Super fun and educational place! The price was reasonable and the staff were so kind. Very unique…read moreplace!

Our son has been going to CSC for over a year for speech, OT and behavioral therapy (aba) in the…read morecenter and school setting. He is a completely different child (in a good way!) since becoming a part of the CSC family. I say family, because that's how their practitioners treat each member of our family, especially our little guy. I've witnessed firsthand the warmth and compassion they show for all families navigating what can be an extremely overwhelming and, at times, emotional journey. Melissa, the owner, has helped us find the best school environments for our son, even calling on our behalf to check avails in the programs. When it comes to your child and the resources they may need, we've found a comprehensive program and treatment plan for our son at CSC. They even helped us navigate the world of getting an out of network deficiency, which has allowed us to get reimbursement at in network levels. I can't thank everyone enough for all their help and support. It takes a village to raise a child, and we are grateful for our village at CSC!

We stumbled upon the Childhood Success Center through a google search for a social skills group and…read moreMelissa took us through the journey of OT and more. It's been about a year and we have seen our daughter grow leaps and bounds and are so grateful for the CSC. Even during times of staff turnover, Melissa helped us find a therapist that fit our daughter not only skills-wise, but in temperament. Unfortunately, despite their services, this review is of their billing department which is oddly on time with charging your card but less so in providing a receipt of payment. They have also, on occasion, charged my card incorrectly. For those filing their super bill with insurance and require a receipt of payment, my recommendation is to consistently follow up with their billing department and to make sure your billing statements reflect their charge. I was once billed ~$600 incorrectly at a point in which I caught it in time; they promptly reversed before the charge was posted. The latest mischarge took about a month to refund due to an error on CSC's side as well as vendor processing error. I will say that they are very amenable to correct, but you will have to escalate if it is taking longer than usual. Unfortunate that this is something to manage as well, but please be aware.

My 400th Yelp review!…read more @ReadingtoKids is a grassroots organization that aims to inspire the love of reading to children living in underprivileged areas of Los Angeles. Every second Saturday of the month, volunteers go to different elementary schools in the LA area. At these schools volunteers read books to kids that range in age from kindergarten to fifth grade. (Currently there are seven different elementary schools that Reading to Kids volunteers read at. They are Alta Loma Elementary School, Esperanza Elementary School, Gratts Elementary School, Los Angeles Elementary School, Magnolia Elementary School, Politi Elementary School and White Elementary School). Volunteers come from all walks of life. From students to young professionals, all have a common goal of improving the reading and learning skills of elementary school kids. Reading to Kids volunteers are dedicated to giving these kids the opportunity to succeed in life. At the end of each volunteer session, the kids are given prize books that they can take home. The hope is they can acquire many prize books that will help them further love reading. One of the most endearing moments for me as a volunteer was when at the end of the reading session, a little kindergarten boy came up to me and asked if I could read his prize book to him. As I sat down to read the prize book, more kindergarten kids circled around me and together they listened and pointed to the different pictures in the book. The smiles on the kids faces after was so heartwarming. Soon after one of the parents walked up to me, smiled and said "Thank you." That too was another wonderful moment. Many of the elementary students that come to these reading clubs do not have the privileges that most kids have. They do not have the advantages of having a library, of having a Barnes and Nobles at every corner or of having the latest cell phone. Many come from low income families, they live in impoverished areas and English is their second language. The fortune of these kids comes in attending these Saturday morning reading clubs. These kids go to these reading clubs because they want to learn. They want to succeed. They want the opportunity to have a better life. Seeing these kids so eager to read and to learn, is a humble reminder that learning is a privilege that many take for granted. I love Reading to Kids and I'm thankful to my high school friend who first introduced me to this great volunteering opportunity. The elementary schools kids are simply endearing. I also am amazed by all the good hearted people who volunteer. I am in much admiration of the amount of folks that go out and sacrifice their Saturday mornings to volunteer. (Some stats: Reading to Kids has an average of about 300 plus volunteers reading to an average of 780 plus children every month). I being a volunteer myself know that giving up a Saturday is totally worth it. The opportunity to be able to make a difference in these kids' lives and give them a better chance to succeed in life is simply priceless.

Many moons ago, I worked at a continuation school in Compton. The high school students I worked…read morewith didn't know basic multiplication, had no textbooks and were reading at a 5th grade level. Saddened by how badly the educational system had failed these kids I wanted to do something for them. I wrote a letter to Scholastic and they sent over boxes and boxes of books so we could create a library on campus! Around that time I somehow got on the Reading to Kids e-mail newsletter and have been meaning to get involved. I finally signed up and did it! Here's how easy it is to get involved. -Sign up online -Show up (they provide a light breakfast) -Read to the Kids -Do an arts and crafts project with the kids -Go to El Cholo for free appetizers and meet other volunteers -Repeat once a month You can read to kids from kindergarden to 5th Grade. You read in pairs. You get anywhere from 3-8 kids. It's so easy and these kids are so fun to be with, I think everyone should spend one Saturday a month doing this!

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.

My son is a very bright 9 year old who hates to write. He was DREADING this camp. He was so angry…read morewith us for "ruining" his summer by dropping "school" in the middle of his break. By day two he was no longer protesting; by day three he said he "lucked out" getting Sam as his counselor because he was "super fun." Here we are with two more days to go and he's sad it's ending! In fact he wants to come back next year. He's been listening to the CD on repeat and showing us all the coordinated moves. I don't know if this camp will turn him around to love writing but I think it's brought so much more grounding and fun to it that he seems more relaxed about the entire task. This is all I could have hoped for. This was money well spent.

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'!

A very historic institution in Pasadena. A little hidden gem that offers enrichment to the…read morecommunity.

Sugoi! I am soooooooo disappointed! NO! NOT Soteru Gakuin, but fact that I went to Uni High…read more(University High School) within stone throw of this area! Here I am Nikkei myself, plus I was new member of now former NSA (Nichiren Shoshu Academy, now simply SGI-USA, and NST) one (now two since 1991) organisation based in Tokyo, and I NEVER set foot in this area! Little Osaka now known, I could have joined teen and youth group at Buddhist Church (despite being Nichiren Buddhist as I assume this church to be Nembutsu). I never had opportinuty to eat at any restaurant or Sushiya, visit mangaya, giant robot shop, or shop at Nijiya Supa either! Now I live in Northern California. San Francisco has largest Nihonmachi in America, but still small compared to our community in Southern California! (Nihonmachi no longer strictly Japanese as many Chinese and Korean moved in)! However next time I come to Southern California, I have to visit Soteru, and other Japanese community in Los Angeles area as well! Oh yes! I want to visit (and if I move there to SoCal, as to volunteer) at Soteru Gakuin (Japanese Institute of Sawtelle) as well! Thank you!

I cannot say enough great things about Hannah Ross and Summit Learning. My son was doing OK in…read moreschool, but I knew he had not developed the same kinds of skills my older son had at his age, because of the disruption of Covid. A friend recommended Hannah to us. Hannah proactively identified areas to work on with our son---some of it having to do with forgetfulness/executive function, but other areas that I didn't even realize were related and that he also struggled with (handwriting and writing in general). My son looked forward to his sessions with Hannah, and I was relieved to have someone to talk to about my son's day to day struggles at school. She has a positive, fun, can-do attitude that is infectious. She was also great with communication and provided regular, thorough written updates to us. Cannot recommend more highly! After a year of working with Hannah, he is ready to take on the challenge of 5th grade on his own (although it's comforting knowing Hannah is there if he needs more support).

I am so grateful that we crossed path with Hannah and her team. My daughter has IEP and we were…read morelooking for a specific type of instructions. After a false start with another company, a friend of mine pointed me out to Summit Learning. After the first initial session with my daughter, I received a full report of the plan going forward, detailing the strategic approach and findings. I couldn't e happier with Summit Learning.