My two sons have attended the Common School for five years, and our family could not feel more…read moresupported during this time. Most importantly, our children feel cared for, safe and socially and academically stimulated. The Common School is a ongoing project that evolves along with the its community expectations and, committed to a just society, through equity practices.

In my opinion, parents should be very careful about considering The Common School for their…read morechildren and should seek out former families to speak to rather than just taking the word of school leadership or selected references. I believe there are serious issues related to student safety and that the school and board leadership retaliate against parents who raise concerns. https://thingsincommon.substack.com/

PHS is a lovely Waldorf school with caring teachers, small classes, and a wonderful community…read morecommitted to supporting the whole child. My kids are both thriving after having been home with me for a year and a half during the pandemic and a big move upstate. PHS has helped them adjust more than I could've hoped. We are very grateful for this experience.

PHS is a wonder filled environment for children to blossom. Their Waldorf inspired learning…read moresupports the whole child, mind, body, and soul. They learn through immersion with their specials teachers guiding the children in the same way. Our children spend most of their days in school, so it is important they are able to connect with Nature during this time and at PHS they surely do. Their farm and garden staff is fantastic and children learn compassion and responsibility, while strengthening their will power, through caring for their beloved farm animals. Their verses teach them reverence. Bird counting encourages observation. Planting seeds, growing flowers, and food shows them how to care for themselves and the Earth. All learning is age appropriate and really looks at where children are developmentally and how they can be fully nourished, body, soul, and spirit. My son is currently in first grade and has truly found happiness here. Everyday he wakes up dawn's first light, dresses himself, and is eager to go to school. When I ask him if there was anything not so great about his day, he replies "No, the whole day was GREAT!" We have had superb communication with his teacher and the whole faculty. Our son is truly seen and cared for individually in this beautiful, nurturing community.

10/10 highly recommend brighter beginnings! My daughter…read morestarted here at 3 months old and I couldn't be happier with the experience we have had room 3 (the infant room) MS VIRGEN is amazing! Our daughter has such a strong bond with her and is always happy and smiling when I pick her up at the end of the day, Ms Virgen truly treats those babies as if they were her own and I couldn't have asked for anything better! Her and Nicole (who is also amazing!) read books to the babies, do arts and crafts, and make sure all babies get equal love and attention. The room is cleaned daily and their sick policies protect our little ones from spreading illnesses. They have a huge fenced in backyard with play structures and activities for the older kids. They frequently take the babies on walks with strollers. They also post the cutest pictures on their daycare app, which is nice to see while you are away from your child. Lily is awesome and runs a great facility. She is easy to work with and has always accommodated our needs without issue. My boyfriend and I both cried on our daughter's last day here (due to relocation). It was truly heartbreaking leaving this place behind as we knew how loved and well taken care of our daughter was in their care. I have nothing but great things to say and if you get lucky enough to send your child here, I promise you and your kiddo will be more than pleased with your experience

Cannot say enough nice things about Brighter Beginnings! Lilly, the Director, is amazing and really…read moreadds a personal touch to the center. They were very flexible with our needs, during a difficult transition through relocation/new jobs. Our son was enthusiastic about going to daycare each day and loved the teachers and friends he made. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

My daughter goes to the preschool & I could not be happier with their compassion as teachers &…read moretheir creativity as a whole. Recommend highly for school, dance or acting

Never send your child to their preschool programs. If your child does not fit into their box, they…read morewill not be accepted. My children were treated unfairly and the staff was unwilling to support the child. Rather, it was easier for them to discard them. The director and staff lack sincere compassion for what is best for ALL children. Thinking about enrolling here? I would seriously reconsider. There are more loving and caring schools in the area.

Wonderful school. Great sense of community every teacher knows your child. Not only do they teach…read moreacademics but they teach community service and how to be a respectful citizen.

What a fantastic school! It is a joyful and nurturing place and such a gift for our family!…read more My son began as a PreK student and is now in Kindergarten. At the young age of 5, he has an independent spirit and it's been instilled in him that his opinion and voice matters. He is kind, considerate, and sensitive, and he is taught that those are values to celebrate. Each day, he is encouraged to be playful and creative, indoors and out, especially in the snow! He comes home exhausted from adventures in the fairy woods, or releasing tadpoles into the pond or sending butterflies he raised to Mexico, or building a plane and flying it to Africa. He is learning math and writing and reading, but it's so joyful and instills such pride, that it doesn't feel like work. One day, I was home sick and suggested he stay home and watch movies, but he said, "Mama, we are learning numbers 7 and 8 today, and a new poem, and I don't want to miss that!" Between the Spanish and French lessons, the intro to musical instruments and sign language and poetry and yoga and skiing and ceramics and book making and wood working and on and on, he is bursting with a love of learning. And not only does BCD know and value my son, but I feel as a family, we have been welcomed and engaged by a warm group of parents from all backgrounds. Berkshire Country Day School is one of the best decisions we ever made and if you are considering it, I say, YES, do it!

Berkshire Country Day School has been fundamentally transformative for our son. He started there…read moreat the end of 5th grade, and is now in 8th. I have such overwhelmingly positive things to say about his time there, that I barely know where to start. Many schools say they treat every student as an individual, and work to ensure each individual is known, understood and given what they specifically need to grow and fulfill their potential, but BCD actually truly does that. My son has grown in a way I hoped he would, that I knew he was capable of, because BCD allowed him to. His time there has been, and continues to be, utterly inspiring and fulfilling, and he is so, so happy. He loves school! The academics are really strong and challenging, but at the same time engaging and fun. The school is not at all preppy in the way I understand that word, and is definitely what I would call progressive. The relationship between teachers and students is one of mutual respect and teachers are part of their "team", on their side and always there for them. This relationship doesn't challenge the teachers position of authority, but interestingly seems to reinforce it in a meaningful way. Every teacher he has had there has been exceptional, approachable and welcoming, and he has loved, respected and relished learning from every one of them. He is now an amazing young man who LOVES learning. He is confident and kind and caring - everything that I knew was within him, and that has been nurtured and allowed to flourish at BCD. We were awarded financial aid, as many applicants are. Don't assume you can't afford it. We are by far what you might consider the private school profile, and without the financial aid we couldn't have given our son what I consider to be the best gift we could ever give. It has still been a struggle financially, but achievable and the struggle has already paid back in so many ways. Pay for this, and college will take care of itself!

I have known the school for fifty years. Darrow gave me the space, support and opportunity to…read morediscover so many skills I never knew I had. Darrow taught me to think analytically, communicate effectively and collaborate as often as possible. There is a "safeness" that exists at Darrow that allows a student to try anything. If a student fails, he will be caught. To me there is more pride in failure than never having tried. I failed many times while at Darrow. Was I negatively judged? No. Did I try something else? I did. As a consequence, I am still trying new things. Some I'm good at. Others, not so much. But thanks to Darrow I keep on trying.

We lived in a town with one of the highest-ranked school systems nationally, yet our son was not…read moreengaged. Then we discovered Darrow: a stunningly beautiful setting in the Berkshire foothills, a warm and welcoming community, and a collaborative process that turns students into partners in the education process. It transformed our son into an outgoing, enthusiastic and accomplished student and it made his extra-curricular interests blossom. The "Mountainside" is more than a school - it's the foundation for a lifetime of achievement.