Story of My Son's 2026 College Admissions to RISD, CalArts, and Pratt (and more)…read more My son attended NUART for about one and half year starting in the summer before his junior year. At that time, he had just decided to pursue art school but had little clarity on how to move forward. That's when we found NUART, and Ms. Jiji Ryoo recognized our son's talent and potential. With clear direction and thoughtful guidance, she helped him find his path from day one. Although our son showed artistic talent, he initially lacked foundation. At NUART, he was able to build those fundamentals while simultaneously preparing his portfolio for college applications. After a year and a half of hard work, he achieved results beyond anything we could have imagined. It was truly an emotional and unforgettable moment for our entire family. Along the way, we also discovered strengths in him that we hadn't fully recognized before. We came to realize that studying art is not just about getting into college. It is a deeply sophisticated process of self-reflection and self-discovery. Through this journey, our son grew not only as an artist but also as a person. He developed patience, discipline, and perseverance. As his portfolio developed, Ms. Ryoo grew increasingly confident in his abilities and encouraged him to apply to CalArts and RISD - both among the top art schools in the United States. For those familiar with art school admissions, these two schools have very different portfolio expectations, requiring distinct approaches. Despite the challenge, Ms. Ryoo guided him through this demanding process and helped him manage everything effectively. In the end, my son was accepted to both CalArts and RISD. He was also admitted to Pratt, SVA, SAIC, MICA, Syracuse, and Ringling (Ringling is one of the top animation schools in the nation) with merit scholarships. When we received his college acceptance letters, it felt like more than just gaining admission. It marked a major turning point in his life. Throughout that journey, Ms. Ryoo was there every step of the way, offering unwavering support. We came to understand that admissions strategies must vary depending on each student's unique character and circumstances. Portfolio direction and content are never one-size-fits-all. As his portfolio developed, it began to feel like we were reading a visual essay about who he is as a person. Having studied music from childhood through college, I understand very well the profound influence a teacher can have on a student in the arts. Before a student develops their own unique voice, a teacher's guidance - from foundational skills and technical training to artistic mindset, approach, time management, and even artistic philosophy - plays an important role, especially during the middle and high school years. In that sense, meeting a teacher like Ms. Ryoo -someone who is not only highly intelligent and accomplished, but also deeply passionate about each individual student and genuinely invested in their future - is truly a rare blessing. To be guided by an artist who cares this much is an opportunity that should not be taken for granted. For anyone preparing for art school, I cannot recommend NUART strongly enough 1000%. I strongly encourage you to visit, meet the teacher, and see for yourself. It may very well change your path in the best possible way.

I love the teacher here! She's amazing at art , and she is very thoughtful. I have learned so much…read morefrom here and improved my art skills a lot with her classes

If you're looking for a truly relaxing and healing activities to ease the daily stress we all…read morecarry, try Tobang Ceramic art studio in Fort Lee. This is without a doubt the place to go. Between myself and my family, we've probably worked with all the artists there, but this place is the best I can think of. Head instructor, Jong Kang is a 25yr seasoned exibition artist, a veteran in ceramic art field, super friendly and nice, who will be able to provide you art work creation experience. With a small lesson fee, you will get the full support in art work including materials you need. The artist Jong is a very active exibition artist; you can check her work out at her personal website. Stop by the Tobang studio and you will get the most bang for the buck if you want a true art experience.

*This was a rebuttal to the owner, who has since deleted her comment which was once again full of…read moreexcuses and fabrications.* It's sad - but not surprising - that the owner continues to lack accountability for this incident. As the owner of this facility, she never once called me to discuss what happened. She never apologized. She instead chose to hold 2 meetings on Jan 3 and 4 with all enrolled parents where she blatantly lied about myself and my two year old, and falsely said Scribbles was cleared of all allegations. Her only communication to me is via responses on review sites - one of which was a nasty comment that she then deleted. How grossly unprofessional. To clarify for parents - Scribbles was never cleared by the state. There was no "additional complaints." We gave all information during our initial call, and followed up with emails containing the video footage of her staff pushing and yanking my two year old. There was no a-ha moment where we supplied additional stories to the state. That's not how this works. Further, after the parents meeting, I confirmed with the Supervisors at the State Office of Licensing that the investigation was still open. They confirmed that Scribbles would not have been told by the investigator the outcome, as- at that time - it had not been finalized yet. As you can see from the attached report, the three investigation dates took place on or before the parents' meeting; there was no follow-up investigation after that date - Claudia's rationale makes no sense. Claudia and her team knew the details of this incident immediately, yet continued to minimize it - even though we have their video surveillance footage of this aggressive treatment. Furthermore, she threatened to sue me to keep me from sharing our truth, not knowing that I'm fully aware of what constitutes defamation (Claudia FYI I went to law school. What *you* did is indeed defame our family.) During the Jan 3 and 4 meetings, Claudia and her assistant director reassured parents that they could feel confident leaving their children in the hands of these two staffers - yet now, she has chosen to fire them? She watched the video of her staffers aggressively shove and yank a two year old, but it took 6-8 weeks for it to sink in that's not acceptable behavior? It's clear that the only reason this step was taken is that the State substantiated each and every allegation against them. If the owner truly cared about making this right, she would have 1) called me directly to apologize and 2) taken immediate disciplinary action against the staffers. Instead she and her assistant director downplayed what happened by saying "it looked worse on video," they mocked me and my husband for not letting this go silently, and they engaged in a blatant campaign to malign us. I will continue to refute every mistruth that is put out against our family. My 2 year old will not be the scapegoat or be further defamed. The silver lining in this is that we have pulled our child out and she is flourishing at her new Center. She has learned more in the past 8 weeks than she did in 7 months at Scribbles. The differences are stark. Interestingly, we have not received any negative reports on her behavior - which sadly is the justification they used to excuse their staff's behavior. This saga has weighed on us, and we are happy it's over.

Our daughter has been enrolled in Scribbles since she was 6 months old and is entering her last…read moremonth at the center before she enters the public pre-K 3 year old program in September. Our daughter has made a lot of friends at the center, but has also become close with each and every teacher there who have become like family to her given the very little turnover we have seen. She always refers to them as her best friends! My daughter has learned so much at Scribbles. She has learned to count, do her ABCs, recite nursery rhymes, and writing skills - usually showing me what she learned before I even thought to teach her. They also were crucial in helping to potty train her at a younger age and were very diligent in ensuring she did not have foods that she is intolerant to. Like all daycares we had a few situations that we preferred to be handled differently, but all I had to do was speak or text with Mrs Angie who would always be responsive and work with us. One time she even went as far as having an in person meeting with me and had prepared with a complete time schedule of what our daughter did during the day based on the video footage. She is great on handling the administrative aspects as well. We will miss Scribbles, but we are so grateful for the time our daughter got to spend there.

Erin is a wonderful music teacher. She helped me prepare for college auditions and get into college…read morefor voice. She is wonderful and has a lot of patience. She taught me how to play the piano, and will go over questions or concerns you have. She also has had recent painting workshops that are a lot of fun.

We just signed up our 10 and 6 year old kids and they absolutely love it. Never knew they were this…read moretalented...haha. Thanks to our friend Hannah who has been raving about it and whose kids have gone for the last 8 years. We were all about sports but now they're spending a lot more time on art. Highly recommended to all!

Great studio. Took a beginner series of classes here a few years back and then continued with…read morestudio time once per week. It was a great creative experience and this studio is well run. Great people and awesome to see how everyone expressed their creativity. I hope to return someday for more studio time!

What an awesome studio and class!!! There was 2 super friendly ladies showing the class how to make…read morependants and earrings from PMC3 clay (silver metal clay) ....I've never used this type of clay before so I was a little nervous. But with their guidance I was able to make 2 sets of gorgeous earrings that I'm totally in love with ... it is totally worth the money . If your thinking of taking a class deff. take one !!! I'm glad I did !!!! Thanks ladies

Here is a review from Leslie Goldstein that I thought would share: I recommend everything about the…read morePalisades Preschool family! It's a truly enriching environment where you see your children grow exponentially, truly! Now I can say It's even better the second time around with your grandchildren as my grandson is graduating this year from Class 5! I also remember every single day of my daughter's years there and her darling cousin. They both had fabulous experiences with the original cast and crew. My sister and I went to help class 3 bake and gave the girls teacher a block of dough! They were wonderful about it and we all had a good laugh. The children come home and tell the parents everything so you know the staff is amazing! I love my grandson's teachers. They are amazing as are all grades. He teaches me about space and more! Oh, we all started with the toddler class and recommend it highly. Best place for your little ones to begin and you can peek in! 5 stars don't look further! I didnt even mention the enrichment programs with music and dance and more. I especially love the chicks that hatch each year. I remember it from my childhood. They are the best! From a loving Mom and Nana xoxo

My granddaughter is just finishing up her first year at Palisades Preschool in the Toddler 2s…read moreprogram. She started in September with three full days a week and loved it so much her parents increased her to five days. This was her very first time away from home, and the teachers were incredibly kind and reassuring. We were worried in the beginning about how she would adjust, but they sent sweet photos of her being comforted and held, and thanks to their warmth and patience, she adjusted beautifully. Before long, she was eagerly looking forward to school each day! She adores all the special classes, but music with Miss Momo on Fridays is definitely her favorite. One of the highlights of the year was the holiday show they performed for the families. Seeing those little ones dressed as elves, singing, and shaking their instruments putting their whole hearts into it was absolutely precious. Our granddaughter has truly blossomed at Palisades Preschool. She's become quite the social butterfly and talks all the time about her friends at school. The teachers often send photos and videos during the day, and it's so clear from those big smiles that the kids are having the time of their lives while learning and growing. On days that I pick her up from school, I'm amazed at how joyful and excited all the children are at Palisades Preschool. It's been such a wonderful year, and while we're a little sad to see it end, we're thrilled she'll be joining the summer camp and moving on to the 3s class this fall.

Horrible communication. They will not give you the courtesy of a simple email reply. Very…read moreunprofessional.

My 5 year old niece loves her ballet classes and is up and dressed at 6:30 am for her 10:45 am…read moreclass.