My daughter attended the preschool and kindergarten here. We are very fond of the Common School!…read moreThe community is diverse, both economically and culturally, and the atmosphere is one of love and respect, both between the children and adults. We found it to be an incredible, positive place, and we were sorry to leave it. One thing that really stood out to me is how loving and inclusive the older students are towards the younger children. It is a part of the culture of the school, and it is a truly special aspect of the school. I was also very impressed with the socialization curriculum in the preschool, which very skillfully supported the children in increasing their emotional intelligence and learning to express themselves well. They even went so far as having the kids writing skits (dictating to adults), editing the skits, and performing them for each other. My daughter came home ready to produce and direct plays for the neighborhood! There is a lot I could say about the Common School. We had a great experience here and think of it fondly!

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.

This is a review of the Toddler program only. I can't review any other program because my son only…read morewent to the toddler program for one year. I wanted more for my son for his early year than day care so my wife and I spent the extra money to send him here. We have no regrets. Felice DiMartino, Kirsten Dudkiewicz, Kathy Holmes and Liz Montgomery are badasses! They always have plans for the kids and are very attentive to their needs and wants which is really fakking hard sometimes. They are great! Totally worth the money.

Simply an amazing school. Highly recommend it for all ages. Highly trained, courteous, and peaceful…read moreteachers/ guides. Children thrive at AMS.

The Hitchcock Center is a place that offers education on here, the place we live. It's really nice…read moreand important to take a look around and learn about what you are looking at. The plants and animals in the area. Public schools should really do something like this. My son and I are taking a class and it's one of my favorite things he does after school.

Wonderful facility and staff! We had such a positive experience with their summer camp this year --…read moreour 8 year old joined them for two sessions and came home full of stories and excited for the next day. We loved how supportive the counselors all were and are could tell how much everyone cared about the kids and their program. Outdoor classrooms, variety of activities, animals and environmental education, combination of facilitated and open play, great communication, gender neutral facilities and all gender supportive community, easy drop off and pick up, sliding scale enrollment fees based on ability and scholarships available. It's tough to register, though, as spaces are swooped up VERY quickly, and this year they capped families at two weeks for the summer.

Very organized, sweet staff. Upbeat and professional. I can expect an update about my kid's day…read morelike clockwork and I'm amazed by the detail they provide, which tells me that they pay close attention to each child they take care of. Regular outside time, regular arts n crafts, sensory activities, learning and friendships. He always has fun. They are flexible and understanding. A great classroom setting and I trust them 100! Started attending here as a toddler and will graduate as a preschooler before starting kindergarten this fall.

An amazing school for preschool level children. The teachers and true community of parents create…read moresuch a wonderful experience and as your child grows here you understand how special this place is.

We've had our daughter at Nonotuck for 3 years and could not be happier. All of the teachers and…read moreadministrators are stellar--very knowledgable, well trained, caring and attentive. The open, emergent curriculum fosters imagination, creativity and confidence, and gets the kids outside and moving their bodies frequently throughout the day. The school's focus on social and emotional skills has been a great benefit as well. We often comment that children from Nonotuck seem to have an easier time sharing and navigating conflict with other children. Nonotuck also offers a cooperative community of families and teachers working together to not only raise strong, intelligent, confident children, but also to support parents and families as they work through the challenges of raising children. Many friendships are made between children and parents alike.

An inviting place where I always feel safe leaving my kiddos! The smaller size lends itself to…read moreguaranteed individual attention for each child and a cozy feel. Great staff who always work to meet my family's needs!

This is strange on two separate levels. One, whoever heard of being able to do a review on a high…read moreschool, and two a high school the you actually attended...even if it was a few years ago. I have some bittersweet memories of this place. Mostly because I came there from a more rural school that was a lot more strict. For me, I needed more direction and supervision (both at home and at school) and this school, it was a bit more of a country club than I needed. The counseling at the time was very lack and seemed to cater to more of the brainy kids than someone that was middle of the road. I actually had our counselor fall asleep on me while I was in his office. And when he woke up, he actually asked me to carry his lunchroom tray back to the cafeteria. These days, I'm not sure of the discipline lever here but if your kids attend this school you as parents must meet and the counselors and talk with them in depth and on a regular basis. Look at your kids homework and get involved with what's going on in their school. You've paid the taxes, it's your school. Hold them accountable.

Ah, Hampshire. Warts and all, I loved and miss you my alma mater. I attended Hampshire from…read more1993-1998, and I don't regret a single moment of it (ok, well maybe there were some moments I did regret, but hey it was before ALL the embarrassing stuff was on social media, whew!) especially since Hampshire had been at the top of my college list since the get-go. What they say about Hampshire being a "self-selecting" student applicant pool is ABSOLUTELY true. Hampsters KNOW this is "THE" school for them instinctually. When I was applying to colleges and universities, I didn't know anything initially about Hampshire until I got some information from a colleague of my father's who taught at the same college, and sent away for an information packet (hey, this was the early 90's, so no websites yet) which then further peaked my interest. That being said, the education you can get at Hampshire (and across the other four campuses of the consortium) is top-notch, if you stay focused, motivated and driven. Hampshire gets a "bad rep" academically within more traditional academic circles as it's a young school, with an alternative curriculum and no grades. Let me just say this: a graded system teaches you ABSOLUTELY nothing. At least for me for that's the case. I learn best from performance evaluations, strengths and weaknesses, what I'm excelling at, and where I need to improve. Hampshire professors write INCREDIBLY detailed and concise and in-depth evaluations of your work and progress throughout the Divisional system. Hampshire IS "graduate school for undergraduates" but it took me until I was in my second year to figure that out. And four words of advice: USE THE WRITING CENTER!!! They helped me at EVERY divisional level. Hampshire is also an AMAZING college for artistic and creative students and has (in my opinion) superior facilities for creative student work compared to a lot of other small colleges I looked at. I concentrated in both Theater & Film and found that although the Theater facilities were a bit sub-par, (ONLY because there were SO MANY theater students and not enough performance space, there were only two "black box" style theaters, a Studio for smaller productions and a Mainstage for larger ones), it was challenging. I quickly learned that serving on the Theater Board is the BEST way to make sure you get access to the Theaters (I started as a Theater Board alternate my first semester and during my Div III, I was the Lead Facilitator of the weekly Board meetings) if you plan on doing production work. I directed, acted in and produced my Division II production (a small two-character piece) in the Studio Theater my third year, and then directed and produced my Div III production (a MUCH larger ensemble piece) in the Mainstage Theater my fourth year. I also directed and workshopped scenes from my own written work (a play), that were presented at Word! The Five College Multicultural Theater Festival every Spring. It's hosted by a different campus each year, and in Spring 1998 (the year I graduated) it was at UMass. The Hampshire College Theater Program is run like a small repertory theater company, and out of all the consortium's Theater Departments is the MOST student-run. The larger Pioneer Valley area itself is also a VERY culturally rich place for Theater because I did post-graduate theater work in Northampton & Springfield after I graduated (I moved into Northampton from campus), and it was great to do that instead of just immediately going on to graduate school. Hampshire also has an AMAZING reputation amongst graduate schools, and I got into EVERY single MFA program I applied to. UMass/Amherst even offered me a spot in their MFA program in Theater before I even graduated from Hampshire; because they were aware of my undergraduate work. If you truly utilize the Consortium, it becomes an indispensable academic resource that way. Hampshire's Film/Video/Photography program, by contrast, was chill and relaxed (and WAY less hierarchical and political than the Theater Program was) and afforded a lot of student access to the facilities. In fact, now, compared to back then, I think the Liebling Center has been expanded from the original Film & Photography Building, and the facilities for Film are now even BETTER. My work in the Film program was mainly project-based as an outgrowth from classes, and I acted in some student films and did a short film during my Division III, as well as a couple of multimedia pieces that combined performance with Film/Video during my Div II. I wouldn't have traded my Hampshire educational experience for anything, and I know a lot of other Hampsters, past and present feel the same way. Fantastic school, but you HAVE to make sure it's the "right fit" for YOU. Don't go there without visiting or sight unseen -- otherwise, you will waste time and $$$$ just to transfer out.

My alma mater is one of the other 4 colleges in the area but I did take a class her as part of the…read more5 college consortium. My oldest followed 2 generations and went to that school as well but my middle son marches to the beat of a different drum. So I was not too surprised when he applied to Hampshire College. My son was very carrot and stick orientated so very focused on grades and he was accepted to 9 of the 10 schools he applied for ... RPI being one of his top two choices with Hampshire being the other. I was intrigued how he would deal with a evaluation based classes. He has adjusted pretty well. So far I am thrilled with his experience and he seems to be fitting right in.