Late post: I recently moved out of the area but when I was looking for a school for my school age…read morekiddos, this place was perfect. I really like how they have the small classroom sizes. The staff are all really nice, caring and supportive of the kids needs and accommodations. I like that they are in a school site and have close proximity classrooms and a playground. The best part was that each kid has specialized curriculum. It is so important for my ASD kiddos to have the variety a typical school setting. If you are looking for a school that goes above and beyond, check this place out. I hope I can find a school like this in my new city.

My daughter attended this school for a year when she was 13. The teachers are amazing. They…read morereally get your kid. The environment is uplifting and bright. Kathy and Heidi brought my daughter out of a deep hole and created an environment where she could shine. Their program is behavioral based. Although they do provide strong academics, their emphasis is on social and emotional therapeutics.

If you are struggling to find a school that "gets" your neurodivergent child, look no further. We…read morewent from daily battles and school refusals to a son who now comes home beaming, sharing everything he's learned. The team here is incredible--think " true angels" and "big teddy bears" with expert teaching skills. They've replaced my son's frustration with pure confidence. Ms. Kathy in the elementary department is a true hero! We are forever grateful to Pine Hills for giving our son a place to finally belong and thrive. 5 stars isn't enough.

I'll admit, when our home school district first recommended placing my child at PHS, I was very…read morereluctant. I read some reviews online that were, frankly, horrifying. So with a lot of reservations and misgivings, I set up an appointment to tour the school and meet with staff. My initial, still somewhat skeptical reaction to the visit was that it "wasn't as bad as I expected." His shadowing days were rather mixed. The first day, a Wednesday, was "awful" according to him and he got in the car crying and refused to ever go back. But after a cooling off period, I got him to try again on Monday and he had a wonderful day and told me how much he loved it. That was six months ago (give or take) and my son has now been enrolled since the summer program in 2022. He is doing so well both academically but also in his behavior. I believe two things are the overwhelming contributors to this: 1) his class is quite small and he is finally getting the attention he craves (that has often prompted inappropriate attention-seeking behaviors in the past). 2) Negative behavior doesn't give him a free pass to go home for 2-3 days or a week (with a suspension). In addition to these, he is also rewarded, praised, and recognized (attention, attention, attention!) for good behavior. Importantly, he is gaining much-needed confidence and learning to ENJOY school. He also tells me that it is so nice to feel like his classmates "get" him. His teacher, Miss Kathy has done amazing work with him and is a great communicator with the parents as well. The other staff are wonderful as well. In particular, the Dean of Students, Mr. Wallace is deeply engaged and puts his whole heart into connecting with students and improving the school and its programs. I am so glad that I overcame my initial reservations (and my son's!) so that he's a chance to learn to be a better student and have a positive school experience.

Five stars doesn't feel like enough…read more My daughter has been attending PACE (Pacific Autism Center for Education) for almost five years now, and I truly cannot say enough good things about this incredible place. From the very beginning, we were welcomed with open arms, and we've felt like part of a caring, supportive community ever since. Her teacher, Miss Rebekkah, has been with her the entire time--and I honestly believe she is heaven-sent. The level of care, compassion, and dedication she pours into her students is something so rare and beautiful. She has made such a profound impact on my daughter's life, and by extension, on our entire family. I also want to recognize her amazing para, Isabel. She is an absolute gem--kind, patient, and so deeply committed to my daughter's growth and well-being. It's clear every day that she genuinely cares, and knowing that my daughter has both Isabel and Miss Rebekkah in her corner brings me so much peace and gratitude. Every staff member at PACE is wonderful. They go above and beyond, not just meeting the students' needs but truly seeing them--celebrating their strengths, patiently guiding them through challenges, and treating each child with dignity, love, and respect. We are endlessly grateful for the work they do. PACE isn't just a school--it's a lifeline, a safe haven, and a place where our children are empowered to thrive. Thank you, Miss Rebekkah. Thank you, Isabel. Thank you, PACE.

I've been living as a neighbor to this center. Sadly, I must depart my hometown hastily. I'm going…read moreto live in Cleveland. I am a doordasher. And one time I delivered 15-30 boba teas to the fine folks who work at the center. They left a STRONG TIP!! The students and their teachers walk past my window every day. The employees park in front of my house. When school lets out, a minor traffic jam hems up the intersection. It is because these fine folks are doing the best they can without the type of facility they want or need. They are kind, caring, smart, educated people who care about others and the community. The families that arrive to pick up their students are all nice. They don't want to be a nuisance. AND THEY ARE NOT! If you have a person on the spectrum, they would be in good hands receiving education from this fine center. They are good neighbors to have. They've brightened many a dull day for me by simply saying hello. I'm sad to leave this area, my home. I was born two miles from here. But leave I must. This corner is filled with great neighbors. They enjoy the sunsets looking down Pruneridge and also forest. They helped me out for my moving sale. But one of my favorite neighbors is the Autism center for education. It's because the people who work here and attend for education are good people making a difference in this world. This corner is nearly a paradise. I'm kissing all my neighbors goodbye. These people are the best!!!!! So long, wonderful neighbors!

If you're looking for support for yourself, or your child with special needs, this is a place to…read morecome to and ask questions! Most of the staff here has a family member with a disability so they're able to understand the unique experiences that come from raising a child with a disability and connect with people with that perspective. There's no judgment here, just information, resources, empathy, and empowerment. - webinars, support groups, online learning - check out their website to see the list of things they can offer. Most services are free. They have a support staff that can provide information about community resources, working with the regional center, early start programs, educational systems, accommodations and modifications, individualized, education programs, and more. They keep your information confidential. Reach out to them if you have a child with a disability, and have questions!

I have special need thank you for creating BFF project where we can have a safe place to have fun…read moreand make you some good people

Esther B. Clark Schools are in the Children's Health Council group and provides educational…read moreservices for children in 2nd through 10th grades. In 2017 the South Bay Campus opened its doors. I cannot say enough good things about EBC. As parents of an extremely difficult child who had been diagnosed with a smorgasboard of conditions--Bipolar NOS, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Emotionally Disturbed NOS, Autistic High Functioning--we were at wit's end. The middle school special education class he was put into seemed to be more of a holding tank than a place where our son could learn, grow, and develop coping strategies. Numerous calls assaults against our other children, calls to police and stays at various psychiatric facilities did not seem to help. We were fortunate to have an amazing middle school principal who understood the situation and pushed for our son to attend EBC, which we had not heard of before. EBC has been a godsend. EBC gave us HOPE for our son. I cannot overstate how important this was for us. All special education schools can boast small classroom sizes and taylored educational curricula. What makes EBC stand out are the dedication of its staff, all the way from the teachers, classroom assistants, classroom behavioral specialists, therapists, to the administrative staff and the principal (director) of the school. Their dedication and ability to tolerate intolerable behavior always keeping an eye on the goal of how to best their students is nothing short of amazing! If you have a difficult child who is on an IEP in a classroom environment that you don't think is giving your child his or her best chance, I urge you to consider talking with EBC or touring its South Bay or Palo Alto campus.

As a former student, I had a negative experience at Esther B. Clark. The environment felt overly…read morebehavioristic, as I often felt conditioned rather than supported. This created a sense of learned helplessness instead of independence or emotional growth. One example of this, students including myself, would receive incentives such as gift cards from EBC to attend school by meeting the expectations set. This felt like more of a bribery to mask unwanted behavior instead of approaching behaviors and emotions from a psychological standpoint.

Leigh was truly a game-changer for our IEP triennial meeting. It was the first IEP meeting that was…read morea collaborative effort, and didn't feel like we were on oppositional sides with the IEP team. She really set the tone from the beginning and signaled collaboration. She also held the team accountable to how they wrote IEP goals and made sure they truly supported our kiddo. For once, we finally got most of the supports our child needs, but it also felt effortless because Leigh is such an incredible IEP family coach and professional. A Million Stars, if I could give them. She made all the difference for our child.

Taylor is the best special education advocate l've ever worked with. She is kind, compassionate and…read morepatient. Not to mention so incredibly knowledgeable. She made it feel easy and doable to navigate the San Jose Ca school system for my son. She's the person you want on your side in IEP meetings . Thank you Taylor!

Our son has been evaluated by DLS a few years ago for learning differences and ADHD and we have…read morebeen attending regular therapy sessions here ever since. John Fleming is the kind mastermind behind the center and its approach to helping children and parents alike. We call him a gem of a human, truly. His precise and detailed IEP has helped our school so much, is easy to follow and most importantly allows our son to thrive at school. We were blessed to be matched with our phenomenal therapist Anne-Laure Grigsby who we absolutely love and who became such an invaluable part of our family in regard to our son's educational journey. Anne-Laure is highly professional, knowledgeable and extremely supportive in every possible way, but more than that, she is very patient, kind, loving and intuitive in customizing his sessions to what is most needed at any given time. Anne-Laure has a gift of always putting our son in good spirits even though he suffers from depression while teaching him and helping him with challenging tasks. He has improved so much, gained confidence and genuinely enjoys his sessions on a weekly basis. We are so grateful to DLS for all the improvements and will continue with our sessions for as long as needed.

My son has been attending Ed Therapy for ADHD and learning differences for nearly 2 years. I cannot…read morestress how invaluable our twice weekly sessions are with Sujatha Srinivasan. John Flemming has reviewed school assessments for us and consulted on our IEP. I don't want to think how much more of a struggle this would be without them. Forever grateful for the work of this organization.

My kids have been going here for over a year now and we are happy with the results. We have tutors…read morefor math and ELA and they are all very supportive. TM offered free assessments for placement when we first came in. Programs were then individualized according to the kid's level. Scheduling is very easy. I recommend TM for anyone looking for quality 1-1 tutoring.

Incredible humans work here. Such a diverse and caring, intelligent and compassionate group. We…read moreare incredibly fortunate to find Thriving Minds Learning Center for our kids. Thank you!!!

My son attends Athena. He really struggled in the local public school that did not cater to his…read morelearning needs. We have seen a huge improvement in our son since attending Athena. He is more confident and has developed a love of reading. The teachers are first class and devoted to the children. There is a strong emotional / social learning component. The school recently received WASC accreditation which is a testament to the quality of the school. And the Head of School and administrative staff are excellent. I highly recommend the school.

TLDR: best school I've ever seen. The amount of work they put into the emotional well-being of…read morekids is astonishing. Teacher-student ratio is 4 (students) to 1 (teacher), students cherish every minute of the school. Where do I start? Probably 2 years ago, in a public school, where my sweet, bright, curious, always friendly 7 y o turned into a severely depressed, school-hating, crazy-acting, constantly talking about self-harm sad little person. Every day I would receive emails from school saying that my son would go above and beyond trying to escape from English classes. At home, he would beg me day and night not to take him to school. For home much longer could I stomach that? I took him out, and put him in homeschooling. Diagnosed him for dyslexia (that was pretty obvious), and started working with him myself and with dyslexia tutors. And... that did not help much! He was so confident that there was something fundamentally wrong with him, and these special classes made him believe it even more. I tried to see if he would like a couple of small private schools, he made it very clear that he would not. I was at loss, but, luckily, his therapist recommended Athena, and we signed up for a summer camp. On the first day, I had to drag him there, he came back smiling and with a forgotten peace inside. A few more days of camp - and my happy, curious, confident kid was back again!! 1,5 years later, I still feel like crying as I am writing it. It, of course, took him about a year of Athena enrollment to truly believe that he can be anyone he wants, that dyslexia is actually a superpower (now, when they taught him to read, he can read upside down and mirrored text, that is indeed a dyslexia perk). He's made a lot of friends. Teachers adore him, and he loves them back. He reads everything now. I drive him from South San Jose to Palo Alto and back, 2 hours per day. I pay expensive tuition (more that half of what I make), and I regret nothing. I would like to add that every person that works at Athena is very kind, not just polite and smiling, but deeply caring about the students. There is a lot of 1-o-1 work with each child. Teachers prepare the topics that interest students. Students, that have even deeply traumatized by their learning experience somewhere else, thrive. Thank you so much, Athena founders, teachers, and administration, for making this heavenly school.