Our children both attended Bridges to Kinder, and it was easily the best school experience they've…read morehad. The teachers -- Laura, Lisa, Jennifer, and Li Ping -- are kind, caring, and truly see each child for who they are. These are educators with decades of experience and tons of heart, and it shows! Dropping our kids off each day felt like leaving them with family. The program itself is exceptional. Every day is filled with art, music, hands-on projects, outdoor play, and immersive, imaginative adventures. There are weekly visits to the library, time exploring the garden with Teacher Jane, and visiting with their "Big Buddies" at the elementary school. The teachers' warm, intentional approach helped my kids feel connected, capable, and confident -- lessons that have stayed with them ever since. Interestingly, many parents at B2K are teachers themselves -- I think educators naturally gravitate to the exceptional teaching. I'm an educational therapist, and I feel like I became a better teacher myself by volunteering in the classroom and seeing the teachers in action. Our third grader and first grader still say the B2K teachers were their very favorite and often ask to go back for a visit. They're really there for their families through the good and tough times. During the flooding of winter 2022, the teachers reached out to check on us and even offered a place to stay if we needed to evacuate. That kind of care truly says everything about this school. We're so grateful for Bridges to Kinder. It's a warm, nurturing place that gave our children an incredible foundation -- and set a very high bar for everything that's come after. I only wish that every child could be a part of this school -- it would change the world!

Our experience having our son at B2K has been amazing. The teachers have a magical way of creating…read moreone of the most inclusive classrooms I've ever seen (I'm an elementary school teacher). They make every child feel seen, safe, and confident. Kids who go through this program are ready to be a good human and have the skills to flourish in TK or K. My 3 year old son wakes up every morning so excited to go to school and when I drop him off, I feel so good about leaving him with such extraordinary educators. The communication with parents is so wonderful, the photos and updates are great. We feel so lucky! Cannot recommend enough!!!

Words can't express how happy we are that our children (2 boys) have been here at SCWS since 2012…read more I'll share about both academic development and social development. Our kids are flourishing and being cared for as individuals, as opposed to following a regimen determined by testing standards. Some parents are worried about the academics, because reading happens later than in public school. But what they might not know is that the children learn to fall in love with letters and stories, prior to learning to read. I had a concern, but our second grader is now reading beautifully and easily. The early math lessons are more advanced, as they learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide a number, all at the same time. They also learn the spelling and Roman numeral while they're learning how the number is used. In other words, they have context for what they're learning, so it has meaning (and is therefore more easily retained) vs. just memorizing a set of numbers. Every time I have a parent-teacher conference, I can feel the true love and care for our children. Our boys have developed deep friendships already with other children whose families have similar values. Each of our boys carries a level of confidence and self-assuredness that we believe would be stamped out my well meaning teachers and potentially other children who are modeling what they watch on TV. I understand there were issues with SCWS in the past, with funding and with some administrative policies (or lack thereof). Parents of older children shared mixed reviews...But I believe this issues have been straightened out and SCWS is a wonderful school and community we are proud to be a part of. If you're a parent who wants to give your children a true childhood, where they aren't exposed to violence, too much stimulation through media that is way too mature for them, and a commitment to the development of your child's spirit, SCWS is the place to be.

We have had an absolutely wonderful experience at Santa Cruz Waldorf School! The nurturing…read moreenvironment and dedicated teachers truly set this school apart. From the moment we stepped on campus, we felt welcomed and inspired. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to foster creativity and critical thinking, allowing children to explore subjects in a meaningful and hands-on way. Our children have flourished here, academically in math, writing, and languages, as well as more broadly with the arts, music, gardening, outdoor education trips, and more. If you're looking for a school that encourages a deep love of learning, I highly recommend the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.

I went to elementary and middle school here and loved it…read more The teachers were great and the campus is awesome. It's less than a block to the ocean and lighthouse field as well. Say hello to the surfer statue!

We transferred two of our children to Gateway during the pandemic and could not be more…read moreappreciative for the welcoming and yet still rigorous environment. The leadership is excellent and the children have made wonderful friends. I'm very happy with our choice to move them to Gateway.

My daughter Clara just graduated from Santa Cruz children's school after 6 years there from…read morekindergarten through 6th grade. I was not sure how to thank the school with all it's dedicated teachers and outstanding directors Joanna and Deric, so I decided to write a review. From day one she became part of a large caring family. When she left she expressed nothing but love and appreciation for all her friends and teachers. Though sad to leave, she felt confident and well prepared for her transition to middle school. In the last couple of years my daughter learned to organize and complete all her work with proud independence. She improved her writing skills considerably, excelled in math, and took up multiple musical instruments with the many talented music teachers at the school. Beyond core courses, the school also puts on plays, a yearly concert, and an end of year multi day class trip adventure for older kids. My daughter has had World inspired cooking classes, movie making classes, circus fun, learned to play chess, civics class with a ucsc professor and much more. How they manage to do all this, keep the kids inspired and eager to learn, as well kind to one another is remarkable. If you are looking for a school where your child will be happy, eager to learn and go to school each day, and well prepared for middle school, I highly recommend Santa Cruz children's School.

After beginning our son's grade school at a different private school in the area and then having…read moresuch a disappointing experience over 2 years, both for our son and for us as parents - we decided to check out Santa Cruz Children's School from a referral and reading reviews.-- After attending the open house in June of 2013, we felt like it was worth a try and hoped that they would provide the care, curriculum, enthusiasm, professionalism and transparency they promised, we so desired and felt we deserve. Now half way through our son's first year at SCCS, they have proven to be all we had hoped for and we couldn't be more grateful. My son is enthusiastic for school every single morning and afternoon! The teachers and administration members have shown to be professional and respectful to each other, the children and parent community. The children are also respectful, kind and supportive of each other. There have been no negative issues of any kind in the classroom or on the playground and I feel strongly that is due to the great degree of responsible supervision, respectful, timely and honest communication and policy that is in place and honored. Our son's 2nd grade teacher has shown a true love and compassion for teaching and children. She fosters the imagination, learning and beauty of each child's individualism and personality. It is a small school with about 48 children, at first a concern of ours, but that is really in where the blessing lies. The small class sizes offer important individualized attention, learning and support. Organization, scheduling and attention to details are top priorities. The school's scheduling of curriculum and homework requirements are clear and consistent! This in itself has provided a better learning structure for focus, responsibility, self-confidence and academic success. We have seen our son's academics (Math, Science, Reading & Writing Comprehension, Spelling) progress and are continuously stimulating and engaging. There has also been great support of Music, Astronomy, Life-lab, Spanish, PE, Art and his beloved Chess! His interests are flourishing along with his love for his new school. He is supported and encouraged to be imaginative, inquisitive and true to himself. We feel very fortunate to have found such success with Santa Cruz Children's School. Thank you!

We had great communication with teachers and our children loved the school. Horrible experiences…read morewith office staff/admin. (my rating ) Definitely a result of the pandemic and How tough this all is on everyone. Just ruined the whole Holy Cross School Experience I think we would have had. We love Holy Cross Preschool, maybe if the office up at the main school were more like the pre school admin/teachers it could have been a different year for me And my husband. But the schools teachers go above and beyond with the students. just was my experience. hope this whole thing passes. good luck and blessings

This is a horrible school. They lie to parents, they break labor laws and have no business being in…read moreeducation. The teachers are poor and under trained. Many don't have teaching credentials and lack teaching experience. They go through principals like a revolving door. Kimberly Chang was the worst of them all. Don't send your kids here if you want them to get an education or learn morals like honesty and faith.

If your child is fairly average, it can be a great experience if they get one of the better…read moreteachers. Our child started here in kindergarten, and had 2 very good to excellent teachers, 1 okay teacher, 2 poor teachers who used old fashioned methods, seemed burned out, and lacked patience, and 1 young teacher who appeared to want to win a popularity contest with the students. If your child has any sort of disability related to a learning problem or difference, RUN. The school receives very little money for special education, and views those students as a liability. They will go to extreme lengths to avoid providing any specialized instruction or related services. Most people either move or find another school district in the area.

Brook Knoll is a great school that is made up of wonderful teachers, support staff, administration…read morestaff, parents and kids. My son has been attending for a number of years and we have had a lot of great experiences.

Wish I could give you all ten stars. We feel so fortunate to send our child here. Amazing staff…read moreand teachers, involved parents, great atmosphere. Their after-school program is awesome too. We love Main Street!

We love our school, and are so fortunate to have Main Street School in our community. Two of our…read moreolder children attended when it was brand new, and now our three younger children are attending. Appreciate our principal and teachers, our community of parents, and everything it has to offer. Thank you!

This school is not good. They dont care at all if you get bullied, the food is literally trash, the…read moremilk was never cold, they threw the food in the microwave for like 30 seconds and that was it, the vegetables often were moldy, and just disgusting looking. And when I say they dont care if you get bullied I mean it. The ac and heater were often broken or they barely worked, in third grade the heater caught on fire. The only good teacher was mr Centanni. Anyways if your a parent i dont recommend (i dont go here anymore)

We love this school. My daughter has been at two elementary schools and the learning environment…read morehere is very positive for her.