It's been an incredible experience being in CLE Monterey. They really develop your life and academic skills, and they want to work with you thoroughly to become the best version of yourself! I would echo what someone said about the negative reviews being nonsense, though. Career development is something CLE Monterey has worked very closely with students on, and they have always helped me pick the right classes and put me on the right educational path so I can attempt to build a career from my degree. It's not always about filling in application forms for a retail job. They help students look at the bigger picture, which I think Magdalena's review misses. I love CLE personally and think it's a great program. read more

My son joined the CLE Program in Monterey in July 2023. He has grown SO much not just in maturity, self awareness, academically and but also just in life! Not only did the program help HIM but helped us as parents! We learned different ways to support him in his independence and autonomy while learning to fade back our "parenting" to that which we should have for an adult child. The parent coaching has been a God send, as it's really tough transitioning from being their main advocate to teaching them to be their own advocate. They have also really supported our son in finding his career path setting him up with the right classes and volunteer opportunities to learn if he really wants to continue to what he thought his dream job was. We love CLE and look forward to more years with them. read more

Very disappointed to read haters posting one or two stars expressing their dismay with the program. CLE hires the most experienced and competent staff who are well-versed in helping these autistic young adults adjust to the daily challenges that life can bring. Career development and meeting academic goals are two of the most paramount priorities they emphasize for people in the program. I've been in the program for a while now and I'm loving it, so it disappoints me that inaccurate reviews that trash CLE for inaccurate reasons can be posted. Magdalena's review says that adults have been in the program for eight years with almost no progress towards their academic goals. That's just garbage lol. Almost everyone I have known is studying what they want to study and have excellent grades which is testament to CLE read more

Updating my review. I enrolled my son in 2011. Thanks to College Living Experience program he has a life and a future. Yes, staff turnover is challenging, but establishing a relationship with leadership has provided constancy. I am devoted to helping relieve the best help possible. It's not been perfect, having disabilities adds challenges to life, but we've hung in there and so have they. In 2 more semesters, he will receive his B.A. I didn't know what his future held, but his would not have been possible without College Living Experience. read more

We met with the director and was given a tour of the facility, without any notice! We were very impressed with their services and accommodations that they offer. We were able to tour an apartment complex that they currently use. Their material given to us explains in detail what they offer. We hope to use them in the future. read more

With the financial instruction, I feel like I have more "free form" options... like the ability to mold my life to my different needs. It's helpful to know more about handling money, budgeting...and I'm learning a little about cooking too. I think I feel more confident about living as an adult. I wish CLE Monterey had a job placement program though". Zane read more

I am writing this review as parent of a current student at CLE in Monterey, CA. My son has started the program in January 2015. He is on the autism spectrum but at the high-functioning end. If you are a parent interested in enrolling him in the program you need to keep in mind that CLE is a FOR PROFIT (in Capital letters) organization. They are hiring the minimum amount of staff with a professional education in either psychology or education. But NONE of the staff has a background in speech-pathology, which is what those young adults would be benefiting most of. The two better paid professional key people are absolutely overworked and do their best to fulfill management's high expectations as well as parent expectations. But they are stretched too thin. There is no continuing education for any staff members I have heard about. At the beginning I sent them links to educational conferences and invitations to classes from Michelle Garcia Winner) who is the expert on, how to teach young people with autism to better communicate and read non-verbal language. I have up on that one. And as a parent you have to stay on top and request the help for your child. Some of the young adults have been there for up to 8 year without any sign of improving or getting closer to their academic goals. "Career Development" though advertised does not exist. One parent told me that "Career Development amounted to "filling out application forms" to Petsmart and similar companies. My son would have benefitted way more from a career development path. I had counted on an "assessment" to determine his path. But since CLE gets its money from supervising students on the academic path, that is what my son received. Despite supervision he failed two classes and now he is going into his 3rd year for a 1 year certificate. The rest of the staff are young people at entry-level knowledge who help the students with daily interactions under great-sounding headers like: ILS (Independent living skills), Mentoring, money management, etc. Staff-turnaround is frequent. The biggest benefits for my son being at CLE Monterey is the small community of friends on a similar level on the spectrum. He never experienced this throughout his highschool years. Also the fact to not be at home forced him to grow with the help of the CLE staff. I do not know of any program better than CLE though it is filled with missed opportunities for our young sons and daughters on the Autism spectrum. A non-profit organization not dependent on PROFIT would be necessary to fill the gaps of teaching and mentoring. read more

I am writing this review as a parent of a College Living Experience (CLE) student. Our son has just started his second year at CLE-Monterey. Our son has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He has always been very high functioning when it's come to academics. He has continued this success while at CLE. The one-on-one tutoring and study sessions have helped prepare him for exams and projects. With the support of CLE staff, he has also become a great advocate for his own educational needs. This support has decreased his anxiety and worry; helping him feel more competent and confident. He has also done a great job living on his own for the first time. While he knew how to accomplish simple tasks around the house (making simple food, washing dishes, doing laundry), he had never been responsible for accomplishing these tasks on a regular basis. With the independent living support provided by CLE staff, he has learned to do his laundry, clean his apartment, complete a weekly meal plan, make his grocery list, and then complete his grocery shopping - now with only minimal oversight. He's also become an expert at using the public transit system. Our son has also made incredible advances in his social skills. There's always something going on at CLE where he can practice his social skills. He attends a number of social events each week including dining at local restaurants, going to the movies, bowling, hiking, and miniature golf. He's even invited classmates to his apartment for snacks and a movie! He's becoming more and more comfortable in social situations. We cannot say enough about the staff at CLE. They are true professionals, each with a heart of gold. They are loving and caring and want nothing but the best for the students. They celebrate our son's successes and support him during his challenges. We feel completely confident that our son is in good hands while in the CLE program. We won't say our son is a new person; because he was a pretty great person before he started CLE. What we will say is that because of his hard work and that of the CLE staff, he's been able to tap into the skills and talents that were within him, just waiting to be discovered. We look forward to his continued progress as he attends his second year at CLE. Based on what he's accomplished so far, the sky's the limit for him. We could not recommend CLE more highly. read more

Terrible program. Ended up removing my son after 9 weeks due to lack of a program. He has a total of 9 hours of a program a week for over $50,000. Staff are completely inexperienced. Those that are good quickly leave. That is just the half of it. I highly suggest you do not waste your money. read more

It *was* a great program with amazing staff, but no more. Complete turnover of staff in less than a year resulted in new staff that are young and inexperienced. Lots of services falling through the cracks and failing to be provided. We switched from the academic track to the vocational track, but found after 3 months there was very little if anything to the program and no forward motion at all. read more