My daughter has attended Simply Social Kids for the past 2+ years. It's been a great learning…read moreexperience for her, with in-the-moment social coaching and short, entertaining lessons to help her learn about/understand social expectations and self-regulation. Nadine and her team do a great job leading the weekly sessions. Periodic check-ins with Nadine and/or other class leaders have been helpful to us as parents to know what progress our child has made, and give us ideas of how to help her at home. Highly recommend!

I have a 10 year old boy who has been diagnosed with mild autism (ASD). He struggles most with…read moresocial interactions, the "give and take" of conversations, how to show interest in others' conversation, and how to appropriately join a dialogue. We have a full fall scheduled but this summer we attended a weekly class at Simply Social Kids. I am so glad we did! The instructor was wonderful! We spoke on the phone and over email and she was very receptive to keeping me updated on the week's activities. I learned behavior cues, to help my son stop and pause to allow other to speak. My son really enjoyed the activities, which to him were just play, while important social practice was embedded creatively by his instructor. I wish we were able to continue in the fall, but hopefully we can revisit in the spring. The director is committed to keeping her staff trained, comes with a great resume herself, and was extremely helpful. It is obvious these instructors have a passion for helping children be their best selves. Thank you Simply Social Kids for providing a safe and natural learning environment for my son to relax and be himself, learn about others and grow socially, without the critical eye of the world around him. I cannot thank you enough!

If you are perspective, parent thinking about sending your child to Franklin Perkins school DO…read moreNOT!! It is not a safe environment and the staff do not have adequate training to deal with the population that they have. On Tuesday November 20th 2025, my 9 year old son and I went to go tour Franklin Perkins for an out of district placement during our visit there my son was physically assaulted by another student. The assault occurred as we were being shown down the hallway by our tour guide Jennifer McGrail. There had been absolutely no prior interaction between my son and the student. My son had walked down the hallway as directed by the tour guide Jennifer McGrail, and as he walked past to go to the next stop on our tour, the student punched my son very hard in the face after this happened, I immediately took my son and removed him from the building, as it was very clear that the staff at Franklin Perkins do not receive the proper training to deal with the emotional dysregulation of the kids in their care. Jennifer McGrail Disclose to us that the student who assaulted my son had been at Franklin Perkins for six months that is certainly adequate time to understand a student's needs and have a comprehensive safety plan in place to keep the student as well as others safe. Furthermore, at the time of this incident, the student who assaulted my son had a one on one aid with him in the hallway and that aid failed to react and prevent the situation from occurring .An apology was never issued to my son in person. Upon leaving the school, we went straight to seek medical attention. Later that night, the vice principal Dawn Bentley called us. It was very clear in the phone call that she does not have adequate training or experience to talk to parents or deal with situations like this as much of a phone call was sitting in silence with her, not knowing how to deal with the situation and very much felt like she was reaching out to us to make herself feel better/gauge our response. I feel very bad for the students at this program who are not being given the support that they need/deserve. Jennifer McGrail and Dawn Bentley are an absolute embarrassment to the educational field save yourselves and your children, the trauma, and skip this joke of an establishment

Horrible place with abuse and will neglect your children. My son almost committed suicide because…read moreof the treatment he received and the staff and administratiom did not try to prevent it at all and ignored my son. He jumped off the roof and broke both his legs and a few ribs and the staff just stood there and watched. It was a student who ended up calling emergency services and the staff stonewalled emergency services saying they didnt see anything. Nothing good was done for my son in this place. Don't believe anyone who tells you this is a safe place for your children. They are covering up their abuse because of the money they receive from the state and private donations. If you value your child's life and safety DO NOT SEND THEM TO DR. FRANLIN PERKINS SCHOOL! Lives are ruined there.

this is the second driving school I have used for my kids and by far Alert is the best. my daughter…read moreattended all her classes and just passed her driving test. according to my daughter, Everyone is amazing and makes you feel very comfortable and not nervous and give you lots of helpful tips! Really recommend alert for anyone looking for drivers ed for their kids!!!

Alert has been the school I sent all 4 of my kids through. They are AMAZING!!…read moreFrom my first kid when they were a small company, to my last kid as they have grown to have more employees, they still provide the personal touch of a small company. Their proactive approach to Covid to keep our kids safe was beyond impressive and much appreciated! I wish I could give them 100 stars!!

Amazing campus, although it would be better if they had a flagpole out front of the school and…read moreflags in each classroom and a flag in the gym to make it feel more like a school and comfortable

In 1994, I attended The Ivy Street School when it had only three students: Mary, Melissa, and…read moremyself. My experience there was deeply troubling and traumatic. The environment was unstable, and the students were treated as if they didn't matter. The treatment I received was beyond what any young person should have to endure. Things became so unbearable that I ran away, terrified of what was happening to me at the school. After leaving, I found myself homeless. Thankfully, I met kind people who helped me get back on my feet. Through my own determination, I earned my GED and went on to attend college. Looking back, it's clear to me that the school was more interested in the funding they received than in truly helping students. In fact, they kept several thousand dollars that rightfully belonged to me. When I recently called them to request my records for a legal matter, they refused to provide them, something I find very suspicious, especially since schools are required to maintain records. It raises the question of what they might be trying to hide. I also recall that one of the staff members lived permanently at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and was using the school's programs, and its students, for personal gain. To any parents considering this school for their children: please think twice. My experience was damaging, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. There are better, safer, and more supportive environments out there. This was not one of them.

My Son Was at JRC and I would not change it for nothing in the world. When I had no where to turn…read moreJRC Gave me the peace of mind I needed.

best for my daughter placed her there and have no regrets they have kept her safe and soundread more

UPDATE: I rarely post negative reviews so I hesitated about writing my original review, thinking…read moremaybe NECC has changed over the years. Last week, I spoke to a BCBA who knows many people who worked at NECC in the past five years. He said, "everyone I've met who worked at NECC says what you're saying. NECC does miracles for the kids, teachers get so little respect and support." I hope parents advocate for staff, especially the parents who are big donors. Aside from the horrible working conditions for teachers, the residential workers (responsible for the safety of kids at night, along with a Level 2 teacher) work six days/week. I'd forgotten that until I spoke to the BCBA. The Boston Globe did a good article about the ridiculously high salaries of Directors of private SPED schools. Vinny Strully (CEO of NECC when I was there, has a different role now) has made millions.

My child had a BCBA that works there - Christine M and she, in my opinion, fails to use common…read moresense. She seems to think it's ok to push a child that has a strong will with regard to non compliance of a task to the point the child enters timeout/isolation rooms and is physically restrainted instead of using common sense to understand the profile of a child with regard to the child's cognitive and social level of functioning. You do not put children in situations that will lead to such emotional distress. You work on understanding where they are developmentally and then provide appropriate curriculum with working interventions and strategies. If your client is in time out rooms and getting restrained, it is a failure of the program and teaching / support staff. A child functioning like an infant is not able to tolerate flash card drills and pre-school curicullum when they are at that stage of development. Best to learn how to work effectively with special needs children by observing successful interventions with similiar cases.

Thank you Jenny for helping my (2nd) client with her family issues…read more I already notice a swing in her way of handling the situation, even after 2 sessions. Great work!!

From the owner: At Calm Education, we believe every child and family deserves tools to thrive...academically,…read moreemotionally, and socially. Based in Rhode Island, we specialize in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs that help children build confidence, resilience, and strong relationships. What makes us unique is our whole-family approach: we support kids through one-on-one and small group lessons, guide parents with practical strategies, and partner with schools and educators through wellness workshops. All of our lessons are rooted in the nationally recognized CASEL's 5 Core Competencies, blending mindful practices with hands-on learning in a fun, engaging way. Families choose Calm Education because we create a calm, supportive space where children feel seen and empowered to be their best selves at home, at school, and beyond.