speak any English at the time. Also he was very attached to home and us - his parents. So it was quite a transition for him, but his teachers went above and beyond to make him feel welcome and help him get adjusted. And in the course of 2,5 years he has made a lot of friends, both among kids and teachers. The school has a bright spacious facility with lots of room to play, both inside and outside. Preschool programs are very creative and engaging. Nicholas was very happy to go to school every morning and came back with lots of memories and lots of crafty little (and sometimes large) things he has made together with his class during the day. Overall this was the best preschool we could have chosen for our son!

Our son was given the best environment to explore new exciting things, socialize and really grow…read moreinto himself. The teachers are so caring, and genuine. It's just a wonderful place, I couldn't recommend enough.

GISB is not only our three kids' school, but it is also our family's cultural home. All our…read morechildren started in GISB preschool, and by now, our oldest daughter is studying neuroscience at Boston University, our son is writing his "Abitur" right now and will decide if he wants to study in the US or in Europe, and our 8th grader can't stop talking about how excited she is to go for a school exchange with Oslo next school year. Over the 16 years at GISB, our kids have always been taken care of, both emotionally and academically. The teachers are young and committed, the principal is competent and visionary, the parent community is strong and supportive. The German International School Boston has that name for a reason. The curriculum is German based but also covers the American highschool curriculum, and our families are international. Last year we had 39 different nationalities at our school. The annual turnover is hard, many families come for a predefined amount of time to Boston and then leave (some also stay!). But that also means that you have friends all over the world since GISB by now has a worldwide network of families who help each other. Our graduates finish school with the International Abitur and the Massachusetts High School diploma, opening doors all over the US and Europe. If you want your child grow up in a warm, nurturing setting where he/she will be raised with excellent academics and a strong focus on character-building, then you should consider this truly wonderful school!

My children attended GISB for four years. Below is an honest review of our experience. I wish I…read morehad an honest review of the school before we had decided to enroll there. Hopefully this will help parents who are considering GISB make an informed decision. Location: The traffic in Allston is bad now and will only get worse as Harvard opens its new Engineering Campus in 2020. Facilities: Upper campus is an old Catholic school that is quite shabby in areas. There is no air conditioning in the summer. The heat fails in the winter. The paint is worn out in the stairwells. The parking lot has rusty twisted broken fences. Some specific spaces such as the library have been renovated recently and are OK. Lower Campus, where the pre-K and K grades are located, is a recently converted office building. The lower campus space turns out to be quite cramped when it is full of students. If you have a young active child that needs to move and get their wiggles out over the course of the day this will be a challenging environment for them. Tuition: The German International School of Boston (GISB) demands all the tuition upfront for the school year and there are no refunds for any reason. Buyers beware of any service that demands all the money up front and puts "no refunds for any reason" in the fine print. There are also a lot of various extra fees for the after school classes, ski week, vacation week camp, etc. School Calendar: The GISB academic calendar follows the German academic calendar rather than the American academic calendar. This means that there are two week breaks in February and April where parents must scramble for childcare. Teacher turn over: In the four years that my kids attended GISB they lost teachers every year (sometimes even mid-year) for a variety of reasons (disputes over pay with the administration, visa issues, pregnancy, health problems, etc.). There is no substitute teacher pool to draw on so when a teacher is sick it is a mad scramble to cover the classroom. Even when there is plenty of advance warning of a teacher's departure. (This teacher is pregnant. She will be going out on maternity leave in 4 months.) There was no planning on the part of the administration on how to cover the class room and it was an ad hoc assortment of people covering the class which was very detrimental to the students. Teacher's Credentials: Being a private school the teachers are not subject to the same credentialing criteria as public-school teachers. When I asked the administration if I could see the credentials of my kid's teachers, I was told no. What are they hiding? Why won't they share their teaching staff's credentials? Teaching style: Modern pedagogy acknowledges that students have a variety of learning styles and that teachers need to craft their lesson plans to cover different types of learners. GISB seems firmly stuck in the 19th century with one method of teaching and if your kid doesn't get it too bad. It obviously must be the kid's fault. My older child entered public school a full year behind in reading skills than his peers after we left GISB. Thankfully he was immediately identified as someone who needed some extra help with learning to read and after just one semester in public-school, he was up to grade level. Clearly there was no learning disability on my child's part. My child just hadn't been taught to read. I have talked to other parents who have left GISB for public-school and they have related similar experiences. If a school can't do something as basic as effectively teach kids to read... Social Environment: The small classes mean that the social environment is somewhat stifling. If you kid doesn't make a friend in the handful of other kids in their class, it will be a long lonely year. If your kid becomes the target of a bully, there is no avoiding the bully. The bully is right there all the time. The teachers seem at a complete loss of what to do when bullying is brought to their attention. The teachers and school administration at GISB clearly view the student's behavioral, emotional, and social development as not their responsibility. My experience so far in the public-school system is the complete opposite. The public-school system views its mandate as helping children grow as a whole person and this includes the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral development. Addressing of Concerns and Grievances: The GISB administration, parent council, and GISB board have no interest is addressing issues that are brought to their attention. There is a constant shirking of responsibility. The standard excuse they all give is "But you have to understand GISB is a young school." GISB has been around for 18 years and there are plenty of resources available on how to effectively run a school. The public-school principal of my children's current school has a clear "The buck stops here." attitude which is so refreshing after GISB.

When applying to high schools, I always knew that CSW was a top school for a student like me. It…read morehas given me a place to grow and explore new interests, while also helping hone skills in academic pursuits and artistic interests. CSW is the only school out of the many I applied to that I felt would support me in all of my endeavors. In my 3 consecutive years here, I have been a captain of the soccer team, a part of musicals, Dance Concerts, Rock Pop tributes, a head of a committee at school, a peer mentor, and so much more, all while finding a place in a community I now call a second family. This community is reinforced by teachers who love teaching and peers who are invested in their education. At CSW your education is shaped by your effort and your desire to learn. You get out of a class what you put into it, and because of that, I believe that the students at CSW walk away from each course with a deeper understanding of the world they live in.

I'm currently a senior at CSW, and I have been here for all of my four years of high school. With…read morethat being said, I can confidently say that choosing CSW was the right choice for me. I am a first generation woman of color, and I grew up in a small town in Texas. Boarding at CSW was a very dramatic change for me, but it has also given me opportunities that I would have never imagined experiencing. I have had nothing but the most supportive and passionate teachers who are completely dedicated to my success. I have been given opportunities to travel and experience the world alongside my peers, and those memories are something that come once in a lifetime. I have made lifelong friends, and I watched our community grow alongside me. CSW has some of the most welcoming and passionate students, and that's because of the staff and faculty that mentor us.