I'm so pleased to write this review for Andrea. Our son was having difficulty In elementary…read moreschool. We had him tested by Dr. Alison Kawa. He was diagnosed with a processing deficiency. After finding out what was causing him issues we were referred to Andrea Chernin. They hit it off immediately. He never dreaded going to see her. He started to improve almost immediately. They saw each other weekly for many years. While he struggled in elementary school, he improved beyond our wildest imagination in both middle and high school. His GPA in highly school was 4.3, with 5/4's in all his AP exams. While grades were important to him, and to us, his growth and self confidence were instrumental in achieving a higher degree of personal and educational success. He is now a sophomore at the University of Michigan. While his issues will be a life long challenge, Andrea has given him the tools to navigate life in a positive and productive manner. If your child needs a kind and caring person, who knows how to cajole, motivate and inspire, then Andrea is your person. She is amazing.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. We worked with the team at Illuminate for nearly three years as…read morethey designed and delivered a custom program for our child to improve Executive Functioning as well subject-specific tutoring. When she began working with Kim at Illuminate just after her Freshman year, her grades were low, but worse, her confidence had taken a hit and we struggled to come up with a strategy to unlock joy in learning. Flash forward: Our child has had multiple 4.0 semesters, was awarded "Most Improved Academics" in her class, and received multiple college admissions offers (and sig. scholarship awards.) Beyond the grades and achievement, our child has developed a love of learning, has navigated her Executive Functioning issues, and has a strategy for ongoing academic success. There are no words to describe how gratifying it is to see her growth and confidence as she heads to college. This would not have been possible without the team at Illuminate.

Nothing short of a lifesaver. My daughter was having a hard time learning in school to say the…read moreleast. Rachel has been learning leaps and bounds, has tons of friends and enjoys going to school every day. Their one on one instruction for a portion of the day is exactly what she needed to excel. Every day I hear stories of all the fun she is having at school and she does not even realize that she is learning a ton.

Game changer. Changing schools is a scary thing for parents and kids but when your kiddo asks why…read moreyou didn't move her earlier to this school you know you made the right choice! For kids with learning differences this is the place to be. They know what they are doing, have resources and knowledgable staff and truly see your kid. As a parent I finally feel a true home/school partnership and found a school that says 'we got this'!

Looking where to host your next event? Look no further than the Masonic Center! This is an AMAZING…read morelocation in Santa Monica that can host a variety of events. The venue itself is huge and mirrors a Homecoming Dance-type room. There was a huge counter where the bar was set up and the cooks organized a buffet station with awesome food. There were several tables throughout the place and enough space for a lively dance floor. I came here for a birthday party and the entire crowd were musicians. There is a stage in the front of the room and everyone was playing live music and singing throughout the night. I'm not sure about pricing but definitely worth checking out.

What a lovely rental opportunity for the Santa Monica community. Lots of windows, a massive…read morekitchen, and room for plenty of seating to throw a large and lavish party. I recently attended a large gathering with about 100 people in attendance. It was an impressive venue. The meeting space is also very large; it easily accommodates over 100 people as well. If you are looking for a party rental place in the City of Santa Monica, this one is it!

As two new parents, this class has been invaluable to our family's growth. The class helped us…read morerelate to one another as parents, understand the foundation of own values and help identify those values that we wanted to pass on to our child. We learned age appropriate language to communicate with our child and tools to deal with individual issues that were discussed each class. We actually took both the infant class and the toddler class as our concerns changed as our child grew older. I would highly recommend this class to any and all families.

From the owner: Hill & Dale's "My Family & Me" classes are our version of "Mommy & Me" classes. We offer classes to…read moreeducate parents on our philosophy of secure, empathetic, and nurturing relationships. "My Family & Me" is a program for parents and children to learn together through observation of the children and to discuss with the guidance of an early childhood specialist. Classes are facilitated by Heather Aymie and Ashley Barstis, who provides supportive interactions and model effective parenting strategies. We discuss the developmental needs of children at different stages and what the role of parents are as the child develops. In our classes parents create a vision for their families and form a community of parents who value raising competent children. Sessions are six weeks with a different topic at each class. Prenatal Classes: These classes provide expectant parents an opportunity before their baby arrives to explore the whole idea of parenthood. In these open discussions, we will consider such topics as family values, parenting styles, managing the first six weeks, feeding, sleeping, child care, and tips for success. Infant and Toddler Classes: Classes are an open and informal forum for sharing questions, ideas and observations. The following topics are the guidelines for our discussions: * Values * Observation * Separation * Balance * Praise vs. Encouragement * Routines * Sleeping and Eating Please email myfamilyandme@hillndale.org or call (310)4502803

My family and I came to California from Chicago for vacation. I have 3 daughters, 11,9 and 7 and I…read morewas looking for someone to take us climbing/hiking. After a lot of digging around I found onrope. Prior to the trip I arranged 2 days of activities with Walter: Day one, was a 6 hour hike and climb in Malibu Creek State Park, the Day 2 was a 2-3 hour rock climb and rapell at Point Dunne. Walter was incredible on the phone. Our family is active but has limited experience in rock climbing. I told Water what I was looking to accomplish and he recommended both trips and said it would be perfect. From our conversations, I felt more than comfortable leaving it in his hands. Now that the the trip is wrapping up, I can say it was, without a doubt, the 2 best days we had in California. The trips were beautiful and challenging, but spending time and getting to know Walter was just as enjoyable. The 6 hour day one, started with a hike and then a low angle horizontal climb over water (harnessed in). All my girls LOVED that and were able to make it, thanks to Walter. After some more hiking and scrambling over rocks, we were lead to a climb with four levels of difficulty. Walter was patient, careful, genuine, and spent time helping all of us climb. Everyone climbed with my 11 year old taking one of the harder routes of the day to the top. My middle daughter climbed to the top of one of the runs, and my 6-year old made it about 1/2 way. Very cool to see. 2 days later we met at Point Dunne where we rappelled over 100 feet. Point Dunne was breathtaking. A cliff sitting right on the beach and overlooking the ocean. We all made the rappel down and 2 of us climbed up. Again, this was an incredible day. If you are thinking of climbing or hiking or rappelling and looking for someone, beginner to experienced, I strongly recommend onRope. Walter and his crew are truly remarkable. I feel so strongly about onRope, that if anyone has any questions, you can personally contact me at 773 562 5133.

This company is great! Our instructor, Walter, did an amazing job in teaching us safely how to rock…read moreclimb. I had a great time meeting new folks and hanging out with friends. I hope to this again! Thanks, Walter. You rock!

Great community club. I thought Toastmaster would be old school, but this group is very dynamic…read more Everyone is welcome to come for free as many times as you want and it's less than 2 coffees at Starbucks to join. It's a good safe way to learn new skills and practice speaking.

I have been attending Club 21 Toastmasters' meetings for over a year now, and I can honestly say…read morethat the decision to join has been one of the greatest investments I've ever made in myself. Having just recently completed a master's degree at UCLA, I continually found myself thinking that the growth I've achieved from my 2 hour-per-week commitment to my club far exceeded my feelings of accomplishment at the more formal institution of learning. I first showed up at Club 21 because I suffer from what sometimes feels like a crippling fear of speaking. Prior to joining Club 21, I HATED public speaking, and my feelings of anxiety extended to other forms of formal speaking as well- such as conducting myself in interviews and meetings. While I can't say that my speaking-phobia has disappeared, my feelings at the lectern have become more nuanced; rather than experiencing pure terror, I now feel a mix of fear and sheer exhilaration at the opportunity to address a room of attentive listeners. It is such an incredible feeling- I often drive away from meetings feeling more confident and empowered than I ever had before. The club members are quite an interesting mix of people. There are folks of all ages and from many walks of life, but they all share one common characteristic- everyone is incredibly supportive. If you decide to attend a meeting, your hands will get a workout; we do a hell of a lot of clapping. Not only that, but the Toastmasters program offers countless opportunities for evaluation and feedback. After presenting a speech, you will receive a formal spoken evaluation, a written evaluation, and feedback cards from most members of the club... not to mention a lot of pats on the back. I really can't emphasize enough how wonderful this club is. I think the Toastmasters program in general is pretty fantastic, but I like to think that our club is exceptionally special, as well. But the only way for you to discover that is to come check it out for yourself. So please do: Tuesdays at 7PM at Delores Bakery and Cafe in West LA/Santa Monica. I look forward to seeing you there!

Such a great resource for everyone with kids. This is a great way to see what the experts are…read moresaying about the different stages your children go though. "The Happiest Baby On the Block" was so informative and helpful. I'm so happy I found such a great site!

Parenting can be tricky and for a new parent like myself I've often found myself a little in over…read moremy head at times. However, the website KIDS IN THE HOUSE is an amazing resource that has taught me everything there is to know about parenting. They have over 9,000 videos. So when I needed to find out how to give my baby daughter a bath, I just simply went to KIDS IN THE HOUSE found a video on topic and watched a video on how to give a bath from a top expert. KIDS IN THE HOUSE, you are a life saver and I strongly recommend if you are a parent to check out their website. Parenting is a little easier now.

We have been going to Pathways in Santa Monica for 1.5 years with our son Bodhi, 3 years old now,…read more after he was diagnosed with some intense speech issues (sorry I don't know the technical terms). I can honestly say it's one of the best decisions we have made for him. Allie, Bodhi's therapist, is so good that he actually looks forward to seeing her. We call her his "girlfriend" because they are so close and he trust her so much. Hight recommend this place!

My experience with Pathways has been nothing but excellent. From the beginning, they were able to…read moreaccommodate our family's schedule and the staff is very friendly and helpful. We've been clients for over 6 months and we can see what a difference it has made for our son at home and school. He loves visiting every week! We are so grateful to Robin and all of her hard work. She always takes the time to connect with me at the end of the sessions so that I know what she is working on and can continue the work at home. I wholeheartedly recommend this very caring office.