My 10 year old has been in Firecracker math programs since she was 6 or 7 and she loves math now,…read morewhich I attribute to the way this program is run. There is an emphasis on concepts, so the math is almost snuck in with games and activities. There is a huge focus on having the children talk about what they think. So, fun and hugely interactive. She loved the summer camp too.

My kids (now 7&9) have been doing Firecracker Math as an after school activity for a few years now…read more This joined the FM for summer camp this year for the first time. They had a great time, even though they were reluctant to participate originally. The math portion is for a few hours in the morning, and then an afternoon program (art/magic etc) is offered in the afternoon. There is also an aftercare option, for the late afternoon/early evening. Ella does a great job of assessing the students so that they are placed in the appropriate group. She also checked in with the kids daily to confirm they were absorbing the material, and was great about communicating with the families. I'd definitely recommend FM if your kid is interested in a math/logic activity outside of school.

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.

The process of looking for a new school is overwhelming due to the sheer number of options. You…read morecome up with a comprehensive list of 10-15 schools you are considering and try to knock any of them out for even random reasons so that you can focus on touring and applying to a more manageable list of schools. Berkwood Hedge was on my long list - and when I read some of the negative reviews, I almost just crossed it off of our list. I am so thankful that I kept my mind open and saw Berkwood Hedge for myself. My son joined the 4th grade class this past Fall and it has been truly transformational for him and our family. After years of unhealthy social situations in his past schools and lack of attention to his learning needs, due to the care from Berkwood Hedge, he is now starting to come out from a haze of low confidence. His teachers, Olivia and Elisa, have been invaluable in helping him grow in confidence. Before you make any decisions about schooling for your child, I implore you to just attend one community meeting that happens in person every Wednesday morning at 8:45 on campus. It really does take a village and Berkwood Hedge has set up just that - a loving village around our children. When you hear the head of school, Love Weinstock, speak, you know that this care for the whole child is everywhere in the school's culture. You will definitely see the intentional approach in your child's classroom but you will also see it with restorative justice with Silver, music with Ajayi, learning with Edie, art with Laura, school operations with Kris, and the list goes on. We will be moving to Berkwod Hedge's upper campus next year and we are really looking forward to it. They have really been able to increase the diversity in the upper grades. Furthermore, Love leads with so much clarity that I look forward to seeing that come alive in middle school.

My child started at Berkwood Hedge this year after transferring from a much larger public…read moreelementary school. The difference in his enthusiasm for learning has been night & day. He is thriving -- academically, emotionally, and socially -- at Berkwood Hedge, and we are grateful! I can't say enough good things about this incredible school. The quality of teaching, arts programming, and true care demonstrated between adults and kids is phenomenal. Each time I think about our experience, I realize "but wait, there's more!" The list of wonderful things about Berkwood Hedge just goes on and on.

Awful school. They claim to be a Waldorf school but they have no idea what the true meaning of…read moreWaldorf is and what Rudolf Steiner originally intended. They treat prospective families horribly. At first they appear welcoming and supportive, but that is completely fake. They discriminate and there is complete lack of transparency.

Our family moved to Rockridge specifically for the great K-5 schools, but when those schools closed…read moreduring COVID we found a neighborhood school that was finding innovative ways to stay open and serve the students and their families. Now, 5 years later, we have every intent to see our kids graduate from the BRWS middle school. There is a rhythm to each day, week, and season. That rhythm (and the intentionality behind it) calms my children, grounds them, provides them with stability, and has allowed them to develop at their speed. This is a school that in early childhood lets kids be in nature, play, discover themselves and the world, and lets kids be kids. As the curriculum moves into the grades and middle school, it evolves into a rigorous, really well-rounded education that develops the technical analytical skills needed these days while also cultivating skills like resilience, creativity, and confidence. Beyond that we have found "our people" with the community of parents here. There is real buy-in from everyone. The school's seasonal festivals are wonderful, and weekends and holidays are often spent with other families from the school at parks or each other's houses. Unique aspects of the Waldorf curriculum (like no media in the classrooms and a de-emphasis at home, having one teacher stay with a class for several years at a time, leaning into creativity and skill development as opposed to rote memorization and an abundance of homework) really resonate with the parent community and are gaining mainstream traction for the antidote they seem to provide to many of the perceived struggles this generation of children is encountering (with respect to anxiety, isolation, depression, a lack of connectedness). We couldn't be happier here.

Jayne was extremely patient and supportive with my 6 yo's struggle with reading. He didn't want to…read moredo tutoring but liked her enough to no longer complain about it as the sessions continued. She spent time to share with me her thoughts on techniques, resources and approaches we could use with him to identify and work with his learning and speech difficulties. I very much enjoyed working with her

Jayne has been my son's tutor for almost a year, and the progress he's made has been amazing. When…read morehe started kindergarten, he wasn't reading yet and now he's reading confidently, ahead in phonics, and even starting on math! Jayne is patient, kind, and truly talented. With her background in education, she's also given me great advice and insight as a parent. I really think having a tutor is one of the best decisions we've made, with all the hoops kids have to jump through at school, having such a seasoned tutor like Jayne gives them a real head start. We're so grateful for her!

They taught the basics and made it fun for the kids. In-person really helped the kids to support…read moreeach other during the learning process and understanding new concepts. They had an intro program in Piedmont but due to scheduling, we couldn't do in-person in Concord. They do a Zoom option but my kid doesn't want to do Zoom.

My son added their Spring break math camp and really enjoyed the experience. He learned how to use…read morethe abacus and played other games to reinforce math concepts.

We are on our second year (4th if you count toddler play time. *Hi teacher Nick!) at MCPC with my…read moreson and 1st (2nd?) year with my daughter. Pros: Phenomenal parent support, wonderful community, great skill building, socialization models for the kids. Inclusivity, diversity and cultural exposure, nature and mental/physical enrichment are all here, disability support physical and neurodivergent. Cons? This is a true co-op Parent involvement is required. The parents are running the school under the guidance and tenure of a past parent turned director. At least 25% of your life is this school once you join. You will work once a week per child.(Two child cap*) The kids will be here three hours a day so when you leave it will feel like you are coming right back. Second year you get a board job, more work! So, is it worth it? For our family, yes!!!! The memories, the involvement put you right in the front seat of your child's development and education. I feel like I am attending the school and relearning how to problem solve and function on my own. The experiences here are priceless. We don't want to leave!

This is our third year entering MCPC. We absolutely love the community...our kids are loved by the…read moreteachers, we're able to make friends with the other parents, and one of the best perks - we are all involved in parenting the children from a similar socioemotionally grounded approach which makes playdates so fun and easy. Any parent can step in at anytime and the messages our kids receive are loving and consistent. And the Director Jolie as well as Teachers Jamie and Nick are just rockstars. I feel a lot of confidence when I'm out at the playground, I feel that I can work things out with my child and ask about his plans and intentions and come up with safety guidelines together. It's helped so that he's able to re-engage with children and meet new friends rather than just decide they're done playing. I could go on an on about what I've learned alongside my kid at MCPC. Highly suggest attending their Toddler Playtime classes that run year round in the afternoon (18-36 months) and/or the annual Info Night in January if you're interested in preschool.

My 3 kids have been with GMIS for the past 6 school years. If I had a 4th, i'd choose them again!…read more We love the Montessori-style of learning! The classroom is full of different trays on shelves - very neatly organized - that the children get to choose as their activity. Everything is play-based, but all contribute to their future learning of math, language, and independence. When my kids were 2 years-old, GMIS helped to potty-train them. They are very flexible and work with you to get this done. The Young Children's House teacher is a god-send!! A huge draw for us was the Mandarin immersion. We do not speak Mandarin at home (I come from a Cantonese and Teo Chew speaking household, my husband is English only), but I wanted my kids to have a Chinese language and have more exposure to the culture. There is a Spanish after-school class if families are interested in that as well. My daughter takes that and loves it! Each class has a Chinese teacher and an English teacher. They learn all their letters, sounds and also learn them in cursive. The older classrooms are combined ages of 3-5 years-old. For enrichment activities, they are grouped by age. What I love most is that I feel absolutely no pressure to enroll my kids in any other enrichment because GMIS has it all! Consider it the "One stop shop" of preschools! The regular school day is 8:30am - 3pm (but you can have your kids there as long as 8am - 6pm) My kids have all learned: dance, music, performing arts, gardening, cooking, animal care, soccer, various art projects, caring for their environment (folding clothes, wiping windows, watering plants, feeding pets, etc...). Only thing they don't have is swim ;P There's a lot of opportunity for family engagement: Chinese new year is biggest performance. A theatre is rented out and the kids perform multiple songs and dances. They recite lines and wear costumes that are shipped in from Taiwan. There is lion dancing and food. Is a huge event that is so special to watch come together! How they get all those kids to do this is still incredible to me!! One of my favorite events is the Grandparents luncheon where the kids make stone soup for Thanksgiving. Each kid contributes an ingredient, prepares it at school, and it all goes into a pot. Grandparents come and the kids sit with them to have lunch. It's such a special way they incorporate the elders into their school lives. You may not even need to do your own trick-or-treating because GMIS throws a Halloween parade with trick-or-treating around the block afterwards! Another thing I absolutely adore is the birthday circle. The birthday kid will sit with the teacher and show the class a photo of each year of the kid's life. The teacher explains what are normal developmental milestones for that year, then the kid holds an earth and walks around the image of the sun on the floor. Then they go on to the next year of life. It's so super special! There are weekly newsletters with reminders, signups, photos, and Montessori education. When the kids graduate, they are well prepared for Kindergarten. There are some GMIS alumni who return for some of the special events too! I had the option of putting my kids into TK but opted to stay at GMIS because of the robust program they have. I wouldn't be able to do half days (many TKs end at 12noon) and wouldn't want to just have babysitting for the remainder of the day if the schools offered extended care. I've always said that GMIS feels like home. It's not a huge school and things don't feel fancy inside. But everything is well-kept, the teachers are understanding and the kids are loved!

Our kiddo has been here a year and loves Holly laoshi! It's amazing to see how much he's grown, and…read morehow much he has to tell us about all the things he does at school He likes being around the older kids at playground time - they've been helpful peer encouragement for potty-training, which was pretty difficult for us beforehand, and the teachers here made it look easy. He really enjoys the dance, music, and soccer as well.