Glenda has been an amazing help to my 3rd grader. She is a wonderful teacher and I can't recommend…read moreher highly enough!

what a great experience! really impressed! my daughters…read morereading has improved so much in the short time she has been working with Glenda!

We've had such a wonderful experience with our piano and cello teacher. They are incredibly…read moreattentive, and patient. I've seen a noticeable improvement in my kiddos technical skills, confidence and love for music. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for dedicated, nurturing, and skilled music teachers!

My kids take piano lessons once a week. They said the teacher is great and they feel like they are…read morelearning a lot. I like that there are several lessons happening at the same time in separate rooms so it feels like everyone does this as part of life.

This is the re-opened Chrysalis preschool, run by the founders daughter, Lily…read more My 3-year old has gone here for the last six months. Lily is absolutely incredible. As an early childhood educator for over a decade myself, and someone who still works with kids, I am absolutely so particular about preschools and teachers. And I genuinely have zero complaints about Chrysalis. Lily has been so supportive, communicative, and wonderful with the children, and she also sets up the school schedule so that she doesn't burn out and is able to give her energy and self to the work when she is there. We love everything about Chrysalis and cannot recommend it enough. Go check it out for yourself!

One only has to meet Lily the "teacher" to know our children are in good hands. The philosophy is…read moreplay based which has been known to be the most important element in allowing children to make sense of their world without the intrusion of top down "learning" that should come later. No pressure here to learn or memorize. The play area is located in a beautifully repurposed space carefully and thoughtfully designed to offer kids various play spaces where they find exploration and discovery at their own pace and their own interests. The Waldorf philosophy of child development "from the inside out" is alive and well. There are no screens to distract from play. We were lucky to get in and have our grandson there.

We've benefited so much from Ms. Fleming's coaching and supplemental math instruction for our first…read moregrader. Heather brings a lot of positive energy, thoughtful lesson plans, thorough progress notes, and a genuine desire to see our daughter grow and learn. Ms. Fleming is open to partnering with both our daughter's school teacher and our ideas for topics to cover (e.g. counting money, learning to tell time, etc.) in the lesson plan. Would highly recommend!

Our experience with Marigold has been extremely disappointing, and I feel obligated to share our…read morestory in order to provide a fair perspective for parents considering this preschool for their child's education and well-being. Our concerns primarily stem from the inappropriate and unprofessional behavior displayed by the teacher, who is also the owner of the school. She showed a pattern of passive-aggressive communication which created an atmosphere that was tense, uncomfortable, and contrary to the nurturing environment one would expect in a preschool setting. One of the most alarming incidents involved the teacher threatening to involve the police when we arranged for a family member to pick up our daughter's belongings. The overreaction was deeply unsettling. Instead, I had to involve another Mom to help get my daughter's things. Among the items returned to us was a painting my daughter had done especially for Miss Heidi after her cat died last year. This "drama" all stemmed from my husband's response to her email, letting her know we aren't moving away-just leaving the school and she verbally attacked him. However, this wasn't the first time we received a passive-aggressive and extremely long email (like this review, I've got a lot to say!) After our daughter stopped going to Marigold, we discovered that the teacher had sent an email about our family to other parents. This email contained numerous inaccuracies, further highlighting the lack of professionalism and accountability we experienced during our time at the school. This teacher's actions not only undermine the trust necessary between educators and families, but they also bring into question the very ethos of Marigold School of Early Learning. Her actions reflect directly upon the school and its values, and unfortunately, our experience was far from positive. She even would make comments about "feeling sorry" for my daughter! This is also not an inclusive preschool, which as a mom new to the whole school scene wasn't really on my radar. She made a few comments about how my Deaf son would have to go to school with other kids like him (she said this to my daughter). The teacher also tends to dish out unnecessary information to other parents about other parents. I have emails that I can show to prove her unprofessional behavior. Communication matters. It is very important. It is the essence of being human. I wasn't even going to write a bad review because her teaching style was exactly what we were looking for and she write a detailed journal of the kids' days and I thought maybe this is an isolated incident. But after hearing from other families that they had similar interactions with her, I feel like it is important I voice our experience. It is my hope that parents considering this preschool should be aware of these issues and take them into account. As parents, we entrust educators with not just the academic growth of our children, but also their emotional wellbeing. It's disheartening to think that such behavior is presented in an educational setting where developing trust, respect, and healthy communication should be a priority.

We love this school. Ms. Heidi is fantastic. What a great place for kids to play, interact, and…read morelearn and all with an amazing teacher. Her school is so calm and clean and interactive. The teacher has a really nice style. We couldn't be happier and we feel our child is well prepared for kindergarten.

Having our daughter in Pea Pod during her toddler years was a wonderful experience! She thrived…read moreunder the loving care of the parent coaches, Tara and Jasmine, and other parents. I also learned a lot about parenting from our discussions and readings at our parent meetings (especially "No Bad Kids" by Janet Lansbury). The co-op experience is unique because you get to be in the classroom regularly along with a parent coach and two to three other parents each day. It creates a very special community experience, and you get to be there with your child as they learn and grow. As a new parent with a Covid baby, I was so thankful to find a strong community at Pea Pod. I'm still close with many other parents from our cohort, and I love that our kiddos have known each other for over half of their lives! Most importantly, I feel like my child was truly cared for, respected, and allowed to be herself at Pea Pod. This meant - and still means - so much to me. It was the best childcare experience I could've wished for during those two precious years of my daughter's life, and I would recommend Pea Pod to any parent looking for loving care and a community for themselves and their child!

Peapod is an unlicensed, unregulated co-op preschool operating out of Tabor Space in Portland. As…read moreof July 2025, they were cited by DELC for unlawful care. No license, no DHS oversight, no required training, and no accountability if a child is harmed. They employ Jasmine Kennedy, who is unregistered and has no early childhood education experience (confirmed via her own public LinkedIn profile). She doesn't lead activities or engage with the kids meaningfully. Crafts were never more than paint haphazardly smeared onto paper out blocks of wood. Never once did we see a semblance of any kind of planned lessons or sessional activities from this "teacher." (Even through peapod says she's not a teacher, she's listed as such on both their website and her own LinkedIn). Multiple children, including ours, disclosed being grabbed, yelled at, and made to feel unsafe by her. When we raised concerns, the board shut down communication, deleted our posts, and said we needed to "manage our energy" at drop-off. No one ever asked how our child was doing. A leaked multi-page board document reveals a disturbing pattern: after a child disclosed being hurt by Jasmine while alone with her, the board portrayed the parents as the problem. They called the mom manipulative, overly anxious, and mentally unwell, implied her concerns were racially motivated, and labeled both her and the child liars. Jasmine was described as emotionally overwhelmed and burnt out, with the document centering her discomfort, not the child's safety. Multiple other parents had also shared concerns about Jasmine being rough, but those were ignored as "boundary setting." Instead of addressing her behavior, the board unanimously voted to terminate the family's enrollment claiming the family was "a harm to the community." Since speaking out, Peapod leadership has labeled us mentally unstable, mirroring the retaliation described in their own records. Peapod uses community-friendly language, but behind the scenes it silences parents and protects unqualified staff at kids' expense.

Jess is an excellent, compassionate and intuitive tutor. My son saw Jess once or twice a week for…read moreabout a year and a half. Having homeschooled for several years due to some medical issues, he was behind in math and had very little confidence that he could catch up. He liked Jess from the very start, and she was patient, but persistent, with his lack of study skills. In that year and a half, he went from a kid who thought he was dumb and unable to learn math, to a confident, accepted university student who tested out of first year math requirements! I really can't say enough about how much Jess helped him, not just in math, but in study skills, confidence in his own ability, GED and SAT prep, and just by being a kind, stable person in his life. I give her the highest recommendation possible.

We feel so grateful for our 3 years at Kidspire! My daughter just graduated, and the experience has…read morebeen nothing short of incredible. The program strikes the perfect balance between child-led play inspired by Reggio Emilia and thoughtful Kindergarten preparation. The teachers are nurturing, creative, and truly invested in every child's growth. If you're looking for a preschool that feels like home and sets kids up to thrive, Kidspire is it--we can't recommend it enough!

Kidspire has been the absolute best to our family! Both our sons went to Kidspire and loved going…read moreevery day. They always felt supported, encouraged and loved by everyone there. The teachers and school director are the most caring, wonderful humans and we are forever grateful for all they have done for our kids. Our boys learned so many valuable lessons about kindness and the world around them. I am looking forward to sending my daughter there when she is old enough. Thank you, Kidspire, for all you do for our little ones!