We've had a fantastic experience with Vesper! Our oldest daughter (now 8) started piano lessons…read morehere with Stephanie and absolutely loves it. She looks forward to every lesson, and we're so impressed by the school's professionalism and engaging teaching approach. Teaching young kids to love piano can be challenging, but Vesper makes it fun while building a strong foundation. We also appreciate that it's a small, locally owned business--it feels great to be part of a neighborhood music school. Over time, we've had lessons with other instructors (due to vacations and make-ups), and every one of them has been outstanding. We highly recommend Vesper to anyone looking for music lessons!

I don't feel like this is an honest company. They charge for lessons in advance and when I have two…read moreweeks notice to reschedule, they said they couldn't accommodate or refund. Feels like a way to charge for services that they look for every opportunity not to deliver.

Honestly shocked there aren't dozens of (positive) reviews here. Our son went to the North Portland…read morebranch of EV for about a year, until we moved away. Even through an incredibly turbulent COVID moment the staff was amazing - warm, approachable, and transparent. We really felt every day that they were happy to see our kid and sincerely cared about his well-being and happiness. And he LOVED them. Great facility in N PDX, lovely caretakers, frequent communication and photos for parents. It really felt like a family. We (the parents) cried over moving away and leaving EV. If you can send your kiddo there, do it!

Escuela Viva was my daughter's first daycare experience and I was very happy with it. At the time…read morethe daycare was located just blocks from my home and I could walk there every time I dropped my child off at the center. Often if I was having meetings in the neighborhood I would see the children out together with the caregivers on a walk. The school is dual language and when my daughter was in the infant and toddler program it was a very small, intimate group. The community of parents and kids at this school is very tight knit, vibrant and diverse socioeconomically. Tuition included all meals and supplies (other than diapers) and was comparable with most residence based centers. Angie, the owner, was always extremely upbeat, open and candid even with an overly concerned parent. I think this is why so many parents are so loyal to Escuela Viva and why the program continues to grow as each generation of kids in their care reach the next grade. Angie's vision and candor really help. Ultimately Escuela Viva built out a new center (which is amazing inside - by the way) that houses a variety of ages and is a really inspiring learning space. At the time I felt apprehensive about the new location. It is on a pretty rough corner in Portland and I appreciate the opportunity to teach my child compassion, but also felt the challenge was a bit beyond me at that point in my life. I felt insecure about my daughter's security. Angie was so awesome and sympathetic with my concerns and talked about a time when I might feel more comfortable sending my daughter there. She was totally candid with me and said other parents were expressing the same concerns and she outlined her plans to address those concerns in a meeting. The school also held social events for the parents to meet one another and this further allowed people to discuss their concerns openly with Angie and each other and - much more commonly - to just hang out and get to know each other and our kids. Since that time I have had the privilege to continue to interact with Angie. I knew that she'd want to have more green space on their huge lot. I connected Angie to depave and she took the ball and has been absolutely running with it. She has talked to the landlord, the city, parents with planning and design backgrounds and in a short period of time has everyone on board with a play area for the children that will reroute stormwater, beautify and area in need of greenery and create an activated, green playspace for the children. I do believe that once the greenspace is installed and when my daughter is more in need of a structured learning environment or bilingual preschool rather than a daycare environment that I will be back in Escuela Viva's program. As a parent it is very hard to have to hand your most precious possession over to other people many times a week. A good community, candid and sympathetic communication and a positive philosophy and practice at EV make it a little bit easier.

If you care about your kids, don't send them here. Unfortunately, most of the 5 star reviews are…read moreteachers and family members of the owner (who backs her teachers up over parents NO MATTER the issue- be prepared). Most of the teachers have kids there so your kids come second. Also they're ALWAYS on their phones when you walk in at drop off, and you're lucky if they even acknowledge you. They would always say "we're on the check in app communicating with families", but it leaves the kids to tend to themselves without an interactive adult. We're talking about 2 YEAR OLDS!! I had not planned on writing a review. This is something that has been heavy on my heart to share with the public since leaving the school.

We toured and opted not to go here. The people were nice and welcoming. I wanted to love it…read more Unfortunately, It's very crowded and did not seem secure, with many people (workers, family members, building managers, others?) coming and going. It made me wonder if all of those people were background checked. Maybe they are. They state they are inclusive. They said they group children not based on age but where they are developmentally, which is not actually inclusive. Perhaps with much more training and more space, this concept would work.

As a single mom struggling to support my highly sensitive teen, when I first came across Nicole's…read morework I thought, "her parenting coaching sounds like exactly what I need." And indeed it was. Nicole helped me: --understand the neuro-science behind the nervous system and how my--and my teen's--nervous systems were influencing my parenting approach; --recognize how to become attuned to both of our nervous systems...I learned to be curious instead of judgmental (about my own and my child's feelings and reactions); --translate the knowledge and awareness into action with suggested techniques that made a huge difference in how my kid and I communicate; and --equally if not most importantly, grant myself (and my kid!) grace in the moments that are as hard as being human is. I'm not a perfect parent, but with Nicole's support I have become more mindful, more empathetic, more curious, and more grateful for what goes well in my relationship with my child. This has helped in the immediate term--and I believe has set us up for the future--to trust each other and create more space for joy.

Before working with Nicole, I often felt like a terrible mom. My almost 4-year-old son was having…read morefrequent tantrums, and I felt helpless. Our home was filled with yelling and shame, and I knew I needed better tools--not only to handle my son's meltdowns, but also to manage my own feelings around them. Coaching with Nicole gave me exactly that and more. She helped me see how much of my parenting stress was tied to my own perfectionism and anxiety. With her guidance, I learned to show myself compassion, which allowed me to create deeper compassion and connection with my son. Now that he's four, does he still have tantrums? Yes--but I'm able to respond with much more grace (not perfectly, and that's OK) and compassion. His outbursts are usually shorter, and I no longer feel like an "angry mom" all the time. Instead, I feel more confident, more connected, and far more loving in my parenting.

This preschool has the most amazing teachers in a super sweet and thoughtful space. This is a…read morenewer location for the school and I'm so glad to still have them in the neighborhood after leaving their prior location nearby after 20+ years there. I also send my daughter to summer camp here. This school will have a waitlist soon! It's amazing that there isn't one yet. I wish we never had to leave for Kinder!

Wonderful teacher training provided at my schooL by PDX Reading Specialists. Many practical, fun…read moreand hands-on approaches to learning. More students need this kind of learning. Thank you for helping students reach their full potential.

John helped me prepare for an important exam I was super stressed out about. I passed the exam with…read moreflying colors and won't worry because of math ever again:):):) Thank you!

Don't trust this man. He said he went to Caltech and MIT and taught, as a professor, at CalTech…read more There is no record of him online of doing any of those things. I should've known when he said "I'm super cool, I'm super chill, I'm super cool, super laid back". Anyone who says that... isn't. He was manic and un-showered and smelled and was absolutely insane. It doesn't seem that hard to wash your hands before you go and teach someone. His hair looked like he dipped his head in oil and his hands had never been washed in his life. He told me to google something at one point and took my phone from me, within 2 mins of meeting him. He had to take a smoke break during our *2 hour, $165 session*. He does seem to understand math, I'll give him that, but he is not a good teacher. He did the work for me when I explicitly stated I want to do it and just have him help me when I need it. I wanted a challenge. He taught me nothing. I tried to learn. I thought I was just being a bad student at first and was judging too hard. No, he's just not legit. He went off and talked about other subjects of math that I'm NOT EVEN IN. Of course, he was reading a calculus book too. Completely cliché. He talked nonstop about his 22 year old student Izzy and how he was texting her. I'm not sure why he had to mention her so many times or her age. Who knows if she's even real. I had to redirect his attention so many times, he constantly cut me off when I'd ask if we could start on my homework... instead would talk about his lawyer friends in LA. So weird. His reviews are not real, by the way. Go on google. All 207+ 5 star reviews are made from fake accounts, with names like "Becky White" and "Robert smith" with a stock photo image, and the only review they've ever left is for this "tutor". Not a coincidence. Same with his Facebook reviews. Don't let him scam you. I was cheated out of $165 by a con artist.

Jess is an excellent, compassionate and intuitive tutor. My son saw Jess once or twice a week for…read moreabout a year and a half. Having homeschooled for several years due to some medical issues, he was behind in math and had very little confidence that he could catch up. He liked Jess from the very start, and she was patient, but persistent, with his lack of study skills. In that year and a half, he went from a kid who thought he was dumb and unable to learn math, to a confident, accepted university student who tested out of first year math requirements! I really can't say enough about how much Jess helped him, not just in math, but in study skills, confidence in his own ability, GED and SAT prep, and just by being a kind, stable person in his life. I give her the highest recommendation possible.