Crystal Academy is an incredible school that truly understands and supports children on the…read morespectrum. From the very first tour, the warmth and compassion I felt from the founder and staff gave me so much confidence, and working closely with my son's teachers with daily updates and genuine care has been everything I hoped for. My 11-year-old loves it here, and as a parent, having speech and occupational therapy on site along with community events and real-life experiences makes life easier and more meaningful for our family. I couldn't be happier and highly recommend this school.

In this journey, there is a lot of ups and downs, a lot of unknowns. But in these 8 years, I have…read morecome to know the beauty in having faith despite the odds and the beauty in witnessing miralous milestones. These milestones are a culmination of blood, sweat, tears, and unrelenting belief in a boy and his capacity to overcome his fears. Mary Palacio-Pike and David Pike founded Crystal Academy in 2009, after their son David was diagnosed with Autism. They had a vision to create a special needs private school, in response to the lack of local public facilities that provide education for children on the spectrum. Within those walls in Crystal Academy lies a village of support where everyday there are acts of love performed. Everybody from the founders, teachers, therapists, admin staff, are supportive, kind, and professional. Every student has an individualized learning plan which is specially tailored to each child's needs. In addition, it is a therapy center offering speech therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, and ABA. The collaboration between the therapies, is the key to success. My son has achieved a lot since he started at Crystal Academy and I know will continue to exceed all expectations, with the loving support of the staff at Crystal Academy.

I went to this school from 1-5 grade, and honestly I blame a lot of my problems on this school. I'm…read morein 9th grade (going into 10th now), and The Biltmore School left me severely underprepared for regular school life. Yes, the small hands on approach is definitely good for children with disabilities/developmental issues, however if you take a child without these difficulties and then put them into a regular school (public schools) your kids gonna have a lot of problems. The schools probably changed since my time attending, sure, however while I was there, it was even unsafe for kids with issues. An example of this would be with my cousin who also attended at the same time as me, who was autistic and low support needs. He was a victim of bullying, which got the a point where a student broke his arm. As for me, I didn't have these sorts of issues (I have ADHD but that's never effected my learning so I don't count it) and after I left The Biltmore, I was introduced to many different learning tools such as iready, IXL, ect. However, The Biltmore never taught me how to use these programs, and the larger classes of public schools meant that my teachers rarely offered me help with using these programs, leaving me to teach myself which made me struggle at the beginning of my education in public schools. To any parents thinking of sending your children here; DO NOT. DONT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE!!!!! As a former student, I'm begging you not to send your kids here, it was genuinely one of the worst experiences of my life.

My child is now a 6th grader here and here's my update. First of all since my last review I have…read morelearned that we do not use functioning labels for ASD anymore as they can be considered abelist. I am truly sorry, I did not know and now that I know better, I will never use them again. He is stiill thriving here and the supports provided to help him suceed are stronger than ever. Enrolling him here in kindergarten was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. He is included and it's evident in his friends group chat on his phone. They adore him and that makes my heart so happy. It truly is a blessing when you can leave your child at school every day and never have to worry. All of his teachers have been a blessing! My youngest child is in 1st grade and also thriving!

He tenido el privilegio de trabajar con esta administración durante más de 30 años, comenzando…read morejuntos en Venezuela y ahora acompañándolos en estos nuevos proyectos en Estados Unidos. A lo largo de estos años, he visto de cerca su compromiso genuino y constante por cada niño y cada familia, siempre dedicados a ofrecer lo mejor y a marcar una diferencia real en la vida de cada estudiante. Trabajar en Bright Bridge Preparatory y Our International Academy en Coral Gables es mucho más que un empleo; es una comunidad llena de cariño, entrega y respeto. Aquí, cada niño recibe la atención personalizada que merece, y cada miembro del equipo se siente realmente valorado. Estoy orgullosa de ser parte de esta familia, y no tengo dudas de que este es un lugar excepcional para cualquier familia que quiera lo mejor para sus hijos.

From the owner: At Bright Bridge Preparatory, we understand the challenges families face in finding the right…read moreschool for their child's unique needs. We specialize in helping children who are almost ready to transition from a special needs class setting to a mainstream environment. With our small class sizes, specialized teachers, and personalized approach, we create tailored plans and curriculums that address each child's strengths and challenges. Our partnerships with experienced sister schools in Miami and Venezuela highlight our commitment to excellence and innovation in specialized education. At Bright Bridge, we focus on ensuring a smooth and successful transition for every child, guiding them every step of the way.

After much research to many preschools of all kinds , as difficult as it was during this pandemic,…read moreI was happy to come across this Gem of a school! I was skeptical at first after being disappointed by a few tours as well as overwhelmed, however, the moment my husband and I walked inside, we both immediately glanced at each other amazed by how wonderfully welcoming it was. My initial amazement was its cleanliness and it smelled so wonderful! As a first time parent, this school met all of our needs. We enrolled our daughter at 19 months old and she adjusted within 3 days, with barely a tear! She now runs to the door and doesn't even look back. Ms. Emily is the director and the first person we met during the tour. She has the kindest eyes! She was welcoming and very thorough. She has done an incredible job and should be proud. My daughters teachers are Ms. Lili And Ms. Marta. Both of these wonderful and patient ladies greet us everyday with a huge smile eager to see our girl! It's so much appreciated!! I've had brief interactions with other teachers between picking up and dropping off and Ms Milly is a doll!! I recently met Ms Maria who seems just as sweet as the rest of the team. Despite COVID restrictions, such as social distancing amongst parents and not being able to attend typical holiday gatherings, you still get the family environment! I've encountered few parents and everyone is kind and patient with one another! I look forward to watching our girl grow and thrive! Thank you to all the wonderful teachers!!

West Miami Montessori is a great school with very caring teachers who are always welcoming and give…read morethe students so much love. The children are happy when they arrive in school as well as at pick up time too. The school is kept incredibly clean and the environment is prepared beautifully for the students.

Formerly Sandor Weiner School of Opportunity, a charter school for children with disabilities. My…read moreson is currently attending. Located in Miami Gardens off of 47th Ave and 199th street inside Landmark. My child was diagnosed with specified learning disability back when he was in pre-school in 2005. My son went to public school (Maya Angelou )for Pre-K with no issue. It's 2006-2007 school year at Maya Angelou Elementary and my child was placed in a class with (30) students. I found it a little excessive especially for students in special education. I was told by the counselor that the class was split with (15) special education students and (15) regular students. My son has a twin brother who also was attending the same school. Homework would come home and I actually saw that the homework for my special need son was more difficult than my son who was in a regular normal kindergarten class. I was back in forth with the school administration and was told due to lack of school funding my son will not be able to get the individualized attention that he needed. My son was literally struggling in class and was not up to level in his class. I was getting very frustrated because, I did not want my son getting lost in the system, progress reports were given and it read improvement needed in all learning categories. I called the school district, went to downtown to speak with the school board members and that didn't help. The school counselor gave me an option and was advised that my son qualified for the McKay scholarship. I was elated. I looked on the MDPS website and a directory of private schools who participated and accepted the scholarship. I visited many private schools and none were either to my standards or the tuition was over excessive to my opinion and I pretty much had to come out of pocket. Thanks to the search engine google.com, I came across at that time Sandor Wiener School of Opportunity (charter school). I was very impressed with the information on the website and I scheduled an appointment. I went to the school and they pretty much catered to children with learning disabilities The classroom ratio was 10:2 with each teacher having an assistant and nurse for those students with medical issues. The teacher would have group sessions and also had individual time with each student. I fell in love with the school and quickly requested my son to be transferred. The school also provided free transportation within a ten mile radius which was also a plus (not far from my mother's address). I only paid for his reduced price lunch. The year 2009 came around and the school decided it was best for them to go private and were teaming up with The ARC of South Florida. I began panicking because my son was doing so well in his class and his grades were improving. The administration had a meeting with me and pretty much my son will be grandfathered in (yeah) and what ever the Mckay scholarship amount he received, the school will accept the amount and I did not have to come out of pocket. The school changed its name to Ace Academy. I appreciate the staff, teachers, student. My son has done a whole 360 when it comes to his education, he enjoys going to school and learning. They have two other locations in the south side (Kendall and Florida City).

From the owner: Private School serving children with special needs, excepting the Mckay Scolarship.read more

Mi hijo ama esta escuela!!! SFACS es la mejor escuela,tiene…read moremagníficos maestros,todos son muy amables y cariñosos con nuestros hijos

**I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL.**…read more Our experience was deeply negative. As parents, we felt that our concerns and our voice were not heard or respected. In our experience, there is a dynamic between the Board and the administration that makes it difficult for parents to freely express concerns or question certain decisions. The way I was treated by the principal was, in my experience, completely unacceptable and lacking the level of respect that any parent deserves when communicating with the institution responsible for educating their child. There came a point when, for the well-being of my child and after carefully evaluating the situation, I made the decision to withdraw him from the school. Fortunately, we found support and alternatives through Miami-Dade Public Schools, which allowed us to continue his education in an environment that we consider more appropriate. I am not making these statements lightly. **I have documentation and supporting evidence regarding the situations I am describing.** If any parent is considering this sch

Thank you Divine team! You've given our son a space to learn and grow with confidence. Not only in…read moreeducation, but with all the extra activities and social skills you offer.

Divine Academy has been life changing for my son and our family. I was so unhappy with the public…read moreschool system. Im so glad I found Divine Academy. They have great teachers and staff that care so much for the children. My son feels safe and protected in this school. There is no fear of bullying or stereotyping because everyone there is seen as equal. The administration is amazing and so helpful. Their doors are always open. The staff is beyond exceptional. They are there to help your child succeed. There is a tight knit group of support within the families of the students that go there. Everyone feels like family. And their new facility is beautiful. I would highly recommend Divine Academy to any parent with a child that has special needs. You won't regret it.

If you have a special needs child with no tantrums, mild learning challenges, and who is fully…read moreverbal, this may be the perfect place for you. Unfortunately, since my child requires more individualized attention and a personalized education program, it did not seem to be the right fit for his needs, and he did not qualify. From my experience, it appears they primarily accept children who are at a much lower level on the spectrum. We will continue searching for a school that can better support his specific educational and developmental needs.

By far, Be Unique Academy Prep is THE BEST special needs school in Miami, and trust me when I say…read morethat we looked into most of them before enrolling our son in this school. It is truly one of Miami's hidden gems. Our son has thrived socially, emotionally, and academically since he began school at BUA six years ago. We can't say enough about the school's owners and teachers, and how much they give of themselves to each and everyone of their students. They are all dedicated and loving special needs educators. We couldn't be happier!