My daughter is in the toddler class at kurumi and she loves going to Japanese class more than she…read morelikes going to preschool! The teacher to student ratio is amazing (like 1 teacher/assistant teacher to 2-3 students). Everyone speaks Japanese, so my daughter's Japanese improved significantly since she started taking classes there a year ago. They receive homework, so my 3 year old can write pretty well now! The teachers also are very thoughtful about curriculum planning and they always have crafting projects in class and they also teach students about the Japanese culture. I would highly recommend kurumi!

An Absolute treasure! Our son has thrived here learning his own language and culture. I rate the…read moreschool and staff 10 out of 10 over the four years.

First and foremost -- we love FMS so much we will keep coming back even after our kids have…read moregraduated! Our experience: Our son (Lake, Year 2): Truly loves school. Ms. Ifra, Ms. Fere, and Ms. Boey are so doting and have created such a sense of love the second you walk into the classroom. Our son misses the teachers after missing days for holidays, vacation or sickness, and constantly asks to make art or cookies for them to show his love! Spanish immersion: He just started with Ms. Gigi, Ms. Rosa, and Ms. Jungwen and is thriving. So for example -- within two weeks he could count to 10 in Spanish and is beaming every pickup telling us what he learned. Science with Ms. Amy: A total highlight. If we pick up early his first reaction is "aw I was just starting X." Our daughter (4 years at FMS, now in 1st grade): So well prepared because of Ms. Sarah, Ms. Destinee, Ms. Rosa, Ms. Gigi, and Ms. Isabel. Result: She reads books, writes sentences with little to no spelling errors, and is extremely helpful to her teacher + listens so well. The community: We still visit our old classrooms because we miss everyone. Ms. Connie, Ms. Sinaye, Ms. Annabel, and Ms. Juweda are all so kind and always welcome us with open arms. In summary: warm teachers, strong academics, and a community that feels like family.

Very pleased with the director and the staff at the school. Everyone makes our family feel welcomed…read morewith open arms. Appreciate all of extra activities that FMS provides like science activities and presentations with the one and only Ms.Amy. Many thanks to all the hard working teachers and administrators who make this school run.

My son has been coming to CoCoCs since Kindergarten and this is year 2 for him. We love the school…read moreand the community. It is a non-profit and run by veteran educators and people who are passionate for Chinese/Taiwanese culture. It takes a village to run education and my top reasons for staying at this school are below. 1. The curriculum: It is well thought out and one of the teachers actually designed and wrote the textbooks! I absolutely love it. They also offer Traditional or Simplied textbooks so parents can pick their preference. 2. No affiliation with religious groups: Some Chinese schools in the area are affiliated with Churches or other religions and my family isn't religious. So this school makes the most sense for us. 3. Parental involvement: We love parents here help out, volunteer and chip in to make the school run better. The principal and his wife have dedicated their life to run the school and parents/volunteers help bring the school forward. What is most important to us is my son enjoys learning and can understand Chinese. He has picked up quite a lot and enjoy coming here every Saturday. When I just recently took him home to Taiwan, my parents were impressed with his Chinese and can communicate with him. To me, that is a major plus!

For the best learning experience of a new language of Mandarin Chinese come to COCOCS or Contra…read moreCosta Chinese School to learn and excel your language skills.

Toastmasters has literally changed the way that I communicate professionally and personally, as…read morewell as enhanced and improved my leadership abilities. I thought that this was just a public speaking club when I finally joined 2 years ago! Little did I know that I would gain the courage to stand up and speak in front of my peers, thanks to the supportive environment in this club, as well as learn how to think quickly on my feet, and become a better leader. This particular club was a great starting point for me, as the people are friendly and nice, the membership base is a younger demographic than other Toastmasters Clubs in the area, and there is no pressure to speak if you do not want to get up in front of a small audience just yet. An added bonus is that I have made friends in the club, as well as recruited my friends outside of the club to join in the fun. Yes, it's FUN to give prepared and impromptu speeches, to give evaluations of other people's speeches, and to become a club officer to collaborate with fellow club members. The new location at The Kensington is stellar! It's no wonder that two other Toastmasters Clubs also meet here. It's clean, well-lit, has lots of seating and tables, a good speaking space, and its own side entrance. I highly recommend Toastmasters as an organization, and this club specifically. Don't wait to gain confidence! If you want to impress hiring managers at job interviews, learn how to respond quickly to questions out-of-the blue, learn how to give presentations at work, or just want to network and socialize while learning new skills, check out Toastmasters!

I have been a part of the Toastmasters community for the last 5 years and it has truly been an…read moreincredible ride. The fact that we have the opportunity to not only improve our communication skills, but also enhance our leadership capabilities makes for a valuable experience. The Walnut Creek Toastmasters club has been around for 10 years, and you can tell by the veteran members who have been with the club since its inception that it will be around for 10 more. These members are the ones who's passion inspires you to improve your communication and leadership skills to eventually meet their level. I agree that this club still has room to grow, but I feel confident in its future and I see a lot of new members coming in with a lot of enthusiasm to improve. I can't wait to see how this year pans out and I am excited for the future of this club! :)

My kids have been at this school for three years and are enjoying learning the language and culture…read moreof Japan. The tuition is low and there are many opportunities to attend events and to be a part of the community. Making and eating special celebration foods, singing Japanese songs and learning traditional crafts are some of the fun things we do together.

My two children have been attending this Japanese school for over two years. This year, they had…read morebaseball games often on Saturday during classes. Their teacher was very accommodating with homework, and they could keep up with the class. The school has lots of cultural events that kids would look for every year. Teachers are very passionate about teaching the language and the culture. It is a nice community feeling and parents also get to know each other and become friends.

I recently completed the Beginning 1 Adult Class. It was definitely a fun, and productive learning…read moreexperience, and this wouldn't be possible without my teacher, Soran Min. She made the class very enjoyable, and organized. Most importantly, she was very supportive in and out of the classroom, making sure that students are getting the most out of the class through feedbacks and suggestions on how we can learn Korean more effectively. Weekly homework gave us the opportunity to practice the things we were learning in class, and we had quizzes every once in a while to further test our skills. At the end of the semester, I can say with confidence that I learned basic reading, writing, and speaking Korean. I highly recommend Light of Grace Korean School for those who are interested in learning this beautiful language!

I just recently completed the Adult Korean Beginning Class I. It was definitely a productive and…read morefun learning experience. Our teacher, Soran Min, made class enjoyable and was very supportive throughout in class and outside with our homework. She gave us positive feedback and suggestions to help us learn quickly and effectively. Classmates were great and friendly and so helpful when doing group presentations during class. All in all, a very family-oriented setting, which to me, was a plus in helping me succeed. I highly recommend Light of Grace Korean School.

I have been working with Ina for about 6 months. I really enjoy my sessions with her and look…read moreforward to them every week. She is very knowledgable and patient with me. She is also really funny. We talk a lot about things going on in my life in Spanish along with activities I am interested in. This really has been helping me grasp the Spanish language better along with the homework assigned each week. I cannot recommend her enough.

I cannot recommend Ina highly enough! Ina has provided a safe and comfortable space for me…read morebeginning my journey as an adult learning Spanish. I appreciate the individual attention and customization of the lessons. She is also friendly and flexible with scheduling. I am truly grateful to have found Ina!

I looked at many day cares and pre-schools when I relocated to the area. Most of them want you to…read moremake an appointment in advance (usually a couple days out). When I called Little Spanish Garden, the owner immediately answered the phone. She took her time to tell me about their business and when I asked when I could come by and see her facility, she said that I could come by whenever I liked. Since it was a top priority for me to find good care immediately, I told her that I was in the area and asked if I come come by now. She said that would be fine and I came by :10 minutes later. She runs the day care out of her home, but you wouldn't know it. It looks and feels like a school and anything personal is in their private bedrooms, including the television. It was bright, cheerful, clean and most importantly, it was a happy place and the kids all were having fun and playing nicely. I decided that the best measure of a a true fit would be whether my son liked it or not. Not only did he like it, he LOVED it! He pushes out of my arms in the mornings to be put down to go play with the providers and the kids. When I pick him up, he is always excited to see me, but rather than making a bee-line for the door, he wants me to stay and play with him. He asks for the providers by name on the weekends and says he wants to see them. He is thriving at Little Spanish Garden and knows his ABC's and can count to 25 and he just turned 2! He is learning Spanish and taking dance and tumbling lessons there, all because of the superior lesson planning and curriculum they design. As for the other reviewer, I think it is ironic that she claims that she has caught the owner in lies when she is actually the mother of 2 daughters and not a son as she states in her reviews (even pictured in her profile pic). Things that make you go "hmmmmmm". Take what you will from that, as well as the fact that since I have been taking my son there, I am only aware of 1 infraction, and that was only because the owner's mother had come by the house and licensing was not sure that she had been fingerprinted. The owner was very clear in communicating with the parents what happened, the consequences, and next steps. I have always felt that she was honest in her communications, with complete transparency. I have always felt welcome to drop in whenever I wanted to see my son, and frequently do since I work from home. I have never seen anything that alarmed me. I wholeheartedly recommend Little Spanish Garden and would disregard the negative reviewer and her motives.

I completely agree with Tiffany' Ss review. My two daughters have been with Karla for the past…read moreyear and are thriving!! They are learning their ABC and 123s not only in English but also in Spanish. But more importantly they are learning how to deal with other kids in a nice manner, to practice good manners, to learn about their emotions. And even more importantly (at least to me), my kids know they are loved by Miss. Karla and Miss. Rosa. Every parent is looking for something different in a childcare provider because every child is different. Every parent is dfferent. I can wholeheartedly endorse Little Spanish Preschool, I find them to be a well rounded, loving and learned childcare. Best I can say is talk to them, visit them to see if they are a good fit for YOUR family because I believe they have many good qualities that you might be looking for. To me, the daycare it is a matter of fit for a family. Also, just a side note, the first time I visited Little Spanish Daycare, Karla's reference was a CHP training officer who had sent his daughter to Karla for like four years... not the type of guy who would let his daughter go to some place/person he didn't trust and vet out. Another positive is that Karla had my two and half year old daughter potty trained in about 10 days or less :)

The beginner flower arranging class I signed up to take was very disappointing. I stopped after one…read moreclass for these and other reasons. The instructor used a pre-recorded YouTube video to show us how to make our arrangement! And she didn't even make sure the flowers/supplies she provided to us , at an inflated cost, matched on the ones in the video (she admitted the greens in her video were wrong). The flowers/supplies she made us purchase from her were much cheaper (e.g., carnations vs. roses). I don't know why she didn't provide a live demonstration and do so with the right flowers, etc. That's why we signed up for the class! I knew something was very wrong when she began the class by reading her written course description out loud, even referring to herself in the third person (e.g., "Supplies and tools are available from your instructor"). The class is for beginners, but the arrangements in her "textbook" are SOO pedestrian (see photos). She could show students much more appealing arrangements to make. Another problem was that the class had a combination of new students and returning students (those who wanted a flower arrangement certificate). The returning students had their own projects, so there were two classes going on at the same time, which made it hard to focus. The school district's unfair policy is that refunds are available only before first day of class, so be aware before you register!

Great teachers, great curriculum, nice environment, safe, learning lots, meeting people all over…read morethe world!

I'm taking a woodworking class here, and I'm thoroughly satisfied with the level and quality of…read moreinstruction. The tools in the wood shop are great, and the instructors really know their stuff. What's more, those guys sure know how to keep a sharp edge on their equipment. Tuition is, in my opinion, up to what one would expect to pay in today's economy, especially considering that everyone is scrambling for cash to stay afloat, even the local government and its affiliated programs. The registration process on the archaic website is a touch on the byzantine side, though. It looks a lot like the very first website I ever coded when I was 16 years old. Uhh, now that I think about it, it looks like the website I designed a few years ago. But I'm no web designer, so hah! Point being, you're gonna have to dig around a little bit to find what you're looking for, but once you've found it, the actual act of registering for a class is pretty straightforward. Now, back to the woodworking instructors: Between the Bill and Dave, they've got about 70 years experience, 20 fingers, 20 toes, and 8 eyes (they both wear glasses). So I trust them to teach me the ways. I don't know if I'll ever be able to snatch the pebble from their hands, but I'm confident that they're showing me how to keep all my phalanges and body parts so that I could snatch that pebble, even if only in theory. I plan on taking many more courses here, especially in the "Working with Wood" category of classes. Now go forth and learn something new!

This a great local resource for woodworkers. The Mt. Diablo Adult Education program offers may…read moreadult woodworking classes for beginners to advances woodworkers, along with open shop classes. The woodworking 1 class is a great introduction to all the equipment through the process of building a beautiful step stool. The day and night classes include men and women of all ages. The fees are very reasonable to get access to great equipment. The teachers are knowledgeable and very willing to help. For more info: https://mdae.mdusd.org/