My 6-years-old son likes the drawing classes at Art Corner Academy. I took him there in late April…read morethis year when I saw him not knowing what to do with his drawing project at school. The instructor Susan is excellent. She is well-knowledged and talented in illustrations, picture books, and wall paintings. She is very patient and knows how to teach. As a beginner, Susan asks my son to do one drawing project including coloring in each class which lasts about one hour. He likes the achievement when he finishes. He has gained great confidence in drawing after several classes. He now loves drawing!

My 8 years old has been taking Saturday morning classes with Mr Doug. She really enjoys every class…read moreand always brings back masterpieces! Mr Doug is a truly amazing with children. He is passionate about teaching young artists. Mr Doug is also a nice person to chat with, always patient with everyone.

My 12-year-old has been taking art classes with Doug for several years now. There was the lost…read moreCOVID stretch, of course. To give you a sense of how much my kid loves this art class, I'll say this: There were precisely two things she missed the most during COVID, and that was going to Disneyland and Doug's Sunday morning art classes. Doug is really knowledgeable--I did art reviews at the Rhode Island School of Design for a while, so I have a sense of elements that make up art. Doug knows this really well, and this allows him to help people develop their art. Because he can break down what makes art, he can demystify the process for his students. Doug's intelligence really shines through when he helps his students focus on technique. Doug is also incredibly terrific with kids. He's not some dictator or sergeant. He gives gentle advice (again, advice that is *really* smart), and he knows how to push, how to inspire, and how to let a kid's imagination run. He's patient and calm, and he smiles and laughs. This is a person who really does love art, and he wants to share that love with others. Dropping my kid off at Doug's place, I see kids who are younger, teens, and adults. He has a capacity to speak to each of these age groups. It's impressive, and we're really appreciative that our kid gets to attend his classes.

My child learned new techniques and mediums at this establishment. When the owner was still the…read moreinstructor it was a better environment. My child came home with some nice pieces when the owner was the instructor. The owner has since retired. Assistant Kathryn took over all instruction. Kathryn clearly has some personal issues that needs to be taken care of privately, not taken out on children and parents. EVERYONE has problems. No one needs to hear about how you taking over this business is stressful and that your husband is sick and that you have to take care of them. I take care of my father in last stages of Parkinson's but Im not screaming that at every Tom, Dick and Harry. If you want your child( (12 years old) to be told to their face in front of you, that your child does't take art seriously and that they will be a failed artist, then go throw away your money here. Why kill a child's spirit, confidence and ambitions? My child had no idea what she had done wrong. If you do not enjoy helping/working with children then you should not do this category of work!! My child has found great success at Kala Art Institute, Kids "n" Clay, Liv & Chiu and the Richmond Art Center and Academy of Art College SF programs. I told several families looking for drawing education to go to Monart in which this provided new revenue for them. I have no idea if the business owner has knowledge of this behavior. I have never reviewed anything before, but felt this needed to be.

I love Monart! Ms. Mona the owner is extremely talented and has a great method for teaching any and…read moreall ages and skill levels how to draw. I took some of her classes (someone who takes pride in the fact that I can't even draw stick figures) and I was able to easily follow Ms. Mona's instructions while enjoying myself. Previous comments mention Katherine, an assistant for Monart who is NO LONGER with the program. I have been involved with Monart for years and they have a zero tolerance policy for behaviors such as what Katherine had been demonstrating. While the owner does currently live in an assisted living situation (also previously mentioned in other comments), she has recently expanded her Monart crew with some AMAZING individuals. I highly suggest if you are considering signing up yourself or your kiddos for art classes to go with Monart and her methodology.

Three years later and both my boys go here. Saturdays she has classes now until 9:30 to three,…read moreSundays 9:30 to noon and other days by appointment. My kids tell me she is good because she is critical when she needs to be to help them with their work.

We have so many good things to say about Skytown and its staff. Our daughter attended from age 18…read moremonths, in the Toddler Room. We were initially drawn to Skytown for the ratios (3:1 in Toddler Room), the transparency that comes from parent participation in the classroom, the respect for children that's at the core of their philosophy. We also appreciated the level of involvement that parents get in the preschool's day-to-day, without being a pure parent cooperative (the teachers/director are employees of the school with formal training in the education space). As we spent more time there, we really came to admire the staff, Allison, Nancy, and Bex who really embody the values of the school and do an incredible job at sharing their expertise with the parent community. Our toddler is highly verbal, intense, and energetic. We were reluctant to have her in school so early, but she thrived at Sktytown and learned social skills there that we/nanny wouldn't have been able to provide on our own. We were impressed with Skytown's commitment to using positive language to guide children's behavior, respecting children's autonomy, making each child feel heard and understood, and treating even the youngest toddlers as highly capable individuals with as much autonomy as they could safely have. The 3:1 ratio and small class size allowed even the youngest toddlers to be given with a high degree of autonomy in a way that wouldn't be as feasible in typical classroom. It is a great school for families who are happy to have their child come home with paint on their clothes or food from their snack still on their face because the child was given the opportunity to clean up after themselves. Skytown's commitment to making it a truly child-centric space shows in everything from the way the classrooms are structured and equipped to the way staff talk to the children. It was a joy to see the children be able to play with water, paint, wash hands on their own, visit sensory or pretend play areas, and transition from indoor/outdoor playspaces on their own accord. We have not seen anything else like it. The staff does an exceptional job at helping children learn how to problem solve on their own, and address interpersonal conflict while respecting all the children involved. Even in the toddler room, teachers and parents help the youngest children use age-appropriate methods of communicating through conflict, and use positive language to address unsafe behavior (running indoors, hitting, throwing things, etc) in a way that allows children to learn while still feeling respected and able to express themselves safely. As parents of a daughter, we are aware of when adults might be unintentionally interacting with girls differently than their boy counterparts, but this was never a problem at Skytown with staff or parents. We also noticed the staff and parent community were attuned to racial and gender inclusivity, didn't sweep things under the rug, and were proactive about diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of the school from the materials chosen to the way they communicated with one another.

Take a tour! Our family loves being at Skytown. This was our first experience having our son away…read morefrom us (no sitter, daycare, school) and this gave me the option to finally gain some freedom, but also still be a part of his learning experience through the co-op. It's been comforting to know he is safe and supported at Skytown by child development experts with a strong philosophy, and a community of parents and families with strong values. The care and concern for his food allergies by everyone has also contributed to our sense of safety having him away from us. Beyond all this, my son genuinely looks forward to school and his favorite people now are his teacher, the parents, and his friends! Skytown has become our village - we participate in the classroom together, we play outside of school together, we work on school initiatives together. It's really a unique and special experience and I'm so glad we had this option available to us. Skytown offers the only co-op toddler program (starts at 18mo) in Contra Costa County and is 1 of 2 in the entire East Bay. Like I said there's nothing like it around!

My kids have been enrolled in Saturday classes at Luna for the last 2 years and our family loves…read moreeverything about it. The teachers are experienced dancers/instructors AND are incredibly encouraging and kind. I love that Luna teaches my kids about body and spatial awareness--learning how to engage with others and the environment around them. It feels very holistic and fosters creativity. I highly recommend them!

My son is enrolled in the 5-7 year old creative dance class at Luna and the experience has been…read moreamazing so far. The teachers are warm and inviting, making each child feel welcome, and the curriculum allows students to explore movement and creative expression in a low pressure environment. I especially love that each child gets a chance to lead the class with their own prompts and choreography. My son has really blossomed in this class, enjoying a sense of empowerment, creativity, and increased confidence. There is no other dance studio like Luna -- I can't recommend it enough!

My daughter has attended Go Girls camp for many summers and she adores it. She loves the teachers,…read morethe activities, and learns valuable social emotional skills. She is so excited to finally be old enough (rising 5th-7th graders) this summer for the Go Girls Productions where the girls make a movie. For more information, see https://gogirlsoakland.com/Go-Girls-Camps

My daughter loved Go Girls Camp! She enjoyed making crafts, singing, and creating a play with new…read moreand old friends. She was more confident after camp and even kinder to her brother. I also love the safety skills she learned through the KidPower workshop. We need a compassionate revolution now more than ever and I feel fortunate to have discovered Go Girls.

Little Village Preschool is an absolute gem with the most caring, patient, and kind teachers. My…read moretwo kiddos went to LVP starting when my daughter turned two, so we have over 4 years experience there. In a daycare/preschool our top priority was a place where our kids felt supported and safe and cared for, and LVP fully delivered. We went through a lot with them - drop off hardships, nap challenges, potty training, behavior issues (not to mention a pandemic), and every step of the way LVP teachers were there to offer support, advice, and so much care. They even helped me with issues I was having with the kids at home! They very honestly feel like an extended family now and, even after moving across the country, I recently called them to help troubleshoot drop off issues at our new kindergarten. I feel immensely lucky having found this small preschool with it's fantastic teachers and the absolutely wonderful community of kids and parents it seems to attract. Starting little kids in daycare/preschool can be so hard, but I always breathed a huge sigh of relief after drop off at LVP feeling assured my kids would be happy and loved. We do have experience at two other preschools, including one with impressive "academics" and a bilingual program, but they both lacked the kind of care and support that little kids so need at that age. At those schools, I saw my kids become anxious and avoidant of school and they even had issues with basic care (ex. regular enough diaper changes). At LVP we never had those challenges and my kids (now 4 and 6) still talk about their teachers and say how much they miss them. As we still navigate this pandemic, I will also add that I have worked for the health department for over ten years and saw first hand how seriously and thoughtfully LVP has navigated the challenges of COVID. I whole heartedly recommend LVP to families in the Albany area and east bay. We miss them terribly!

Our son started here recently, a big transition from daycare to "big boy school" aka preschool. All…read moreof the teachers are so nice and accommodating! He has already fully acclimated and is excited to go in the morning. They have a full schedule of fun activities, outdoor play, and art projects. It's affordable, clean and in a great location. Tami is always around to answer questions. Highly recommend!