My son went to challenge school blueberry class and we had a wonderful experience! The teachers…read moreare kind, caring, and truly go above and beyond. Most importantly, my son was excited to go to school every day -- as a parent, that means everything. Grateful for the nurturing environment and the joy it brought to our family! Highly recommended it!

My son has been at this school for almost 3 years. Compared to other daycare my two kids have been…read morein, Challenge is well organized and welcoming of parents. They get a week rounded Chinese and English education. They have time to explore and play and still learn the fundamentals like the alphabet and so on. They have building toys, sensory bins, special art and science projects, Chinese cultural performances, field trips, you name it they've probably done it. The teachers are generally very good, although like all day cares they sometimes have a hard time retaining the best ones, but that's pretty typical. The director Jenny is great, very communicative and on top of things. In terms of actually learning Chinese, they do their best. The kids are split, some speak mostly Chinese and some mostly English. There's usually one Chinese speaking teacher and one English-speaking, and activities like circle time are also split half Chinese half English. My son definitely understands Chinese but he aggressively refuses to speak although the teachers do their best, that's more on him than them. He has also sometimes been a problem child and they are patient and do their best to work with him while still making sure all the kids are happy and safe. I'm also glad it's in the same system as Challenge Afterschool, which is a big bonus. Next year, my son will join my daughter and several of his preschool classmates there!

Clarise is highly skilled and effective ! As others have said, she is a "child whisperer" able to…read moremotivate, be firm and help our children grow their capabilities. She's excellent at assessing strengths and areas of focus. Then she creates a clear set of goals, involves the parents and helps each family understand and improve. I have. Even so impressed by the growth in my son's skills and abilities. Thank you Clarise! You have done so much more than I could have expected. We've had years of various therapy with others. But you bring ALL of the pieces together.

I recommend Lyon Learning for anyone that is struggling with dyslexia. Our elementary school age…read morechild has dyslexia. He had been getting some services in school, but he was falling farther and farther behind. We went to Lyon Learning because they were recommended to us, and it turned out to be a marvelous experience for our child. Clarisse has the right mix of enthusiasm and firmness to get through the Wilson Reading System and the other methods that she uses. Wilson is rigorous and effective, but it is difficult for a young student. Clarisse has a unique talent to keep him on task and motivated as he worked through the system. He has come very far in a short time, which was wonderful. I should also say that, in addition to the in person sessions, she recommended several online exercises to do at home on days that he did not have a session, so our child worked on his reading everyday, which was quite helpful. Also, our experience during the Covid-19 shutdowns has been quite good. Both Clarisse and her assistant Jean have been as effective over zoom as they were in person, which is not easy. We are very happy with Lyon Learning.

My son has been in the Challenge preschool side since 2 years old and continued on to this…read moreChallenge School since Kindergarten. The teachers are fluent in Mandarin and immerse the kids in Chinese speaking environment. The teachers are very encouraging and warm to all parents What I like is the consistency and stability of the class - my son has been with most of his classmates for over 6 years and really have gotten to known them. same with parents - many of us started with Challenge early on and have gotten to known each other over the years. There are monthly public speaking practices as part of routine class curriculum. There are many cultural celebrations as well for all to enjoy kids' performances.

Our kids have been attending Belmont Challenge after school program for years. Not only does the…read moreschool offer a trusting and organized learning environment for the kids, the teachers are patient and friendly towards the kids. Our goal was for our kids to maintain their bilingual skills and be in a fun learning environment, and Challenge offers what we wanted and more! Under the guidance of the teachers, our kids have improved greatly in their public speaking skills (in both English and Chinese) due to the school's thoughtful curriculum in helping to develop students' public speaking skills. Most importantly, our kids thoroughly enjoyed being at Challenge and often requested to be picked up later :) Overall, we are grateful that our kids can maintain and develop their Chinese skills in a safe and friendly environment at Belmont Challenge!

Both of my children have been attending Gigamind for over 5 years, well before it was officially…read moreset up. (Teacher Luk ran classes at their preschool.) My children learned how to write 1,2,3 from her, went through all the abacus books, and are now learning math olympiad. I never have to worry about their math at school, as they have always been above their grade levels. Teacher Luk, Teacher Joanna and others are all caring and patient. They are well organized and make Gigamind a very effective math tutoring service.

My 3 year old daughter loves it here. The teachers are friendly, fun and highly qualified. She…read morestarted learning basic math concepts and words in Mandarin.

My son attended 3-5th grade and my daughter is finishing up kindergarten at Stepping Stone. We…read morehighly recommend the program and appreciate the additional enrichment activities offered (eg, art, chess, abacus) and responsiveness of the staff. They also coordinate with Heart Beat Dance Academy to get kids to dance classes.

My son just started Kindergarten this fall. We needed afterschool care arrangements and preferred…read moreMandarin enrichment as part of that equation. We feel very fortunate to find Stepping Stone as the solution. I attended mandarin weekend school as a child and they taught in the very traditional methods (rote memory, writing pages of characters, etc). I detested going to chinese school. Fortunately, this is not the case at all at SSEA. The teachers are kind, encouraging, motivating and age appropriate. They sing songs, play games, the teachers and children are happy, smiling. The students are well behaved and enjoying their days and LEARNING! SSEA provides pick up from various schools in Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood Shores. They also offer enrichment classes for abacus, art, chess, and piano (keyboard). This solves so many things for us so we don't have to fill up our weekends with these things. While I appreciate that the elementary schools offer Spanish as part of their standard curriculum, I felt it was important to provide the mandarin language learning to my ABC son. I'm sure at this rate his Mandarin will exceed my skills soon. I'm excited to have a "secret" language to share with him. My son LOVES going to chinese school, he's interested in learning more mandarin, and we're all grateful for a caring and effective chinese school in our area. Thank you Stepping Stone!

I strongly advise against this school based on our experience…read more The administration is more interested in controlling and punishing students rather than fostering an environment that encourages critical thinking, love of learning and a feeling of safety. The culture is antiquated as is the curriculum. Teachers are underwhelming. There is a stark lack of innovation and limited use of technology. A revolving door of teachers. With those who remained, issues loomed. The administration had no interest in hearing from parents. The science program is a disgrace. It lacks instruction and labs. I have attached a photo that is telling. The Spanish program is a joke. Social Studies was inconsistent. A new, inexperienced English teacher had no accountability. She humiliated more than one child by timing them when going to the restroom in front of the class. She demonstrated questionable rationality and a tenuous relationship with reality. At some point, we hired tutors to advance our child in certain areas which we likely would have done at any school, just as many students take math at RSM. We do that as well. The vice principal reprimanded my child when she heard this, claiming it was unfair. This was outrageous, but not out of character. Every opportunity they had to tear down a child, they took--and that treatment extended to parents. Additionally, the school actively discouraged transparency and honesty, instructing my child and myself to conceal a learning accommodation from other students and parents. We were told, "Do not tell anyone, and if it gets out, we will know it was you." This culture of fear, intimidation, and dishonesty are toxic. Stapled your paper incorrectly? That will be 10% off. Did not include your last name? Turn in the next day at penalty. Why not simply speak to the student and offer support if needed? Is this about learning or control? It is 100% about control and you control through fear. The anxiety our family experienced during our time at NDE was profound. If you're looking for a forward looking school that fosters critical thinking and helps develop confidence with supportive adults rooting for them, this is absolutely not the place. For some, this culture may be acceptable, but others, including myself, may consider it a form of emotional abuse on top of an antiquated mode of teaching and curriculum. This school has the potential to be a positive neighborhood institution, but it requires significant leadership change to transform.

It's very unfortunate for the community to have Dr. Jeremiassen as the principal of the school. Her…read moreonly conflict resolution methods are 1) sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened, and 2) get rid of the people involved, be it students, teachers, or volunteers. (Yes! MANY times!) There is a typical oppressed atmosphere at the school: People are unhappy, but dare not say anything. Students jeer at the "fake smile" of the principal behind her back. How ironical it is for a Catholic/Christian school, and how unfortunate for everybody who had to go through this "educational experience". To be fair, Dr. Jeremiassen may have done some good things like modernizing the school's IT system, so she might be an Ok administrator, but lacks empathy, the basic nuance to handle problems appropriately, and the drive to try to fix problems at their root. She should never be a leader in any position.

I never feared public speaking, I feared speaking without preparation. I felt confident when I had…read moretime to think things through, but if I was calleyyd on spontaneously, I froze. My inner critic would chime in: "You're rambling! You're not making sense! Hurry up!" And just like that, I'd lose my train of thought and sound anything but clear or confident. As someone pursuing speaking more seriously, I knew I had to get past this. I joined a local Toastmasters club, which helped with structure and delivery techniques, but it didn't get to the root. I didn't need to memorize a speech. I needed to feel confident grabbing the mic with no idea what I'm going to say, and still pack a punch with my message. I met Lynn when she stopped by my local Toastmaster club as a guest speaker. By the end of her workshop, I was speaking freely, no notes, no rehearsals. In less than an hour, she got me to trust myself, and my message came across clear and resonate. So, I joined her Level 1 course. I'll be honest, at first, I was hesitant. The exercises were simple, even a little "woo-woo" and I doubted if it would really change me. We practiced looking in the mirror to say affirmations. We marched around chanting, "I don't know what I'm going to say, but it's going to be great!" and various other fun things! But it worked. Week by week, those small practices paired with real speaking challenges rewired my brain. This class brought me to tears countless times. In 4 weeks, I grew more confident, more self-assured. For the first time, I believed that I could do this. I could trust that I knew what I wanted to say and didn't have to rely on perfect preparation to say it, and say it well. Lynn created an extremely safe, low-pressure container, that feels easy to do, yet the internal shifts and changes are monumental. Everyone in the class went from unsure, to confident. Our last session was so powerful. The new-found authority in the room was palpable. It also happened to fall on my birthday. The group, who by then felt like family, surprised me with a cake and a song. So nice! Lynn teaches from the heart. Her approach gently unearths the root of fear. A month later, I'm still applying what I learned. I'm leading meetings more clearly, toasting at dinner, raising my hand to speak, looking myself in the mirror with kindness before judgement, and, most importantly, trusting myself more than ever. If you want to uncover what's holding you back and try simple yet powerful tools to break through it, Lynn's class is a safe and transformative place to start. I highly recommend!

I can't say enough good things about this public speaking course! I'll admit I was a bit skeptical…read moreat first -- I wasn't sure how much you could really learn (or enjoy) from a six-week speaking class. But joining Lynn, Klaudeen, and Amy turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made. Not only did I gain valuable tools to become a more confident speaker, but there was also an unexpected amount of growth and healing that came from the experience. The instructors created such a supportive, uplifting space that made it easy to open up, take risks, and connect deeply with others in the cohort. I'm so grateful for everything I learned and for the amazing people I met along the way. This class truly exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend!

Amazing Dual-Language Pre-school, we wish we had signed our son up earlier. Parts of the curriculum…read moreare in Japanese and other parts are in English. The staff is very high-caliber and do a great job with the children, everyone is very friendly, sweet, and are great at their job. We highly recommend this current location or the one in Campbell with a lot of the previous Palo Alto staff. We have been going to Sora since the Palo Alto location was open a couple years ago. Our son has blossomed immensely while attending Sora International Preschool. In the beginning, he had minimal knowledge of japanese language or culture and had a timid but friendly disposition. Within a few short months, he was able to recite hiragana, sing japanese songs, and put together short sentences. In the course of a year, it was a joy to watch our son grow more independent and outgoing in character and equally important, gain a greater understanding of japanese language and culture. The classrooms are also very,very clean and well organized with beautifully designed furniture and sophisticated colors that don't scream "baby/kids". They have very stringent Covid-related protocols so it is very safe for children and staff.

Sharon is very excellent interview preparation coach. She listen carefully, very friendly, and very…read moreprecise to help me with interview questions I might get. She not only fix my pronunciation and grammar but also help me organize my answers, making them sound more polished and comprehensive. After two sessions with her, I got accepted for the position. making them sound more polished and comprehensive. After two sessions with her, I got accepted for the position. I greatly appreciate her help!

Sharon is an excellent ESL (English as a second language) teacher. I take online English lessons…read morefor 60 minutes once a week. I wanted to improve my English grammar, pronunciation, writing, and conversation skills. In a few lessons, not only did I notice big improvement, but my colleagues did too. Her approach is to work on quick fixes and to give immediate feedback so I can incorporate that learning immediately in my daily life. In addition to helping with daily conversation, she has expertise in resume/LinkedIn profile review and job interview preparation. With the help of her sessions, I landed a wonderful job opportunity.

This is a fantastic private school for childen with mild to moderate challenges…read more My little 9 year has been in this special needs school for over 3 years. Partial Scholarships can be requesed but, you must qualify. This excellent school is great for children on the Spectrum; includes social, speech, behavorial, occupational, academics. call 650-631-9999 for my info. a satisfied parent

Not only did my brother grow up through the ALLS and Arbor Bay programs but he thrived. It really…read morefelt like a second home. The therapists and teachers know their stuff and care so deeply for each child. You really get the sense that Arbor Bay is a school founded on passion. It has been a staple in the Bay Area community years and I could not recommend a place for your child more highly. Their Teachers, OT's, BT's and SLP's are top of the line. Their classes are honestly amazing for all young children. With the curriculum Arbor Bay provides, your child will develop a STRONG basis for language and intellect in a way THEY can learn, and retain the teachings.