I was appalled by the lack of empathy and refusal to make an exception to protocol regarding…read morecommitment deposits due to circumstances outside of our control. Nothing mattered to them, no matter how much of a hardship it was. They refused to find any common ground. Disappointed to say the least. There is always a way to help a struggling family while still meeting protocol. We did not appreciate the fact that SJU undergraduate admissions were so protocol driven, they forgot to be human. Our circumstance may have just been a blessing in disguise.

We got the chance to come to St Joseph's numerous times for field hockey clinics and camps and we…read moredid two campus tours (one with my daughter and another with my so ). They do a really great job on the campus tour. My daughter loved the field hockey coach, but it wasn't the right fit from the coach's perspective and we garnered a lot of respect for her for letting my daughter know rather than just trying to lock her into paying for more clinics like some other coaches we dealt with. In the end, the school wasn't right fit for either kid academically. If it were I would have been happy with their choice...though it is a pretty big number when you look at the tuition and fees.

Amazing Physicians. Dr Sirinivasan saved my life. Aneurysm so large NO OTHER NEUROSURGEON KNEW WHAT…read moreTO DO. Dr Sharma Endocrinologist was so very helpful. The hospital was utterly outstanding. U Penn is a blessing and I am so privileged to have seen these specialists. Just as important to me you help me with my bills. U PENN IS BEYOND 10 STARS. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

We were here for a college orientation: They quickly welcomed us and had us put on wristbands to…read moreidentify that we were here for a tour. They had all the guests convene for a 20 minute slide presentation to explain U o P's basics. When that was done, we were broken into smaller groups and a student took us around campus . Our student showed key areas on campus while enthusiastically interjecting his personal stories about his experiences on campus. This is a compact, medium-sized university that seems to have a lot of diversity. Students/staff need a key card to get into the buildings on campus. The buildings are beautiful and there is green space throughout. It was a good first impression.

Excellent private school. Easily the best on the Main Line. The reviewer that says "it is no…read moreBaldwin" probably did not get in. The teachers are dedicated and know every student. The curriculum is challenging. Also, if you are looking at Yelp to decide where your kid should go?... shame on you.

FANTASTIC school and community with dedicated and remarkably engaging faculty. The kids at Friends…read moreCentral School (FCS) are kind and caring, humble and free of elitism! You (kids or parents) don't have to be beautiful, wealthy of wear expensive sneakers to feel valued here. And the parents are a thousand times friendlier than the ones at Gladwyne Elementary. If you read "Battle hymn of the tiger mom," Baldwin is more like the mom and FCS is more like the dad. They both end up as Ivy League professors but take different paths to get there. So, it depends what you are looking for. FCS is intentional in teaching excellent academics (just look at the list of colleges the kids attend), critical thinking, intellectual risk taking and compassion. The school uses various strategies to foster psychological and social well being and the result is that kids are not bogged down by loneliness, depression, anxiety, etc. Sports are in perspective alongside drama and music, and other co-educational activities. The curriculum integrates concepts with interesting experiences, such as going to the Rennaisance Faire as part of the social studies lesson on societal structures or examining cheek cells through microscopes for a biology lesson in cell structure. No wonder the school makes kids eager to learn and study! Our child has attended three schools and is by far the happiest at FCS. . Check it out for yourself: Friendscentral.org OPEN HOUSE Sat. Oct. 15, 2016

Our family has been very cautious with the ongoing pandemic due to health issues. We have followed…read morethe recommendations of the CDC and mandates set forth by the governor and his office because we are not medical professionals. When I spoke with the owner, Jodi, of the school, after the mask mandate was declared by the governor, I wanted to confirm that they would be in compliance with this order so that I could feel safe knowing that some medical precautions were being taken to keep my child (and our family) from contracting COVID. Jodi explicitly stated that some of the two year olds "are disgusted by" wearing masks and that wearing masks "upsets them" so the staff would "not force them to wear" masks. This was obviously concerning, especially since earlier in the summer, Jodi had told my wife that the school would not be enforcing mask wearing unless the governor mandated it, and now that it was mandated, Jodi would be going against the medical advice of those advising the governor and made it clear that even though the governor's mandate was now in place, the school would still not enforce it. I called and spoke with Jodi to request a refund of our deposit, due to the continuing concerns that we had, after Jodi made it clear that mask wearing would, in essence, be optional for those in the two year old room, despite the mandate. Jodi claimed that I was "twisting [her] words," that "the governor is crazy" if he thinks two year olds will keep masks on all day and repeatedly said that she knows from her personal experiences while raising three kids that two year olds will not keep masks on. As a father of toddlers who have navigated this pandemic with masks on, I feel very at odds with Jodi's assessment of children's capability to follow directions from adults and wear a mask. In the end, Jodi refused to return our deposit and explained that it would remain on file for six months in the event that we decided to send our child there in the future. Truthfully, after our experience with Jodi, we have very little interest in sending our children there, pandemic or not. Had we been given assurances and felt the least bit comfortable with Jodi's handling of this matter or her willingness to comply with state mandates, then we would certainly be interested in enrolling our children in the future. Under normal circumstances, I understand why the deposit would be non refundable within the 30 days notice; after Jodi made it clear that the school would not mandate masks unless the governor ordered it, we were resigned to the fact that we would likely forfeit our deposit and not send our child if it was not mandated. We were relieved when it was ordered but a bit distraught when Jodi expressed an unwillingness to comply with or encourage mask wearing in the two year old room. If Jodi had assured us that the school would be complying with the mask mandate and helping children to adjust to mask wearing instead of letting them go unmasked, then our child would be in the school at this very moment. Instead, we've found a better program that is serious about protecting the health of children.

Our daughter spent the best two years of her young life at Goddard School of Bala Cynwyd! The…read moreinstruction is rigorous and high quality, truly preparing your child for Kindergarten and beyond. From the leadership to the teaching ranks, every member of this team is kid-driven and will cater to the academic and social needs of all students. If Goddard extended into the elementary years, there would be no doubt that our daughter would attend there. Thank you Jody, Bill, the directors, our daughter's teacher, Emily.... you all are simply amazing!

I can't recommend Bala House highly enough. My oldest child loved her experience here so much she…read morecontinues to return for visits and events even as an alum. My younger child is a current student and absolutely loves it as well. The facilites are clean, pleasant, and thoughtfully constructed with young people in mind. Every single teacher is fantastic and kind. They go above and beyond to guide your child to reach their fullest potential.

My husband and I (and our daughter) are so grateful for this school. The administrators, staff, and…read moreteachers are all excellent. Not only are the teachers highly trained, qualified, career educators; every staff and administrative member here seems highly qualified and committed to creating a positive, educational environment. The curriculum and resources are wonderful, and the space (particularly the renovated rooms) beautiful. They offer flexible schedules with many different options for working parents or those that just want their child to benefit from the Montessori mornings. We really appreciate the fact that they foster, teach, practice, and celebrate diversity. One of our favorite events was the school's International Dinner. The outdoor space is great, and they have art, tumble tots, and music programs weekly, special events for the kids throughout the year (such as animal visits, ballet shows, music performances), in addition to the Montessori program and the after-care options (which features a lot of creative play, cooking, and play spaces that are updated with new themes monthly). I strongly believe that any childcare setting should make you feel happy whenever you walk in- and that is the case for us. I love walking in to Bala House. To be honest, I was actually very worried and unsure about starting my daughter in a Montessori school. I had never had this experience and from the outside the teaching model seemed a little cold and isolating. Also, my daughter has a ton of energy and I was worried she'd be too wild to sit nicely on a little mat "doing her work." And I was worried about the class size- 24 kids seemed like a lot. But, I was surprised to find that despite being on the young end, she sits and focuses on her projects. She seems to enjoy the opportunity to choose activities for herself, and she gets tons of interactions with other kids, in a mixed-age setting (she loves the older kids!) She's made a ton of friends and is learning so much- socially, emotionally, and academically. And- many days she begs me for more time at pick-up, which I take as the most important stamp of approval ;) I also have to note what a great experience this has been for us as parents, to have this community. When we moved here from out of state last summer, not only did my daughter quickly, happily, and easily transition into the summer camp program (a great way to transition in, by the way- although they also have "phasing in" days for new students to help with this process) - but we also had an instant network. It was easy to make friends through the school's many events and parent's association. It is a community I'm enormously grateful for. Finally, I have to give a shout out to Miss Adiya. We love you! :-)

My husband and I hesitated to hire a tutor for our 11th grader in IB Math because we felt that (1)…read moreit is the school's responsibility to teach, and (2) we wanted our son to feel that he didn't need a tutor. Also, we knew that tutoring can be expensive, and we weren't sure how effective it would be. However, it soon became clear that our son wasn't getting thorough instruction at school -- the explanations weren't clear enough, and the homework problems weren't proving to be good practice for the tests. Our neighbor highly recommended Dan Chinburg at Lionheart Tutoring (he had tutored two of her children in math and SAT practice) so we contacted him, and we're so glad that we did. After the first session with Dan our son showed immediate improvement. Everything became so much clearer for him. Additional sessions have been a great support and confidence-builder for him. Initially our son didn't want a tutor, but he likes Dan's low-key style and looks forward to the sessions.

Lionheart tutoring's Dan Chinburg is AMAZING at anything he teaches. He can tutor young children…read moreand young adults. My daughter has used tutors her entire life due to learning disabilities and I can say that Mr. Chinburg is professional, proficient, reliable, calm, compassionate and really cares about how his students do. He not only is fantastic at tutoring, but he has the common sense as to how to approach teachers, professors, faculty to best benefit your child and improve their grades and scores. My daughter is a student at the University of Pennsylvania and she has been on the Dean's list, will graduate with highest honors and much of this is due to Mr. Chinburg. He is also very flexible and tries to make himself readily available which is why he is careful as to how many students he takes on and will not take your child if he does not feel he will benefit the student. If your child is lucky enough to have Dan he will surely benefit and you as a parent need not worry. Dan also helped my daughter with many applications and if you need his services for applications when applying to college or graduate school he is great. I think Dan is really a find and well worth anything you pay.

My new employer, my 2nd home. Began new position on my bday. Very well known and prestigious…read moreschool in West Philadelphia that I am proud and humbled to have joined.

We love BCSYC and cannot recommend them enough. Our older daughter has been there for 2 years and…read moreour younger daughter has been there for 4 months. The teachers are wonderful and the leaders of the school are also great. I love that they value and teach kindness and inclusion. They have been great about communicating during COVID and I feel comfortable with their protocols. Their curriculum is engaging and I love hearing the songs my daughters have learned each week. My older daughter has Spanish as well and even learned to swim over the summer. I feel at ease knowing my kids are happy and well-cared for there.

We absolutely adore the teachers and staff at the Bala Cynwyd School for Young Children. Our kids…read moreare in the preschool and toddler classrooms, and we have been thrilled with the kindness and thoughtfulness of their teachers and administrators. Many of the teachers have been there for decades (a family member went to BCSYC 20 years ago and had three of the same teachers our kids have today). The teaching staff is quite diverse, as are the families. We have been impressed with their approach to COVID safety, including clear and prompt communication with families. The Spanish and music lessons have been a big hit, and our older child loved the swimming lessons last summer. It's an excellent program.

This camp was rude, unprofessional and incredibly inappropriate. It has treated my friends and my…read moreparents horribly. As a camper, i had an okay experience. There's a pool, different "specialized camps", and plenty of opportunities to make friends. As a Jr. CIT (basically an employee that still pays ~2,000 dollars to attend the camp), it was a whole different story. A couple of friends and I were Jr. CITs for the summer of 2017 and worked under the supervision of the directors. Again, this was a camp so during lunch and such the Jr. CITs would hang around the lawn and eat some lunch. One day, my friends and I got called down to the office, and were told that we were spotted climbing the fence out of the campus and then seen climbing back in. This was an absurd accusation as neither my friends nor I had been in the vicinity of the fence. The directors would hear none of our explanation. When I was trying to explain we had done nothing wrong, I was interrupted and called a liar. (Imagine: a 50+ year old male director calling a 7th grader a liar.) However, they did take the time to let the one Caucasian girl off the hook, leaving her free to go while my friends and I (all of whom are racial minorities) to take the blame. Now other than the fact we were accused with no evidence whatsoever, with no opportunity to defend or explain, other than the fact only the racial minorities of the group seemed to be implicated, and other than the fact my friends and I were paying 2,000 dollars to attend the camp, the directors were also incredibly rude and dismissive of my parent's concerns. When my mother called about this fiasco, she was rudely brushed off, asked by one of the directors (Bill/William Darling) "What can we do about it?" in an incredibly rude manner. After calling and being ignored and having my mother's time wasted, Mr. Darling said he would issue an apology to the girls. When I came to camp the next day, the apology turned into a warning speech. We were told we were off the hook for our actions and that we should be happy. The whole speech given was incredibly condescending and obnoxious. Never was I issued an apology for a very wrong accusation, never were we explained why the minorities were the only ones implicated, never were we treated as real, paying customers (which we were) and never was my mother apologized to for the horrible way she was treated. After speaking to a few of the other paid employees, much of them felt much of the same and experienced similar interactions from the directors. I would strongly advise you not to go to this camp. The directors (the aforementioned Bill Darling and also another by the name of Kristi Kallam are extremely rude, inappropriate and not worth the time of day.

From the owner: Friends Central Summer has traditional day camps for ages 3-12. We swim twice per day with…read moreinstructional swim every morning. We offer a balance of structured activities and free play opportunities, experienced early childhood educators, cooperative rather than competitive activities, and a low staff/child ratio.