We decided to withdraw our children from The Academy after ongoing concerns about bullying, lack of…read moreaccountability, and weak leadership. Our son faced repeated exclusion and inappropriate comments from classmates, including remarks that he was disliked "because he is Turkish." Despite our repeated reports and requests for support, the school minimized the situation and stated that "there was no bullying." Yet even during classroom assignments, our son expressed in writing and drawings his deepest wish for a world without bullying -- something no child should have to feel so strongly about in the first place. We tried for months to collaborate with the school, to have meaningful conversations, and to trust that the situation would improve. Unfortunately, it did not. Two students -- one acting as the leader and another following his lead -- consistently targeted him, and there were no real consequences. The administration's responses were consistently dismissive, suggesting a lack of understanding of the emotional impact such behavior can have on a child. Our son's sense of safety was completely eroded. Leadership at the school often acts in denial rather than taking responsibility. Communication is reactive and defensive. We also learned later that the administration offered us a $6,000 refund in exchange for signing a non-disparagement contract -- essentially asking us not to talk about our experience. We declined. Families deserve honesty, not silence. Academically, the school claims to be "one year ahead" and to follow a rigorous curriculum. After transferring to another school, we learned this was not true. Many concepts were skipped or taught superficially, creating learning gaps. Teachers are inconsistent -- some are good, while others frequently absent or disengaged. The third-grade environment in particular suffered from poor classroom management, inappropriate peer interactions, and a lack of supervision during recess and lunch. Conversations among students included inappropriate topics such as smoking and alcohol, even at this young age. This reflects serious gaps in oversight. The school also advertises a French program, but in reality, students only learn a few isolated words throughout the year -- far from the language exposure and learning that parents are led to expect. This is one example of how the school's marketing and actual classroom experience do not align. The only staff member who genuinely helped us and consistently supported our child was the inclusion and belonging teacher. She truly cared, followed up, and tried to make a difference when others didn't. To our shock, after leaving the school, we learned that she had been laid off. It's hard to understand how a school that claims to value inclusion could let go of one of the few people who actually embodied it. Adding to the concern, we later found that in the 2024-2025 school year, the administration encouraged families to post positive reviews online to boost enrollment numbers, as the kindergarten class had only six students enrolled. That context makes recent glowing reviews highly misleading. I would advise anyone considering this school not to rely on those reviews, as many were written under pressure to improve the school's public image. When The Academy was founded years ago, it had a strong reputation. Sadly, under the current leadership, it has lost its integrity, its sense of community, and its educational quality. For us, both the financial cost and the emotional toll were high. We are writing this review not out of bitterness, but out of responsibility -- so that other families can make informed decisions. Our new school has shown us how dramatically things can change when children feel truly safe, respected, and supported. Every child deserves that.

In credible school and incredible community. We've been at the school for 5 years and have two…read morechildren at the school. Both children have grown and thrived. We highly recommend The Academy.

My son just attended a birthday party in this little hidden gem. The space is inviting and the kids…read morehad so much fun . The instructors were so kind and engaging with the kids . My little boy is already asking to go back again ! Definitely recommended !

We just had our 10 year old's bday here! Every thing was great, and the kids really got in to the…read moreproject we picked (felt succulent gardens). Planning to come back soon for an adult night (or another private party with my girl friends!).

Just spent my 15th or 16th erev Rosh Hashanah at the JCC, thanks to the wonderful organization…read moreknown as Jewish Gateways and their two amazing rabbis, Stephanie and Bridget. What a fun experience! My three year old was able to enjoy a safe, supervised playground adventure with kids his own age, while we grownups had our own time during the service. If you are searching for meaningful Jewish interaction in a safe, secure, worry-free environment, this is the place for you!

The JCC preschool is the most loving, caring and thoughtful preschool my son has ever experienced…read more We moved from a different country, with huge gaps in language and culture, and the JCC team has made this so much easier for us. My kid is always happy to get in, and never wants to leave. There is a very nice community there as well, with families from all religions and lifestyles, everyone is welcome!

I signed James up for Epworth when he was about 18 months old,. He's almost 2 1/2 now so we are…read moremoving on to preschool. It seems now I am finally able to write a long overdue review. As a stay-at-home-mom I was starting to go a bit stir-crazy being in the house and the local park each day, I felt like our week needed some structure and I found Epworth through BPN emails. We were invited to visit a session to check it out and that day I felt like we how found just what I was looking for! The playgroup meets in a room in a church that is set up as a playroom (there is no religious instruction or influence on the playgroup in case you might be wondering.) There is a climbing structure and a castle and lots of toys (especially trucks.) It is also set up with art projects, paints and drawing. The room is large, but very contained and safe, so my son could play and I could keep an eye on him without worrying he'd get hurt or get into something he shouldn't. Families take turns bringing a small snack, but everything else is provided. We both got a lot out of time there. For James it gave him an opportunity to practice sharing and turns, along with seeing the same children each week. For me, it gave me some structure to the week, and the opportunity to meet a lot of great moms (and some dads) who's children were the same age as my own. We could share a cup of coffee and talk about what stage/challenge/fun things our children were doing while they enjoyed playing. I've met some great families there that I intend to keep in touch with. We really enjoyed our time there and I am so grateful I checked it out!

I just moved to the E.Bay and was in search of a playgroup. I found Epworth Playgroups thru a…read moresearch on Yelp. I immediately contacted the group organizer and I was off to my first play group the following Monday. I ended up taking my 10 month old nephew that day. The playroom was full of fun toys and games to keep the children busy. The moms that I met were super nice and I soon knew that I wanted to go on a regular basis. Unfortunately, my nephew wanted an earlier nap that day and we didn't stay much time. I am looking forward to going the following Monday with my son and nephew!

I cannot say enough about this camp only that I am sorry, as a parent, that I didn't know about it…read moresooner!! This is our son, Ezra's 2nd year going. He is currently 10 yrs old and he LOVES it. He's had some rough experiences with other camps (bullying) so I was trying to find him a camp that was a great fit for him and engage stimulating days and promote confidence in personal growth! Mike is wonderful. I don't know how to handles it all BUT the camp counselors are all youthful and very active with the kids! Thanks a MILLION again for creating such a great experience for Ezra! We'll be back next summer!! :)

You know a camp is amazing when your kid can't wait to go in the morning and is happy and exhausted…read more(in a good way) at the end of the day. My 9-year-old had a blast. He loved taking BART, the ferry, Muni, the bus, even hiking. He loved going to San Jose to the Tech Museum and to San Francisco to the Exploratorium and into the Oakland hills to the Chabot Space & Science Center. He loved the counselors. He would go back in a heartbeat. Thanks, UA team for a great experience!

My son enrolled in Public Speaking and loved it! The instructor was very organized, engaging, and…read moreprovided a thorough evaluation of his speaking ability along with constructive comments. He had numerous projects and speeches but even with him prepping 3-4 hours per class, it didn't feel like work. He became a more confident speaker and developed close friendships with the other like minded students in his class. The only drawback is that they are very strict on missing class (rightly so, as this is an intensive program) so if you don't plan to attend every class, this may not be the right program for you.

My daughter attended this program for years. She met lifelong friends, got great work experience as…read morea TA, and learned some cool stuff! No exaggeration: ATDP had a huge impact on her life. Many kids attend for several years and there are students there whose parents attended ATDP when they were kids! For those who stick around, ATDP becomes kind of a family. Certain classes have really stellar instructors that you hear a lot about. Google Flossie Lewis: she's a legend! Google Lloyd Nebres: he was blogging before "blog" was a word.

I just signed up my daughter for Footfire soccer day camp for the third year in a row. It's a great…read moreprogram for primary school age kids, and my daughter loves it. They do skills training/drills in the morning, tournament games that build towards the end of the week, and free play/crafts/games in the late afternoon. Huge bonus for working parents: they provide a yummy, healthy lunch plus snacks!

This is the only listing that came up for Footfire, so I am posting here. Footfire is a staple of…read moreour summers. I have one kid who is intense about soccer and another who is much less so. Both really enjoy the camp. The family who runs this are great people with real soccer roots. The kids really love the cooking. In fact, our ball-watcher kid is into helping cook and serve the food. The staff were totally supportive of that. The counselor/trainer youth staff are really good with the kids. The kids really bond a lot and have fun in aftercare, too.

They taught the basics and made it fun for the kids. In-person really helped the kids to support…read moreeach other during the learning process and understanding new concepts. They had an intro program in Piedmont but due to scheduling, we couldn't do in-person in Concord. They do a Zoom option but my kid doesn't want to do Zoom.

My son added their Spring break math camp and really enjoyed the experience. He learned how to use…read morethe abacus and played other games to reinforce math concepts.