Our family found Noble Learning Academy after years of struggling to get our child's needs met…read morethrough the public school system. I heard of NLA through a desperate search one night from a friend. I heard about small class sizes and hands on learning with true differentiated instruction. After reaching out and talking to Mrs. Hull I was full of emotion. This was the place for my son. I just felt it. Visiting multiple times solidified this. The school was willing to work with my son's adhd, dyslexia, and apraxia. It wasn't about specializing in a disability but specializing in children and molding the curriculum and environment to support them. During a trial day my son fell playing outside and I could see it hurt. I stood back and watched as the kids stopped the game and made sure he was ok and waited to resume until he could. There was no teasing but rather camaraderie and support. This is NLA. They sit and have hard conversations with the kids and teach them to be good humans. They teach executive functioning skills helping my son to learn to work independently and be responsible. They adjust as needed with academics to help kids soar and gain confidence. We no longer needed an IEP longer than anyone wanted to read, because they learned about my son. My son has never been rushed to speak. From field trips to daily class they intently listen to him and his stories with true interest. After years of many people pretending, he finally feels heard. They got to know him and what he needed. They saw him for who he was. He no longer had to fit in a box that didn't work. He presented an at home science electrical project in class instead of at the talent show because it's what worked. Again, he found success. We made the logistics that seemed difficult to be able to attend NLA work, and we are so glad we did. He has grown academically, socially, and emotionally. I highly recommend NLA for a new box for your child that fits just right.

As a parent of a child with learning disabilities and anxiety, finding the right middle school was…read moreone of the most important decisions our family made. Looking back on the past three years, I can honestly say that this school exceeded our expectations in every way. From day one, the teachers and staff created an environment where my child felt accepted, understood, and valued. Their patience, compassion, and willingness to meet students where they are made an incredible difference. Rather than focusing on challenges, they recognized my child's strengths and worked tirelessly to build confidence while providing the support needed to succeed. What stood out most was the school's commitment to inclusivity. My child never felt singled out for needing accommodations or extra support. The teachers fostered a culture of kindness, respect, and understanding that allowed all students to feel like they belonged. Whenever anxiety became overwhelming, there was always someone willing to listen, encourage, and help navigate difficult moments. The growth we witnessed over these three years has been remarkable. Academically, my child developed stronger skills, greater independence, and a genuine belief in their ability to succeed. Socially, they formed meaningful friendships and became much more comfortable participating in class and school activities. Emotionally, they gained resilience, self-confidence, and coping skills that will benefit them far beyond middle school. We are deeply grateful to the teachers, counselors, and staff who invested so much time, care, and dedication into helping our child thrive. Their support helped transform middle school from something we feared into an experience that prepared our child for the future. I cannot recommend this school highly enough to families seeking a nurturing, inclusive, and supportive environment for their children.

Located inside St Mary's College. To my surprise, it was open and sat in there for a few moments of…read moresilence.

Even though I'm Jewish, I occasionally end up at Mass or inside a Catholic Church. Gayle has a…read morecontinuing love-hate relationship with the Catholic Church, and I'm happy to tag along when the spirit moves her. My most memorable Catholic moments during the last few months were the Pilgrim's Mass at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (led by Archbishop Julián Barrio Barrio wearing a nice red kippah) and visiting Fatima Portugal. But perhaps the best example of religious Ying and Yang on that trip was visiting the Convent of Christ (Knights Templar Castle) and the old synagogue in Tomar during the same afternoon. Gayle's daughter-in-law regularly attends St. Mary's, although her son isn't a big fan of going to an occasional (and long) healing Mass in Spanish. So when we read on her Facebook page that they were going to Christmas Eve Mass, we offered to go along. We also went to Christmas Eve Mass at St. Cecilia (Ames Iowa) last year, but this time there would be no magical snow storm as we left. We arrived at 10 PM where we were treated to reflective readings and some pretty decent choir music (accompanied by cello, guitar, and piano). I particularly enjoyed a woman's trio singing Hallelujah. There's also a lot to admire about the architecture of St. Mary's, complete with a high vaulted ceiling, nice dark woods, good acoustics, and a main "welcoming" Jesus in the Sanctuary. And by the time the Mass started at 11 PM, this house of worship was full and festive. As it was way past my bed time, I had trouble staying awake during Mass. I enjoyed the style of the Senior Priest, but his homily didn't really inspire. However, I appreciated the warm and friendly nature of the congregation, the participative nature of the service, and that cute and smiling baby sitting right next to us. Best of all was leaving into the evening and enjoying that community Silent Night that you really only experience but once a year.

St. Mary's is a Catholic school with strong academics and lots of love. All four of my kids went…read morehere. My grandson has the same third grade teacher that his Mom had! Teacher retention is highest in the diocese. Jenny Bellows is the current principal and a top-notch educator; a Carondelet grad. She's a gift to the school. The teachers singing and dancing on stage at the end of last year's concert was priceless! If you are just looking for a private school as an alternative to public education - you are looking in the wrong place. It's a Catholic school - with huge parent involvement/commitment - checking homework, fundraising (if you know you know), participation in Mass, faith families (older kids mentor the younger). The hall is lined with all the graduates. People often write negative reviews, but check things out for yourself. I'm blessed my kids went here.

The parents and staff are very disrespectful and condescending. I have never experienced…read moreunprofessionalism like this from a CATHOLIC school. Disappointing and unacceptable. Send your children elsewhere.

Our pre school daughter goes here and she loves it. She's grown in all aspects including her faith,…read morewhich has been a joy to see. It's a loving environment and we are very happy to have here at CCCS.

This school has been so perfect for our son! He transferred sophomore year and immediately made…read morefriends and felt welcomed. The class sizes are small so the kids get a lot of individual attention. Teachers actually try and get to know the kids and make a connection, which has been wonderful for him as a newcomer. We wish we had found it sooner, it's such a hidden gem!

Worship music is fantastic. Pastor Leroy Gainey's preaching brilliant. Loving Christian family…read moreenvironment.

Come to worship with us at Living Hope ! Is an honor to…read morehave pastor Dr.Leroy G, again in our leadership there's an incredible spirit of renewal at Living Hope ! We're blessed with a wonderful worship team that leads us into God's presence each Sunday, along with a Bible study that dives deep into His Word. We also offer a 9 a.m. prayer time before the service, where we come together to bring our burdens to the Lord with humble hearts. No matter what you're facing, we believe that in Jesus, there's hope and healing. Come as you are, bring your requests, and let us help you lift them up to Him in prayer. Join us this Sunday and experience the peace and encouragement that comes from worshiping and growing in faith together. We can't wait to welcome you!

My first time to attend mass in this church. Our Christ The King parish priest Fr. Paulson was…read moreofficiating the mass. The church was small, clean, & for me, it's the newest I've ever seen. From the entrance song to the final hymn, they played the songs that were so familiar to me growing up. Fr. Paulson always give very meaningful homily. I'll look forward to attend the Sunday mass there & bring my husband with me.

I have been a member of St. Stephen Church for over 40 years. I sing in the choir and visit sick…read moreparishioners. We welcome new members. Our priests also serve Christ the king parish in Pleasant Hill. Join us for Mass at 5:30 on Saturday or 10:00 A. M. On Sunday (coffee and donuts after this Mass). The Church was designed by an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. The architecture is beautiful. Plenty of parking. What more can I say!

My family and I "churched shopped" in the East Bay for quite a few years before we found First…read moreBaptist. Husband actually checked out Pastor Shawn Hull's online sermons for a few months before we started attending service. So many pastors now-a-days are preaching everything but what the good book actually says. That's not the case here. Having had the pleasure of getting to know him and his family, Husband and I can personally say that the dude definitely walks the walk and lives what he preaches. The folks that attend are kind. Since it's a smaller church, you don't become a faceless attendee like you do at a mega church. People go out of their way to make sure each person is significant and made to feel welcome and important. Having been here for a few years now, these people have become family. Service is every Sunday at 10:45am and there's an evening service too for folks that can't make the morning or want a double shot. There's also Sunday School separately for kids and adults at 9:30am. There's a great children's program, King's Kids, that is really cool for kids during service and a nursery for tots. There are some fun events the church puts on throughout the year for the community that's totally free of charge. There's Vacation Bible School (VBS) during the summer with over 100 kids that attend; it's a week long super fun bible based summer camp (3 hours a day). In the late fall, there's Bible Encounter, where the school gym gets transformed into old Jerusalem with decor, bible characters walking around in costume, games, prizes, and food. Walnut Creek Christian Academy is a FANTASTIC school (review to follow), largely because of it's close affiliation with the church. We are blessed to get to be a part of such an awesome church and community!

Great preschool and childcare summer programs. Staff are friendly and outgoing. They work well with…read morethe children there. I have utmost trust in the staff ability to do their jobs with a warm welcoming, loving attitude. So blessed to know such a great program! ;-) love it!!!

We truly cannot fully express the amount of joy, comfort, and confidence we feel leaving our…read morechildren in the loving hands of White Pony Preschool. When searching for the perfect preschool, we had very clear priorities - and White Pony was the only school that checked every box (for context, I'm an Excel-spreadsheet fanatic and a serious researcher - I visited many schools, observed classrooms/teachers, analyzed environments, and spoke with current and former parents across 15 preschools in Walnut Creek and Lafayette before choosing Meher Schools). Our top priorities were: 1. Teachers who genuinely practice kindness, patience, and love, creating a safe, nurturing environment that mirrors the care we provide at home. 2. A strong focus on kindness, emotional and spiritual development alongside academics, using the Nurtured Heart Approach to teach leadership, right from wrong, and strong values - something that truly matters in today's world. 3. A calm, orga, clean, and open environment inspired by Montessori/Waldorf principles, filled with music, dance, art, nature exploration, and joyful activities that spark curiosity and a love of learning. 4. Low teacher-to-student ratios with consistent, dedicated staff and minimal turnover. 5. The ease and convenience of reliable daycare availability and consistent school hours, which is invaluable for working parents and provides tremendous peace of mind. Our children have grown into calm, patient, loving, socially and emotionally intelligent individuals. They come home happy - singing songs, performing dances, and confidently demonstrating leadership skills such as speaking up, standing up for others, self-regulating ("resetting"), appreciating nature, sharing their finished "projects" from school, and truly loving life. We are incredibly grateful for the dependable, efficient, and communicative staff and teachers. Watching our children's growth, confidence, curiosity, and joy throughout their time at White Pony Preschool has been nothing short of amazing. We wholeheartedly and highly recommend White Pony Preschool to any parent looking for the very best for their child.

White Pony Preschool literally changed our lives- not just for my 4 year old son but for our…read morefamily. Prior to attending White Pony Preschool, my son experienced behavior difficulties. After the first day of school, he told me he loves White Pony and that he is so happy. We saw an immediate shift in his overall mood, a decrease in negative behaviors, increase in social skill development, an improvement in cooperative play and an increase his interest in attending school. White Pony preschool offered parent training in the nurtured heart approach and helped us as parents focus on the positive qualities within our son which in turn changed his behaviors at home. In less than a year our son went from a child who was bullied, who cried and did not follow instructions to a warm, empathetic, helpful boy with loving and kind friends. He developed compassion, empathy, a love for art, music and gardening and well developed manners of which I can take no credit for (I'm from New York). White Pony's teachers are experienced, loving, kind and dedicated to the growth of their students. The school's dedication to multi-cultural and diversity teaching has encouraged us as a family to learn and grow. This year my son was so excited to tell me all about Chinese New Year including a beautiful red lantern he made as well as festive art and music. Since my son has attended White Pony preschool he has expanded the foods that he will eat since White Pony serves healthy snacks as well as vegetables and fruits from the preschool garden. They also involve the children in making food as part of the learning. Thanks to White Pony preschool my son will now eat vegetable soup, berries, cucumber, and more. While this may not seem like a big deal to some parents, it meant the world to use as we had such a picky eater. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted my son to attend a mixed age classroom until I saw how it impacted him. He loves mentoring the younger students and acting as the "helper" in guiding them to follow the teacher's instructions. The mix of ages helped him develop his self esteem and also develop a gentleness with children younger than him. I can go on and on but this is already a long review so I will end it on saying that we will be continuing with the Meher school and our son will go to Kindergarten. Lastly, we would like to publicly thank the teachers and staff at White Pony Preschool for all they have done for our son.