My two sons have attended the Common School for five years, and our family could not feel more…read moresupported during this time. Most importantly, our children feel cared for, safe and socially and academically stimulated. The Common School is a ongoing project that evolves along with the its community expectations and, committed to a just society, through equity practices.

In my opinion, parents should be very careful about considering The Common School for their…read morechildren and should seek out former families to speak to rather than just taking the word of school leadership or selected references. I believe there are serious issues related to student safety and that the school and board leadership retaliate against parents who raise concerns. https://thingsincommon.substack.com/

The Hitchcock Center is a place that offers education on here, the place we live. It's really nice…read moreand important to take a look around and learn about what you are looking at. The plants and animals in the area. Public schools should really do something like this. My son and I are taking a class and it's one of my favorite things he does after school.

Wonderful facility and staff! We had such a positive experience with their summer camp this year --…read moreour 8 year old joined them for two sessions and came home full of stories and excited for the next day. We loved how supportive the counselors all were and are could tell how much everyone cared about the kids and their program. Outdoor classrooms, variety of activities, animals and environmental education, combination of facilitated and open play, great communication, gender neutral facilities and all gender supportive community, easy drop off and pick up, sliding scale enrollment fees based on ability and scholarships available. It's tough to register, though, as spaces are swooped up VERY quickly, and this year they capped families at two weeks for the summer.

Very organized, sweet staff. Upbeat and professional. I can expect an update about my kid's day…read morelike clockwork and I'm amazed by the detail they provide, which tells me that they pay close attention to each child they take care of. Regular outside time, regular arts n crafts, sensory activities, learning and friendships. He always has fun. They are flexible and understanding. A great classroom setting and I trust them 100! Started attending here as a toddler and will graduate as a preschooler before starting kindergarten this fall.

We have been sending our son to Renaissance since he was age eligible. We chose Renaissance based…read moreon its proximity to UMass (a stone's throw!) and affordability. When I learned that Miss Dottie used to run the lab school at UMass, I was sold. I feel that people who teach aspiring teachers are up to date on best practices and truly dedicated to the field. We have been very pleased with the school. They have a really great staff to student ratio. There are a lot of interns from UMass, which is very exciting for the children. The class is incredibly diverse, with almost all of the children speaking different languages at home. I would highly recommend it!

My son just finished his second year at the Renaissance School and we will all miss it so much…read more Renaissance is a warm and loving place where kids get to play and learn by following their own interests and curiosity. Ms Dotty is so thoughtful and purposeful in how she puts together the curriculum, arranges the classroom, and talks with the kids about their developing social and emotional abilities. We really felt that our son was well taken care of here.

My alma mater is one of the other 4 colleges in the area but I did take a class her as part of the…read more5 college consortium. My oldest followed 2 generations and went to that school as well but my middle son marches to the beat of a different drum. So I was not too surprised when he applied to Hampshire College. My son was very carrot and stick orientated so very focused on grades and he was accepted to 9 of the 10 schools he applied for ... RPI being one of his top two choices with Hampshire being the other. I was intrigued how he would deal with a evaluation based classes. He has adjusted pretty well. So far I am thrilled with his experience and he seems to be fitting right in.

I attended Hampshire from Fall 94-98. Bridging the years where Hampshire went from the grads who…read moretook 10 years to get a diploma (LOTS of "student sabbaticals" which weren't allowed after some school changes) and the "new kids" who fell under stricter guidelines. Pre-2000, a lot of Hampshire students were left with a "sink or swim" style of education. The faculty were amazing (Marion was excellent with Tai Chi and other classes and the outdoor programs were excellent, David Kerr and others were supportive and definitely helped me stay on track. Being one of a small number of financial aid students, the feeling at the beginning of each year was incredibly stressful (if you couldn't prove you had the funds, sometimes making the difference up in cash before matriculation, you couldn't start the school year). Financial stresses aside, it was one of the best times of my life. Hampshire College gave me insights into the way I work and strengthened my belief in self worth and my ability to achieve whatever I set myself up to do. Hampshire is a direct reason why I was able to take more risks after college, pay off a tremendous amount of debt in just a few years (yeah business consulting!) and achieve a lot of the successes I have now. I learned the undergrad education wasn't so much about what I studied, but how I set goals, researched, learned, and achieved whatever I set out to do. Those lessons have given me more than any piece of lambskin was worth. Yes - there were Hipsters at Hamp before Hipsters were a "thing" and there will continue to be the trust-fund babies who opt to float through four years of f-ing around and not really doing anything but spend money and get high. There are more, way more, motivated students who are pushing themselves to be more than what most colleges and universities expect. I'd argue there are more alumni from Hampshire (graduates or drop outs) who've succeeded because they were real examples of what a Hampshire student is - motivated, dedicated, self-assertive, risk-taking, and willing to fail several times to achieve success at whatever they're doing than there are from other more "normal" schools. I loved Hampshire and while it still definitely needs to improve its alumni relations, it's a constant work in progress and it's great to see awesome kids coming and going from there still...

An amazing school for preschool level children. The teachers and true community of parents create…read moresuch a wonderful experience and as your child grows here you understand how special this place is.

We've had our daughter at Nonotuck for 3 years and could not be happier. All of the teachers and…read moreadministrators are stellar--very knowledgable, well trained, caring and attentive. The open, emergent curriculum fosters imagination, creativity and confidence, and gets the kids outside and moving their bodies frequently throughout the day. The school's focus on social and emotional skills has been a great benefit as well. We often comment that children from Nonotuck seem to have an easier time sharing and navigating conflict with other children. Nonotuck also offers a cooperative community of families and teachers working together to not only raise strong, intelligent, confident children, but also to support parents and families as they work through the challenges of raising children. Many friendships are made between children and parents alike.