We decided to enroll my daughter at MICAA because at 3 years old, she wasn't articulating as many…read morewords as we hoped for. We couldn't really tell if she was just really shy or was delayed in speech. What we liked about MICAA was that they doubled as behavior analysts and as a Kindergarten prep. We knew we wanted to enroll her in private school so it really was a double purpose. The tutors were amazing and so patient with my daughter. I believe she had Kylie, Cari and Alissa (as well as Luke who is no longer with them). They were all very patient and accommodating, helping my daughter blossom. They made sure we were always kept up to date by uploading electronic copies of what was done during class. My husband and I rarely brought her due to work and had grandma bring her, so it was really helpful to see what she was doing even though we weren't there. We opted for 1hr sessions which at first I thought was pretty long for a 3-4 year old but they keep the lessons engaging enough to keep their attention. If you decide to stick around, they have different parking options - paid street parking, paid lot parking and free parking across the street in Whole Foods/Ward. They are located perfectly because there are so many coffee shops, retail stores, parks and Ala Moana Beach within walking distance. The only take away was that Lins Snack Shop was downstairs making it a popular "post class" treat every week. In the end, my daughter got into both Punahou and 'Iolani - they even manifested it for us! Thank you, MICAA!

As someone who has been in education for 20 years I can say that this place is amazing. Our son who…read morehas ADHD was behind in school and after attending tutoring there was able to make great progress. Ms.Alissa and Ms. Carrie are very good at working with children of all ages and abilities. The individualized attention and programming they offer have really helped our son develop confidence and a love of learning. Would highly recommend them!

Phonics Fanatics is awesome! Amanda, one of the owners, is very enthusiastic and genuine in her…read moremission to help children. She's been great with my friend's 6 year old daughter who has just recently taken a placement test and found out she was placed at a 4th grade level! The really cool thing is that the speed at which she is progressing and learning is exponential, so every month she's picking up things faster and faster. Amanda offers a lot of specialized care and not only teaches children awesome learning techniques, but she's also great with children. She's very nurturing, smart and knows how to work well with children of all ages. I definitely recommend trying Phonics Fanatics!

I am very happy I found them! Charold is the best tutor my daughter has had and there have been…read moreplenty. My daughter has struggled with math for many years.They went back to where it went wrong for her and are building back up. I have seen positive changes in my daughters attitude which is a bonus. If you have been looking for tutors, they are best!

Best teacher. She taught my girls such important water safety and swim skills, and she gave me the…read moreconfidence as a parent to keep helping them grow in the water. My younger daughter was only 2 when she was able to swim the full length of the pool confidently and safely. My older daughter has become a total fish. Deb has such a gift for teaching keiki and for guiding the adults alongside them. She creates confidence, safety, and joy in the water. I am so grateful for everything she taught our family and highly recommend her to other parents

Deb was absolutely amazing! She was very patient with our son and really took the time to…read morecarefully teach him. She was very knowledgable and even took the time to teach us some practices to use at home. We are very grateful to have had Deb as a teacher and will most definitely be bringing our second son in the future as well as doing refresher courses.

We love Hola Keiki Spanish School! I'm from Chile and I can't teach Spanish to my kids. I don't…read moreknow how and we all get very frustrated. But with Hola Keiki my daughter has so much fun while learning, so we prepare the classes before hand and then we keep repeating during the rest of the week and now my daughter is learning and also enjoying and being more curious about Spanish language. Thank you Mariel! Can't wait to next season!

We utilize a spring class session (2021) for my 7 year old. My daughters class was virtual via…read morezoom. Seño Mari is very interactive and wonderful with the children. My daughter gained so much confidence, as well as, understanding of the Spanish language. She truly looked forward to and enjoyed the class. We will definitely be continuing lessons with Seño Mari!

I wanted to do this program…read more I interviewed with Judie Hudson. She was inappropriate throughout the course of the Skype interview Judie: What are you wearing? Me: Is the camera working ok? Can you see me alright? Judie You're wearing a T-Shirt, aren't you? Me: Ah, good; glad the camera's working. Judie: We have a dress code... Judie: How do you get money? Judie: What kind of medication are you on? Judie: Are you taking any medication? Me: [silence] Judie: Are you taking any medication or anything else? ... It's not her business what personal medical conditions I might or might not have! What does this have to do with the interview! Judie's corrections for the entry quiz | "She managed to do it". Judie: "Manage" implies struggle. Me: I don't infer that from the context of this sentence. Where are you getting that meaning? Judie: [Provided a new, completely different sentence: "She managed to unlock the door".] Me: In that example, OK, but in the original, I don't see how struggle is implied. Can we look it up on... Judie, interrupting loudly: Anyone can put up anything on the internet. Look, you need to know who to listen to. I've been doing this a long time and I learned from books. -- I never say such things to a student! I don't "teach" like this. I always encourage students to look things up online. If they have questions in class, great! If there's no time, we can talk after class. If there's something they know that I don't, great -- let's learn! While Judie was interrupting, I was looking up on etymonline and learned that "Manage" comes from latin and has to do with horsemanship, from the mane. I told Judie, who was not amused. Judie concluded the interview with a long monologue that can be summarized as: I have to state this now: If you're going to disrupt class with questions, you will be asked to leave. If this becomes a problem, you won't complete the program. The preemptive threat to remove me, should I challenge her authority, was unacceptable. I asked to talk to Joel Weaver about this and he refused. Joel suggested I take the CELTA program in Thailand. Why wouldn't he recommend the other CELTA program in Hawaii, at ICC? I don't know. Maybe they badmouthed me behind my back and let Judie know how bad I was so that they would then sabotage the interview thereby guaranteeing that I would not apply. I believe Judie's threats to remove/expel me or anyone for asking questions. I believe she is sincere and would not care or even hesitate to remove anyone she dislikes (me). I'm very disappointed by the way that I was prevented from taking this course. If I am not qualified, then I understand. But if I am not liked, I should not be talked down in the interview. Judie may try to respond to this comment to say that I am not qualified but it is not true. I meet the CELTA qualifications.

The Hawaii English Language Program (HELP) is a wonderful program for foreign people who are…read moreinterested in learning English! The Director of the school is Joel and he's awesome! The teachers love their job and their students! This school is small, but you feel like an ohana here!

Ali has been caring for our son over a year and we could not be more pleased. My son is always…read moreexcited to see her and her big bags of toys! I have noticed since she started caring for him that not only has his vocabulary/communication skills improved, but he becomes frustrated less now that he has tools in place to ask for what he needs. She also sets different "goals" for him (for example learning how to sign please, clean up, and thank you), plays developmental games with him, and really gets down on his level from the moment she steps through the door. I am so impressed that Ali really incorporates variety of learning techniques in her time with my son. What has really stood out to us was on occasions in which my son was having difficulty taking adequate naps when she cared for him. She did research on her own outside of work to see what else could be done to improve his nap times and it worked! I do not know of many sitters who would take time to think about kids they care for outside of the time they are actually sitting to do research. I am so glad for Ali and highly recommend Play Sitters Hawaii to anyone looking for quality play time and care for their children while they are out. They're in our opinion the best you could ever find!

Rona the instructor was very accommodating and helpful , highly recommend her classes very…read morecomfortable learning environment price is just right you wont be disappointed!!

True to my last review, we loved our St. Clement's experience so much ten years ago that we chose…read moreto send our youngest daughter here for preschool -- and I'm thrilled to share that it's even better than we remembered. A lot has changed since Mrs. Yoshioka became Head of School, but the school's heart, intention, and commitment to excellence have only grown stronger. Full disclosure: if you're a Type-C parent, this may not be the place for you -- this school runs on Type-A energy! I'm a mix of Type-A and Type-B depending on the situation, and the organization, effort, and high expectations at St. Clement's speak directly to my inner tiger-mommy love language. It's a lovingly run, highly structured environment designed to help children become confident, independent learners and prepare them for elementary school. Mornings are a joy -- Mr. Kuni manages drop-off like a Formula One pit crew (in the best, safest and most cheerful way), and our daughter is always greeted with warmth and enthusiasm. Beyond a thoughtful academic and social-emotional curriculum, the school offers wonderful weekly enrichment activities like Soccer Shots, Math Music Motion, and Hawaiian music class. These extras are a lifesaver -- that's a few fewer activities we need to drive to during the week! I'll never forget the day my daughter came home singing an entire Hawaiian song; it made me cry happy tears. I also love the daily classroom Google Drive photo folder -- I look forward to seeing what she was up to each afternoon. And yes, our 4-year-old has weekly homework and monthly projects -- our friends are always surprised, but we genuinely appreciate it. It's part of what makes St. Clement's special. Even community events like the school community picnic, Kupuna day and Halloween party are so thoughtfully done that they reinforce again and again that we made the right choice. It's rare to be consistently wowed by any school, let alone a preschool, and we feel so grateful every day that our daughter gets to learn here. She is seen, supported, cared for, and encouraged to grow into her best self. Thank you, St. Clement's, for being awesome -- we couldn't be happier to be back!

New director. Frequent teacher turnovers. Persistent fundraising events and pressure throughout the…read moreyear. Nice kids and families.