Erin has been running a Spanish afterschool class at our school for many years. This year my…read moredaughter was in kindergarten and had the opportunity to take Erin's class, and it is so amazing! She has not only learned far more than I imagined possible in just the 1 hour / week class, she also has a huge interest in Spanish now which is such a credit to Erin's teaching style and her ability to inspire a passion for learning. We have multiple Spanish books at home that I've tried to get my daughter interested in in the past to no avail. After taking Erin's class, my daughter grabbed the Spanish book off the shelf and asked if we could start learning it. Five stars for sure; if you get a chance to work with Erin, take it!

Erin is absolutely wonderful to work with. I have a teenaged foster daughter who is very bright but…read moreeasily discouraged and overwhelmed. Erin was so kind and so cool with her. I am beyond impressed with Erin's gift for working with kids.

5 stars for Alex Carlson (math) and Nick Deehan (English)! Both were extremely helpful to my middle…read moreand high schoolers. They are both very friendly and approachable, they answer emails very quickly, and they helped my kids improve their confidence and skills in math and English. They also were very flexible and patient with my constant rescheduling due to sports conflicts. Huge thank you to Nick and Alex!

From my son who is a Senior at Sequoia HS:…read more At first I didn't know if I wanted a college counselor at my mom's request but Ryan exceeded all my expectations and I don't regret a thing. I was lost during the beginning of my senior year and Ryan guided me through everything. Making a college list to start and explaining the college process, the different portals, and of course the supplementals. This was just the start. From working with Ryan I was already able to get comfortable with the college apps process and the timeline which would leave me with the least amount of stress. College apps is a stressful time and experience but he helps you throughout and ensures that you will meet every deadline. On top of all that is his help on your essays. He first helps explain the prompt and brainstorms various ideas with you. He revises and looks over every essay, giving edits and feedback from an experienced perspective. He helps you boost your activities list to make sure it's the best it can be, and it has descriptions that college admission officers will like. I really am glad I had Ryan as my college tutor and only knowing him from the beginning on August, I feel like we got lots of work done through his guidance. Easily 5 stars

Our granddaughter has been going to Huntington since second grade. She is currently in third grade…read moreand we have seen how she has improved and gained confidence in her math studies. The way schools are teaching math today differs from how we learned many years ago. It can be frustrating for parents and grandparents to help with this new math. Our granddaughter likes her tutor and doesn't complain about going to tutoring and having someone else explain concepts (even though we wish the school that we pay for did a better job at this). A tutor can take the frustration away from us and our granddaughter which helps her to be more open to learning. Huntington has been flexible when a schedule change is necessary. Additionally, it is nice to see how our granddaughter has improved when we meet with Huntington for her progress reports. Admittedly, it is not inexpensive, but our hope is that it will give her the confidence and foundation to be successful in math in the future. Thank you to Geetanjali and Casey.

This service is terrible. They charged me for more services than they provided. I ended up…read moreneeding to bring the claim to Small Claims Court and then having to go through the entire small claims process. If you don't mind wasting hours in court, go ahead and use this service. Hania and Geetanjali are terrible. Don't let them enroll you in the payment plan. I had been paying by credit card for years and suddenly, they wanted me to join a payment plan which cost almost $2,000 to get out of. They said that I would only get charged for what I used and the rest would be refunded back. I ended up paying money just to make it go away. What a ridiculous experience.

It has been over 1.5 years since my last review, and we love the school as much as we did when our…read morechild started school 2+ years ago! Everyone on staff has been incredibly easy and pleasant to collaborate with, and responsive to my questions. The school expanded over the summer to add 2 more classrooms, so that Burkard now has 6 classrooms: K/1, 2/3, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7/8th. Having experienced a few private schools and a public school between my 2 kids, I am confident this is the best environment for my child, for both academic differentiation and SEL support. It's often lamented that parents have to choose the least bad educational option for their 2e kids, but I truly believe this is a great option. We were fortunate enough to be with his amazing 2/3 teachers for 2 years, and have a new set of teachers we love this year, too. Speaking with parents across grades, they also think highly of their teaching teams. My son continues to thrive academically (measured by his overall engagement, as well as MAP testing), and we are very happy with the math differentiation he receives. Each year, I have been pleased with the attention and care the staff takes to make sure he's challenged at the right level. They take great care to plan engaging lessons across ELA, science, social studies and SEL, and incorporate hands on projects regularly to extend their learning. My son regularly shares interesting facts he learned in class! Math is a subject he continues to be passionate about, so I reach out to the school annually for math acceleration. He is given math assessments at the start of each year to determine the appropriate placement, and is given the option of joining a higher level class, or doing independent study in his classroom. We opted this year to have him join the higher level math class on a modified schedule, and we are grateful for the ability to choose the right option for him. The daily SEL teaching is also very well done. Many schools don't have the ability to go in-depth with SEL, but our BT has devised fun games and exercises for the kids to put their SEL knowledge into practice. It was so sweet to hear that my son's 4th grade class taught new recess games to the K/1 class! The BT's keep a close watch throughout the day, so the students are able to learn and play in a physically and emotionally safe environment. When conflicts arise, the staff is there to help the students resolve the issue in an appropriate way. We get daily reports, and twice monthly newsletters sharing what he's learning, so I know he's receiving a high quality education. If your child is at a school that is not meeting their needs, I encourage you to tour the Burkard School. It is truly a gem of a school!

We found TBS about three years ago and it is quite surprising that there aren't more schools for…read morebright kids who have significant social & emotional challenges, including mood disorders. We unfortunately found very little real understanding and expertise along the way, moving from program to program, from school to school, in every case deeply involved with the IEP process. Then we decided to try TBS. The results have been nothing short of amazing. Our student's self-esteem and emotional intelligence started to grow from the start and has continued to grow ever since. No more calls asking us to come quickly, the benefits to our entire household have been pretty incredible, across parents, siblings, and friends alike. When your student talks to you about how the kids at school are 'just like me', when they express a sense of belonging and common purpose to thrive in the face of big emotions, you can only smile and reflect on the journey. ...and imagine what it's like for other parents to understand you, understand your child, and understand so much of the details of the journey. The TBS community, made up of students, teachers, and parents is one that sees your child as deserving, powerful, and good.

We greatly appreciate the focus and commitment that Heather and Nancy have applied towards…read moreeducating our three-year-old daughter. Our child has been enrolled at MC&FS since she was two. At that time, I remember being impressed by the care that Heather showed in helping our child transition into her new environment. Very little was left to chance and extra attention was paid to ensure that our child would feel welcomed. In the more than one year since her enrollment, our daughter has grown by leaps and bounds. Her ability to express her feelings - "I'm happy!", "I'm frustrated!", "Please stop talking, Daddy." - continue to amaze me in no small part because of the lessons she has experience at MC&FS. We have also gone through potty-training and sleep-training with close consultation with Heather and applied her suggestions to resounding success. Based on my own conversations with other parents who send their kids here, I don't think our experience is an anomaly. Thank you, Heather and Nancy, for cultivating respect, wisdom and self-reliance in our child. We're very grateful our child is enrolled here and would highly recommend others to do the same.

Our daughter has been at MCFS for the past year and a half and she has blossomed there. She comes…read morehome talking about how she strives to be "a good leader" and "a respectful and responsible person." As an educator, I love the focus on structured play, on enabling students to move at their own paces, based on their own interests, and on the social and emotional focus of the teachers and the learning environment. Ms. Heather knows my daughter (and now my son, who will be starting in a few months) well, and in every parent-teacher meeting, we leave impressed by the level of care and intentionality. Ms. Nancy is a kind and caring presence in our kids' lives.

Our daughter attended Paragon and we were thrilled with the curriculum and the outcome. Now 9 our…read morelittle lady continues to show the core Montessori values she picked up when very little. Paragon is a sweet little school with in a lovely, welcoming locale that gives the kids calmness and focus to really thrive. Paragon teaches love, caring, and mindfulness. Even when she was 4 and 5 our little one came home singing songs, talking about the world she was learning about, and had so many questions. We learned to look forward to pickup because we'd always hear something new and exciting from our daughter. The school schedules many social events that allow the parents and families to be part of the process. This also drove interaction between families which culminated with a graduation ceremony that was just too sweet for words (hint: each kid gets to ride the little plastic "rollercoaster" to celebrate the event!). Paragon is a labor of love: It was started to fill a gap that was tragically created when another Montessori school was forced to close due to the untimely passing of its beloved leader. If you are looking for something really special that will create a strong, wise, and independent child, then this is the place for you.p

Paragon is magical. It's a well-rounded play-based Montessori program for children from 2.5 to…read morepre-k. The school is very small with an ideal teacher to student ratio, creating a tight knit community that extends beyond the hours of school. We, parents included, feel truly blessed to be a part of this experience. It's an idyllic bubble where the children can follow their hearts, engage, and explore. Foundations in math and reading are taught through play by patient and nurturing teachers. Ms. Valerie gives the best hugs and Ms. Pranita, the director of the program, is more than an educator--she is a true role model. Without going into details, I believe this school is a passion project given her competing roles. I've watched my son go through Paragon with my daughter following his footsteps become increasingly confident and responsible independent little humans. They come home with "Paragonisms" that we use daily, such as "nutritious before delicious" and "less talking, more eating" during meal times. LOL. The school is beautiful. My son considers it an extension of "home", even after he graduated and entered elementary school. The classroom is immaculate (feels like the progeny of the Container Store, Blicks and Drosselmeyer's toyshop) with enough nooks and crannies for the children to let their imagination go. The pirate ship play structure is my personal favorite. All of this is set in a lush garden. During the fall and spring, my kids often pick a lemon and pinch some mint from the garden on their way to the car. We have attended several highly regarded preschool programs in the area. Some differences noted are 1) the children are fully engaged without any screentime at Paragon, 2) kids may be covered in paint and markers but not food and urine at pick up and 3) galloping out of the car, all the way to the entrance during morning drop offs. Based on my single date point, we also saw a positive change in my son's demeanor almost immediately after he started attending Paragon. We love this school. The only cons are the hours and lack of extended care. For families who can make it work, I highly recommend it!

Our child had a nosebleed at school, and the school director Colleen immediately called us to pick…read morehim up. Since we work 40 minutes away, I asked if this was part of the school's sick policy. It wasn't--the reason given was simply that a teacher couldn't manage 12 kids at once. On top of that, the preschool principal Laurie required us to provide a doctor's note confirming that nosebleeds were "okay" to let kid back to school. Even our pediatrician found this request ridiculous, but kindly wrote the note word-for-word as they asked. Despite the school's popularity due to its affiliation with a local private elementary, this has been our worst preschool experience compared to others. The teacher-student ratio is inadequate, tuition is extremely high, and communication with parents is minimal. Although it's promoted as a play-based program, most of the time children just play independently while teachers supervise rather than engage. Also they introduce screen time (TV, iPads) as early as age two. I initially chose Serendipity Preschool for my child because of its strong reputation. However, I eventually realized it operates more like a business and not care much about the kids as they claimed. After moving and enrolling my kids in other schools, the differences became very clear, in all aspects--and much greater than I could imaged. In response to Laurie's reply below: When a school director exaggerates facts by claiming "daily nosebleeds" and deliberately misleads the public while carefully managing reviews to maintain a 5-star image, it really makes me question their priorities. When I answered the call, I clearly heard the words: "One teacher cannot take care of 12 kids. Please pick him up as soon as possible." That completely shocked me.

We have one kid in his third year, a second kid starting out in the 2s ("Monkeys") class, and a…read morethird enrolled starting in 2025! If we had three more kids we would probably send them to Serendipity, too! Excellent preschool with teachers that clearly care about the kids and the school. Even coming out of the pandemic we have witnessed virtually no teacher turnover which has led to seamless continuity as the kids cycle through classes. Each class has a bit of its own feel to it depending on the focus of the teacher(s), however what is consistent is that there is a clear curriculum and excellent parent-teacher communication. As the older one has hit his stride, it is apparent that he feels a part of the community as we do as parents. It will be sad once graduation finally comes, but luckily we have two more kids to go!

We feel so lucky that both of our children were able to attend Carey for elementary school over the…read morelast 9 years. The administration, teachers, staff, and community are top notch. The teachers really know and understand each child. What drives them, their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they learn the best. The parent community is fun, supportive, and close knit. We highly recommend Carey to our family and friends.

We were Carey Parents for 13 years across 3 kids. Our time at The Carey School was magical for our…read morekids and for our family. The faculty really knew our kids well and celebrated their unique gifts; they were positive, encouraging and smart. They taught the kids a growth mindset, cultivated kindness and prepared our kids well both social emotionally and academically for middle school. The parent community is engaged, friendly and the people we've met and come to know and love will long be our community after our kids are in middle school and beyond.