Summer at Park is a league above the rest when it comes to camps in Brookline. As a former camper…read moreand now recent high school graduate I had to make a review, because I cannot express enough gratitude to Summer at Park and it's awesome counselors for having shown me so much love and support as a young child. I was a camper at park for more summers than I can count, and it's only now that I realize how unique the opportunities presented by park are. Being part of a camp where I could experience my first horseback ride, first waterside, first bite of chocolate mousse, and first time making flubber, seemed like something so natural. Summer at Park isn't about staying busy during summer, or stopping a constant stream of shows on the Disney Channel, its about making memories. It's about giving a child the chance to experience something they won't ever forget, even something as small as being greeted on the first day by a complete stranger as though you were best friends simply catching up :) Having also attended camps at local Allendale Farms, and the Chestnut Hill school camps, Summer at Park takes gold for best experiences around. Cooper W's review is so disturbing to be, in the enormity of it's ignorance! Let me set the record straight on 'Queen Mary' [I still refer to her as that :)] Every child at Park LOVES Queen Mary! We're the ones who gave her that name! She's the "Queen" because she's simply the best. We love her in the same way and for the same reasons that children have always loved Glinda the Good Witch, for her gentle, loving, exciting, and benevolent nature. And her ability to forever remember everyone's names! Being in a land where Good Queens ruled with smiles, simply added to the wonderful summertime magic that is camp at Park.

Junk food everywhere. Kids are given junk good snacks and "organic" junk food lunches (for…read moreadditional charge). Low-paid counselors everywhere, no access to adult teachers. The prices are ridiculous.

My kids have attended this school since 2019 (one started in K, one in pre-K / ECC) and we've loved…read moreit. Child-centered, creative, and interdisciplinary curriculum with loving and skilled teachers, an excellent afterschool program, and a lovely sense of place within Beacon Hill. Grownup community is warm and laidback, with a genuine shared emphasis on raising kind humans who love to learn. Proof that you can learn in an innovative, progressive way and still get great test scores!

The Advent School is an amazing elementary school that my daughter attended from Kindergarten until…read moreshe graduated with her sixth grade class at Faneuil Hall. Throughout those seven years, she loved school - she was excited about learning and was empowered to be the confident student that she continues to be today. The teachers and administration are intentional about getting to know each child individually to ensure that each child's educational needs are met. Advent prepared my daughter to be the motivated, dedicated and responsible student that she is today as she continues to thrive at Noble and Greenough School. Many thanks to Advent!

My daughter start going there since November 2024 and when she first started she had separation…read moreanxiety and she really get a way better with the help of joe petty,cristel,keith and Corey they are amazing and very friendly with the kids and now the new director Erin is making significant changes for the better and caring for the children she is above and beyond

My two children have been going to Rainbow Kids since we moved to the area in 2014 and we love it…read morethere. The director, Jess, is welcoming and helpful, and the teachers are all caring and kind. My husband and I looked at several home daycares but ultimately felt most comfortable in this safe and caring center. My daughter had a terrific experience as a 4-5 year old. The Pre-K teachers were especially wonderful, caring and creative. They have an age appropriate curriculum with daily activities and learning that kept the kids engaged and having fun. She really was able to learn and practice her letters, numbers and writing in the classroom too. There's lots of different play in the classroom, from dramatic play to the blocks to the reading area and more. I always feel that the kids are well supervised and safe. Another thing we love about Rainbow Kids is that they definitely work with you to meet your child's needs. My son was 1 year old when he began going to daycare there, and he had a rough transition leaving my side. Jess and the infant teachers were so caring and understanding and really helped us through this time, offering tips and solutions to try. My son and I were able to come and visit for as much time as we wanted, getting him used to the environment and the new faces. Once he began staying on his own, they didn't bat an eye as I stayed as long as I wanted at drop off, as this seemed to help him. When I wasn't there, they paid attention to his needs and responded on an individual basis (for instance, initially he was bothered when people went in/out of the room, so they took care to be holding him or explaining to him what was happening to help feel secure). They provided loving and consistent care to him and I felt good that he was with people who cared for him. Now that he is a little older and out of this transitional phase, he loves going to school, loves his teachers and talks frequently about them and his classmates when he's at home. I like that all the teachers at the center get to know you and your child, since it is a small center. I love that the kids go outside for play twice a day, and that Rainbow Kids has a nice big, fenced playground that's sectioned off for the different ages. There's lots of play equipment and the area around them is surrounded by nature, as they are set far back from the road, which is also nice. I would definitely recommend Rainbow Kids for families look for a safe and happy environment where kids are taken care of on an individual basis.

No playground for over 2 years. When kids play outside there is hardly anything to do. Owner is a…read morejerk who doesn't care about the kids , all he cares about is money. Inexperienced teachers. Only good teachers are in K Ready class.

I'm not sure what Yelp is doing with the other positive reviews on here but, it does make me…read moreconcerned to trust their rating system... After some time on a waiting list, our daughter was enrolled at Parkway Preschool for over a year and half, until we moved to a town too far to continue, unfortunately. The teachers are absolute stars and their compassion and love for the children is undeniable. Patsy, the director, is one of the warmest, most dedicated and wonderful people I have ever met. I always knew my daughter was being cared for in a way that set my mind at ease. She always came up clean (as much as a 3 year old can LOL), fed, talking about what she had done in school that day and in one piece! We've since moved on but, the teachers, both Jens, Mary, Patrice and Patsy, still come up in our family's conversation and we miss them terribly.

I will never be able to adequately express the deep love and gratitude I feel for the lovely and…read moretalented teachers and administration at Parkway Preschool. My son is a very sensitive kid who, since infancy, has been slow to acclimate to new situations and not great with transition. By the time he was 3.5 and needing to enroll into a formal preschool program (from home daycare), I was apprehensive about how it would all unfold. We'd toured/applied to several preschools in the area, and had been ready to take a spot at a very popular school in JP, when, based on a friend's recommendation, I toured Parkway, met Patsy, and instantly sensed a warmth I hadn't felt anywhere else. A few months later, my son started at Parkway, which was, incidentally, two weeks before my daughter was born. Due to some complications, my daughter came early and the morning my husband and I had to rush to the hospital, my anxiety was through the roof. I'll never forget Mary (one of the amazing teachers) making me feel like, even though I barely knew her at that point, that everything would be okay. The ease and kindness with which the teachers coordinated my son's pick-up that day (with our friends who were taking care of him), so my husband could stay with me in the hospital, helped us be able to focus on the labor and not worry that my son would be afraid or confused. This is just one of COUNTLESS moments over the 14 months we were at Parkway, that I felt deep compassion and support. Some more examples: Patsy (the founder/owner/director) worked with my son diligently, at his own pace, for 6+ months to get him to participate in the biweekly Spanish and singing classes; by the end of the year, he was having a blast. My son was also late to potty-train, and Patsy and Patrice (now the K1 teacher) bought him special Star Wars stickers (knowing how much he loves Star Wars) to reward him when he used the potty; that, in addition to all of the teachers' warmth and encouragement, helped him reach that milestone. Jen, my son's teacher (he was in the K1 class there), was beyond amazing. My son really formed a special bond with her, and was always excited about their letter-themed weeks and book- or season-themed projects. In addition to being incredible, salt-of-the-earth people, the teachers are passionate about learning. For instance, I LOVED how, at any given time during free play, there is almost always a teacher or assistant reading a story to the kids, and while the kids can choose to play, many often opted to listen to the story. Academically, Parkway prepared my son very well for K1 in a BPS school. Learning at Parkway feels very natural, and while a specific curriculum is followed, it is integrated into fun. Silliness, imagination, and creativity are highly encouraged. The space itself is clean, well-organized, warm, and conducive to learning. Parkway has a vast library of all kinds of books, available to the kids at any given time. My son would often reference things he read in books there, and ask to buy books read to the kids at circle time. Books we discovered at Parkway (like the Pete the Cat series) have become family favorites. In every moment and interaction we had there, Parkway was an extraordinary experience for both my son and our entire family. The confidence my son gained there, being challenged and encouraged to try new things (and actually executing on these things!), would only have been possible in such a loving and nurturing environment. Leaving Parkway felt like losing family, and it took us ALL awhile to recover. Luckily, we have a second kid and can do it all over again!!

Haven't take classes here, but was invited with my little squid as guests to an aquatic birthday…read moreparty, and it was a hit! Atmosphere is in stark contrast to the dull gray industrial exterior - you'll step in to a tropical cabana den with colorful murals adorning every wall. Sign in at the front desk, then make your way to one of maybe 15 private dressing rooms (two are accessible) before heading over to the single pool. For classes, there's a clever setup where the pool and showers are separated from the lobby by a full-length "glass" wall, so parents can watch their kids' tutelage without getting too hockey dad about the whole situation. For birthday parties, it's simply free swim with some balls and platforms to make for a sweet respite from winter's chill. Props for the props, but if you have a ledge jumper, be advised: kids can only jump in to the pool from the top step on one of two entry staircases. No big - my son made full use of that rule. Bonus for lots of natural light streaming in to the swimming area, and an entire blow dry bar once you're rinsed and changed. Goldfish is a very festive spot, and I'm definitely curious about their instruction based on this impressive intro to the brand.

We joined the infant class hoping to get our 6 month old used to the water early and to start her…read morewater safety journey nice and young. My boyfriend and I both work full time so we signed up for Sunday morning classes. They are FULL. There is no way to move around with your child without bumping into someone, there is zero chance the instructors can check on every child/parent, and it is insanely uncomfortable. Each class is exactly the same, there are people who sign up so they can "free swim" with their kids because the lack of structure allows for this type of behavior, and there is no learning curriculum for which my daughter has benefited from over the past 4 months. Absolutely nothing. The kids range in ages in this area and there are fathers allowing their older sons to jump into the pool, soaking those of us with small babies with no consideration of the safety of others. I did not want to make an issue of the young swim instructors hardly paying a cent of attention (it's a beginners class, there's not a ton going on) but not asking these parents to stop this behavior week after week is dangerous and the majority of the reason we won't be returning. We also never had consistent, reliable instructors so there was no opportunity for anyone to get to know our child or us in order to make it a more personal experience. We felt like cattle being rushed in and rushed out and just another body in the pool. It was not a warm and fuzzy experience for us and we are pretty disappointed. After the last class where a child jumped into the pool right next to my 8 month old and the instructors were too busy chatting with each other to notice, we chose to stop our membership immediately. Without giving notice as per the contract, we lost a month of tuition for Goldfish to keep, along with the tokens we had from our baby having chronic ear infections and being unable to attend (as which happens with infants). That in itself was telling that the fee is worth more to them than providing the best experience. While I believe Bill is very nice, I don't agree with the business model and packing people into a pool. Power Aquatics gives space to their members and their instructors are consistent. The children start learning water safety immediately and the program is much more personal.

2 of my friends send their kids to this school. I actually have heard Mr. Brian play at a few…read moreconcerts and he was really good. I have been trying to get on his schedule for several months. Got the call that my daughter was in. I went to see the new location and was impressed. They even have a TV in the waiting room for parents. Nice people. I talked to Jaime and she was helpful. I don't think she's from MA because she's REALLY nice. Worked around my schedule and my 9 year old is taking lessons next month. I will return to write another review.

We have 2 kids in the Elementary program, and 1 in the Forest School program, and they are all…read morehaving a wonderful time while learning. They are disappointed when there is no school, and eagerly look forward to going every day. Our youngest is eagerly awaiting his 4th birthday this spring so that he can join them. Academically our older kids are working on math, science, history, computer programming, and foreign languages. They eagerly work on their writing journals, because their ELA classes are comprised of Dungeons and Dragons, and Minecraft (among others!). Think that sounds crazy? Maybe. But the most important thing about writing is simply to write. And if imagining how to slay a dragon can get a child to write 4 pages simply because they had a cool idea - we are all for it! And if they want to build a village in Minecraft and need to design how it will look, who will inhabit it, and what they will do? Even better. Write to your heart's content! (And they do!) The Forest School program is perfect for our 5 year old. He writes in his journal daily, and does his lessons outdoors. What more can you ask for at that age? He's free to run and jump around, chase butterflies, and is learning math as he counts the number of pinecones he can find for his art class. We had planned to homeschool full-time, and initially planned for attending just two days per week, but we quickly realized that the Athenaeum offers us all of the flexibility of homeschooling without the hassles of dealing with the town. Two days became three, the three days became four, and we recently decided that 5 days a week was perfect. Our kids occasionally slip out for "extra-curriculars" - something that you couldn't do anywhere else, because the Athenaeum is designed with the homeschooling mindset as the cornerstone of the program.

This organization is run by such dedicated and caring people. The focus here is clearly what will…read morebenefit the children and enrich their lives.