Out of all of the excellent area schools, both private and public, we chose Friends School…read moreHaverford (FSH). Initially, we were drawn to the play-centered learning approach for the younger children, however, there was so much more from which to benefit. The teachers and staff consider the whole child, their social, emotional, and intellectual development. Guided by Quaker principles, the community is at the heart of its mission. The children are taught to discover and appreciate the uniqueness of themselves and others. I always feel informed with weekly updates, class newsletters, and monthly breakfast meetings with the principal. Lower student-teacher ratios increase children's engagement and allow for individual needs to be more easily met at FSH. Hearing my child say he loves school is the way it should be for all kids!

We have been apart of the Friends School Haverford Community since 2018. Our son joined FSH in the…read more2nd grade. Over the last four years we have witnessed his growth both academically and socially. The relationships that he has developed with the teachers, staff and his classmates has help to mold him into a kind, intelligent funny kid. As parents we too have developed long standing friendships with the parents of FSH. FSH not only poured into our sons life but ours as well. The Griers

A great conservative shul where everyone fits in from tourists to undergrads to eighty year olds…read more They offer lots of programming for all ages as well. The cantor is super friendly and happy to help out with everything and anything. The shul itself is gorgeous with beautiful stained glass. Take a peek at the old neziner shul's bimah in the basement!

There have been a lot of positive changes to BZBI the past few years- most importantly to us is how…read moregreat the preschool is! We are thrilled with the teachers, the curriculum, and the friends our children have made. The program has a new director who has brought in even more enrichment activities for the students. There is a great tie to the shul and the community! We run into "school friends" outside of school. Our eldest is now enjoying the Hebrew school too! It is a warm and nurturing environment. We have been very happy at the BZBI preschool and our children have made wonderful friends.

I can't recommend Bala House highly enough. My oldest child loved her experience here so much she…read morecontinues to return for visits and events even as an alum. My younger child is a current student and absolutely loves it as well. The facilites are clean, pleasant, and thoughtfully constructed with young people in mind. Every single teacher is fantastic and kind. They go above and beyond to guide your child to reach their fullest potential.

My husband and I (and our daughter) are so grateful for this school. The administrators, staff, and…read moreteachers are all excellent. Not only are the teachers highly trained, qualified, career educators; every staff and administrative member here seems highly qualified and committed to creating a positive, educational environment. The curriculum and resources are wonderful, and the space (particularly the renovated rooms) beautiful. They offer flexible schedules with many different options for working parents or those that just want their child to benefit from the Montessori mornings. We really appreciate the fact that they foster, teach, practice, and celebrate diversity. One of our favorite events was the school's International Dinner. The outdoor space is great, and they have art, tumble tots, and music programs weekly, special events for the kids throughout the year (such as animal visits, ballet shows, music performances), in addition to the Montessori program and the after-care options (which features a lot of creative play, cooking, and play spaces that are updated with new themes monthly). I strongly believe that any childcare setting should make you feel happy whenever you walk in- and that is the case for us. I love walking in to Bala House. To be honest, I was actually very worried and unsure about starting my daughter in a Montessori school. I had never had this experience and from the outside the teaching model seemed a little cold and isolating. Also, my daughter has a ton of energy and I was worried she'd be too wild to sit nicely on a little mat "doing her work." And I was worried about the class size- 24 kids seemed like a lot. But, I was surprised to find that despite being on the young end, she sits and focuses on her projects. She seems to enjoy the opportunity to choose activities for herself, and she gets tons of interactions with other kids, in a mixed-age setting (she loves the older kids!) She's made a ton of friends and is learning so much- socially, emotionally, and academically. And- many days she begs me for more time at pick-up, which I take as the most important stamp of approval ;) I also have to note what a great experience this has been for us as parents, to have this community. When we moved here from out of state last summer, not only did my daughter quickly, happily, and easily transition into the summer camp program (a great way to transition in, by the way- although they also have "phasing in" days for new students to help with this process) - but we also had an instant network. It was easy to make friends through the school's many events and parent's association. It is a community I'm enormously grateful for. Finally, I have to give a shout out to Miss Adiya. We love you! :-)

I took my staff to Project Joy for a team building workshop. Joy was amazing to work with. She let…read moreme choose the date and time. My staff was able to relax and create art in a safe, comfortable environment. The studio is very inspiring with artwork and creations all around. Joy guided us through the process and encouraged us to be unique and go with the flow. The materials she had were fun and unique. I would recommend this studio to anyone looking for a new way to relax or find inspiration. Joy has many creative ideas and purposely made this type of art for the novice or experienced artist. We had a great time and I would love to do another project with her. It was an excellent value and all of us created three pieces of art. If you are looking for a unique experience with friends, colleagues, or family, please check her out. I also love supporting local woman-owned businesses!

I happen to be at the Franklin Institute when I saw Project Joy Studio's popup color cell event. My…read moredaughter and son jumped right in and absolutely loved it. I Contacted Joy to see if she could do a project kit for my daughter's 10th birthday. She was able to put something together, on short notice, that was truly memorable. The color cell project was self directed and allowed the girls to explore their creativity. These girls sat side-by-side and marveled at each other's creations. It was an excellent way to entertain and give them something to take home.

Is it possible to give negative stars? We booked a birthday party for our 9 year old, confirmed by…read moreemail and twice by phone. At party time, 16 kids and I waited in the rain for NO ONE. I called, left messages, and ultimately turned parents around to my house. We will never use this business or attend another person's party here ever again.

They earned that final star when they were able to have a piece ready in 2 days for a mother's day…read moregift. It was even wrapped very beautifully when we picked it up!

I am currently taking virtual cello lessons and needed a cello. My teacher told me about Calliope…read more I called the store and spoke with George and arranged to pick up a cello for rent and then on Saturday, met Julia who was very knowledgeable about cellos as she plays the violin and helped me with my rental contract. They had new adult cello that comes with several accessories like the case, rosin, and base for the bottom peg for a very affordable monthly rate. It was very easy to pick up at the store. When I had a question about tuning it since I was working with a virtual instructor, I called and asked if I could bring it back the next Saturday and I had no issue to bring it back and have Julia look at it. The store itself is filled with sheet music of every kind. It looks like various instruments are represented and all kinds of genre of music from classic to modern. I can't read music yet, but maybe one day when I do and can play cello, I can come back and pick up a piece to learn.

What a great resource for music teachers in the Philadelphia area! Calliope Music Store is the…read moreanswer to my sheet music prayers! As a private piano teacher who has only lived in Philadelphia for 2 years, I have been frustrated. Until now, I've thought that JW Pepper was the only sheet music store around--not only is the commute from the city quite far but, worse yet, they keep a minimal (and unreliable) stock of books in their store front. I assume that JW Pepper relies more on their online sales than foot traffic nowadays--but as a music teacher, I find it very important to go to the store and "browse" when trying to find books specific to a student's individual needs. After trying a plethora of word combinations in an internet search, I finally found Calliope Music. The drive from University City is about 15 minutes--not bad! Even better, there's a train station right across the street. Calliope is run by a husband & wife team: George and Julia. I had the pleasure of meeting Julia while there and not only did she help me find everything I needed, she gave me suggestions and made me feel like I had found my new sheet music home. Warm, friendly and personalized service. The store itself is quite small, but they fit a lot of music into their small space. The piano method section was quite extensive--they had everything that I needed in stock (except for one book, which they happily ordered for me). They also had a nice selection of classical piano repertoire and even some pop sheet music--something that JW Pepper doesn't keep in their store front AT ALL. I didn't look at the other sections very much, but it seems that they have a nice selection of guitar and vocal music, as well. Besides sheet music, they carry accessories (metronomes, reeds, etc) & music-related gifts and also offer instrument rentals and repairs. Once a month, they also hold free performances of local musicians in their store front! So happy to have found Calliope Music--this is where I plan on purchasing all of my sheet music from now on! Support your local music store!!

I have taken guitar lessons at the Music Workshop for the last year and a half. I cannot speak…read morehighly enough of the instructors and the owner. I learned a great deal and was taught at a pace that worked perfectly for my busy day to day life. They are extremely flexible on scheduling and always work with you to find time to make up any lessons you miss. My teacher did an excellent job of finding out what I wanted to learn and tailored each lesson to my interest, while also teaching me new things about playing the guitar that I never would have thought to ask about. Well worth the time and the money. I cannot recommend The Music Workshop enough.

We had an absolutely wonderful time at the all-ages storytime at the newest Baby Wordplay location…read more During our storyplay, Ms. Pam read multiple stories and sang lots of songs with us. I'd say the 15 "littles" there ranged in ages from under 3 months to probably 2-3, and she did a great job of keeping them engaged. A couple of other things I noticed/appreciated: -A "no screens" rule -- not only can you not be on your phones, they can't be out! While the documentarian parent in me resisted at first, it turns out that living in and enjoying the moment is actually not so awful. ;) -Restroom with a changing table (should be a given anywhere, but we all know it isn't) -A storyplay specifically focused on dads and grandpas. In a mom-focused world, it's nice to see a place for men to be fathers and grandfathers. -Books for sale! Including books she'd shared with us, books I knew, and books I'd never seen before. -If you buy a book per member of your family, that pays for your admission for the day. (Classes are normally $10, but you can buy a pass for 10 classes for $90.) -As we were leaving, a birthday party was coming in -- I thought this was a great idea, especially in the middle of a very cold winter. Overall, I think it's a great resource for families and children in the area! Hope to go back soon!

This is one of the best classes in the area for little ones as young as 2-3 months. The English and…read moreSpanish songs and stories are really entertaining for babies and their caregivers. The teachers have great singing voices and all of the children enjoy the stuffed animals and acting out th e noises they make. My son particularly likes the instruments that the teachers use that he hasn't seen anywhere else. This class is never TOO crowded unlike the location in grad Hospital where there is sometimes nowhere to sit! We love coming here and love that you can buy a few books to cover the class for the class. They have an a,axing children's book selection in both Spanish and English.