Most of us take it for granted that we can read a restaurant menu, read a prescription bottle…read morelabel, write a check, understand a street sign, or sign up to vote. The people who seek out this amazing non-profit program cannot, and wish to do so! Project Second Chance, or PSC for short, is the Contra Costa County Library Adult Literacy Program. They offer free, confidential, one-on-one basic literacy instruction for adults -- both native English speakers and ESL/ELL speakers -- who read and/or write below a 6th grade level. This is done thanks to volunteer tutors. They also have volunteer tutors who use the Wilson Reading System (similar to the Barton Reading System) and work with adults who believe that they are dyslexic (FYI: no formal diagnosis may be performed at PSC). I sought out this program to help my friend -- and I ended up training to become a tutor : ) Their two-day Saturday/Sunday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. training session prepares volunteers to teach basic reading and writing skills to native English speakers and ESL/ELL speakers using the Challenger Series and the Voyager Series. Their once-every-six-months Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. training session prepares a small group of volunteers to use the Wilson Reading System to teach those who believe they are dyslexic. Located in a building just behind the Pleasant Hill Library and connected through a series of hallways, the small staff does the training sessions, answers telephone calls, provides space for tutors and students to meet, and works on the logistics of the PSC program. Potential students come to the Pleasant Hill office -- or the office in Antioch or in Hercules -- to sit down for an intake assessment to match their needs with the right tutor. Inside the Pleasant Hill Library, they have a designated PSC computer lab with a plethora of literacy resources at students' and tutors' disposal, such as Lexia, Ultimate Phonics, Rosetta Stone, and many, many more. There are a ton of hard copies of resources in the PSC office itself as well. Tutors and students can access NewsForYou, an easy to read newspaper, and they even publish their own book of students' poetry. *Tip: ANY ADULT can sign up to be a tutor -- and they are *always* looking for tutors! *Tip: ANYONE who is over the age of 16 and out of high school and who can speak English well enough to talk on the phone or in person can sign up for the program.

never answer a phone call. Left a message and never got call back. How can you do business like…read morethis? I paid the cost for the full year and right now I have problem with the hots family.

My first experience with the International Homestay Program was great. The student that stayed…read morewith me was bright, friendly, clean, helpful and all you could ask for from a person that came to live In your home. I would do it again in a minute. Great cultural exchange.

Their methods of verbal and play therapy were so helpful for our child. He learned to like school…read more Learning was fun for him. It wasn't forced upon him. Their methods were also very respectful and inclusive of our family. We were one team. I'm so thankful that we found this organization.

From the owner: In 1988, Dr. Partington founded Behavior Analysts, Inc. in order to provide effective,…read moreevidence-based services to individuals with autism and or other developmental delays. The original services focused on providing services to children in their homes and consultation with in the school systems. Being frustrated with the lack of evidence-based educational services that were provided by the public school systems, he opened the Strategic Teaching and Reinforcement System (STARS) School in 1991. The staff at Behavior Analysts also provided clinic-based services for families who wanted their child's skills to be evaluated. The families received recommendations to teach specific objectives and strategies.

A beautiful addition to the Non public schools serving students k-12. I have placed several clients…read moreat their Pleasanton site and each are or were thriving. They also have a new campus opening in Concord.

Suma kids is A GREAT PLACE!!!. Wendy has been working with my son and we have seen nothing but…read moreimprovement from him. I can not recommend this place enough and I always talk about it when the subject of OT comes up. This is such a great place and again, the therapists there know what they are doing.

What a awful experience has to be when you're excited about learning how and where you should start…read moreyour flying journey at, and these guys don't even bother getting back to you after 2 weeks, claiming they get a high volume of income leads. This definitely made me feel like I'm dealing with a group of teenagers who are just doing ads to make some money and not able to help anyone that's actually interested in such a huge career. I reached out to another school yesterday and got back to me today with a full price and what actually would be to be involved with becoming an airline pilot. I do not recommend tres air at all unless you are wanting to waste your time !!

The entire team was incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable. I brought my 16-year-old, who's…read moreinterested in eventually pursuing flying, and we were immediately invited to an open house. There, we had a chance to tour the facility, meet the staff and students, and get a close-up look at the planes on the runway! Everyone-from the instructors to the students went above and beyond to educate us about the program. They were so open and transparent in sharing what's involved in the training process. If aviation is an interest, I highly recommend dropping by and talking to this outstanding team at TrexAir. A+ across the board!

My 15-year-old son has been working with a Strive Path counselor for several years. The benefits of…read morethis program have been amazing for him. He has learned about many classes and clubs that he has been able to navigate successfully thanks to the guidance provided by his counselor. He is currently on the youth commission and looking to apply to top universities in the upcoming years. If you are serious about your child's education and the need for college guidance, this is the company!

Sunny and his team are amazing. Very helpful for students to have a third party outside of the home…read moreto help with the college application process. The sports recruiting addition is excellent and very helpful. Highly recommend!

Our child loved ELA and Math tutoring. The teacher's attention and character, along with the…read moreevidence-based curriculum, have shown good academic results. Highly recommend!

I had been thinking about putting my kid there for a while. then a sudden passing of my autistic…read morechild's father suddenly, made me postpone our first session until recently. Guess what, the Director of Lanies Learning and the school associated didn't really care about my kid learning Math. Even though it was a bit sketchy how they charged me more because I won a district settlement and charged me the "district rate" vs. the cheaper family rate, although both come with the same work involved. I questioned that at our final meeting. So here I come on the first day all the way from Piedmont to Concord, and I barely get a "hello" and no official introduction to anyone or condolences. I had to ask for a little sit down before my kid went the tutor. Then when I picked him up, I peaked at where she was having the tutoring of multi-sensory tutoring, and he was on the floor w/ many desks all around him, squished. When I brought this up to the Director in an email. She was so offended, she tore up my check she said and would give me that lesson for free. She apparently didn't like me questioning what I saw or what I expected from a "round up" after a first session. I was so excited too, but it seemed it was about conforming and not asking too many questions, than really helping my child. We since got a very amazing tutor who is amazing and trained in the exactly what he needed. I was saddened that the Director of this center and the Core Academy that it is associated with would treat a widow this way. So disappointed that they acted in such a way, after they accepted my kid, then said "he wasn't a good fit," after I had a few questions about the first session. Then to make matters worse, they let him go and tore up my check as they let me know in an email. How cruel. I really hope they don't respond, but it did happen and nothing they say, will make it ok. accept an apology.