I've had 2 children complete the elementary, junior high and high school classes in Middletown…read moreUnified School District. As with the majority of families living here, we were transplants. I was a little concerned about moving to a small town, but the scholastic experience has been good. I'll break down the experience into three categories: Sports, Academics, and social Sports: This is a major focus for the school district. #1 is football. Then basketball, baseball and all the rest. If you want your child to play (key word is "play", everyone makes the team who can last through pre-season practice) on the high school football team get them started in the recreational leagues ASAP (4th grade?). On Fridays in the fall, nothing says "I'm popular" like wearing a football jersey or a cheerleader or a girlfriend of a football player wearing his jersey. Lately, soccer and track have become more available. There is an excellent youth soccer program, but the best athletes head for the football field once they get to high school. Junior high is when they start cutting kids from the sports teams. It can be rough. Up until then, you pay and you're kid is on the team. Academics: The percentage of English speaking students is very high. It offers the teachers an opportunity to teach at a higher level. There are still a number of students who are financially underprivileged and who have to worry more about eating rather than their homework which is unfortunate. Academics are good at all levels in the school district. I would say they are more of a focus in the elementary and junior high school. My kids attended Coyote valley. Excellent teachers. There is a feeling of camaraderie and competition between them which ends up benefiting the kids. Next is junior high school. All three elementary schools feed into one junior high. My kids found the 7th grade to be more challenging then 8th grade. All students have the same teacher for English, math and science. My kids enjoyed the science program. Social science was the weakest. High school was pretty challenging. As with all things you get out of it what you put into it. Most teachers offer a variety of ways to achieve an "A" including opportunities to turn in homework late and minimizing the weight of a final exam. There are a few AP courses offered. It is disappointing that most kids who take the AP course cannot pass the AP exam that would alleviate them from repeating the class in college (which, in my opinion, is the whole point of taking an AP course). A wide variety of electives are offered. Again, my kids really enjoyed the science program. The school was recently remodeled and the science classrooms/labs are excellent. The math program is pretty weak. Math scores seem to peak around the 5th grade and go down from there. Being in the country, the high school offers agricultural and 4H opportunities. There are some excellent teachers in this area who are passionate about educating our youth. Kids can start out in 4H at a very young age. It's an excellent way for them to learn responsibility, leadership and business. The first time I heard my kids talk about running a mile and watching a cow get slaughtered was a little unnerving, but you get use to it. We all need to know where our food comes from! Social: I think this is where a small town can really benefit a child. Most kids know each other their whole lives. If you're a little different you're generally more accepted. I did not see the extremes that I saw in our previous town. Kids like to be noticed and they don't have to go way overboard to do it here. Little changes get noticed and that seems to be enough to satisfy their needs. The town has a great sense of itself. There is great pride in the schools. Especially high school. Homecoming week is a BIG deal and something the whole town shares in (at least it feels that way at the football game). It is old fashioned and you always leave with a good feeling. Bullying is dealt with by the vice principal in each school. There are some that tolerate it more than others. Coyote Valley was more tolerant of it than I wished they were. I understand that principal has retired so maybe things will improve for the ones being bullied. The kids can belong to a number of cliques including nerds, jocks, smokers, emo, or agricultural/4H. Most kids belong to more than one. One area they lag behind is using computers, but that's improving. They're in the process of improving the school district through a $15M bond measure. It's really looking nice. That combined with the teachers who really seem to care and the demographic really make this a good place for your kids to attend. There is a push to get kids from these small towns into the UC system. I think it's easier to get into a UC from here than a larger school district. Hope this helps!

The emotional pressure of being a working mom is hard and so finding a place where you feel your…read morechild is listened to, encouraged and guided through social norms is really important. I had visited many places but it felt warm, colorful and familial when I arrived here. My son has thrived and the teachers (many who now have older children of their own) have helped both him and myself navigate through his various toddler stages. Cannot recommend enough, ask them for a tour and see for yourself

I've had two kids attend APOMO. Today was our last day and we are sad. My kids were well cared for…read moreand treated with patience and kindness by the teachers and the director. The play based curriculum was perfect for my kids and they both left fully prepared for TK and Kindergarten. I couldn't recommend this place more

We love this preschool!! My daughters both go here and they come home happy everyday!! They can't…read morestop talking about their teachers and their friends. It makes my heart happy.

Alphabet Soup Preschool every one of you hard working ladies do an amazing job with my 2…read moreGrand-daughters. They are always super excited every morning to go to preschool. Every afternoon when I ask them how was their day and what did they do what did they learn, they rattle off quickly in excitement so much information and they are so excited to share all the things they learned. I am eternally grateful for all the love, patience, support, and education you help them with. They have rapidly done a 360 in knowledge since they joined your school.

Ashley is a natural when it comes to teens. She just knows them. Both my teen girls love and…read moreappreciate the relationship they have with her. She gave them life tools to cope with what comes their ways and create change in their life so they can be the best version of themselves. She is also a master in helping parents fine tune their parenting in ways that benefit the child, parent and the relationship. Ashley can really support families in this unpredictable time of having teens. I recommend her with all my heart.

We go into sessions with Ashley feeling confused, frustrated and/or anxious regarding our teens'…read morebehavior, and emerge feeling calm, supported and confident! She understands children so well and is wonderful at communicating what's happening and why, and how to effect change. Ashley has helped us tremendously and I'm immensely grateful she's in our lives!

I met Laura in a mommies group I'm in and we booked for an upcoming weekend to get family pictures…read morewith the new baby. She was the absolute sweetest and amazing to work with! When we arrived she asked if we had taken newborn photos of the baby and I told her no. She took the time to take a few newborn photos so we could have those sweet memories, which was so nice. We got a great mix of baby only/family together /parent only photos and I have been enjoying looking back on them. I highly recommend Nixie Design Studios!

From the owner: At every session my goal is to make you feel relaxed and comfortable! I specialize in capturing…read morelifes milestones! What milestone do you want to capture and keep for a lifetime! I am experienced in newborn, maternity, engagement, couple, and family photos! Keep checking back for my new styled sessions!

Bianca is an amazing wine guide! She has worked at some of the finest establishments in Sonoma…read morecounty and it shows. The depth of her knowledge on how the wines are farmed, produced and blended is extensive and I learn something new every time we visit with her. But her hospitality is what truly sets her apart. She will totally tailor the experience to what you're looking for. Our last visit I just agreed with her on a general program and she chose all the wines - many of which were under the radar or things I'd never had - paired them perfectly with some snacks and hosted an incredible afternoon. She's funny, engaging and a first-class hospitality professional. I can't recommend her highly enough if you're exploring CA wine country for the first time or you're a seasoned vet.

Everything from the wine education to the food paired. Absolutely fabulous. Highly recommend !…read moreBianca will cater to all specific needs. She is so fun and pleasant to be around. She just has a very genuine vibe.

Scot is an amazing tutor. He helped me in my college statistics class. He was very patience,…read moreunderstand and took his time explaining everything till I understood. He was very accessible and very felixaeble on his times he could tutor. He also had in person, at home, and Skype tutoring which was very helpful and accommodating to busy schedules. I passed the class with a great grade and it was all to Scot.

Scot has helped my 12th Grader immensely with Calculus, this year. He seems to find the problem…read moreareas really quickly, and the results are immediate. He also helped tremendously with Physics last year. Very highly recommended!!

The care I received prenatally, postnatally and randomly when I've had emergencies from Shiela &…read moreHannah was/is extraordinary. Every visit leading up to my birth was filled with introspection opportunities, support, friendly conversation, holistic (body/mind/spirit) exercises, etc. I looked forward to each and every visit with them. All the appointments after birth were even MORE IMPORTANT (I needed help with swelling, hemorrhaging, finding a comfortable position to co-sleep with baby, pregnancy Carpal Tunnel, etc). They also referred me to INCREDIBLE THERAPISTS (acupuncture, massage, etc). Long after my care was over with them I would still reach out, in emergency cases, and they were always swift & so generous with help/advice and support. They are who I turn to when I need expert advice. I am eternally grateful to have them as my support team.

I was debating doing a home birth or birthing center. I interviewed a few different lovely people…read morewho I knew were perfectly capable of delivering my baby but there wasn't that magic. Then my doula recommended Sheila and everything clicked. My husband and I went to go meet her in her in her Yurt and just talked for a little over an hour. She was totally open and listened to us. Very non judgmental. I am a bit of a control freak and planner. Letting go and putting so much trust in someone else isn't easy for me, but my birth team made the experience wonderful. Other than not having to drive to the hospital while having contractions, the best part of the home birth for me was getting to recover in bed and have Sheila come to you for postpartum checkups. When I first learned I would basically be in bed recovering for a couple of weeks I didn't think I could be cooped up that long. After having the baby there was nothing better than laying in bed with him. Having her come to you and not having to get you and the baby dressed and deal with car seats and doctors offices is so wonderful. It's also amazing to have the breastfeeding/lactation support. For something that is seemingly so natural it can be pretty difficult. When we have our next baby Sheila will be one of our first phone calls.