Toastmasters has literally changed the way that I communicate professionally and personally, as…read morewell as enhanced and improved my leadership abilities. I thought that this was just a public speaking club when I finally joined 2 years ago! Little did I know that I would gain the courage to stand up and speak in front of my peers, thanks to the supportive environment in this club, as well as learn how to think quickly on my feet, and become a better leader. This particular club was a great starting point for me, as the people are friendly and nice, the membership base is a younger demographic than other Toastmasters Clubs in the area, and there is no pressure to speak if you do not want to get up in front of a small audience just yet. An added bonus is that I have made friends in the club, as well as recruited my friends outside of the club to join in the fun. Yes, it's FUN to give prepared and impromptu speeches, to give evaluations of other people's speeches, and to become a club officer to collaborate with fellow club members. The new location at The Kensington is stellar! It's no wonder that two other Toastmasters Clubs also meet here. It's clean, well-lit, has lots of seating and tables, a good speaking space, and its own side entrance. I highly recommend Toastmasters as an organization, and this club specifically. Don't wait to gain confidence! If you want to impress hiring managers at job interviews, learn how to respond quickly to questions out-of-the blue, learn how to give presentations at work, or just want to network and socialize while learning new skills, check out Toastmasters!

I have been a part of the Toastmasters community for the last 5 years and it has truly been an…read moreincredible ride. The fact that we have the opportunity to not only improve our communication skills, but also enhance our leadership capabilities makes for a valuable experience. The Walnut Creek Toastmasters club has been around for 10 years, and you can tell by the veteran members who have been with the club since its inception that it will be around for 10 more. These members are the ones who's passion inspires you to improve your communication and leadership skills to eventually meet their level. I agree that this club still has room to grow, but I feel confident in its future and I see a lot of new members coming in with a lot of enthusiasm to improve. I can't wait to see how this year pans out and I am excited for the future of this club! :)

My son has been coming to CoCoCs since Kindergarten and this is year 2 for him. We love the school…read moreand the community. It is a non-profit and run by veteran educators and people who are passionate for Chinese/Taiwanese culture. It takes a village to run education and my top reasons for staying at this school are below. 1. The curriculum: It is well thought out and one of the teachers actually designed and wrote the textbooks! I absolutely love it. They also offer Traditional or Simplied textbooks so parents can pick their preference. 2. No affiliation with religious groups: Some Chinese schools in the area are affiliated with Churches or other religions and my family isn't religious. So this school makes the most sense for us. 3. Parental involvement: We love parents here help out, volunteer and chip in to make the school run better. The principal and his wife have dedicated their life to run the school and parents/volunteers help bring the school forward. What is most important to us is my son enjoys learning and can understand Chinese. He has picked up quite a lot and enjoy coming here every Saturday. When I just recently took him home to Taiwan, my parents were impressed with his Chinese and can communicate with him. To me, that is a major plus!

For the best learning experience of a new language of Mandarin Chinese come to COCOCS or Contra…read moreCosta Chinese School to learn and excel your language skills.

Whether you want to prepare for a vacation in France, tune up your high school/college French, or…read morejust want to start from the beginning, Sève will work with you toward your goals. I began private lessons to dust off my high school French and have since added a conversation class. Because Sève uses an ever changing variety of teaching methods, I look forward to these classes every week. She is dynamic, fun, and, thankfully, very patient. Bonne chance!

Séverine has been my French teacher for almost 3 years. I have been her student in a formal…read moreclassroom setting at a local adult education center for 2 years. I have also participated in both conversation groups and one-to-one tutoring from her own classroom. Because she is from France, she is able to teach you French the way the French speak it currently. We study French grammar, vocabulary, culture, and music, as well as the geography of France in addition to practicing our speaking, listening (comprehension), and reading skills in French. Séverine is very personable with a great sense of humor. She really knows how to make learning fun. She is adept at teaching people of all ages. Whether you want to start learning French or need to brush up on it, Séverine can help you achieve your French language goals. Highly recommend!

Honestly this is the best daycare/montessori in the TriVally area. We toured dozens of daycares and…read moreFountainhead was the cleanest and most organized. When we did the tour at Fountainhead, the kids were so calm and the environment was peaceful. My wife and I are so happy that our son loves this school. We are pretty protective parents...He was the youngest of his class (2.5yrs) and the older kids help him a lot. He started early this year and his language skills has improved so much. We enrolled him for 2027 and hope to enroll his little brother at 1.5 years. Highly recommend!

I scheduled a school tour from 10:00 to 10:30 AM, and my confirmation email clearly stated that the…read moretour would last 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I arrived about 15 minutes late. I fully understand that being late was my responsibility and that the school may have had another appointment afterward. What disappointed me was how the situation was handled. The Site Director did not come out to greet me or speak with me in person. Instead, she only stuck her head out from inside and told me that I was late, the next family was arriving, and that I needed to come back another day. What confused me even more was that she said the tour was only 15 minutes, even though my confirmation email clearly stated that the scheduled tour would last 30 minutes (10:00-10:30 AM). I explained that I only have one day off from work and asked if I could at least spend a few minutes seeing the school since there was still time remaining in my scheduled appointment. Unfortunately, there was no apology, no empathy, and no willingness to accommodate even a brief visit. I respect the school's schedule, and I understand that arriving late has consequences. However, first impressions matter. As a parent looking for a preschool, I expected to be treated with courtesy and respect, even if I made a mistake. A little kindness and professionalism would have made a big difference. Because of this experience, I decided not to consider this school for my child.

I have been working with Ina for about 6 months. I really enjoy my sessions with her and look…read moreforward to them every week. She is very knowledgable and patient with me. She is also really funny. We talk a lot about things going on in my life in Spanish along with activities I am interested in. This really has been helping me grasp the Spanish language better along with the homework assigned each week. I cannot recommend her enough.

I cannot recommend Ina highly enough! Ina has provided a safe and comfortable space for me…read morebeginning my journey as an adult learning Spanish. I appreciate the individual attention and customization of the lessons. She is also friendly and flexible with scheduling. I am truly grateful to have found Ina!

I have two kids enrolled in this Spanish program in Piedmont. Teachers come and go, no continuity…read more Went through 4 teachers by the end of the year. And to top it off!!!! My son was made to be "a piñata" where the teacher proceeded to encourage students to HIT my son, as he just laughed in FEAR. When his older brother tried to step in, the teacher told him to move. How disgusting!!!!!!! Never sending my kids to this horrendous Spanish class!!!!!!! AWFUL PROGRAM

Our daughter began attending after school classes at Viva when she was in the the third grade. She…read moreenjoyed the music and singing and warmed to the kindness of the teaching staff. Learning Spanish through immersion was natural. She continued going to Viva through the 8th grade. By the time she entered high school she was able to place into 3rd year Spanish. She continued Spanish through high school (through her school) and was able to (and proud of) being able to write essays (in Spanish) about the Spanish literature she had studied. During one summer in high school she had the opportunity to travel to visit friends who lived in Bolivia. The flight attendants honestly thought she was a native speaker -- because of her accent. Learning (and listening) and having the gentle corrections made while she was younger made a difference in her being able to properly pronounce the language. Thank you, Viva!

Happy Little Faces is the best daycare in the area. Our son has been going there since he was just…read more1 year old, he is now 3 and absolutely loves his teachers and friends. Not only do they provide with healthy snacks, food, great education with an all-Spanish immerse program, but most importantly, they truly care for our kid, and it shows! My son is being taken care of and loved at the same time. I could have not asked for a better daycare. I was initially referred by a friend that had her kid there and she loved it. I decided to take my son out of the previous day care he was at and put him in Happy Little Faces and the great difference of care shows. Additionally, all kids participate in all holidays and festivities. It is just so cute and adorable seeing our children recite in Spanish and dance to Latin music too. I will forever be grateful to have found this place.

I wanted to update my review as we've now been with Happy Little Faces for several years and two…read morechildren. Both my girls have attended what I thought was a daycare and quickly realized was a wonderful little school. They have both learned so much Spanish and have been thoroughly prepared to start school. Pilar and Marlene have taken such good care of my kids. They have so many great activities there including a Christmas party, a Santa visit/annual picture, a graduation ceremony (with caps and gowns!), field trips, a beautiful little book of photos when your little one finally leaves to go to Kindergarten, and more. Recently they even added an app so you can see videos and photos of what your kiddo is doing there during the day. I am sad to go, but a new travel adventure awaits us, so we must say "Adios!" Gracias Pilar y Marlene por todos!

Our daughter has been taking violin lessons with Dr. Jim, the owner of Alma for three months now…read more We have been nothing but happy so far with him, the service, and the school in general. Our daughter looks forward to her lessons each week, and Dr. Jim makes learning the violin fun for her. When I needed to reschedule a lesson, as we had a conflict, they were happy to give us a different time slot that same week. We attended the open mic night, which was so entertaining and fun. Dr. Jim has a way of helping the kids feel comfortable performing in front of an audience. I'm guessing the reason that ALMA isn't open in the morning is because kids are in school, and they are not yet giving lessons. So, for the people who were continually getting frustrated by going to the store before noon, they maybe should have figured that out and gone later in the day when there are always people there. Haven't noticed that they seem like crooks, but if I do, I'll come back to the website to let you know! Hope this is helpful.

Parents, please do not send your poor children here. They take your money and have no…read morequalifications to teach anything. I wouldn't even allow these people to pet sit let along try to educate. I sent my child here for close to a year to learn piano and she learned nothing. Here are my main concerns: 1) teacher showed up 10 minutes late every time for 30 mins session and of course they continued to charge me for the full session 2) they try to teach using technology but their Wi-Fi is down. Therefore the rest of the class they spend trying to figure out how to connect to Wi-Fi which first hand observing, was painful. 3) the place is owned by a clown with the biggest ego. I went in there to watch my child after realizing that the sessions were not helping her at all. The clown that owns this place was fumbling around trying to get tech support to turn his computer on. He refers to himself as a "doctor" which further shows what a narcissistic clown he is. He also was upset that I hadn't been in there before to introduce myself to him. I don't think the moron realizes that parents have to work to pay for extracurricular activities like his clown school. He literally was offended that I didn't come in to introduce myself!? 4) the pianos and other instruments looked like they were picked up at the local dump. I can't sing and I am more tuned than the piano my poor daughter was trying to learn on. 5) the worst part is that I asked them to cancel my daughters sessions. That night I noticed that he had gone in and quickly charged our credit card for next month. What a crook and phony. Horrible place disguised as a teaching institute.

This is my child's second year with EFBA in Alameda. She loves her Francophone teacher, Angelique,…read moreand her French skills have improved even beyond my expectation. The teacher to student ratio is very excellent, and the other children are good classmates. I highly recommend these French classes.

This a great local resource for woodworkers. The Mt. Diablo Adult Education program offers may…read moreadult woodworking classes for beginners to advances woodworkers, along with open shop classes. The woodworking 1 class is a great introduction to all the equipment through the process of building a beautiful step stool. The day and night classes include men and women of all ages. The fees are very reasonable to get access to great equipment. The teachers are knowledgeable and very willing to help. For more info: https://mdae.mdusd.org/

I'm taking a woodworking class here, and I'm thoroughly satisfied with the level and quality of…read moreinstruction. The tools in the wood shop are great, and the instructors really know their stuff. What's more, those guys sure know how to keep a sharp edge on their equipment. Tuition is, in my opinion, up to what one would expect to pay in today's economy, especially considering that everyone is scrambling for cash to stay afloat, even the local government and its affiliated programs. The registration process on the archaic website is a touch on the byzantine side, though. It looks a lot like the very first website I ever coded when I was 16 years old. Uhh, now that I think about it, it looks like the website I designed a few years ago. But I'm no web designer, so hah! Point being, you're gonna have to dig around a little bit to find what you're looking for, but once you've found it, the actual act of registering for a class is pretty straightforward. Now, back to the woodworking instructors: Between the Bill and Dave, they've got about 70 years experience, 20 fingers, 20 toes, and 8 eyes (they both wear glasses). So I trust them to teach me the ways. I don't know if I'll ever be able to snatch the pebble from their hands, but I'm confident that they're showing me how to keep all my phalanges and body parts so that I could snatch that pebble, even if only in theory. I plan on taking many more courses here, especially in the "Working with Wood" category of classes. Now go forth and learn something new!