4.5 stars. The staff was really kind, and the food tasted okay. They had pizza, but they do every…read moreday. There's some options there. They have milk, but only chocolate milk and white milk. Tastes unstirred. Juice is good. Not much fruit/vegetable options. The protein nachos are okay, but a bit spicy.

I have two children attending TI both through the lottery. We love this school so much. When I drop…read moremy kids off at school I am filled with a sense of peace and joy knowing they will be safe, loved, and cared for. I find the staff all to be very passionate about teaching and well-suited for their roles. The communication between the teachers, director, and parents is excellent. We get weekly (sometimes more) updates on what they are learning and what is needed from us / is coming up. Although my family is Christian - we love the Jewish aspect of the school. A Muslim acquaintance of mine is also looking forward to sending her child here soon. Personally, my family has enjoyed learning about the Jewish faith and celebrating the Jewish holidays. There are many kids of all faiths, races, and backgrounds in the UPK and 3PK classes. The diversity is wonderful. Packing a vegetarian lunch took a little getting used to but like other reviewers have mentioned my kid's lunches are very healthy because of it. I send them scrambled eggs, PBJ, lots of fruit, nuts (they have nut-free classes if needed), and lots of cheese and crackers. Both of my kids attend TI currently. When one was at daycare and the other at TI it was hard to manage the Christian and Jewish days off as they weren't all the same - but it was worth it because my kids are thriving at the school. Lastly, I want to say that although we have two lottery spots we loved it so much with our first child we put a deposit down for a private spot in the school just in case we didn't get a spot in the lottery. The director refunded the deposit for us when we heard from the district that we had won the lottery again. (The only lottery I ever expect I'll win, and that's okay lol)

It's understandable why nobody would leave a review for their child's nursery school. The…read morerelationships between parents and teachers is remarkably close. And by the time your child has moved on, the school may be a very different place. Regardless, I thought I would share my experiences. Both kids went through the program at Temple Israel Nursery School. We call it TI for short. And it was great. Was it the best ever? Maybe just a hair below some of the experiences with nursery schools we had in Berkeley and Princeton. But I would be hard pressed to think of a better school in the Capital Region for our needs. Yes, most of the teaches that my kids had and loved have moved on. The administration is different. But if we ended up having another kid, this would be the first place I would call to book an appointment and check out the current program. It was important for me for my kids to have a Jewish education, so I loved that this was in the same building as the sanctuary and the students were able to build relationships with the rabbi and cantors. And that is unchanged. And this may be stupid, but I really loved that little lobby where parents would wait for their kids to be done with school. I met some other parents there back in the day, and we're still friends after all these years. Not only that, but this is "smallbany" after all, so the kids keep bumping into some of the peers from nursery school. It's amazing how that works out.

I've been licensed in insurance for about 10 years, even though I haven't been practicing for the…read morelast 2. Still, I care about keeping my license active, and for the past six years this has been the place I go to every time I need my continuing education credits. What keeps me coming back is how efficient and affordable everything is. The portal is simple to use. The course materials always show up in my inbox on time, and being able to take the exam online makes the whole process much less of a hassle. Since I'm not working in insurance anymore, I really appreciate having a reliable option that helps me stay licensed without making it complicated. This has honestly taken a lot of stress out of renewals for me, and I'm very thankful this resource exists.

COME THROUGH FRESH LOCAL HONEY!!!!!!! My goodness they have some GREAT fresh creamed raw honey. Met…read morethem over a year ago at the market in Albany and have been searching and looking for them and no luck. THOUGHT to go to the Farmers Market in troy and LOOK WHOS THERE..... Break through the crowds and spend $ to last me a minute and then We go back the next again and...LOL! The family here, are great people. All honey is NOT the same honey. All local honey is NO the same local honey. Trust..... But you will NOT go wrong here with them. Even try it in cookies, world of differ. STRAWERRY CREAMED HONEY! WHO DOES THAT????!!!!! MY GAWD!

one of the kids there sucks but overall cool that it's on a farm. lil stinky sometimes. love the…read morechemistry teacher

Wow, what a great place to share with your child! Hawthorne Valley is much more than a school. It…read moreis a tight nit community where everyone helps each other. It is the type of place where I leave my keys in the car all day in the parking lot. The type of place where I trust every parent and staff member with my child. I can not say that about anywhere else I have ever been. This school not only provides the academics needed, but the ever more important life skills. I know my child will graduate with the wisdom needed to get started on her own life.

I've been donating platelets and plasma to the Red Cross for more than a year. I always go to the…read morecenter on Everett Road, which is generally a bit busy.There's a good size staff. They're all very capable and very nice. The donors are nice, too. Donating platelets -- and sometimes plasma too-- is a time consuming process. It takes 2-3 hours. Platelets are cell fragments needed to stop bleeding. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. Together, they help people who are battling cancer. Having lost friends to cancer, I donate in order to help. My donations have been sent to hospitals across the country. I can track where they went through the Red Cross app. The Red Cross doesn't pay donors but they can offer $10 store coupons and fun merch. For instance, today was free beach towel day. They seem to be very popular. Regardless, I think most of the donors would give without coupons and freebies. Everyone has lost someone to cancer and it's touching to hear their stories about how they've been moved to donate.

I was stopped during the last donation without any excuse. People were staring and when my wife…read morecalled the red cross offices (we always donate together and she was accepted) and they told her that I had donated 6 times already this year. They don't accept donors to donate more than 6 times a year, but boy did i feel like a criminal, when I was told that could not donate. In addition, twice in the past the staff were not able to finish the donation due to inability to find a vain. Since then I warn the staff to get someone with experience and they comply. I don't think that the staff is very good, other than the supervisor. I guess that the capable ones work in better places. Also they lost my records from the past. I was a donor in the US Army but was stopped from donating due to mad cow disease, because I had served overseas for more than three years. S I started over. These idiots will not stop me from donating. It is bigger than them.