stop..... read this before working with mary. she is the owner of the company and very…read moremanipulative. you might want to double check with having her interact with your kids and family. i have interacted with her and she is very wishy-washy and not direct. if it's not her way, she will try every way imaginable to not face things on a professional level be aware of people like this and interacting with your kids and family as my experience was not pleasant.

About 1 year ago, I was constantly at war with my daughter. I was feeling terrible and exhausted. I…read moregoogled to see if there are local parenting support groups that could help me with my situation. I found Mary. Initially I wrote her off as "yet another useless consulting". But I eventually decided to give her a shot out of desperation. So glad that I did. The advice Mary gave was practical and effective. For instance, she suggested I schedule a weekly bonding time with my daughter, which is now the most-anticipated activity of the week for both me and my daughter. Last week, I almost cried when my daughter told me that I'm her closest person in the world, given I was clearly her most-hated person less than a year ago! My relationship with my daughter has been completely transformed since I met Mary. Wish more parents could get help from her! I snatched a photo yesterday when walking the dog with my daughter. Moments like this make me wonder if the constant wars with my daughter a year ago was actually just a nightmare. lol Thank you Mary!

I can't say enough about New Mom School! As a first time mom, I was really nervous how the…read moretransition to motherhood would be. New Mom School has, hands down, been the best thing I've done for myself postpartum. It makes such a difference being in a group of moms with babies who were all born very close to one another. Having this community, in and outside of class, has been instrumental for me. I'm just wrapping up the newborn series and can't wait to start the infant series next!

When I was freshly postpartum, I didn't realize how limited in-person resources were for new moms…read more Everything was online which I felt wouldn't give me the support I needed. After seeing New Mom School on my social media and reading what their mission was, I was so intrigued and signed up for the newborn series. To be able to go through the last 2 months with a group of moms who truly know what you're going through has been amazing! I've always heard that it takes a village and I didn't understand that until I went here. I found my village! I've found my people and mom friends. Riya who is the owner as well as my instructor has been amazing throughout this experience! She is so welcoming, understanding, and compassionate. Attending New Mom School has completely changed my life! I don't know where I would be without this place

This review is based on ten weeks of in-person parenting classes with Miss PG…read more If I could give more than 5 stars I would because she helped me so much. I was going through a separation and because we have a child the Judge ordered us to go to parenting classes and at first I was irritated thinking I don't need parenting classes but once I started the classes I realized in the first class how much Ms. PG helped me. I actually felt comfortable as I left her office each and every week. She helped me with communication, parenting my children with an optimisticand positive interactions, my temper has improved and there's so much more. Like she legit helped me like no other person in my life and she's super sweet. I got my certificate and she even e-mailed it to my attorney.

Ms. PG' parenting classes have helped me grow as a person it's has given me tools I need to be a…read morebetter parent and you be honest it has help me all the way around from work ,family. Friends.

Kambria has been an invaluable resource in my life and has given me a set of tools to help me step…read moreaway from the ledge, soften the blow of life, and learn to love myself again. Kambria is compassionate, caring, intelligent, nonjudgmental, and understanding. In the year I have been seeing Kambria, I went from an exceptionally dark place filled with self-abuse, toxic behavior, and self-depreciation to a world where I have mechanisms to cope with the extraordinary stresses life throws at me. If you value yourself at all and need help, do yourself a favor and reach out to Kambria; it was one of the most significant decisions I've made in my life.

From the owner: As an EMDRIA Certified EMDR clinician and former Director at Stanford Medical School, I offer you…read moreevidence-based therapy, as well as expertise in how people learn and change from 20 years of training, research, and teaching at Vanderbilt and Stanford. My approach is relational, and integrates neuroscience, ego states, attachment, and the body to alleviate anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms. In addition to 6 years of clinical work in private practice, I spent 14 years at Stanford training faculty physicians, medical trainees, nurses, and social workers from around the world. I'm a speaker at national conferences, and a reviewer and published author in journals such as Academic Psychiatry. With an office in Campbell, I serve the San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale, and Los Altos communities. Our work together is a positive, growth-oriented process grounded in the philosophy that everyone is seeking wholeness. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #103873.

We've been at Saratoga Parent Nursery School (SPNS) for three years and currently with our second…read morechild. This school has brought us such a wonderful preschool experience from the classroom with teachers to community with parents. I can't show enough appreciation for what the school has brought to our lives. Alexis is such a wonderful teacher and director. She truly cares about the school and families. Her teaching style is fun yet calm and supportive. Our oldest was timid a bit reserved when we first started back in 2022 and after two years at SPNS she gained confidence and learned how to use her big voice. The biggest complement we got was her TK teacher stating that they can tell she went to preschool. SPNS prepared her for peer to peer interactions, conflict resolution, letters, how to recognize her name (w/o being able to read), sitting for circle time, listening, patiently waiting in a line, etc. because of SPNS we, as parents, felt confident sending her to elementary school. This year we get to experience Teacher Lisa with our second child and it is going well. Lisa has a calm, supportive and loving teaching style. You can tell she truly cares for each and every child. SPNS truly takes the time to capture and cultivate a supportive and loving community. Many of our family friends we've met through SPNS and still keep in contact today. If you're considering SPNS do yourself a favor and take a tour. You'll see how clean and well the kept is and how great of a job everyone has done to make the school wonderful!

As former and current educators we had very high standards when choosing a school for our toddler…read more Saratoga Parent Nursery School exceeded all our expectations. The classrooms are pristine, thoughtfully designed, and developmentally appropriate. The outdoor toys and equipment are well-maintained, and the play-based, learning-focused activities are engaging and fun. The teachers are truly exceptional--dedicated, skilled, and passionate about fostering each child's growth. A bonus we love is the Music Together class every Tuesday, included as part of the curriculum! It's one less thing to arrange, and our toddler absolutely enjoys it. We highly recommend Saratoga Parent Nursery School to any family looking for a nurturing and high-quality environment for their child.

Lara is here today for a "What's My Baby Saying?" session, and although tired with our 3 week old,…read morewe are thriving! We are so glad to see her since we did the "Bringing Baby Home" classes before our sweet little guy was born. We learned so much during the weekly sessions before, so it is exciting that we aren't freaking out since Lara taught us proper expectations for our relationship with each other and for dealing with a newborn baby at the same time. For us the class was sort of like pre-marital counseling, but pre-baby! Even though we have a pretty great marriage with open communication, we needed to talk through our upbringings, our parenting expectations, conflict resolution with each other and also how we plan to resolve conflict with our son. Lara was a great mediator for us and helped us work through some issues. It was very hands on! I would definitely recommend the classes for anyone expecting a baby!

When I was coming across Lara's listing on Yelp I immediately knew she was the women for the job. I…read morewas wondering where to get some basic info and help for helping out with my sisters who are 2 years and 4 months. She was very informative and answered any question I had. She even had the answers to questions before I asked them. I am glad my friends recommended me to you and I recommend anyone else to her as well!

We loved having Leticia as our night nanny. She was very professional and knowledgeable. Leticia…read morehelped us diagnose and address any issues as we are first time parents. It felt like having a nurse supporting us through those early weeks. She communicated clearly and consistently, which gave us a lot of peace of mind. We recommend her to all of our friends to have some sanity during the newborn stage! Totally worth the investment.

Having Letícia by my side on the day I gave birth meant so much to me. Right after my baby was…read moreborn, when I was overwhelmed with emotions and still trying to process everything, she was there with me. She truly cared for me. She guided me through those first moments, explained things calmly, and helped me feel more secure during such a sensitive time. The way she spoke to me, the way she looked at me, and how she respected my pace made all the difference. Letícia was incredibly kind to me. She brought me peace when I needed it most. She was more than just a professional. I felt like I had a friend there, someone who genuinely cared about me and my experience. I'm so grateful she was part of that moment in my life, and I wholeheartedly recommend her. Having Letícia there made my birth and those first moments as a mom feel so much lighter.

Being part of Explorer has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience…read more There's a joke that parenting is the one job nobody has to pass a test for -- that there really ought to be some kind of "SAT for parents" before anyone is handed a child. Explorer is the closest thing I've found to that school, except it never tests you. It teaches you. And what it teaches is less about how to raise a child than about how to be a good parent -- and underneath that, how to be a good person. What it made me see most clearly is this: the bond between a parent and a child is one of the most extreme imbalances of power that exists. In no other relationship does one person hold so much control over another human being -- over their time, their body, their choices, even their sense of what is real. And yet we almost never name it as power. We take it for granted. As a society we rarely talk about the restraint a parent owes a child, precisely because the child has no way to demand it. Explorer takes that restraint seriously. The community here holds to a belief that is simple to say and surprisingly hard to live: that we are not only here to protect our children, but to respect them. And what surprised me most was what that respect produces. Children who are treated with respect learn to extend it -- to their peers, and to the world around them. They come to understand boundaries not by being controlled, but by having their own boundaries honored, and by watching others honored too. They learn it through play, through sharing how they feel, through being given room to work things out rather than being told how things will be. I'll be honest: none of this is intuitive, and much of it runs against how most of us were raised. It asks you to hold back in the very moments when instinct says to step in and take charge. It asks you to be challenged -- to be willing to find out you were wrong. So I don't think Explorer is the right fit for every family. It's for the ones ready to walk in open-minded and let themselves be stretched. For us, it was exactly that. I'm deeply grateful that our family found Explorer, and that we've had the chance to be part of it.

We LOVE Explorer. We started our LO at 18 months and are saddened that graduation is in one month,…read moreending our time here. Being here for 4 years, we've been able to see a lot and meet lots of families. It isn't for everyone. But if it is for you, as it was for us, it's a godsend. We couldn't be more thankful for all that we've learned, the kindness and patience we've received as new parents, and the community we've been able to take with us as we leave. The #1 reason I chose Explorer Preschool was the required monthly Parent Ed Classes. As a former teacher, I love learning but not too proud to admit that I need to pay a school to hold me accountable. Sleep deprivation is a big deterrent. Explorer, however, is special because what we learn is immediately applicable. Parents learn from each other, ask questions we hadn't thought to ask yet. We get the opportunity for our LOs to be loved and supported by a caring community of similar values. We, too, fall in love with other LOs and get to watch them all grow up together in a safe space. We don't have family here, which was daunting to say the least, as first-time parents in 2022. Now, after 4 years, we feel like the close families that we've bonded with will remain our friends for a lifetime. I love how much my LO just goes up to other parents just to have a good laugh, and how much these other LOs come up to tell/share the most exciting news of the day. A lot of families have come and gone in the last 4 years. But the ones that stay until graduation, at least in my experience this year, it says a lot about them = dependable, flexible, kid-centered, sees value in education, team-player, committed, nature-loving, and open-minded (we're in an all-inclusive school). I could go on forever! Thank you, Explorer Preschool!

Crystal graduated from my coach training program and was an amazing asset to our students and to…read morethe program itself. She has a wonderful gift and I am so happy to cheer her on in her venture. Survivors of DV are lucky to have her as a member of their team.

Setting personal boundaries, identifying dysfunction in relationships, wanting to find your own…read morevoice? Kristal can bring help and empathize with your situation as you make the choice towards positive personal growth!

TLDR: Liat is incredible. If there's one thing I would recommend to help you through your labor,…read moreit's having her by your side. She was the best decision we could have made. My husband and I went back and forth for months about whether we wanted to include a doula in our birth experience. After a lot of discussion, we decided to hire one for two reasons: first, we wanted someone who could help us advocate for ourselves in the hospital so we could stay as close to our birth plan as possible. Second, we wanted someone who could physically support me throughout labor. Liat is truly one of the most incredible human beings I've ever met. She became such an essential part of my birth experience that, looking back, I genuinely don't think I could have done it without her. To make a very long story short, I chose to be induced at 41 weeks after a lot of pressure and fear mongering from my doctors due to elevated amniotic fluid levels. I labored at the hospital until my contractions reached a certain intensity, and then Liat joined us. The moment she arrived, she jumped right in--rubbing my back, talking me through each contraction, and bringing such a calming presence into the room. For the next seven hours, she coached both my husband and me through contractions that were every 2-3 minutes apart. She constantly adjusted my laboring positions to help my baby descend and was incredibly attentive to the fetal monitor. Anytime my baby's heart rate dipped during a contraction, she immediately repositioned me to help him tolerate labor better. Those seven hours somehow flew by. I labored on the birth ball, in the bed, in the bathroom, and even did lunges at one point! Liat was always thinking one step ahead, using every tool and technique she had to help labor progress naturally. Eventually, I reached a point where I decided to get an epidural. I was exhausted, in pain, and my baby was having a harder time tolerating the contractions, with his heart rate decelerating during each one. After the epidural, my labor was paused to help baby, and I was able to rest for about an hour. When I woke up, the nurses wanted to talk about interventions (even the possibility of a C-section) because my labor "wasn't progressing"--despite the fact that they had just given me medication to stop my contractions. Liat immediately stepped in and advocated for us. She calmly explained that labor couldn't progress without contractions and suggested restarting the Pitocin, giving it time to work, and then reassessing before making any decisions. Sure enough, labor picked back up beautifully. A few hours later, I was fully dilated and effaced, but my baby's station was still a little high. Liat spent what felt like hours gently rocking my hips and helping my baby naturally move farther down into my pelvis until it was finally time to push. She stayed by my side every step of the way until our son was born later that afternoon. If you're on the fence about hiring a doula, I cannot recommend Liat enough. She advocated for me every step of the way, helped me navigate unexpected twists in my labor, and supported both me and my husband physically and emotionally throughout the entire experience. Her knowledge, calm confidence, and compassion made all the difference. A few weeks after our son was born, Liat came to visit us at home, and it honestly felt like having family over. Liat, we are endlessly grateful for everything you did to help bring our son safely into this world. We love you, and we can't wait to have you by our side again when it's time to welcome our next baby. Love, The Zimmerman Family

I had the most wonderfully redemptive unmedicated VBAC a few weeks ago, and it is difficult to…read moreoverstate how critical of a role Liat played in making that happen. My first birth had gone much differently than I had hoped (preterm labor that led to immediate C-section due to breech positioning). I had come to terms with that experience, but I was surprised to find in my second pregnancy that it would be difficult to escape those "labels" from my first pregnancy, making it harder to be given a fair shot at having a vaginal birth. Thankfully, I found Liat whose passion for VBACs is infectious and whose no-nonsense approach is grounding. In our conversations before the birth, my husband and I both appreciated the balance of her approach - she strongly believes in the benefits of physiologic birth, but she also recognizes there is a time and place for medical intervention. My primary hope for this birth was that I wouldn't undergo any interventions that I wasn't convinced I needed, and she was a trustworthy sounding board throughout the entire pregnancy and delivery to ensure that was the case. This time around, my baby decided to stay inside long past the due date, so I agreed with my provider that it would be a good idea to induce. This was pretty disappointing for me, but Liat was wonderful at helping me stay in a good headspace in those final days, checking in frequently via texts and calls. When it came time for delivery, she was every bit as exceptional as all her other reviews describe. When she arrived at the hospital, she took one look at me and knew exactly how to change my environment to help me relax. Sure enough, labor accelerated rapidly after she arrived. She massaged my back through every single contraction. She knew exactly what to say to keep my mind present and focused. When she was talking me through my contractions, they were noticeably more efficient. At one point, I almost wanted to give up and she knew exactly how to keep me going. And sooner than I could have dared hope, my baby arrived. I'm pretty sure I professed my love for Liat minutes after giving birth :) And just as she had been for the entire pregnancy and labor, she was a constant comfort and encouragement to us in the minutes, days, and weeks after the delivery as well. Liat takes absolutely no BS, but is also the warmest and most compassionate woman you've ever met. She's exactly who you want at your birth. I know I want her at my next one!