On multiple occasions I heard the teachers in the older childrens' rooms raising their voices…read moreloudly at children who were simply touching things or asking questions (in other words, normal kid behavior that needed gentle guidance & redirection, not an emergency situation of any kind). I could hear this while standing outside the building during pick-up and I also heard it when inside the building in the halls. My child started as a very young infant and the 2 caregivers that worked with her most closely seemed annoyed that she was struggling to take a bottle, or cried, or wanted to be held, or struggled with the texture of some foods when she was later starting on solids. All normal parts of development, learning to eat, etc. Caregiver would make negative comments to my baby in front of me at drop off if the baby started to fuss when separating from me. The 3rd caregiver she had at the school did seem caring and attentive and started to do sensory activities daily. Prior to this, it seemed that there were no books read, songs sang, games played, sensory activities. Staff wanted babies to lay and play by themselves. When I entered the room on a few occasions, I saw most staff scrolling on their phones while sitting on the floor rocking babies in rockers or on their bodies, and with older babies crawling around and not being interacted with. My child seemed traumatized by the lack of nurturing caregiver with whom to bond on her first times away from her mom.

My daughter and I absolutely love Holmdel Preschool! I was so nervous to leave my baby and go back…read moreto work, but Debbie and her teachers have made us feel so comfortable and safe. My daughter loves going to school everyday, excited to see what new things they will learn. I've watched her little mind grow so much this year. I am so happy I chose Holmdel Preschool & will be bringing my son in September too!

2nd child that has gone.to this school. Teachers and the facalty are top notch educators and in…read morestowe a lot of patriotism and community pride in our kids

Such a wonderful elementary school. The staff is very very nice & the kids seem to all love it…read morehere. There a two buildings, the older building is the one closest to Richmond Avenue.. The school yard is in between both buildings & has some super sweet art work. Super nice principal ! Rude crossing guards, just throwing that in there.

This is a good Church, they have a-lot of roots in the community and an interesting history with…read morehelp in education, give this Church a try.... In September 1959, the Saint Thomas Parish School opened with an enrollment of 154 children in grades one, two, and four. Sister Agnes of the Daughters of Divine Charity, the school's first principal, and Sisters Girard and Dorothy were the other teachers. Much has happened since those first days when Sister Agnes wrote in her journal: "The makeshift classrooms, plus the undisciplined students, who come from various schools, made things rather difficult, but God gave us the necessary strength to cope with them. Without His help it would not have been possible." The school also got some help from the Parent Teachers Association. With the encouragement and leadership of Father French, in 1960 and 1961 the PTA promoted a parish-wide effort to gain a new school bus for the school through what has been called "The Great Green Stamp Collection." It took 18 months to acquire and paste into books the 5,000,000 S&H Green Stamps necessary to purchase a 66-passenger school bus, which arrived in the parish parking lot on October 7, 1961. The nuns who taught in the school eventually moved into two houses on Barkley Road, which served as their convent; three other houses on Barkley served as rectories for four parish priests and weekend assistants. And, as St. Ambrose Parish in Old Bridge was formed from the burgeoning St. Thomas population, much was happening in our church as well. St. Thomas and its grounds were continually being upgraded. In 1963, the school's Parent Teacher Association financed installation of a reredos screen featuring a 12-foot crucifix in the center of the sanctuary. Stations of the Cross were added to the church and convent. A granite statue of St. Thomas the Apostle was placed in front of the auditorium and, on the main church lawn, a statue of St. Ann with Mary as a young girl. The outdoor shrine to Our Lady of Fatima was constructed by volunteers. The eight-classroom addition to St. Thomas School was completed in time for the beginning of the school year in 1966.

This is the church I grew up in. I was baptized, received my first communion, and confirmed here…read more They also have school, which I also attended from 1st through 8th grade. I performed in the choir here as well, so pretty much my entire childhood is very much attached to this church. My parents are still members so I attend mostly on the holidays now. I still know a lot of the members & it's a wonderful community to be part of.

St. Mary's is a beautiful Roman Catholic Church. My family started attending in the 1920s and my…read moregrandmother was married here in the 1940s. The church population has decreased and there are fewer masses offered here now. They are open during the week, stop in and light a candle or admire the beautiful architecture and statues.

My 6 year old COLORED daughter who attended Matawan Elementary who has special needs was overlooked…read moreon her behaviors. I had to FIGHT to Get my child an evaluation. I have met with Daphne BINNS, the CHILD STUDY TEAM, and she performed horribly for my daughters case! The Principle who is a HE was very careless about his concerned STUDENT! This is absolutely UNACCEPTABL!!! The school board of education FAILED my daughter the 1st year she has been in that school! I want to bring this to All the parents out there who is struggling to get their kids the attention that they need! Fast foward!, a couple months after being evaluated and VIRTUALLY EVALUATED it was only stated that she has ADHD. NOW going into a NEW PUBLIC SCHOOL, It comes out that my daughter is AUTISTIC! - SINCERELY , A Concerned parent

Good News Preschool Review!…read more If anyone is looking for a great preschool in the area for your children, Good News Christian Preschool is amazing. Small classroom atmosphere, real-life experiences, individual and group play, and a caring environment. Mrs. Collier and her teaching staff (all local) have been there for years and are wonderful!

Wonderful, tight knit community/family feel from their school. I highly recommend their school! It…read morestinks that it does not offer through high school, that's how much I love their school. Old School Catering LLC provides lunch (you pay for it) and their food is PHENOMENAL!!!!! The church has a back room if you have babies, infants or other circumstances where you'd like to not disturb other church goers. I love that room! In my opinion it's easier to hear the priest over the speaker than in the actual church! The carnival during the summer time months is a great thing to do with the family/friends also.

Priest was very uncaring, rude at a funeral mass! I am floored on how a priest could be so…read moreuncaring! SHAME ON HIM!

Don't listen to the review about Ranney being unsafe. In fact it's safe to the point of…read moreasphyxiation at times, even for the oldest students. I graduated from the Ranney school within the last ten years. I want to start by saying that the Ranney school falls somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars. The reason why I gave it 4 stars is because of the select few educators and employees who I encountered while a student there who had a profound impact on me. The good - Ranney is a fantastic academic institution. It prepares you extremely well for college. I attended a top university and I probably would not have tried as hard in high school if Ranney had not been such a structured environment. Therefore, I can only assume that if I went to public school I would have had more distractions and probably gotten into a lot more trouble (although I was always in trouble at Ranney. Zero tolerance policy for teenage bullshit) - As I said before, a few of the teachers and administrators there are extremely talented. I won't name names but a lot of them left and a lot of them stayed. - The campus is beautiful and sprawling over sixty acres. It's colorful and you could walk around it and get lost in it. The bad - Ranney gives you a false sense of superiority and after college you are in shock when you find out that the real world doesn't give a rats ass about you. - Due to it's high tuition (I think it was 25k when I was a senior and now it's up to 32k) the people who attend Ranney are spoiled because their parents have money. - Because it's such a small school there will be favorites and students that seem to be getting preferential treatment. I may have witnessed cases of this but one can argue that this is just the nature of education. I don't have a conclusive opinion on this matter. Overall, if you are thinking about going to Ranney or sending your child there, please consider the following last words: Parents, get involved in your child's education and the school itself. If you plan on keeping your child in Ranney for the long run you should be on a first name basis with the teachers, administrators, and staff. If you don't, I promise you it will hurt your child's chances of being anymore than a statistic at the school. Also, remember to budget 5k over the tuition. Everything is extra. Kids, if you are anything like me and you have the brains to succeed but you don't have the maturity when you are in high school, give Ranney a try. If you don't like it after a year, leave. Also, if you decide to go be very careful about what you share with the school. It's not like public school. What you do or say will spread around the bubble like wildfire. If you wish to know more feel free to message me.

They are completely unequipped to handle all children effectively. They rely on punitive measures,…read moreoften sending children home as young as 3 1/2 years old. The environment is horrible, making it not worth the money, especially since few of their graduates attend better schools than local public high schools.