This is my daughters school and so far we are loving it. She is finishing up second grade and was…read morenew to the school this year. The education is very solid and the music program is fantastic. They have small class sizes and two teachers per class. I feel that they really know my child here and that is worth every penny. Amelie's review: I really like my school,teachers,music and science. I love sitting near the class room at snack and hanging on the high bar.

Our daughter has completed two years at Black Pine Circle and every morning she is in a hurry to…read moreget to school. I'm writing this review because she has flourished at BPC, both academically and socially, and without a doubt the school can take a lot of credit for it. The headmaster John Carlstroem knows what he is doing, and runs a very happy ship. A school is a complex environment with many personalities and expectations that need to be managed. John works with a reservoir of deep intellect and excellent management skills and has managed to set a harmonious tone for the whole school. He thinks deeply about education and pedagogy, and he spends the school's money wisely. John's passion for the school is reflected in extraordinary commitment by the teachers, who are superb. In the lower school the kids learn english and math well, and the school's emphasis on music permeates lessons and activities and is wonderful to behold. In a review such as this it is not possible to describe the full extent of the curriculum, but I have been continually amazed by what my daughter is learning. Most importantly, her teachers have taught her self-respect, self-confidence, and have instilled in her a love of learning. I have spoken to many parents around the Bay Area, and I know there are many good schools. Still, I may be biased, but I feel that BPC is special, in a very good way. P.S. The math club is among the best in California.

Amazing small preschool with teachers who really care. This is a gem of a community. Very very…read moresweet place.

Our three-year-old daughter attended Arbor for the inaugural school year (21-22) and is now…read morereturning for her second year. We've been very, very happy with the school so far. The location is a beautiful, tranquil space, the teachers are all wonderful, and they've brought together a really nice group of students and families. One thing we've especially appreciated about the school is that the whole staff approaches their work with humility: they've been flexible, receptive to feedback, and easy to communicate with in general. It's inevitable that a new school will have its share of logistical hiccups and a bit of trial and error in developing optimal policies, but they consistently approach these challenges with a collaborative spirit. We plan to send our daughter to Arbor for two more years -- and we hope that our son can start there in a couple years when he's old enough!

My daughter has been at RLS Broadway for the past year, since she turned 2, and I am so glad I…read morechose to send her here, in particular because of the wonderful teachers. They quickly became a core part of our caregiving family, and it's so comforting to drop off my daughter and know that she feels comfortable, loved, and safe. Even if we're having a hard morning, I know I'm leaving her in great hands. Over the year, I watched as my daughter made her first friends and navigated new challenges with such great support from the school. The teachers were so helpful with her potty training -- I definitely don't think it would have gone so smoothly and quickly if I wasn't able to rely on their calm, nonjudgemental handling of accidents :) Alexandra, the director, is a wonderful leader, and has given me helpful advice that has really made a difference in my parenting. And I am always so inspired by the breadth of creative projects the teachers think up. I look forward each day to the update and pics, and to picking up a very happy girl at the end of the day!

My child is in his second year here and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the teachers and…read moreexperience we have there. The teachers are so loving and supportive and take care of him exactly the way I would want to. I also love the structure of the school. It's a mixed philosophy with a focus on play based that encourages kids curiosity and encourages them to follow their passions. The director, Cindy, is absolutely incredible. I will be so sad when my son graduates!

DO NOT WASTE TIME AND YOUR MONEY AT THIS PLACE. YOU WILL BE REGRET!…read moreI attempted to speak to their management with my concerns, but they never take any actions and follow up. Yelp is a good place here. - terrible management (extremely worse) - when the class was cancelled, no one notified me - never followed up for any concerns - their lessons didn't follow based on the lesson plan on their website, my child didn't learned much especially they only taught so little from the book material and spent most of the other time on something else - teacher showed up late many times - they never answered phone call or responded to your emails (I tried 3 times in a week for over 2 weeks, then I finally gave up) - some students were out of control and disturbed the class, but the school didn't take any actions or make any improvement - extremely disappointed because I was expected this place would have high standard with clear lesson plans and their costs were high. However, I was wrong! Disappointed! - I can guarantee you that you can find a better place elsewhere than Musically Minded Academy.

We really enjoyed this summer camp. What a cool idea! We liked that there was a nice range of…read moreages (kids from about 3-11 years old). My child was one of the youngest, so her participation was mainly around thinking about what character she wanted to be in the play while the older kids helped write out the plot and script. Everyone then worked on costumes and the set decorations. My child enjoys arts and crafts was very proud of her contributions to the props. They then rehearse which is a bit challenging for younger children - the concept of practicing and performing didn't take hold until day 4 and they had to do some re-writing to accommodate my child's ability to remember/say lines. Anna was very patient and able to meet her at her level. Everything worked out in the end and the Friday performance was adorable. It's definitely more of a casual, family-run place which is refreshing though it may not work well for children that require a lot of supervision. All in all, my child has fond memories of her experience and I know that it'll be much easier for her to participate in future performance-based events.

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.

We love it at JMSG! Our sixth grader is thriving. She receives so much personal attention and help…read moreto become a confident student. She struggles in math and is becoming a confident math learner. She absolutely loves the emphasis on women's empowerment. This is helping her grow into the kind of woman we want her to be. She participates in musical theater after school and is looking forward to playing basketball next season. What a gorgeous campus, dedicated teachers, and unparalleled curriculum! I'm so glad we found JMSG for our girl!

My 6th grader loves JMSG because "all the classes are really fun and engaging. It is a forest…read morelearning environment with positive teachers and nice friends." The Head of School and the school counselor / wellness teacher welcomes every student at the curb as they arrive every morning! They ask them how they're doing and they answer parent questions. All the teachers are incredibly kind, generous with their time, enthusiastic about their subjects and about teaching middle school girls, engaging, and well qualified. They arrive an hour before school starts in the morning for "cornerstone" when the students can come in and get extra help From them, ask questions, and look over homework. Every week they have special guests and special events, like a whole day dedicated to "words" last Friday, where 3 different authors came in and spoke to the students, and then students got to pick from a variety of literacy-themed electives to attend for the rest of the day. Pi Day was also very fun, with many activities centered around understanding pi and eating homemade pies. At the end of the year, the whole 6th grade class produces a musical. And this year the musical is an original score written by the school's very talented music teacher and a Berkeley Playhouse Children's theater educator and director! We feel very lucky that our daughter was accepted into JMSG and gets to have such a magical middle school experience. She is enjoying learning and is enthusiastic about all subjects. She is excited to go to school every day and takes pride in being completely independent and confident about all her homework assignments.

We attended Gymboree Play & Music at Lakeshore for a year, from when my daughter was 18 months to…read more30 months old, and it was such a wonderful experience! The teachers are fantastic--Ms. Leah in Play & Learn and Ms. Muna in Music class were both patient, energetic, and great at leading activities that kept the kids involved while fostering social and motor skill development through Gymboree's catchable bubbles. The classes struck the perfect balance between structured routines and free play, making them ideal for school preparation at an early age. At some point last year, a new owner took over and made some really thoughtful improvements that elevated the space. They spruced up the otherwise plain walls, added a baby gate to prevent little ones from running in and out of the play area without their adult, and even replaced the circle time carpeting. These small but meaningful upgrades made the environment feel even more welcoming and safe. One of the things we really appreciated was the flexibility in choosing which class to attend. Most of the time, we could just drop in, which was incredibly convenient. That said, for busier days--especially when it was raining--it was a good habit to book a class in advance through the app to make sure we had a spot. At first, it took about a month for my daughter to feel fully comfortable, which I think is completely normal. She started by observing and then gradually joined in after watching her peers interact. It was amazing to watch her growth--learning problem-solving skills (like navigating play structures, balancing, and safely calculating jumps), improving her motor skills, and practicing taking turns and following directions. A big plus is that the play area is always so clean and well-maintained--much better than the park. And while socks are usually required in indoor play spaces, I appreciated that kids could go barefoot here, which helped with my daughter's stability and movement. My daughter loved it so much that she would sing the songs at home and even ask for parachute time outside of class! Now that she's moved on to preschool, I do wish there had been a transition class to help bridge that next step at a younger age. Otherwise, our time at Gymboree was truly special, and I highly recommend it for little ones and their parents looking for a fun, social, and enriching experience.

My baby loves Gymboree! We has so much fun singing (the instructor sings great!) and especially…read moreloves the bubbles. It's clean, fun, and always a great time

Amazing Campus Amazing Staff…read moreAmazing Food Can't say enough about this school. French immersion experience and social emotional learning got our attention right away. My kid is happy to go to school.

My child has attended ABS for almost 3 years now, and we would absolutely do this again if we had…read moreto. When it was time for our child to attend preschool, we wanted a school that provides language immersion and in close proximity to our home. ABS checked all the boxes with an added bonus of HOT lunches! Our child could now converse in French despite having non-French-speaking parents, and this is definitely the cherry on top. The school campus is very cute with veggie patches, chicken coop and a sizable play area. It is well taken care of; you can sense the pride Coralie and her staff has of this place. The teachers are engaged with the students and are responsive to parents' questions. We love the potluck events that brings the school community together. Most importantly, our child loves ABS and his teachers, and frequently tells me that he misses school on weekends!