I've had a unique, non-parent experience at this school. Leadership is working very hard to make a…read morepositive difference for staff, teachers, students, parents, & other stakeholders. The atmosphere is very welcoming & teachers are def committed to their jobs. The student areas are roomy, so students never have to feel overcrowded. The entire school is clean & leadership is working hard to maintain a safe environment for learning and working. If you're in Salinas & looking for an option for your child's education - grades K-6 - come tour the school & bring your questions. Lunch & breakfast are served, the teacher / learning aide ratio to student is very good, and the school is easy-to-access in the 93907.

Amazing school my grandson is a thriving been there since Kinder. My eldest granddaughter is…read moreattending kindergarten this year . The teacher is extremely patient with her students. (Same teacher my grandson had in kindergarten) I wish they offered Middle School because I don't want him going to any other public school.

We have 2 children at All Saints both starting their education in preschool - it's hard to believe…read morewe are already in our 4th year! Our experience is nothing short of exceptional in every category, but I think what we are most impressed by is the community. From day 1, you are welcomed with open arms to be part of the ASDS family and the bonds with the children are immediately felt. Everyone knows your child, from teachers, to Head of School, to middle school buddies and siblings alike. We are comforted knowing that the kids who started school together feel more like family than friends. Every child feels special and that they are going to school in a special place. And the facilities are there to support that feeling. From the new field house, sports facilities, garden, and surrounding natural beauty, it's hard to imagine a better place to go to school.

We have multiple children at All Saints and we couldn't be happier with our experience. From the…read moremoment our kids step out of the car at drop-off, they are truly seen. Every faculty member knows their name. Even the older students in middle school greet them with smiles and "Hi, we're so happy to see you!" That feeling of belonging is something we value deeply. Socially, All Saints is incredibly tight-knit for both families and children. As parents, we've made some of our closest friendships here because everyone seems to share similar values: involvement, kindness, and a genuine commitment to their children's well-being and academics. The students, too, have made wonderful friendships, and you can feel the sense of community everywhere on campus. Academically, our children amaze us with what they're learning at just four and six years old, but what sets All Saints apart is its equal focus on character building. Above all else, we want our kids to grow into good humans, and the school puts so much intention into raising kind, thoughtful, confident young people. It's truly special. The campus is beautiful, the teachers are passionate and deeply caring, and the after-school offerings are fantastic. Our kids love being at school so much that during breaks they ask, "How many days until we get to go back?" To us, that says everything. All Saints has created such a joyful, supportive, and enriching experience for our children. We genuinely couldn't imagine being part of any other school. We love, love, love All Saints. Go Saints!

We absolutely love Agape Academy, and so does our daughter! The teachers are fantastic and always…read moreon top of things, the curriculum is engaging, and the facilities are clean and welcoming. It's such a safe and inclusive place--exactly what we wanted for her preschool experience. Big thanks to Lisa, Carmel, and Catherine for being so caring and amazing at what they do. We couldn't have asked for more. Highly recommend!

What a sweet school!!! Our family had such an incredible experience while attending Agape. My…read moredaughter and son attended Agape Academy starting from age 2yr-5yr. Not only are all of the teachers dedicated and loving but they take personal interest in your child's wellbeing. My children have gone off to school and still talk about how fun their pre-school was and how they miss it. We are still friends with many of the families we met and love to community Agape fostered for us.

Concerns About Honesty and Educational Quality…read more As a parent, choosing the right school for your child is paramount. It's with a heavy heart that I write this review for Stevenson (RLS) Carmel Campus, which my child attended for multiple school years. I believe in providing honest feedback to help other parents make informed decisions. Pros: * The hot lunch program at the school is commendable. The variety and quality of food offered are impressive and appreciated. *Initially, their "specials" program was robust and enriching, thanks to a team of talented teachers. However, now the majority of the lower school special teachers, who were very talented, left the school. Cons: * Honesty and Transparency: One of the significant issues we've faced is with the school's administration. There's a disturbing pattern of misinformation and lack of transparency. This ranges from trivial matters like outdoor activity times to critical aspects of our children's academic and social-emotional experiences. It's been disheartening to untangle these inconsistencies as a parent community. *Educational Quality: When it comes to academics, the school unfortunately falls short compared to other independent institutions. Despite claims of offering differentiated learning, the reality doesn't match up. The one-size-fits-all approach fails to meet the diverse needs of students. *Staff Turnover: The specials program, once a highlight of the school, has suffered due to the departure of many talented educators. This loss has noticeably impacted the quality of the program. Conclusion: While I appreciate the efforts made in certain areas like the lunch program, the overarching issues around honesty and educational quality are too significant to overlook. I had hoped for a more transparent, nurturing, and academically challenging environment for my child. For parents considering Stevenson, I urge you to thoroughly research and look into other options. The well-being and education of our children are too important to compromise. We have a group of post-Stevenson families and the common theme is how thankful we are that we decided to leave, how much better our kids' new schools are, and how much happier our kids are.

After interviewing at several schools, my daughter (then a pre-schooler) was most enthuiastic about…read moreStevenson. She has thrived both academically and developmentally here since Kindergarten and hopes to continue through to the Pebble Beach Campus. Her teachers are passionate and caring, and really get the best out of her. We are excited about the new Administration and Teachers.

Our family will always have a special place in our hearts for Serendipity. Even a year after…read moreleaving, my daughter still talks about her teachers, her friends, and all the things she learned there - which speaks volumes about the impact they had. The teachers are incredibly warm and caring, and it truly feels like more than just a preschool. The environment is beautiful and thoughtfully designed, with creative monthly themes that make learning fun and engaging. They even have live animals, including a bunny and reptiles, which my daughter absolutely loved. She especially enjoyed the baking activities and still uses skills she learned there in her everyday life. We also really appreciated the communication with weekly progress reports keeping us informed and the monthly photo albums were such a joy to go through together, helping her re-live and talk about everything she experienced. The holiday pageant was another highlight! So well-organized and heartfelt, just like everything they do. We were blown away! Most importantly, they prepared our daughter so well for "big girl school" (TK), giving her confidence and a strong foundation. If you're looking for a nurturing, creative, and enriching place for your child, I can't recommend Serendipity enough. It's more than a preschool. It's a place where children feel seen, supported, loved and inspired.

When our son first arrived at Serendipity, he was a very energetic young boy with a short attention…read morespan and could be quite a challenging student at times. Over the past two years, through both the Butterfly and Rabbit classes, we have watched him grow and flourish in ways we could never have imagined. The teachers have been absolutely incredible. Not once did they complain about our son or make us feel that he was "too much." Instead, they consistently used their experience, patience, skills, and expertise to understand him, support him, and help him develop into the confident, capable young boy he is today. Thanks to their guidance and dedication, he has made tremendous progress both emotionally and academically. The growth we have seen in his confidence, ability to focus, social skills, and love of learning has been remarkable. As he now prepares to graduate and move on to kindergarten, we are so grateful for the role Serendipity has played in his journey. Every teacher and staff member has shown genuine care and commitment, creating a nurturing environment where children can thrive at their own pace while being encouraged to reach their full potential. Thank you, Serendipity, for everything you have done for our son and our family. We will always look back on these years with gratitude and appreciation.

Although my daughter has only attended this school for a month, I can already say that we are…read morecompletely satisfied with it. I will update my review as the year progresses. We are a military family and last year we chose a different private school for our daughter. The tuition was more expensive and the campus was nicer, but it was lacking in many aspects, like academics and social environment. At Monterey Bay Christian School everybody is really nice and we can tell from the very beginning that everyone involved in the school genuinely cares about the growth of every single student there. Everybody has been very welcoming. Our daughter loves her teachers, classmates, and is looking forward to going to school every single day. We have witnessed a huge, positive change in our daughter thanks to MBCS. We are impressed with the level of academics and our daughter's teacher is making sure that she is at level with the other students after being at such mediocre school last year. At first we were concerned about choosing a Christian school since we are Catholic and very relaxed in our religious practices. We were afraid that religion would be pushed too much or something. It is not like that. Our daughter loves the religion class, the daily prayers, and they go to the chapel just one day per week. It is actually nice to know that she is learning many positive things and nothing is radical or weird. Also, we like that many of the families at MBCS are military and also the fact that the student body is very diverse. As I said before, I will write updates in the future, but so far I could not be happier.

Our oldest boy was at MBCS from kindergarten thru 8th grade and was well prepared for high school…read more Our younger, 4 years later, also was at MBCS from kindergarten thru 8th grade. Both graduated at top of their classes. MBCS had about 15 in older son's 8th grade class and younger son's graduating 8th grade class had about 4 due to some staff changes that parents did not like. The education was still good and MBCS dealt with small class size (something the public schools complain about) by combining some grades. Which was not us parents' preference, but it worked. After all, the USA somehow survived long ago in the "one room school house" days of combined grades. It worked and our younger son graduated and went on to MVCS in Watsonville, like his older brother which was an academic kick butt school at least until his senior year when new leadership made changes the staff and students did not like ("IB" etc) and lost experienced teachers. MBCS is affordable at around $7,000 a year. Classes small. Teachers dedicated. They try hard for a small Christian school. And teach both academics for high school prep and good citizenship (Bible teachings) though one does not have to be a professed Christian to attend. Older son went on to MVCS (Watsonville) and was a top student and got a merit scholarship and then on to U.C.Davis which was good on classes but totally sucked at helping him get into a grad school. Davis did nothing to help. Happily older son made a friend of one professor who helped him get accepted into a good grad school in PA, Marywood University (Catholic) where I think she was alumni, and where he did well, got a job in his major and now works full time and is happy with everything but the weather (hot summers, cold winters...not Monterey, CA weather for sure!) It took a lot of effort to even get older son's diploma out of U.C.Davis...huge school, huge classes, huge graduation and so next to nothing in support timeliness and help. Plus did forced "get covid shots or get kicked out" right before classes started so no time to change schools. Younger was a top student at MBCS (the small, mixed grades classes did not hurt...maybe helped with so much individualized teacher/student attention), and then became a top student at MVCS and when applying for college, applied about a dozen schools and was accepted by all. He went to Simpson University in Redding, did well. Good teachers, ho hum counseling dept. A modest sized Christian college where he did well. Worst was 4 in a dorm room for Freshmen, after that he got double rooms with a friend as RA (dorm resident assistant. RA was a good deal...got 1/2 price on cafeteria and free room in dorm as I recall. Plus a $20,000 academic scholarship per year for 4 years. Which was nice for a $50k/year private college (tuition, books/fees, dorm, meals). Then he applied to grad schools, where all but SFSU (San Francisco) the last college I attended, accepted him and is now at Sacramento State University in a very tough doctoral grad program that makes him glad his previous schools were academically intense. So two kids, one now working for a couple hospitals (one full time and one part time) and one a top student due to intense hard work with a heavy, exhausting medical-related academic load, both got their start to successes at MBCS. A small, humble, caring K-8th Seaside, CA Christian school where they began. So yes, I like MBCS because it started out two kids out to a path to successes. And our young niece there is happy. Has friends and likes the teachers. Where could MBCS do better? It could send graded quizzes, tests, etc home each Friday so parents could get weekly "how their kid is doing?" feedback. I think that would be a very helpful idea. Weekly academics feedback instead of less frequent parent/teacher conferences. RH

We moved halfway through the school year in 2022 and no preschool was open to take us. I was…read moredevastated for my then 4 year old. By chance I learned of this secret gem co-op and was able to get a spot. This was my first experience in co-op and it was so much fun. And more importantly, was a wonderfully healing experience for me and my son (middle child who became a big-brother at the height of Covid.) Being in his class taught me how to be a better parent and gave me so many new strategies at home. Having the time together was very valuable to my son. Miss Kristen is beyond amazing with the children and extremely generous with her time, attention and love. Aside from everything I said above, the cost of this program is incredibly low and the financial savings we had from joining co-op helped off-set moving costs. It's an unbelievable value.

Would not recommend it!!!…read more Parenting classes are mandatory and a complete waste of time for an adult. So when it came to priorities it was an easy choice. We had a family member with a terminal illness and in the last weeks of their life, we chose to spend our evenings with them and missed a few "Parenting Classes" and were suspended. In the month before we talked about taking our child out of the class because of the constant coughing and runny noses in the classroom (to protect our family member and not have to wear a mask around them). Some kids were great and participated others just ran around and terrorized the other good kids. Some parents would get together right after school and talk while the kids played with hot wheels (usually 15 or 20 minutes), until we were asked to leave because the kids' sound bothered the school office's secretary.

Marina Hedenberg is an amazing person that we happened to find back in 2014. Right from the…read morebeginning she did everything that I would've hoped for as a parent as I did hours and hours and hours of searching for the right child care for my daughter. I searched interviewed, and visited the various childcare facilities in the Monterey county area and was disappointed and frightened at some. She was very responsive and scheduled us to come and see her residence after all of the children were home. This told me that she took measures to keep the kids safe. While inside her residence her and her Family made me feel very welcome, gave me a packet of their curriculum, the schedule and gave me a background update about the years she's been working with children. She gave me all the information I needed to make a decision that same day but also insisted I go and do some more research to just verify that she was the right fit. And she was! Our daughter started her program the very next day and has been with her up until this year. Every day my daughter came home happy and told me all about the fun things they did throughout the day including learning the ABC's drawing math, reading books, playing in the outside play structures, making friends, naptime and puzzles. Whenever there was a misunderstanding with another student Marina was always available to answer my questions either via text or call or in person. Marina always made time to give me an update about my child's day which I very much appreciated as I know she was busy. Marina also is very responsible and was able to pick up and drop off most of the kids there and while she did not personally drive or take my daughter I knew that her and her staff that help her very responsible and communicative with all the parents whose children they were looking after. If you have children and want them in the best possible care in the Monterey County area my family and I highly recommend Marina because she takes care of all the kids as if they were her family.

She wasn't very welcoming of the services provided. We left right away. The only good thing about…read moreit was it was in a nice neighborhood.