I love Mesoamerica! I took the fast beginner course (3…read moresessions a week for a month) and it was a great way to get the base to develop my Spanish to where I want it to be. My professor was Adriana. She's AMAZING! She was always positive and patient. I definitely recommend this institute :)

Arturo is a patient and calm teacher. He helps you understand the language easily and converses…read morewith you so you can practice speaking what you've been taught. It is nice having classes with other students and allows for more opportunity to speak the language. He also provides notes for each lesson plus grammar practice. If you want to learn Spanish and have fun while doing it - this is the place for you!

Centro Latino has improved my Spanish skills immensely! They are kind and friendly and the teachers…read moreare very knowledgeable. They ensure that you understand the language and ensure that you improve your listening, speaking, and reading skills! And the company is very good at communicating. The schedule is very flexible and can work for anyone's schedule. Highly, highly recommend!

I have been taking classes at Centro Latino for 4 years now. The entire time I have been working…read morewith Ximena, and she has been so great as a teacher. She cares a lot about my learning individually and is constantly catering the class to my strengths and weaknesses. We play fun games, listen to spanish music, learn about the history of various countries and their people, and do it all in spanish as a double-learning opportunity. I went from not remembering any of the spanish I learned in high school to being able to understand and converse more confidently than I ever have. The classes have emphasized proper grammar but also really help with interacting socially and in certain situations with spanish speaking people. I have used the skills I've developed to have many full, 30+ minute conversations with people in spanish speaking countries, and it's given me an opportunity to connect with people I wouldn't have otherwise. Highly recommend them.

Choosing Mi Mundo will make it to your top list of proud parenting decisions for life - as it has…read morefor us. We enrolled our daughter in Mi Mundo Alcatraz. The quality of the educational program, the kindness and warmth of the teachers, and the parent community have enriched our entire family's life. Our daughter enrolled when she turned three with very little exposure to Spanish, and she has loved it from day 1 and in month 2 we already see her language skills at work. Mi Mundo has also passively instilled beautiful families values in our child that she has taught us. A small example of that is, she waits for us all to be seated with our meal so we can eat together. This is not something we asked of her, but something she asked of us. Since starting at Mi Mundo, we also saw her three year old temper tantrums go down and an ability to reason and self regulate her emotions. We cannot thank all of the teachers at Mi Mundo enough, and Lina for her vision and leadership.

Our daughter spent 3 years at Mi Mundo, and we have had nothing but a great experience there. While…read morewe started before the pandemic happened, when it did hit, Lina did an excellent job of pivoting and helping all of us survive those first few months of being at home, and then safely transitioning back to in-person teaching. Masks were required (and still are) and we had NO outbreaks in the school. Lina, was also, and continues to be, very inclusive of parents, and works with us as well. She has the hardest job of the lot, having to navigate each family, and of course her first duty is to the school, but we have found working with Lina to be a pleasure, and her candor and demeanor is one you can only hope for in a director of two preschools! The Spanish Immersion program worked wonderfully, after 3 years, our daughter is completely proficient, and will be ready for her elementary Spanish immersion experience. She has developed a great base for Spanish, and while one of us speaks it in home, neither of us as are native speakers, and our child got a great deal more proper Spanish instruction at school. She didn't speak any when she started, and while we were nervous, many families are in the same boat, and the kids adapt amazingly, much quicker than us adults. The kids all fared really well, and I imagine was a bonding experience for many of them. The Maestra's - there are no words for how wonderful all 5 of them are and have been to our child and family. When I asked my daughter what she will miss most about leaving MM, she didn't say her friends, playing, art, singing, all of which she loves - she said "the maestra's. all of them." The love and attention they give to each child is exemplary. They all have early education backgrounds, and know each kid is different and approach each child with a unique perspective. The kids at Mi Mundo genuinely adore their Maestra's, they make them feel safe, feel loved and valued. The semester check-ins provide excellent feedback on what each child is doing, where they should be and where they are at. We found it to be immensely helpful, and would use their progress reports to help us work on areas of our child's development that needed it. It is an art-based preschool as well, and the art is incredible. The "proyectos" are creative, and help develop their fine motor skills in imaginative ways. There is a lot of it, so get ready so send some off to family - the grandparents love getting them as gifts. Homemade Halloween costumes were my favorite. The curriculum is well thought-out, week to week, they explore lots of topics from oceans, planetary systems, the body, ecosystems, social justice, and more. It's a topic of the books picked at story time, and then blended into their art projects as well, so they kids get to make sense of what is being taught to them in an age-appropriate manner. Snacks are healthy and to my knowledge organic. The parents all get along and have become close friends. They have a safe and enclosed backyard where the classes have (separate) lunch times and play outdoors as well. We couldn't be more happy and grateful to Mi Mundo for the incredible foundation given to our daughter, and we look forward to our sons attending as well.

Our elementary aged daughter worked with Miranda for a couple of years and instead of tears and…read morepower struggles, Miranda was able to engender interest and fun. The math our daughter dreaded was transformed into a fun and engaging opportunity.

My 5th grade son has been working with Miranda over the past 18 months on executive functioning…read moreskills and academic coaching. Miranda was able to immediately connect with him and meet him where he was. She is warm, kind and is adaptable to any mood or level of focus he has that day. He always looks forward to their weekly sessions! She has truly helped improve his organizational skills and writing ability (previously a non-preferred task for him). She has also helped interface with his teachers and school (independent east bay school) in a way that has really benefited him. Miranda has really helped him schoolwork that more accurately reflects his abilities. In addition to helping him break up and strategize for his homework assignments, she also works on skill building (taking notes, doing research, learning citations, editing, estimating how long a piece of work will take). These skills have blossomed and will continue to help him as he transitions to middle school. I can see a notable increase in his confidence when he tackles new assignments. I highly recommend Meyerson Education services. Miranda has really been a game-changer for my son and our family!

Turning Point Educational Services is fantastic. I hired Carolyn Edwards last year to help my…read moredaughter with reading challenges. She is a gifted tutor and a consummate professional in every way. She has changed my daughter's life (and therefore mine), and I am eternally grateful. We are in our second year with Turning Point. Carolyn Edwards is dedicated to raising a child's academic progress and self-esteem, and the results have been profound. My daughter Magdalena improved dramatically and quickly. She went from an uneasy first grader who had taken kindergarten twice and refused to raise her hand to one who ALWAYS raises her hand. Magdalena's teacher at Redwood Heights School in Oakland said at the end of last year that my daughter was "one of the major success stories in the school this year." I attribute this remarkable progress to Carolyn's work at Turning Point. If you hire Carolyn to help your child get a leg up, you will receive not just top-notch academic tutoring, but also a friend to your child that will genuinely connect to them and affirm their entire character and being. Carolyn is truly a gift. Don't wait to hire her. I wish I had done so sooner.

I am writing this review 7 years later because Carolyn's words and tone at my son's assessment were…read moredisgusting at best and haunt me to this day. Her final analysis was "Well let's just say your son will not be a college professor" he was 6 years old. Shame on her insensitivity then and I am sorry it took so long to finally write this review. Happy to say my son is now a straight "A" student.

Our son has been going to the after school program since TK and he loves the STEAM program (STEM +…read moreART)! He enjoys the van ride from Bay Farm to the big island with the other kids and now that he's in K, he spends about 2-3 hours after school there - playing with new and old friends, learning more coding, math, reading, and science and experimenting with art methods. It definitely fills in the gaps of public school with the stronger focus on academics. We are very happy with his progress. And of course, he loves his STEAM teachers, Ms. Yuan and Ms. Jamila, as well as the coding, art and math teachers (Mr. Francisco, Mr. Patrick, Ms. Emily, etc.). That being said, this school isn't for everyone and parents have to be open to finding the right school for their child (which can change over time). For our family, I appreciate that this school respects the learning environment best for kids who are ready and motivated to learn on their own. This means that the kids are ready to learn and appreciate the lessons prepared (not yelling, standing on tables, napping, or other disruptive behavior), responsible/sensible to sit in a van full of kids and listen to the teacher, get along and be respectful to others, etc. To keep the kids on schedule with the van and different subjects requires tremendous patience, planning and care from the teachers, staff (Mr. Long) and Director Sunny - we appreciate you! If your kids can focus and manage at YY, they can sit through movies, dinners, airplane rides, etc. - self-managed discipline is what I appreciate the most. The staff communicates well in advance and also is very responsive and accommodating (e.g. if I have to pick up early, miss school, have another parent pickup, etc.). They also have parent-teacher conferences twice a year with a newsletter about your child's class with photos. Also, when we first signed up for TK when my child was 4, I was worried about the transportation, but that's one of the best part that our kid looks forward to when he goes to YY with his friends - it's safe and the van is there early for pickups (and the fee is very economical for us working parents!). We also have friends in the Mandarin program whose parents are very impressed with their children's language and writing skills and enjoy their class performances! We also have a friend who moved their child here due to allergies. Our kid also has a mild allergy and Yuying is very good about keeping everyone safe with allergies (making sure there's no nuts in anyone's lunchbox, no sharing, educating kids about allergies and keeping everyone safe, etc.) and also keeping up with the parents for updated EpiPens and meds.

My kids have gone to Yu Ying aftercare for several years now and have maintained and improved their…read moreMandarin significantly. They have participated in structured learning, including learning to read and write in Chinese. They have performed in annual live performances and attended several camps when there is no school. Yu Ying has also arranged to pick them up from public school and transport them to the campus, just a short drive away. Overall happy with the program.

Upon moving back to Oakland we were panicking because we had missed all of the preschool…read moreapplication deadlines. After being placed on a ton of waitlists we came across CWO. From the first interaction we were impressed with Jessica's professionalism and care for the school body. Healthy meals, tons of water, rigorous curriculum and lots of play! The cost in 2020-2022 was comparable to the other options in the area. Jessica has also been a continuous resource to us post graduation. Childcare recommendations and information about OUSD, BUSD and private schooling. My only criticism is I wish the student body better reflected the community.

Our two kids have both had great experiences at CWO. I've been impressed with how well the teachers…read moreget to know and appreciate our kids, and then come up with and individualized plan to help them learn and grow. They have some amazing teachers there, and the kids do such fun projects. It's a lovely community for little ones to grow up in.

Absolutely love this school. My daughter started this year and it was her first exposure to any…read moreschool setting. The teachers are absolutely amazing and are so attentive to every child's needs. The school itself is sooo adorable and more importantly clean. You just know love goes into everything about the school. It is a co-op so parents are expected to participate. The expectations are totally manageable and clear. Can't hype this place up enough.

My daughter has been going to LBCP for two years and has grown tremendously during that time. The…read moreteachers, curriculum, play-based learning and parent community have given my daughter the emotional, social and academic readiness she has needed to smoothly transition into Kindergarten. The teachers at LBCP are like no others and offer a loving, empathetic and patient environment where all children feel welcome and truly enjoy coming to school. Extracurricular activities include gymnastics and Spanish classes every week. Even with our daughter being eligible for T-K, after much deliberation we decided to keep her at LBCP for another year given how much growth she was experiencing and how happy she has been. Our son will begin in the Fall and we can say with confidence that Linda Beach has been a wonderful experience for our children and highly recommend it for others seeking preschool.