These folks are amazing. Camps, weekend, homeschool, and after school opportunities to play role…read moreplay games AND learn to explore relationships, creativity, and imagination through story. My kids are so into this.

From the owner: The Game Academy empowers learners to achieve social, emotional and academic success through our…read moreuse of role-playing games in educational contexts. We engage imaginations with interactive games wherein communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking are the keys to unlocking adventures in learning. Our curriculum is designed to help them make enduring connections between what they know, what they are learning, and what is possible. Most importantly, our games are designed to be FUN! The Game Academy provides an engaging and enriching way for children to play in a structured, creative environment. We craft inspiring, immersive game-experiences that translate into powerful tools of reflection for understanding the world and the self.

"A radical change is going to be needed to get a learning system fit for a democracy. It needs to…read moreget away from domination and its endless stream of uninvited teaching. It needs to recognize that, in a democracy, learning by compulsion means indoctrination, and that ONLY learning by invitation and choice is education." - Roland Meighan Full Circle Family is in process of opening full-time sites for your family's educational enrichment. In each site during a typical day you will find the following in full swing. Sites are comprised of adult staff and children ages 4-19 in ratios of about 1:10. Members freely intermix between age groups. The children choose the topics they explore via 100% self directed learning with choices being governed within a 100% pure democracy (each member: adults & children, carrying one vote). Adult staff entrusted with the safety and nurture of the children both emotionally and educationally are on a first name basis and children are able to truly experience being fully responsible for themselves. Young members learn through life experiences, practice learning as they go. They initiate their own academic learning, choosing their method of learning as well as taking their own initiative as to the timing of their learning. Welcome to education from the inside out! We can't wait to meet you.

We have been working with Susan for over three years and cannot say enough wonderful things about…read moreher. Her wisdom, knowledge and expertise is truly the best in the area. We thought we could advocate for our son ourselves but it became clear we needed further support. Susan took the time to really get to know our son and assess what the best support would be for him. Thanks to her, our son is getting the help he has long needed and is successful. This never would have happened without Susan. We will always be grateful for all of her hard work and dedication. My only regret is that I did not contact her sooner!

From the owner: Therapeutic Educational Consulting for Teens and Young Adults with Mental Health and/or Addictions…read more Placement Expert. Educational Advocate

My son recently attended a Roots to Branches Summer Camp and loved it. The camp was held throughout…read moreMarin, primarily in the GGNRA/Marin Headlands, a wonderful use of the beautiful area we live in! We recently moved into the area it was a great way for my son to meet new friends in. In addition, the facilitators were awesome, fun, very supportive and helpful. Such a great camp that we look forward to participating in the Roots to Branches yearlong program this year! Thanks!

My soon to be 13 year old son attended this years R2B summer camp and I wish I could give more than…read more5 stars as it really does deserve it. From the time the boys all met up on day one and clicked immediately with Armando taking lead to Zach coming in as well and creating a very different vibe to make the boys feel so welcome. Power tools, Lasar tag, making shelters, building fires, storytelling, and fun games on the beaches of the Marin Headlands were just some of the weeks activities. I have to say my son came home everyday with a smile on his face from ear to ear. He is already asking me when the year long program will begin! Please don't hesitate signing your child up for any program with Roots to Branches as what Armando and Zach are creating for our children as they become young adults in a very different and sometimes challenging world is so very needed and important. Thank you R2B!! Jackie H.

Our daughter used Compass (Bay Area) for three exams during her junior year of high school: the…read morePSAT, the ACT, and one AP (calculus). Her results speak for themselves: National Merit eligibility on the PSAT, a 36 on the ACT (single-sitting), and a 5 on the calc AP. As caveats, she is extremely bright and is an inherently good test-taker, and we were proactive about selecting her tutors to match her personality and scheduling needs. That said, I had no significant complaints. Jill and Alex were responsive and worked to conform to our requests, and our daughter found her assigned tutors engaging. And she, in turn, did the assigned work. We originally found Compass via recommendation by parents of an older student who had already used them. We, in turn, have now recommended them to parents of younger students whom we know. We told them the same thing I'll now tell you: Compass isn't the cheapest option, but I suggest you use them anyway. To us, the results were well worth the expense.

I highly recommend Compass Education Group. They helped my son with the Reading and Writing…read moresections of the SAT, and his score improved drastically from 620 to 760 (99th percentile).

Tarah has presented several workshops at both Merritt College & Chabot College to Early Childhood…read moreprofessionals and cross disciplinary faculty & staff. She is an amazing presenter! Her Participant evaluations are consistently outstanding. As the Vice President of Chabot I have received multiple requests for her to present to other groups because her workshops are interactive & transformational. I highly recommend Start Dialog to any institution that is looking to 'start dialog' about difficult issues about diversity & equity.

Tarah came to work with our preschool & facilitate a family workshop about taking with kids about…read morerace & identity. She brings an approach that includes gender identity & other identities without shying away from important conversations about race. She had great family friendly materials & tailored the workshop to exactly what we needed & was easy to work with. She is a skillful & committed facilitator & I hope we'll get to work with her again soon!

Thinktango, and the people that make it what it is (Dr. Shari Aldridge and Chloe), are some of the…read moremost generous, intelligent people I have ever met and produce truly astonishing work. Before connecting with Thinktango, I had been advised by two of the United States' 'best' admissions consultants (former readers from two Ivies who operate their own independent admissions consultancy groups). Working with Shari, I could not have been more impressed and from my experience, can confidently say that she is the best possible person to offer admissions advice. As a current student at Columbia University, Shari's guidance was invaluable in my acceptance. Shari is honest, to the point, and hones decades of experience in helping students shape their applications. She provides feedback and guidance and knows exactly what is needed and where; she cares deeply about her students and is committed to going the extra step. The changes that I made as a result of our discussions were clearly distinguishing factors that further set my application apart. Shari's experience and wisdom is second to none as are her results and success. I recommend Thinktango completely and when it comes to applying to college, trust Shari and Chloes's advice above all others. Thank you both so much - I am completely indebted to you for your help and guidance!

Shari and the team at thinktango are phenomenal! We really can't thank her enough for helping our…read morefamily through not just one, but two, college processes. Our girls, one now a junior and another a freshman, were both accepted at their early decision schools. First off, when you meet Shari, it is immediately evident that she knows each college and its individual admissions process well. This is incredibly valuable in helping your child choose the right school. After getting to know each of our girls, she was spot on in her advice as to which schools would be good fits for them. Also when it came to the application process, she clearly understood what each school was looking for. After working with so many students over the years, she has accumulated a vast knowledge base of what works and what doesn't -- and it is definitely a vast spectrum. And while both girls got into their ED schools, each had a dozen applications already completed and ready to submit in early December, all of which had been customized. In terms of the actual applications, we could not have been more pleased with the final products each of our girls submitted. I recall sitting with my oldest before she hit the Submit button. We both agreed that the application in its entirety was a true representation of her - it portrayed exactly who she was as a person, not just her accomplishments. This was the real value-add that Shari provided. She got to know my child and was able to extract and have her put on paper what was truly unique and special about her. It vividly came through. This created a great sense of relief - we both felt that if she had gotten rejected, it was because the school really saw her for the person she was and just didn't feel that she was a fit. It would not have been because her application fell short in anyway. We had the same experience with my younger daughter, who could not be more different in personality and interests than our oldest. Lastly, one of the best things about working with Shari is that she and your child will own the process. We originally struggled with using a consultant -- ultimately I felt that the most important thing was preserving my daughter and my relationship. And that is exactly what happened. My husband and I were involved in the process, but only from a big picture way. We saw drafts and gave high level comments, but quickly realized that they had everything under control. As you can tell, our family had a wonderful experience with Shari! We could not recommend her more highly.

As a decades long veteran of community acting in my area, and a graduate if Jim Dunn's Theatrical…read moreArts Dept. at the College of Marin, I'm always impressed by true professionals when I get a chance to see them. While The Magic Circus' website speaks to the kinds of activities for which you can hire them, it doesn't talk about the fact that they are truly professional and inspiring performers. I hired the Magic Circus for my Wife's birthday party, an adult event, and the magic show and performance that Bebe and Benny delivered was entertaining and engaging, and people are still talking about it years later. There was a piece that Bene performed, with just the brim of a hat, that was hysterical and showcased his effortless range as a comedic actor.

The kids had a blast at my sons virtual 4th birthday puppet show!! The show kept them captivated…read moreand they even personalized it and mentioned my sons favorite stuffed animal. We would definitely do it again! Thanks so much!!!

The best place for summer camp for my kiddos! Bonnie is amazing and we have been going here for 2…read moreyears. We are going again this summer. Our kids love it. Seriously a hidden gem.

I work in San Rafael and I live in Fairfield. I had to find some type of activity for my 10 year…read moreold and I found Summer Crest. Bonnie was very informative when I called and explained to me about the activities. This was my son's first time there and after the first day he loved it. He had made friends right away and loved the activities. The first week they did chemistry and he enjoyed it a lot. This camp made learning fun. We are definitely coming back.