Our family was new to Columbia this year and we were welcomed with open arms, smiles and an…read moreauthentic curiosity about how Columbia could serve our family best. I find the teachers to be personal, professional and truly strive to understand each student individually. Columbia has supported my kids in a transition year and has help them each find their "thing" that lights them up and gets them excited about coming to school. Columbia Christian has also helped support some of my kids that have learning support needs in a way that encourages and hold them accountable. I highly recommend Columbia Christian if you are looking for a place where the staff and kids care about each other and are encouraged to drive for excellence. We drive 25 minutes to attend and it is worth every single minute/penny!

Our son just started here this year after moving from a private school in a different state. They…read morehave been welcoming and he has adjusted to well. Academics are solid and staff is supportive.

My twins attended PJA from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Initially, I put them in public school…read moreat Hayhurst, but after 1 month and volunteering in the classroom where there was 1 teacher for nearly 30 kids and she still didn't know their names, I realized that was not where they would thrive. I transferred them to PJA and it was the best thing for their education. Small class size, devoted teachers, plenty of assistants and extra help when needed and an extremely caring environment. PJA set them up for life!

PJA was a great choice for my child, who was a transfer student in 5th grade and stayed through…read moremiddle school. The school offers a great balance of academics, ethics, and teaching kids how to be good humans. Teachers delighted in challenging and encouraging students, and also meeting them where they are. The administrative staff is responsive and communicative to concerns, and very supportive. There is also meaningful financial aid, which made a huge difference for my family. My kid is ready for high school, and PJA laid that foundation.

My boys love going to school here! They do fun activities everyday and are learning so much…read more Recently they have been learning about plants and next is a unit on bugs. Everything is very thoughtful and age appropriate. They also love their teachers very much

Daughter has gone here for a year now. I like their learning curriculum and themes for toddler…read morelearning. Kind and great staff. Some turn over issues (possible due to covid restrictions) but I trust my daughter is in good hands at this facility!

"It feels like home." That's what my 8-year-old said when I picked him up from his very first day…read moreat Activate. In our wildest dreams, we couldn't have imagined hearing those words from a kid who used to beg not to go to school. Greg has built something truly special here. It's small by design, hands-on, creative, and full of kids who finally feel like they belong -- whether they're gifted, neurodiverse, still finding their way with reading, or anywhere in between. We are so grateful this school exists. If your child has ever felt like school just wasn't made for them, Activate might be exactly what you're looking for.

I am updating this review in response to the school owner's public reply…read more Our then 7-year-old child was accepted based on Activate's admissions criteria--the same criteria the school continues to publish today. We did not mistake Activate for a therapeutic school, nor did our child need one. He attends a general education classroom. The owner's response reinforces my original concern. Rather than recognizing overwhelm and dysregulation through the lens of neurodivergence, sensory processing, and nervous system regulation, he characterizes our child as having "behavioral challenges" and publicly suggests that my child required a therapeutic school while discussing our experience alongside children he describes as "violent, destructive, defiant, or runners." This response clearly illustrates the problem I am trying to point out. He pathologizes the neurodivergent children he claims to understand and serve. Our child became dysregulated in an environment that was not working for him. Instead of examining the environment, relationships, or adult response, the child was blamed. Regulation is foundational to learning. A neurodivergent child struggling to regulate in a learning environment does not automatically have a behavioral disorder or require a therapeutic placement. I did not write a review at the time because I did not yet have the language to describe what we had experienced. Now that I do, I believe it is important for families to have this information when considering placing their vulnerable children at this school. Some children can have wonderful experiences at Activate. The experience was traumatizing for our family. Both things can be true. Based on our experience and Greg's responses to my concerns--both when the situation happened and now--families should not expect reflection, accountability, or collaboration when things don't go as planned.

My daughter has been going to GGL since the summer and loves it. The teachers are fun and friendly…read moreand take an active role in my child's play. She has nothing but good things to say when she gets home! We hope to continue until she goes to kindergarten and love how much progress she has made since starting!

My baby girl has been going to GGL since she was a little over 2 months old. As hard it was to…read moreleave her in someone else's care, I have nothing but positive things to say about our experiences so far. Kelli, Melissa, and the other teachers are welcoming , nurturing, and professional. They were willing to work with my fluctuating work schedule and offer affordable, quality care for my little bean. She starts smiling and babbling when we enter the building & clearly enjoys her days with the lovely ladies and other babies at Growing Great Learners. Wonderful option if you live and/or work nearby. :)

We are so grateful that we found Osoberry School! After feeling like a large Kindergarten classroom…read morewouldn't be the right fit for our son we decided to enroll him at Osoberry and are so happy with our choice. He is happy and thriving at school. It is clear that Emily intentionally works to establish a supportive learning community that not only enables our son to learn effectively, but also has fostered his social and emotional growth.

We're so happy that we found Osoberry! Our kid tried Osoberry camp for a week during the summer and…read moreliked it so much that he came home and said "can I go there for school?" And after talking with Emily, we were sold. He has loved his experience there - having a smaller setting has been really great for him as a kid who's on the quieter side. He came out of his shell very quickly and talks a ton about the other kids and teachers. They do so many creative projects and activities, and the approach to reading and math is much more hands on and intuitive than the worksheets he experienced in his kindergarten. He says he really loves the art they do there.

This school has amazing staff and students. The education they offer is top notch with lots of one…read moreone for each student. The community with staff, students and family come together for many fun activities.

We have been so thrilled with our first year at Portland Montessori! The dedication and thoughtful…read moreapproach of every staff member is so evident in our day to day experience with the school. Our guide, Ms. Susie in the Rainbow Room, is exceptionally talented and has helped us instill grace and confidence in our (almost) 4 year old son. The aftercare staff and GIANT play space are the best we saw in our search or have heard about since, since the same support staff stay for aftercare they know all of the children really well and can respond to their individual needs. We have also loved Camp Vida this summer, they really stepped up the program from last year in terms of the diverse weekly offerings. Music Mondays and Cooking Fridays give our son something to look forward to every week! Great school!

Sharing our response to the denied acceptance email received pertaining to our son. Our daughter…read morewas accepted. We are completely caught off guard and very disappointed to hear you have decided not to accept Henri. After reading through the numerous emails from TPMS there was NEVER any information that his acceptance was pending a school tour. In addition to the emails, we specifically discussed our situation with Jessica during the tour and I followed up with telephone calls after. Jessica reassured us TPMS had children similar to Henri. We were worried about disappointing him and told her we did not want him to tour the classroom if there was a chance he would not be accepted. She assured us that it doesn't work that way and the tour was just for him to get familiar with the classroom and meet his teachers. I specifically told her I do not want to even apply if there was not room for both children. We had a secured/accepted a spot for Lillian at another Montessori school and had Henri on the waiting list, which we have turned down since receiving your "acceptance letter." It is too late in the school year to secure a spot for our children at another school. This decision is INCREDIBLY disruptive to our family and completely irresponsible per TPMS admissions staff. It is pathetic I had to email Braden to find out why we had not had any follow up after Henri's visit. It is also misleading Elisabeth did not indicate anything went wrong with his behavior during that visit. Her communication & demeanor with children and adults is lacking. Judging a 6 year old boy with special needs after observing him for 2 hours in a completely new environment full of strangers is unbelievable and inaccurate, and speaks volumes per your internal practices verses the montessori educational platform. Your policies should be clear that you don't accept children with an IEP or ADHD, to avoid wasting families time Lillian will not be attending TPMS. I HIGHLY suggest you take a look at your admission process and the way TPMS communicates with families. Because of your poor communication and decision our children will not be able to attend Montessori school in the fall. Considering our situation after much homework and clear communication on our part, we suggest TPMS advertises correctly and does't mislead people in the future as it's been a very disingenuous and incompetent experience that will greatly affect our family and our child's developmental plans. Parents are always going to be their children's biggest advocate and TPMS should be ashamed as your mission statement and admission process is severely flawed, and its obvious people should know the truth! In closing, I'm not looking forward to explaining to my son that he will not be attending the school we've been building up to be a great experience. He was greatly looking forward to the school & "new friends" and going to school with his little sister, both of which will not happen now.