Pinecone has a really good program. I brought both of my kids here all the way from Hollister. I saw a big improvement within a week of them starting. My kids loved going here and the staff was wonderful. I highly recommend Pinecone if your child is struggling or needs extra help. read more

My son attended Pinecone for the past 5 years till we relocated out of state. We had a wonderful experience with Vivian and her team. Initially, my son had some trouble adjusting to do the math and English on daily basis but the teachers were patient and he soon started enjoying the work he was doing. His math and English skills have improved a lot and we really like the materials and the curriculum. Highly recommend Pinecone active learning. read more

When my son was in first grade I enrolled him in Vivian's Kumon class in Los Gatos. He progressed quickly and gained confidence in his abilities. We continued on with Kumon after Vivian left the center and another instructor took over. We stayed with her for a while, then dropped out for a year. We re-enrolled and after a few months transferred to another Kumon Center. We only stayed with the second Kumon Center for another couple of months. Why did we drop and change twice after Vivian left? My son and I had become accustomed to Vivian's mentoring style. She's very thorough, but she doesn't intimidate. She truly cares about every child and adjusts her approach to their personalities. Her sense of humor and kind nature actively help kids to break through learning roadblocks. She is passionate about teaching, which shows in the helpful communications she sends out on a regular basis. My son is now in 7th grade and when we heard that Vivian opened a center in Los Gatos we were quick to enroll. It took several months to make sure there were no missing elements in his math skills, but he will soon be starting algebra. Pinecone math is ideal because it follows CA State educational standards. In addition to doing traditional math problems, there are "thought" problems which require analysis of variables to find a solution. That was missing in Kumon, even though it's an important element of public school math. The program requires parental participation, ie, correcting homework and, of course, encouraging the child to do the workbooks every night. read more

My husband and I decided to put all three of our kids in Pinecone last January. We were looking for a program that would help improve both reading/writing and math. At the time, our kids were 4, 6 and 8. We noticed an immediate improvement in my 6 year old. Her reading and math turned a corner very quickly. Homework became less of a chore and her math and spelling tests improved. All three of my kids made huge progress while at Pinecone. Sometimes we were faced with the challenge of doing the work at home but, this is nothing new to our household and we found ways to motivate the kids to do the work. What impressed me the most about Pinecone is Vivian, the owner. She knows how to motivate the kids and works extra hard to find ways to meet each and every child's needs. I always felt as if my kids were the only ones... because she gives you that type of attention! She went above and beyond for my guys and for that I cannot say enough good things about the program. She will send you informative emails and is always looking to be current in the education of her students. THANK YOU Vivian for caring so much about my kids and really helping give them a foundation to work with. read more

Ms. Vivian isn't here and her staff playing on her cell phone from the time I dropped my kids off until I picked them up. Isn't the right roll model for our kids. My kids said the staff always on her cellphone when staff isn't assisting kids. Feb 1, 2018 at 5:26pm. read more

Pinecone Active Learning - Tutoring Centers Near Me - San Jose, California

We started the Pinecone program this September so we are still relatively new it. What I can say is that Vivian is a wonderful and caring person and mentor to the children. Both of my children have been in several other programs and this is the first one that they rave about. Vivian has a way with teaching her students. She encourages them instead of making them fearful. From what I see, she makes learning fun with simple rewards. She is strict but in a good/nice way that seems to work for us. Yes it does take parental involvement, discipline, and follow through. But I think these are fundamental values that will help your children succeed. I don't understand the negative review in regards to Vivian's intimidating style. It sounds like perhaps this person was in a different program? So far, I'm seeing a lot of progress and positiveness from Vivian and the program. What I also love is that Vivian is always very responsive whenever I have any issues or concerns. In addition, my son feels comfortable enough with Vivian that we also hired her for personal tutoring. I will update if anything changes but from what I see so far, I like the program and Vivian a lot. read more

My son went to Ms. Vivian's previous learning center in Los Gatos for three years. He became quite advanced in math and required some help with difficult new concepts, but because he had mastered everything leading up to the new part, he didn't need that much help. Ms. Vivian guided him all the way and now he is taking Calculus BC class in his Senior Year. I am so glad to see her back in Los Gatos. She has even offered my son a job this summer. Good structured system, great instructor, immeasurable benefits for the kids. I recommend Pinecone to all my friends and neighbors with elementary school kids. read more

I went to check out Pinecone because I had heard so many positive comments from my neighbors. The facility is airy, well-lit, clean, well-organized, and conveniently located on a quiet street with plenty of parking. On that particular day, I saw three tutors each working with 3-4 children. Everyone was engaged and appeared to be enjoying the learning experience. Vivian welcomed me with a smile and was gracious enough to spend a few minutes chatting with me. She seems to be a kind and generous woman who obviously cares deeply about what she does to help the children in her program. A parent who has a child either struggling academically or working ahead of peers at school, and need support should consider Pinecone. read more

My son had gone to the Silver Creek location of Pinecone Active Learning and the learnings and experience was not great. I would not recommend. Again, my personal opinion - others may differ. read more

I'm so happy to have found Tere and Vivian. My little boy doesn't fit the "system" and I was looking for a teacher who could understand his unique needs in learning. So glad I spoke to Vivian. Vivian was quick to understand what the missing link was. So grateful she did! She showed us to an awesome teacher and person... enter Tere! My little boy who was then also a shy boy learnt to write and came out of his shell to start using his hands to draw and paint too in a matter of months. This is something that public and private schools were unable to understand and work with! Way to go Tere, I can't say enough about your work with my little one! And thank you Vivian for keeping a wonderful team on board! read more

I do like the work materials and getting timed on the basic Math fundamental concepts. But, unfortunately Vivian only taught my daughter at the last week of the session. Otherwise, she was given the workbook materials and was told to work on it. Too many students for Vivian to give personal attention. Vivian sounded helpful and sweet on the phone. But, in person, my daughter was afraid of her. I believe in an environment that kids love to learn, get encouraged and have fun but not to be put down. This is what my child had told me. Sadly to say, we're not coming back. read more

So glad to have found this place for our 4 years old son. Ms. Vivian and her team was amazing. The facility is in a strip mall, but very nice and quiet location. The desk design for 4 kids with one teacher. Price is affordable and worth it for credibility of the teacher. Our son goes there twice a week for 30 mins. He been here for a few months now and we sees how much he has progress. He been attending preschool for 2 years part time and he was playing more than learning and usually forget what he learn after we pick him up. So we decided to have him going to tutor. It's takes work and commitment for parents and child, but its a great system to have. It encourage us to be on the same page with our child. Ms. Vivian and the staff there are very nice, patient, and great to work with. I would recommend them to anyone who cares about their child success. read more

Took our twin boys, age 4, to Pinecone. What a difference it made in their ability to learn. Vivian and the tutors are very patient and eager to teach. The boys are already reading and learning math. read more

I had thought that my son George had some major learning difficulties. I took him to Pinecone and Vivian was willing to work with him. He came out of his shell. It wasn't easy but she didnt give up. And she worked well me as well. I was very impressed with the progress that George made. Vivian can forsee what each individual child with need to succeed in the long term. Its not a quick fix its hard and it takes time to reach these goal. read more

Vivian's program is helping my child build a strong foundation in math skills and concepts. At school, the textbooks seem to touch the surface of math concepts very quickly and by the end of the week the students are given a math test. We were concerned about our child actually learning the basic core foundations of math with this approach of the school textbooks. We didn't understand how our child would succeed in learning the basic math skills to build upon to the next levels in math. Then we found Vivian's Pinecone program. The Pinecone Program is great and it meets your child where he/she is currently in reading and/or math. An individual plan is created for your child to meet his/her needs whether your child is struggling or a gifted, advanced student. Vivian, we want to thank you for all you and your staff do for all your students! Your passion for teaching and making a diiference in your students' lives shows in the way you care about each one of them. We are happy to share with you the results of our child's 4th grade CA STAR math test results we just received in the mail. In 4 testing math standards, scores of 100% in each of them and in the math algebra and functions standard a score of 94%. We are blown away! Woohoo Pinecone!! Thank you so much! read more

When my son started kindergarten the public school noticed it which made me admit my denial that my son is autistic. Although he is high functioning he still has the issues of a child that is in the spectrum. The public school was excellent in providing the social environment that he needed but I felt he needed more regarding academics. I searched for tutoring places that would aid in his academics as well as his social skills. He was enrolled in after school care along with other kids from his school but proved to be not so effective in my opinion. Pinecone had good reviews when I was searching for tutoring. So I made an appointment with Ms. Vivian and described my son's situation. Ms. Vivian was understanding and made no promises over the phone but suggested for my son and I to meet her. My son and I arrived at Pinecone before any of the other students so she was able to give her full attention. I was impressed by how she took to my son and realized what his needs would be. I was skeptical in the beginning but I wanted to see how my son would react to the environment. To my great pleasure Ms. Vivian and her staff took excellent care of my son. Not only had he progressed to main stream math at the school but his progress in his academics and social skills was also noticed by his school. The work he does at Pinecone is at a higher level than the public school which is an excellent thing. He is introduced to new material and does well and without being stressed. Ms. Vivian does an excellent job of adjusting the material to his needs. She pushes him but also pulls back when it is needed. This is custom academics at its best. I now have enrolled my pre-school daughter to Pinecone and she loves going there. The staff are exceptionally friendly and excellent in their teachings. But make no mistake that his is not a hands off scenario; it takes a village... I am very pleased with the progress my son has made and already see improvement in reading and writing from my little girl. Highly recommend. read more

My son's passion is ice hockey, and he has always excelled at it. Academics (especially math and language arts) were extremely challenging for him. Vivian, with her program, worked her magic on my (less-than-enthusiastic) son and brought him up from a potential drop-out to a confident college grad. It was not easy, but it sure worked. He is now 28 years old and owns a very successful online advertising business. I cannot imagine what direction his life would have taken without your support and dedication. Thank you, Vivian. read more

My 10 year old daughter has been with Vivian at Pinecone Learning for over 4 years. Recently, after moving, I have decided it's just too far to drive. Before I leave, I absolutely must comment here on Yelp. My daughter doesn't much care for math. (just like me..) But you know what? After all her work with Vivian, she is really good at it. She has struggled with some of the work, other work she didn't mind too much, and boy have there been some tears.. However, she has earned an A on every report card since first grade. My goal is for her to be so good at math, that it's easy, and why bother to dislike something that's so easy for you. She is now in 5th grade, and school math is getting harder. Now 5 weeks into the school year, her grade is 95%. The few mistakes she makes are from carelessness and not because she doesn't know how to do the work. I am so happy that my daughter now has such a strong foundation. I highly recommend Pinecone Learning. read more

We have only been with Pinecone learning center for about 4 months...all I can say is "Why did we not do this sooner?" My son is in the 6th grade and has had his ups and downs in math for a few years. My biggest fear was that he would loose his confidence and then be intimidated by math for years to come...like I was. Finding Vivian Hobbs has been the biggest blessing. She is incredibly organized, caring and firm, yet fair with all her students. I have seen so much improvement in my son's homework and classroom focus, not just in math but all areas. I am certain this is do to the skills he has learned from being a part of the Pinecone Learning Center. My son has amazed me with his dedication to the daily homework...this is not to say that he does not complain on occasion. I too have learned so much through this process. In the past I would feed into his complaints about school work and fall into the trap of negotiating with my son about homework and play time. What I have noticed is that now I let him vent and I do not really respond to the complaints. Within a few minutes he hunkers down and gets to work. He knows and I know it has to be done, we no longer fight about homework!!! He has always worked hard, but now I see he has a greater sense of responsibility and ownership. Here is the best endorsement of all... Two days ago my son got a phone call from a classmate who needed help with math homework. After he hung up he came to me and said: "Mom, news is travelling fast. That is the second phone call this week from a classmate needing help with math. They use to call another boy but now they are calling me. (he patted his own heart) and said "That makes me feel so proud!" I cried tears of joy! read more