Our daughter started at Raskob in 3rd grade, after trying two different schools (public and…read moreprivate) that did not provide her the support that she needed for her learning differences. It has been an absolute game-changer for her (and our whole family!). She went from hating school and feeling bullied by peers to loving school, forming sweet social bonds and making strong academic progress. Her teachers have all been extremely caring and attentive with great home-school communication. Each child has an individualized learning plan specifically tailored to their needs and core subjects are grouped by skill level, not by grade level. So a 3rd grader with stronger math skills might spend math class with a 5th grader who is more challenged in this area. We haven't experienced middle school yet but I know that kids graduate from 8th grade at Raskob and receive great high school counseling to help them choose the just-right school for them (I've seen some kids graduate on to O'Dowd, or public high schools and others stay in private schools for learning differences like Sterne or Orinda Academy). It really depends on what the kids need at that point. Huge Raskob fans in our household!

They kicked my son out a few months before he was to graduate for reasons that, I'll say were…read morehighly suspect. In a meeting with the school they said some things about middle schoolers in general were pretty terrible in my opinion. That meeting was recorded by lawyers present. Can't imagine what they would say off the record. Inner monologue must be be pretty bad. Stay away.

Sport L.'s experience doesn't reflect the Redwood Day School that I send my kids to. Redwood Day is…read moregreat in so many ways, from the teachers, administration, the beautiful campus, and a true sense of community. I have two kids at the school, and I am grateful that I made the decision to send them here for these very important years of their education. For math, the school uses a hybrid form of Singapore Math, which for most parents seems very different from what we learned, but it works (and has success metrics - students in Singapore have one of the highest math mastery in the world). They use a different model in the Middle School for the 6-8th span that equally prepares students for higher level math in High School. Redwood Day has ways for kids who need or seek more in math - my kids are always challenged. They also have a Math Olympiad program and programs/staff to help students who may need additional support. I have never found Redwood Day to be lacking in helping my kids learn, grow, and master math. Culture and celebrations are also very integrated at the school - which celebrates everything from Latin, African American, Asian American, and Jewish Heritage months to Women's History. The school is having something for Ramadan, and I know they have also hosted a Shabbat dinner in addition to other cultural celebrations. All to say, Redwood Day is super inclusive, and my kids come home learning a lot about their friends' cultural traditions - just a couple weeks ago, they did a Holi event. No school is perfect, but I believe that Redwood Day is always evolving, changing, and listening to the parent community. For discipline, I'm thankful for the social and emotional learning that starts in K and goes through 8th. Even as 5 year olds, kids learn about choices, options for dealing with conflict, and what and how to make different (and better) choices when there is conflict. I don't know what the prior post means about authoritative discipline, but long gone are the days of that type of discipline model. My kids (and these next generations) need to learn self-awareness, self-regulation, critical thinking, and agency in working out their own differences - with the guidance and oversight of teachers, coaches, mentors, and role models. Personally, I much prefer that my children talk through issues with their friends, take accountability, practice humility, and have the support of trusted adults to help them navigate challenges. Not everyone is the right fit for any school - and as a parent, it is absolutely on us to ensure that we find mutual synergy with the school, teachers, faculty, and community. For me, Redwood Day was the absolute right choice for my kids - and I know they are more because of it.

Sometimes I get parents who reach out and ask me more about redwood day school to them I say we…read moreleft here and went to Berkwood Hedge School in Berkeley where my daughter thrived. We made it though covid with an amazing pivot to outdoor classrooms and my child didn't miss a beat. She's now in a public middle school: wise, self assured, kind. confident and getting straight A's. I believe her courage and strong sense of self come from the education she received at Berkwood Hedge School. If you're looking for a truly inspiring progressive independent education check them out. Not as many Bells and whistles but what matters is there the heart and the academics.

Ms. Adams spent an hour talking to us, she was engaged, helpful and thoughtful. She went above and…read morebeyond in this simple discussion and we were very grateful to her for it. She seems to have a lot of knowledge and a passion for her area of law.

I highly recommend if you have a child with special needs. They're wonderful. Please reach out to…read morethem if you need help.

Brilliant tuition with expert teachers. They really know how to craft engaging lessons that are…read moreacademically rigorous, playful and holistic. The teachers here know how to teach to the whole child. Could not recommended higher.

From the owner: I am an elementary teacher and reading specialist with over 15 years of experience. I offer one on…read moreone support for children struggling with literacy and math. I specialize in supporting kids with learning differences, IEPs and 504 plans. I offer in school support as well as family advocacy.

A magical place! My 6-year-old son is autistic and it was such a relief to be welcomed by a team…read morethat just gets it. The space is super clean and feels like a kid's dream. There's so much to do, climbing, building, exploring, getting wiggles out, and even a quiet room to chill. You can tell the folks behind it really thought through everything. The vibe, the décor, even the website feel so neurodiverse-affirming. They have tech to help build community around members too. We live in Novato so the distance makes a membership tough right now, but I'm hoping we can join in the summer when school isn't in the way. I'd love to see Spirited Play Labs expand to more places as this is the future IMO (please come to Novato, I'll help!). For families like ours, where typical play spaces can feel stressful or isolating, this place is a true gem, welcoming, thoughtful, and hopeful for the future. Thank you!!!

We've been coming to SPL for years, and it has always been such a positive experience. The play…read moresessions with Lia mean so much to us. we truly appreciate her patience, guidance, and support. Every visit, we notice progress. My daughter used to play only by herself, but now we see her becoming more independent and interacting with Lia, which fills our hearts. As a mom of a child on the spectrum, I know how hard it can be. My daughter doesn't have friends, but when we come here, she has one. In other spaces, the stares that come with her stimming can be so difficult to ignore, but here at SPL, we feel safe, accepted, and not judged. That sense of belonging is rare for special needs families, and we are so grateful to have found it here. I love how the staff embraces inclusion and acceptance. it shows in everything they do. I truly wish there were more places and programs like this for our kids, because families like ours need community.

Soooo I was a student for them a in school program were it's a bunch of young people who are…read moreinterns and we called them counselor an it was like 4 in our classrooms and when I tell you they made my life for 4 years straight a living hell I'm not even being dramatic about it they always say they support when in fact they just nosy and wont do anything and I had a therapist who I told was homeless and she didn't do nothing about it she didnt even help me get into a shelter and they gave her information that the office gave her didn't even mind telling me the counselors just judge you and hate everything you do when you just sit down and do your work and they also get there pay check by writing about you and send it to medical also my therapist would gossip about my issues to the teachers and counselors and try to gang up on me with the 21 on year old counselor who wreak of weed and only pick favorites

These services are a scam. Since Seneca has been in my home things are worse than before. The…read moreamount of time these people take vacations blows my mind. I believe part of the reason these services are the way they are is because the connects are in between lapse and "time off".. having parent support services didn't happen for me. Never a stable person. My husband and I got no help. If you want an effective team to help meet the family and child I would look elsewhere.

When I was first looking into pre-school programs for my daughter to be involved in it was a bit…read moreoverwhelming! We tried two other schools before but my daughter did no enjoy them. There was even one she begged and cried never to go back to. We found Northern Lights School thru a family friend and she absolutely loves it! There are morning she doesn't want to get out of bed like so many kids! But the moment I say "it's okay, you can just stay home with mommy", She jumps out of bed and starts getting ready. My child has flourished over the last year that she has attended and I plan to stick with them as long as they continue to instill the confidence and happiness that is present in my daughter about learning.

My experience with Northern Light School was extremely disappointing. After removing my child and…read moreenrolling them in another private school, I could clearly see how academically behind my child was. The difference in curriculum, expectations, homework, and preparation was obvious. For a private school, the product does NOT match the price tag. The curriculum did not compare to what my child receives now. Homework was poor, and I often felt like I had to teach my own child at home. Parents should not pay private-school tuition and still have to teach the curriculum themselves. There is a serious lack of transparency. Parents should be able to see student work, testing scores, academic progress, and meaningful statistics. Conferences and Back to School Night provided very little substance. Parents should not have to guess where their child stands academically or be discouraged from seeing what is happening in classrooms. I also had concerns about teachers being mean or treating children poorly behind closed doors. When concerns were raised, I felt administrators made excuses, defended the behavior, and ignored the concerns. Constructive criticism was not welcomed, and I felt administration and teachers became defensive instead of working with me and became very unprofessional, to the point not speaking and other administrators acting in same rude manner! There were also inconsistent school-wide rules and expectations. I strongly disagreed with the school's approach to ADHD and neurodivergence. From my experience, there was too much emphasis on pushing the idea of neurodivergence and encouraging children to question whether they were neurodivergent. Children should be supported without being pushed toward a label or agenda. I also felt Northern Light had moved away from the professional-family environment I originally associated with the school and was accepting families who did not seem aligned with the professional, academic, and behavioral culture I expected. The facilities are old, staff appeared burnt out, and the school needs fresh leadership, including more male leaders. There needs to be accountability above administration and a place for parents to be heard. After transferring my child to another private school, the academic difference became undeniable. My child is now receiving stronger curriculum, expectations, and preparation. Moving my child was the right decision. Northern Light needs more transparency, accountability, stronger academics, consistent rules, better leadership, and a serious evaluation of whether the education actually justifies the price.

I honestly wouldn't recommend sending your child to Oakland Unified schools. My experience with the…read moredistrict has been frustrating and disappointing. While I've dealt with a specific school, the bigger issue is the district as a whole. They weren't transparent, they were often disrespectful, and they rarely took accountability for their actions. If your child has special needs and you're the type of parent who advocates for them (as you should), prepare for a fight. The district doesn't make it easy--they operate with a "this is how we do things, take it or leave it" attitude. I experienced firsthand how real the discrimination is and how poorly privacy is handled by some of the staff. Communication is seriously lacking, and trying to get clear answers or basic follow-up was like pulling teeth. There's also a strong sense of favoritism--when staff mess up, others rush in to cover for them instead of fixing the problem. It feels like a system designed to protect each other, not serve families. That said, I won't say everyone is bad--there are some amazing staff and not all schools are the same. But unfortunately, the leadership and culture at the district level trickles down, and it shows. If OUSD wants to do better, they need to start with training their employees--especially the ones at the top--on the rights of students and parents. And they need to hold people accountable across the board. Until that happens, I'd strongly suggest families think twice. And let's just take a moment to appreciate the fact that Oakland Unified built themselves a brand-new, shiny district headquarters at 1011 Union St., Oakland, CA 94607--ground up, all the bells and whistles. Meanwhile, the auditorium seats at Oakland Tech still look like they're straight out of the 1950s. But hey, at least the admin folks are sitting pretty.

After several failed attempts to get my info from their website, I decided to go here in person…read more Although there were 2 ladies sitting at the front counter, only one was willing to work. The unhelpful older lady just sat expressionless and uninterested. I pleasantly explained to the other lady what I was requesting, but was redirected to another location for my request! The next day, I went to the recommended location, but that lady only worked on certain days of the week, so I was told to come back on another day. I'm currently trying to find out how I can get a job with OUSD Admin so I too can get paid for doing nothing.

Update- kinder and 1st graders are combined classes due to small size of kinders this year. Also…read moresome of the 1st graders are with 2nd graders. Despite of the combos, we do not see any problems with it. I have a kinder and a 2nd grader. My kids love their school, their teachers and peers.

We love Garfield - our son is part of the first TK group to start this year and he's thriving. I…read morelove that the class sizes are small and he'll be in the community through 5th grade. The teachers + support staff are wonderful, they really give time and attention to the full student experience. Our kiddo had trouble transitioning to school-made lunch, so we worked with the teachers and staff to develop a food plan. We've also been invited to a number of school activities for kids + parents (and a few parent-only) and I love the community we're building. Garfield was recently fully renovated from the ground up, so even though it's proudly one of the oldest schools in SFUSD, it's also one of the schools with the newest infrastructure. Also? My kiddo tells everyone he basically goes to school at Coit Tower (and he's not wrong). For anyone worried about the hill: there's a VERY easy drop off and pick up process and the staff keeps it going, so much easier than the other two schools where we had to deal with odd parking/drop off and pick up situations!

Well, here's a review from someone who doesn't work at CCC…read more I've been teaching for 18 years and have taught more reading programs than I can count. When I first saw the materials from CCC (then DSC) I thought I was seeing a mirage. This is how I was taught to teach reading, but the big basals don't present reading this way. So for many years I've been taking what I was given and modifying it to make sure kids have the reading strategies they need to be successful. When I saw a program that did all that work and presented the lessons in a way I could easily share with other teachers I thought I must be dreaming. It's not a quick fix and it's not easy for the teacher or for the students. But it's a program that actually forces the kids to think like readers and really interact with the text. This is my third year teaching with these materials and I never plan on going back to a basal program.

The materials they publish are diverse, and promote a new wave of teaching. Their team of…read moreconsultants offer guidance and support of how to deliver their materials. They key hey is not only the materials, but also the WAY it is taught.