10/10 highly recommend brighter beginnings! My daughter…read morestarted here at 3 months old and I couldn't be happier with the experience we have had room 3 (the infant room) MS VIRGEN is amazing! Our daughter has such a strong bond with her and is always happy and smiling when I pick her up at the end of the day, Ms Virgen truly treats those babies as if they were her own and I couldn't have asked for anything better! Her and Nicole (who is also amazing!) read books to the babies, do arts and crafts, and make sure all babies get equal love and attention. The room is cleaned daily and their sick policies protect our little ones from spreading illnesses. They have a huge fenced in backyard with play structures and activities for the older kids. They frequently take the babies on walks with strollers. They also post the cutest pictures on their daycare app, which is nice to see while you are away from your child. Lily is awesome and runs a great facility. She is easy to work with and has always accommodated our needs without issue. My boyfriend and I both cried on our daughter's last day here (due to relocation). It was truly heartbreaking leaving this place behind as we knew how loved and well taken care of our daughter was in their care. I have nothing but great things to say and if you get lucky enough to send your child here, I promise you and your kiddo will be more than pleased with your experience

Cannot say enough nice things about Brighter Beginnings! Lilly, the Director, is amazing and really…read moreadds a personal touch to the center. They were very flexible with our needs, during a difficult transition through relocation/new jobs. Our son was enthusiastic about going to daycare each day and loved the teachers and friends he made. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

St. Michael's Academy is the only remaining Catholic Elementary & Middle School in the city of…read moreSpringfield. They instill important moral values within their students from a young age, and they're often regarded as one of the best Elementary/Middle schools in the Springfield area.

My daughter was a student at Children First Day School. I pulled her last month because she came…read morehome wearing a diaper under her underwear. She is fully potty trained, and was before she started at CF. She had a sudden onset of potty regression in the two weeks before I found her diapered. CF shockingly took no responsibility and had no explanation for who diapered her, who handled my daughter's naked body. I pulled her shortly thereafter. The situation left me disturbed and I want to inform other parents so they can be on the lookout for their own children. They confused my daughter, sent her mixed messages, undermined me and lied to me repeatedly. I don't care to be a bystander in case it is being done to other children. Do not send your children here.

Children First proved to be a very strict educational environment…read more Children are being analyzed every step of the way and criticized for every little thing they do not taking into account their level of development but the level of teacher's annoyance at their behavior which is appropriate more or less for preschoolers. Being humiliated for not making the right choice happens all the time. I experienced fist hand how a teacher made a little boy cry because he chose corn chips which had 3 organic ingredients and a low sodium content over a little juice box made of concentrate and 52 grams of sugar...I was appalled at this especially since it was lunch and the teacher wanted the child to have his 52 grams of sugar juice box instead of the simple organic corn chips...The little boy was crying really hard and the teacher took him out of the classroom making him feel humiliated even more... They are very concerned about being on schedule making staff and children alike experience high levels of stress. One time they had the children outside for only 5 minutes after having them get dressed for half an hour just because it was only 11:15 and lunch time making some children cry and experience disappointment after working so hard at getting ready for being outside for only 5 minutes... Outside time is another issue: they do not allow more than 5- 30 min of outside time in the morning and in the afternoon; teachers would rather finish up their chores before heading outside around 4 pm when nap time usually is done at 2 pm... Communication is only done online between the teachers. While it's good to be on the same page with everybody, a lot of the staff people are barely allowed to have time to read through everything and then they are criticized for not having the right approach to a certain situation/ child. There is a lot of talking around behind closed doors about teachers, parents and children as well making it difficult for transparency and good and honest communication. Children First is a somewhat good school, but being so strict and overly concerned about time makes the whole atmosphere be stressful and consequently not too many smiles on the children's faces who are kept inside so much amount of the daytime. Another thing that made me reconsider is that they fired a teacher for being home with her sick child for 3 separate days. Her child got sick at this school and they still fired her and it was done not in person, but on the phone... Supporting such an inconsiderate, harsh and strict educational and work environment would be equal to supporting inhumanity towards children, parents and teachers alike.

Great place to pop in for a quick swim in the indoor pool. Very friendly to guests like me who are…read moreon the road visiting from a distant branch.

I've been to a lot of different gyms over the last 15 years, and the Holyoke Y is one of my…read morefavorites. As a winter member there, I've used many, but not all of the facilities at the Y. The weight room is small but they have a good variety of free weights. I've gone at many different times, early in the mornings, later in the evening, and in late afternoon. At times it can be busy, but I think there is one major thing that cancels our the at-times busy-ness for me -- people there are SO nice. I know that another local "gym" calls themselves the judgement-free zone, but this Y is truly a comfortable place to work out. I've had nothing but positive interactions with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds - both staff and members - in the front desk area, in the weight room, cardio room and pool area, and in the locker room. I was searching to see if there were any deals right now because I had a membership for about 4 months last year and I was really surprised to see the negative reviews on here and I don't think they're warranted. If you want a reasonably priced facility with many different services to help you stay in shape, this is a great local spot for folks in the pioneer valley.