I've had two children go through the TLK daycare program and cannot say enough wonderful things…read more Our eldest attended TLK Academy for Kindergarten and saying she learned a lot would be an understatement. Ms.. Dreuding and Ms. Ceara were very attentitive and communicative to how our daughter was learning and what she struggled with. She is now enrolled in the Before and After Care program and thrives with her friends. I owe Ms. Jo and Ms. Josie for the encouragement with my youngest to potty train. Since she saw her little friends using the potty, one day she just decided she was done with diapers and we never looked back. Ms. Jo told us the first night of parent-teacher night that she'd be potty trained before she left that classroom, and she sure was. Today she is in the pre-K program, has had many of the same little friends for two years now, and also does very well at TLK. We highly recommend the TLK pre-school and daycare program.

My son started there in August. He is 2 and wasn't talking too much. He has improved a lot since he…read morestarted and has started to use the potty. The stuff there is very nice as well. Miss Jo and miss Dawn are his favorite. He can't wait to see them every day.

This is one of the best schools in the district but it has gone down hill since the budget has been…read moreslimmed and teachers and programs have been removed.

Do not believe the bad reviews, go meet the kids and families before you judge. The music program…read moreis amazing, sports programs and families are super friendly, the games are fun family events. Yes additional funding would make the school much better. There is nothing like having your child on a campus right next to a great university, high school students and college students constantly interact, they have programs with UD. Newark is a wonderful town and your kids are safe and free there.

Immaculate Conception School was a huge disappointment in every way. I'm very thankful my child no…read morelonger attends this horribly sad excuse for a Christian environment. The principal and teachers do nothing to protect students from bullying, and the education they provide is inferior to the local public schools. If they feel like you're not worthy of being in their clique, they'll do whatever it takes to get rid of you. When my own child began to be bullied though, I was reminded of an experience there. I distinctly remember one of the days I volunteered at recess witnessing a middle school girl being bullied. The girl was sitting down crying on the bench and 2 other girls were pointing at her, whispering, and very obviously making fun of her. I went over to comfort the girl, sat down and began talking with her. She confessed to me that she was tormented daily by all the girls in her class and some of the boys. I asked her what they made fun of her about and she responded that some days were not as bad as others, (which was heartbreaking) but that every single day she was the brunt of their jokes. She said they teased her about her hair, her shoes, her height, her weight, basically anything & everything. She lamented that all she wanted was for them to like her. It was the saddest thing. I then asked if she had told any teachers or the principal about the bullies. She responded that she told them everyday, and her mom complained a lot too, but said the school did nothing and they were sick of hearing about it. I assumed she was just upset & being a little dramatic, but after she walked away, one of the teachers who had witnessed me comforting her approached me and thanked me for talking to the girl. I smiled and said, "you're welcome," happy to know a teacher noticed and cared. I was then shocked by what this teacher said next. This woman then shook her head, ROLLED HER EYES and said, "yeah, thanks for dealing with it this time because we have to hear it from her EVERY day!" The teacher stalked off and I was left flabbergasted by her callous statement and apathetic attitude. ICS likes to refer to themselves as, "The ICS Family." They also love to call themselves, "the little school with the BIG heart." That is such a fallacy, it's almost laughable. Almost, if it weren't so sad. Truth be told, joining the school and paying the same exact tuition as everyone else should be enough to be treated the same as everyone else. But at ICS, paying tuition and volunteering like everyone else is not enough to be treated like a member of their "family." If your child has any type of health problems, learning problems (even ADHD), or if they struggle in certain subjects, ICS teachers, along with the principal, Mrs. Dinkle make you feel at best, like a burden, and at worst, unwelcome and like your child doesn't belong. Instead of having patience with your children, they prefer to simply document everything. To be clear, my child never had a single behavioral or disciplinary issue, but she needed individual help often with math. This was frequently complained about by her teachers. And if you have the audacity to speak up when your family is being treated unfairly or to complain when a teacher makes rude, snide remarks to you, they'll single you out and make you feel like an outcast until they eventually get rid of you. You'd expect some cliquishness in a private school, but the amount of snobbery at ICS is just over the top. If you're not a member of their "club," they'll ostracize you to the point where you question what you did to make them dislike you. Then finally, you realize it's them-not you. Because my family & I are longtime IC Church members, I thought being a member of the parish would be good enough for them. Honestly, most of the families there are completely oblivious to this because they fit into ICS' mold of what a perfect ICS family should be. Everyday, I witnessed families who were more financially well off be treated better than me by the administration. My child was even teased and bullied for having what was deemed by another kid as a "small" house. ICS does NOT want people to know the truth about how they treat certain families, to the extent that they actually removed the reviews tab from their Facebook page so that nobody could leave them a review! They'd rather get rid of ALL of their reviews than have the public see even ONE bad review. There are no other schools on FB without a reviews tab. That says a lot. Other schools will accept the good reviews with the bad. Not ICS though. They will accept perfection or nothing-and this is their stance on students and families in their school as well. As soon as they received a bad review on their FB page, they removed the reviews tab completely. That speaks volumes to the type of character this school has. I was also immediately unfriended on FB by several other ICS moms as soon as I posted this negative review. I offended the clique.

This school knows what it's doing. Established in 1927, they have years of experience. It's loving…read moreand warm, yet structured and maintains a high academic standard.

Turn to the Light, of Westtown School. Hands-down, best school culture anywhere.read more

I spent only my freshman year in upper school here, as a day student. My family has sent a lot of…read morerelatives to 'Town, back to Hannah Hunt, 1799 (a founding student). My dad didn't want me joining the cool group at public school, ripped me away from my friends, & plopped me at W-town! It was framed as a punishment, which did not set me up for success. AT THE TIME I WAS THERE, this is how it was (may be different now, years later): - Very diverse student body, all over the world, all over the country, all religions (or lack thereof), several diplomats' kids - No prom b/c it's tacky - Good college advisor program - 600-acre campus is breathtaking! - Lots of tradition, joining a community, sense of continuity through many years - Boarding was mandatory for Juniors & Seniors, but not Freshmen & Sophomores (busses from local school dists transport day students for free) - Mandatory Meeting for Worship every Wed (mandatory on Sun, as well, for boarders) - Mandatory Quakerism classes - Academics taught like college courses (at a small liberal arts school, at least) - Westtown is not brash & obnoxious like many Main Line private schools. It is ranked well nationally, but it's for down-to-earth people, not snobs. It's not very Quakerly to be a snob. - Students have mandatory community service. They have outreach programs, from which you can choose, but it's part of your education to learn how to give to your community. - There were monthly assemblies with various messages, & speakers. Westtown is very politically & socially liberal, so this will always be the tone of their morals & missions. It was definitely preparatory for college with the lectures & talks we got. - Field Trips & outings are more sophisticated, like college - Sports mandatory all year b/c they do not have gym class. Underclassmen had to play 2 team sports out of the 3 seasons, +1 club sport, IF you got in before all the spaces filled up, otherwise, it was 3 team sports. - No football b/c a student had died from it before use of helmets - Stealing among boarders? Yes - Drug culture? Yes - Sneaking to co-ed's dorm for sex? Yes - Bullying? Yes PERSONAL REFLECTIONS Where Westtown benefited me: It is mandatory to have UNPAID campus jobs. Yup, Mom & Dad will pay tens of thou for you to go be a janitor. At the time I went, these jobs included everything from vacuuming classrooms, to doing dishes in the dining room. Humility is part of being a well-rounded, decent human being. W-town will teach it to you. I had a classmate who tried to pay off our advisor to get himself out of his work job. Guess what that got him? The crappiest job available. I had a hard time donning the bright yellow gloves & a rubber apron, & I whined & "ewwwww"-ed my way through it, but the kids who took it in stride, & did a good job, were the ones everyone liked. You learned a lot about how to grow the heck up, & take care of yourself & others at this school. I had a drama class, that made a huge impression on me. My art class introduced me to acid etching when I was a mere 14 years old! We did some amazing projects, with equipment I never would have had access to at public school. Going deeper... I met a lot of really cool people here. The international students were AMAZING people, for the most part. I was fascinated by their worldliness & chutzpah. My two close freshman friends by the end of the year were from Manhattan & Tanzania. I also really related to upperclassmen tennis teammates from China & VA. A great mix of kids! I was exposed to diversity & culture (literature & arts) that I would not have been at public school (although my AP ps education was exceptional), & I am forever grateful. I was on a step squad, & I sucked, but I still know my routine! Where W-town failed me: - Faculty brats in my class were mean & entitled. The daily putdowns (making fun of me for being a priss), were ironic/hypocritical at Quaker school, & a HUGE factor in making me not return. - A number of kids there were expelled from other schools, & had a lot of problems, which some of them took out on others. I had a really bad incident with one of these kids, which was a trauma I had to deal with in years of therapy. - Faculty was hit or miss. Some teachers did not have teaching certs, just majored in that subject. For example, my history teacher was so awesome, I still remember his lectures, but my French teacher was TERRIBLE & had no teaching skills or certs! Also, I could not take two languages in my schedule (but did at ps with no prob). The kids who'd been there a while knew which teachers to request, & got them, while others suffered. ------- In the end, the bad apple faculty & students spoiled things for me, & the trauma event I endured (which I did NOT report to the school), sent my OCD out of control. I returned to ps, for better & worse, but dealt with it. FUN FACT: Famous alums? Bob Marley's daughter attended (you can look up all the famous alums on Wiki).

The Independence School is the perfect home for our 2nd grade son--providing an academically…read morechallenging yet nurturing environment. In our experience, the teachers are very responsive, very involved. We feel there is an appropriate focus on reading skills and math skills at this age. The school maintains a good balance with respect to technology (Smart boards etc) and traditional learning techniques. Other thoughts: Our son's peer group is a fantastic group of well-behaved, positive children. The physical plant of the school is very clean and appealing. We love the fact they have a PE class everyday.

I had two children attend this school over the past 8 years. Although it saddens me to criticize…read morethe school, after my older child graduated from Independence about a year ago, I realized that I had to remove my younger daughter from the school and send her to another private school in the area. Put simply, the school is not what it once was. The teachers have become extremely rigid and uncompromising, and instead of welcoming feedback from the families that keep the school running, it has doubled-down on a course that is damaging the school. Any student that it not seen as The program is deemed to be more important than the students themselves, and students that do not perfectly fit the mold in the administration's eyes are ignored, criticized, and ultimately forced out, regardless of age. My 6 year old daughter even started to realize this with respect to some of her classmates, and that was the last straw for me.The level and amount of substantive instruction from the teachers has dramatically diminished over the past several years, to the point where Independence seems like a completely different school from what it was my son started several years ago. The other private and public schools in the area are likely far better choices for your child.

The Philadelphia area has an incredible variety of great schools--both public and private--so it…read moreoften comes down to "fit"--for your child/children and for your family. My husband and I toured and researched many schools in the area when our kids were first starting school and in the end, we decided Shipley was the perfect fit for us and for our children. I'll also add that as they have grown & evolved as learners (and they are very different kids), the fit still feels right for both. We were looking for a strong academic program, but our family believes that education is not just about test scores. Preparing our children for success in life is about values, self-confidence, friendships, and respect ....as well as excellent academics. We found that educational mission at Shipley. Also, as our kids have gotten older (now in middle & high school), I appreciate the "positive peer culture" that exists at Shipley. As they begin to look more to their classmates & teammates for cues about how to behave and what choices to make, I am grateful that their circles of friends take school seriously and care about the community they are part of. It is truly the teachers and coaches and other adults in the community that make Shipley so special. Yes, there are great facilities (as there are at most of the schools in this area) but it is the faculty that sets Shipley apart. They truly know my kids--their strengths, their weaknesses, ways to motivate them, where to support them, and when to push them outside of their comfort zone... They also embrace and celebrate the many different ways children learn. The teachers are just fabulous--they are proactive and engaged in student life and they respond to each child's needs--at whatever point they are in their academic and social development. The curriculum is responsive to the needs of the students while the academic vision is always pushing the envelope. Shipley does not have one model of a "successful graduate" that they are teaching towards - rather the teachers strive to find each student's unique gifts and talents and then help them become the best versions of themselves, in a holistic way. I really like that about Shipley, and I see my kids (who are so different from each other) developing along their own tracks and finding success and confidence in doing so.

I graduated from The Shipley School in 2013 and my four years there as a student were the most…read morememorable and growth stimulating years of my life. When people think of Shipley they have assumptions of the demographics of the community. I admit I did. I myself come from the inner-city and a middle class income, and was nervous entering. Nevertheless, I never felt different. Shipley is a welcoming community, one that accepts everyone, that grants chances to those chances aren't usually given, Shipley is a community here to help prepare its students for the future. There is support beyond measure from the teachers, administration, students, families, everyone, because we are one. Before Shipley I didn't know what it meant to be selfless, however once put into the community I learned the meaning and I begin to embody it in everyday life. Growing up in the city and going to school there it was like a being a crab in the barrel, no matter how close you were to the top, someone pulled you down. I was never taught to uplift others. Instead I focused on myself and my own success. Shipley showed me to be successful I need a team and to uplift others because their success is just as important as mine. As I finish college and begin to truly embark on this journey of life I am nothing but grateful for Shipley building the foundation of the young woman I am today. I have defied statistics and because of the risks they encouraged me to take. I have gained a confidence that can never be broken. I will never again think of myself as a crab in the barrel. I am an individual who matters. Most importantly I know I am never alone in this world and I will forever use the teams I build over time to create success of everyone involved.

Research this school before you allow your daughters to attend and shell out $31,000 per year in…read moretuition. Two males 16 year old students made an AI generated CSAM of 60 girls...School leaders did nothing until they were forced to. They clearly only care about their reputations and the tuition. There is no accountability from the leaders of this school...do your homework before you if enroll your daughters in this school.

Student here! Came just about a year ago, and already got about a scandal and a half go down…read more There's also a mice infestation in this school. The education is fine, but not 20,000+ dollars a year fine. Some teachers are fine, and others are just constantly angry and yelling at students for no particular reason. Gym program is incredibly taxing. AI has also been widely used in this school, even after the incident, and it's being promoted. Students are encouraged to use Chatgpt, and teachers use it as well. Also, AI images are frequently used in the posters around the school. It's fine if you really need your kid into a college, but not if you don't want your child to have a crazy workload and 2+ hours of homework daily. My depression went from moderate to severe after just a week at this school.

Basing this solely off of the race track and playground, not sure how the school is, but came here…read morewith my family one day after my brother told us about the playground that they had. It was very clean and safe for the kids, and you can view your children playing from the walking track. . I had the chance to do a few laps while also hearing my nieces and nephews screams of happiness playing with each other on the swings and slides. The playground is enclosed and separate from everything else which is also pretty cool and makes it safer. There is also a basketball net but for some reason it's on a down hill so when you shoot- the ball goes down hill and you basically have to run after it. There's also a parking area which is in the place of the basketball net which is inconvenient for those playing basketball. Overall I rate it a 4 stars for cleanliness and for the things to do.

New ownership. There a couple of organizational challenges, but when it comes to child's experience…read moreappears great. Our child loves her teachers, her school mates, and her time at school. Our child has developed considerably during the time here. So i generally like it.

My son has attended Child Steps since 2011 as a 2 years old and recently graduated. I cannot say…read moreenough great things about the teachers- all have been so loving and guiding. He would come home singing a new song, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or telling me what he did in cooking class, speaking French, or demonstrating his yoga class take-aways! I now can provide a true testament of the skills that he was already prepared for before kindergarten. And the values they taught to make "right choices", right down to my favorite quote that we repeat on the regular... If it's sticky and sweet it's a yucky treat, healthy food is a power treat! And Miss Debbie the director truly cares about the children and runs a fabulous program. Love this school, I'll be sad when my daughter graduates.