In Junior/High School my daughter struggled terribly…read more Today, I am traveling to see her graduate from Grad School with her Masters in Social Work. Wendy gave me hope that we'd get there somehow. Thank you for being patient with not only the kids but the parents too.

outstanding tutors are at this tutoring center. They can teach what needs to be teached in a…read moreshockingly irregular time frame. They have the best teaching methods, top of the line education! I knew my daughter would pass her tests after coming here, this place is the place to be.

Thoughtful, educated staff that treat your child as one of their own. Lots of outdoor learning…read moreareas with well planned activities to promote child development. Very safe environment and staff are well trained to address all your child's needs. You should definitely contact this preschool and see for yourself why it's a 5 star choice.

Our two sons began their educational life at CDCC and have benefited greatly from the experience.read more

Nothing Short of Magical…read more We joined the Child's Play (CP) family in January 2014 when our oldest daughter turned two. I say "family" because that's exactly what Child's Play has become for us. We've felt so lucky to meet and connect with the teachers and families of CP. Our oldest daughter has since "graduated" to kindergarten (but still comes back for the occasional half-day) and our youngest daughter is in her second year there. Some things you'll notice when first tour the school: - Creativity seeps from every nook and cranny. Glitter, paint, straw from the play yard, and student artwork cover every inch of the CP Westside cottage. If you need a sterile institutional like environment, this is not the place for you. - Messy = Learning & Fun. It's always been our philosophy that if the kids aren't getting dirty they're probably not having fun. The CP students dig in, get their hands, hair, face, everything dirty, learn a ton and love every minute. - Donna saves it for the kids. You'll read some reviews describing Donna as "jaded" or "curmudgeonly," which makes us laugh. True - she suffers no fools and could care less about giving parents rainbow covered warm-fuzzies (you're an adult, get over it). What's also true - Donna adores and respects her students (and they respect her in return), her focus is on the health and safe development of her students, and she does it all with an air of whimsy and magic. This is the same woman who painted green footprints on her shirt and across her face to convince the kids she'd been run over by a leprechaun, who goes ALL-OUT for the annual Halloween festival, and when the kids are inspired to create something helps them execute their idea no matter how big or seemingly impossible, like turning the front room into a sloth habitat, building a huge cardboard robot monster, or creating a circus where students choreographed their own performances and organized ticket and popcorn sales. No school is perfect though - it's a little unorganized and if you have a group of parents not willing to pitch-in, it drags down the school's ability to execute on some of the bigger events like Fiesta Parade and Halloween. Additionally, the teacher turnover is high (with the exception of Daniel, who has been there for years and is the embodiment of music and fun). Every teacher at CP has been awesome, we only wish some of the really great teachers would stick around longer. That being said, this is what my children have learned during their time at Child's Play: - They were both potty-trained by 2.5. Woohoo! - How to recognize emotions and express them with words (instead of acting out). - How to navigate social situations where they might feel left out. - The importance of self-reliance (cleaning up, putting on shoes, getting your lunch out - doing lots of little things on their own). - That if they keep trying they are capable of incredible things they never thought possible. - That maybe, just maybe magic is real and all around us. We were a little concerned by the lack of formal teaching of numbers and letters, but all of that has come with time (my kindergartener is reading first grade level books already). What's been most impressive though is how Child's Play has helped teach our girls just to be kind and helpful little human beings. We will forever be grateful for being invited into the Child's Play family.

Child's Play is truly a hidden gem. We're on our 2nd child growing up in this wonderful little…read morespace. There is a big focus on outside play and creative arts/crafts and cooking (pre-Covid) that our eldest son really enjoyed and thrived within to include weekly art and dance classes for the kids. The teachers really encourage independence and creativity within the confines of a group setting of children that really learn the important early lessons of respect and appreciation for one another. Our oldest son was wonderfully prepared and ahead of kids at the Kindergarten level entering pre-K and knew how to read/write his name, count and do simple math in this program that carved out a "K-class" for the older elementary school transitioning kids. Donna, Daniel, Laurel and Lindsey are wonderful teachers and I would HIGHLY recommend this program for any parent looking for well rounded loving learning environment for their little.

I do not have enough kind words for Lighthouse Learning! From the staff, to the curriculum, to the…read moreatmosphere that they create, they are beyond fantastic. They did an amazing job of identifying the problems our daughter had and focusing on those so that she could become the independent, self starting, motivated and confident student she is now. We are so grateful for each of them and all of the hard work they put in with us! Thank you for all that you did for our daughter!!

Lighthouse Learning Solutions is amazing! We use their tutoring services and are very happy with…read morethe results. They expertly identified the learning gaps and got my son back to loving math. I recommend the instructors and the programs whole-heartedly!

Today's college application process is full of hurdles and potential minefields, particularly if…read moreone is applying to several colleges. I used Balanced College Planning in Santa Barbara to help me with the process and I'm so glad I did! Rya Carpenter and Jean Fox have many years of experience supporting students in the application process and they are outstanding, value-minded professionals at helping students navigate that complex process. I worked very closely with Jean Fox, who patiently asked questions to understand my needs (my #1 goal was to transfer into UCSB, which is local for me). Jean provided clear direction, great insights and laser focus on the many steps required to create my strongest possible application. Jean was always cheerful, supportive, flexible and a pleasure to work with. Whether you are entering the college application as a high school student or as a transfer student (I am an older student), I would highly recommend Jean, Rya and Balanced College Planning! This Wednesday, I received my acceptance letter to UCSB. I couldn't be happier!

Rya's skills, knowledge and passion gave our family the tools to assist our two kids in their quest…read morefor their #1 college choice. She is a coach, a trusted advisor and a realist in helping us understand the process along with what scholarship may or may not be available. Anyone looking to get an "edge" in the competitive college application process, we strongly encourage you to hire Rya. If we had two more kids, we certainly would! Steve &Debbie Woodward

Looking for strong academics with incredible teachers and staff? Come check out Laguna Blanca…read moreeither at the Lower Campus (elementary)in Montecito or the Upper Campus (middle & high school) in Hope Ranch. Both campuses are beautiful, large green spaces and expansive with nice classrooms and many outdoor areas for learning and exploring. There is a huge field for sports at the Upper Campus. Brand new science and engineering labs and classrooms are at the Upper Campus and it's all under the expertise of brilliant teachers who care about their students. The academics are very strong here and they raise the bar high for all students, but in a way that is not stressful. They work hard to support each student's needs. From the core classes to the electives to summer camp....they have it all. Want to get involved as a parent? They have the Parent's Auxillary and board with activities and events all year long. The administration here is tops on both campuses. Friendly, intelligent, kind, hard working and truly devoted team of people at every level here.

I had the best experiences attending this school, and their rigorous academic standards well…read moreprepared me for college and law school.

We are a busy family with little time to discern the pros and cons of the ACT vs the SAT. Lisa…read moreMazor expertly guided us in identifying the most appropriate test for our daughter to take for her college applications. She was invested in explaining to us the differences between both tests and how each test benefits specific types of students. We settled on our daughter taking the SAT and then signed up for a series of group test prep classes taught by Ms. Mazor. Our daughter came home from every class with a "can do" attitude about the test, invested in studying for the practice tests and reviewing errors she made in practice tests (of which there are many!) The class series was taught at a steady pace and in five short weeks accomplished review of strategies and material, taking 4 proctored tests that simulate the real SAT test experience and analysis of test errors and writing samples. I believe our daughter's level of enthusiasm and commitment to give this experience her very best was inspired by Ms. Mazor's approach to teaching. She communicates positivity, accountability to be the best one can be and her teaching style is dynamic and engaging. My daughter was never bored in these classes and remained focused on studying at home and learning from her errors throughout the test prep period. The final outcome was an SAT score that exceeded her (and our) expectations! We could not be more satisfied with our experience with Test Prep Santa Barbara!!

From the owner: Through our SAT and ACT test prep classes, we have helped thousands of students successfully…read moreprepare for their college entrance tests - for over 29 years! Test Prep Santa Barbara is a Santa Barbara based test preparation company. Preparing students for the SAT and ACT is what we do, and we have proven that we do it well! We also offer academic subject tutoring and partner with schools to provide our high quality, effective test prep programs in California and the Pacific Northwest.

We have been taking our daughter to Wendy's swim class for over a year now. The first day of class…read moreit is hard to see your baby cry because the swim experience is new (the pool is heated & babies are always supervised by 1-2 adults with swim jackets) but after just 1-2 classes our daughter was LOVING swimming!! If we miss a class our daughter notices & tells us! "Swimming!!" Wendy knows how EXACTLY how to work with babies & teach them swimming. One of the most impressive things they learn is if they fall in the pool they learn to put their arms up, reach for the side and climb out of the pool-this is HUGE for pool safety should your baby somehow manage to fall in!! We have had so many compliments from other parents while on vacation about how well our daughter swims for her age. Thank you Wendy & crew! We will be enrolling our son as soon as he is old enough too!

We have been swimming at Wendy Fereday since my daughter was 4 months old and she is now almost 4…read more We also enrolled our younger daughter about a year ago and she's almost 2. We absolutely love it there!!! The facilities are always clean and tidy and the staff is amazing. They start the babies out with small classes which help with repetition and really learning the basics, and then move them on to privates which really focus on technique and skill. We look forward to swim every week and intend to continue going well into the girls joining their swim team. Thank you Wendy and team!!!

Working with Nita is one of the best experiences a parent could hope for when their teen is…read moreapplying for colleges. Nita is kind, patient (especially with eager parents!) and more importantly knows how to connect with teens! My husband and I are a bit unorganized and well, frankly, clueless about college applications and financial aid. Our son didn't seem interested in discussing colleges with us, which was also frustrating. He began sessions with Nita in January 2022 researching colleges and their locations, lifestyle and academic programs/offerings. He has enjoyed working with Nita and has made great progress. He recently completed essays and application requirements and submitted his applications. We have already recieved an acceptance letter from one college, Western Washington University! Nita is very knowledgeable about financial aid and how to prepare for freshman year. I was referred to Nita from another mom who had a similarly outstanding experience. With gratitude to Nita - The Schous.

From the owner: Nita June, College Counseling guides young adults with expertise, wisdom, and heart on their higher…read moreeducational adventures.