St. Michael's Academy is the only remaining Catholic Elementary & Middle School in the city of…read moreSpringfield. They instill important moral values within their students from a young age, and they're often regarded as one of the best Elementary/Middle schools in the Springfield area.

My kids love mad science, they are not easily entertained! My daughter tried it at school and it…read morewas outstanding. We visited at the big e too and there was not any camps near us then the virus happened and we tried the online class and I was skeptical but it ended up being awesome I hope they continue to have some online options in the winter! This year we tried mad science camp new instructor but great curriculum and cool take homes my kids love them!! The mad science team I have encountered have been fabulous and go that extra mile that makes it all the better. I think I might try a birthday!!!

My son had Mad Science come to his fifth birthday, so I was comfortable sending him to the after…read moreschool program offered by his school when it was finally offered. We noticed he wasn't learning very much, and the junky projects he would come home with would ultimately have to be snuck into the trash a day or two later. We decided never again. My son wanted to try Art Ventures. It had a steep price tag of $150 or so and was put on by the Mad Science people. We said we absolutely would not pay for it, so our son bargained with us and asked to use his own birthday money. We reluctantly agreed. Sadly the coronavirus has cancelled the course. They decided to offer an online class I lieu of the hands on course, but that sounded ridiculous; I'm sure YouTube has similar videos for free. We requested a refund for our son, and we were told that it was not an option. All-in-all, this company is really the equivalent of one of those shady carnival games; you're paying way too much for a product that has pretty consistently disappointed over the past few years.

My two sons have attended the Common School for five years, and our family could not feel more…read moresupported during this time. Most importantly, our children feel cared for, safe and socially and academically stimulated. The Common School is a ongoing project that evolves along with the its community expectations and, committed to a just society, through equity practices.

In my opinion, parents should be very careful about considering The Common School for their…read morechildren and should seek out former families to speak to rather than just taking the word of school leadership or selected references. I believe there are serious issues related to student safety and that the school and board leadership retaliate against parents who raise concerns. https://thingsincommon.substack.com/

10/10 highly recommend brighter beginnings! My daughter…read morestarted here at 3 months old and I couldn't be happier with the experience we have had room 3 (the infant room) MS VIRGEN is amazing! Our daughter has such a strong bond with her and is always happy and smiling when I pick her up at the end of the day, Ms Virgen truly treats those babies as if they were her own and I couldn't have asked for anything better! Her and Nicole (who is also amazing!) read books to the babies, do arts and crafts, and make sure all babies get equal love and attention. The room is cleaned daily and their sick policies protect our little ones from spreading illnesses. They have a huge fenced in backyard with play structures and activities for the older kids. They frequently take the babies on walks with strollers. They also post the cutest pictures on their daycare app, which is nice to see while you are away from your child. Lily is awesome and runs a great facility. She is easy to work with and has always accommodated our needs without issue. My boyfriend and I both cried on our daughter's last day here (due to relocation). It was truly heartbreaking leaving this place behind as we knew how loved and well taken care of our daughter was in their care. I have nothing but great things to say and if you get lucky enough to send your child here, I promise you and your kiddo will be more than pleased with your experience

Cannot say enough nice things about Brighter Beginnings! Lilly, the Director, is amazing and really…read moreadds a personal touch to the center. They were very flexible with our needs, during a difficult transition through relocation/new jobs. Our son was enthusiastic about going to daycare each day and loved the teachers and friends he made. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Best time ever. First time ever at school (I was aways homeschooled) and some people treat good and…read moreSome people treat me not good. So mostly everybody is nice and these people are sometimes mean but not really. I didn't know a lot of people in the school but now I know almost know everybody. I love mv

My daughter was a student at Children First Day School. I pulled her last month because she came…read morehome wearing a diaper under her underwear. She is fully potty trained, and was before she started at CF. She had a sudden onset of potty regression in the two weeks before I found her diapered. CF shockingly took no responsibility and had no explanation for who diapered her, who handled my daughter's naked body. I pulled her shortly thereafter. The situation left me disturbed and I want to inform other parents so they can be on the lookout for their own children. They confused my daughter, sent her mixed messages, undermined me and lied to me repeatedly. I don't care to be a bystander in case it is being done to other children. Do not send your children here.

Children First proved to be a very strict educational environment…read more Children are being analyzed every step of the way and criticized for every little thing they do not taking into account their level of development but the level of teacher's annoyance at their behavior which is appropriate more or less for preschoolers. Being humiliated for not making the right choice happens all the time. I experienced fist hand how a teacher made a little boy cry because he chose corn chips which had 3 organic ingredients and a low sodium content over a little juice box made of concentrate and 52 grams of sugar...I was appalled at this especially since it was lunch and the teacher wanted the child to have his 52 grams of sugar juice box instead of the simple organic corn chips...The little boy was crying really hard and the teacher took him out of the classroom making him feel humiliated even more... They are very concerned about being on schedule making staff and children alike experience high levels of stress. One time they had the children outside for only 5 minutes after having them get dressed for half an hour just because it was only 11:15 and lunch time making some children cry and experience disappointment after working so hard at getting ready for being outside for only 5 minutes... Outside time is another issue: they do not allow more than 5- 30 min of outside time in the morning and in the afternoon; teachers would rather finish up their chores before heading outside around 4 pm when nap time usually is done at 2 pm... Communication is only done online between the teachers. While it's good to be on the same page with everybody, a lot of the staff people are barely allowed to have time to read through everything and then they are criticized for not having the right approach to a certain situation/ child. There is a lot of talking around behind closed doors about teachers, parents and children as well making it difficult for transparency and good and honest communication. Children First is a somewhat good school, but being so strict and overly concerned about time makes the whole atmosphere be stressful and consequently not too many smiles on the children's faces who are kept inside so much amount of the daytime. Another thing that made me reconsider is that they fired a teacher for being home with her sick child for 3 separate days. Her child got sick at this school and they still fired her and it was done not in person, but on the phone... Supporting such an inconsiderate, harsh and strict educational and work environment would be equal to supporting inhumanity towards children, parents and teachers alike.

I usually come to town of enfield just for one thing ...Russo's bakery ... They have the best…read morepistachio cake ever!! aka my wedding cake. That said, I was recently here for the 4th of July fireworks and its probably the best one around the Hartford area, now that the riverfront has no fireworks. I don't think I've ever been so close to the launch. It was a magnificent display. Organized very well, plenty parking @enfield market from where the shuttle bus picks up and drops off every 15min. It was very convenient and I plan to come back again next year.

Enfield, Connecticut is a fascinating town. Situated on the MA/CT border, it gets decent business…read morefrom those people driving in from either Routes 5 or 91 (and considering that it gets Longmeadow traffic, all that much more). Its primary purpose seems to be in office parks, farms, and the mall strip, where the Enfield Square Mall and other stores sit across two streets. While it's a booming business, it's also a graveyard to those big stores that are no longer with us: Caldor, Child World, Media Play (who had the same space as Child World), Ames, Steiger's, G. Fox (which became a Filenes), and Filenes (which became a Macy's). They were all here. Enfield is a decent place though. They have shops, and unlike Holyoke, I could usually find decent parking somewhere. So kudos to you Enfield, you town of stores and whatnot.