I have been taking Italian language and literature classes with Polyglottist Language Academy off…read moreand on since 2017. I initially started taking classes because I had planned a trip to Italy for the summer, but after my trip I was motivated to continue. I have since returned to Italy 2 more times. I've taken Italian classes with several instructors including but not limited to Sole, Valerie, Cinzia, Oscar, and Francesca. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every class. The instructors are knowledgeable, patient, and eager to create a positive and enriching learning environment. Olga has been even more accommodating in light of the difficulties that arose with COVID-19 social distancing protocols, even allowing classes to take place on Zoom. I would 100% recommend taking classes with this academy!

Hi, I highly recommend this Academy and in particular our great teacher Francesca Lorenzon…read more Francesca is an excellent teacher, who truly cared about me and the rest of our class. She made sure that we learned about culture, geography and language. She always welcomed our questions and was just fun to be around. This carried forward into the overall classroom experience where all had a good time and ended up going out to lunch every few weeks. I studied Italian for eight months to prepare for my trip to Italy and highly recommend Francesca and the Academy. Joe

My 11 year old son "hates" writing... unfortunately he wasn't getting enough guidance and…read moreinstruction at school and so I enrolled him in this BAWP weekly program for kids in Berkeley. It was a 10 week course, 2 hours per week. At first, he was very grumpy with the concept and angry at me for enrolling him. After two weeks, however, I witnessed an amazing transformation. His confidence in his writing increased exponentially and his enthusiasm for writing followed suit. He actually said he enjoyed the program and the various writing exercises and games they used to help each child expand their abilities. The group used many different tactics to draw the student's' interest and encourage creativity. One week the group walked to a nearby museum and were asked to write about a piece of art that inspired them. They also took a walking tour the neighborhood to find inspiration for stories and poems. I can't say enough good things about this program and the Berkeley instructors. For "graduation" each child was asked to read an excerpt of their work for parents and friends. It was amazing! The instructors were kind, enthusiastic and incredibly talented teachers. Both were life-long writers and both clearly loved to work with young people. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience and I will be looking for more camps and programs from BAWP in the future.

BAWP San Ramon Staff is kind. The high school campus is nice and safe for kids…read more However, this is NOT an enrichment program for kids, it is just a summer kid fun, 3-hour daycare. They group 3 levels "6+7+8" into groups in the library; the higher levels actually gain nothing during the 3 weeks, just "poem and craft book". The tuition is $500 plus $50 registration fee. On the first day of school this year, a teacher asked all parents if any students here today attended last summer BAWP program? Absolutely NO one showed hand! Thank you.

Stir-Fry Seminars & Consulting is an awesome place! Rainbow and Lee Mun Wah are phenomenal…read morefacilitators. They are direct and gentle, real and kind. They dispel the European narrative which centers White-ness as the crux of American culture and create/hold space for folks of color to share their experiences, while also creating the conditions for White folks and White appearing folks to delve into the driving forces behind their projections of privilege. The basis of the framework is creating understanding through mindful facilitation, so that people may build true community with one another. Lee Mun Wah and Rainbow work seamlessly to interweave people's varying understanding of differences, with peoples experiences, acknowledging each and every person who shares and building bridges between their differences by sharing mindful inquiry models, personal experiences, and interactive activities with participants. Their style of facilitation is needed ALL OVER! It is truly life changing, eye opening, and essential to examining true diversity and its tangible applications which are all too often left to rhetoric. If you are looking to build your capacity to understand others, share your truth and be heard, learn truly effective conflict resolution skills, and skillful facilitation techniques this is the place to go!

The worst. We had issues at my job including racist behavior by several staff members. Lee Mun Wah…read moreand his colleague came to address the situation. The colleague was fine but Lee Mun Wah didn't do what was needed and inflamed the situation. He had the two management folks hash out their issues in front of the staff. He asked one African American woman to chant "you're racist, you're racist" to a white colleague there was already tension with. He tried to bond in an inappropriate way with the line Asian American employee, repeatedly calling her "my Asian sister." He insisted on showing us his film and having us discuss it which took more than an hour during which time we could have worked on specific issues that needed to be addressed. And this was after we said that most of us had seen the film and didn't want it to be part of the training. It was worse than an expensive waste of time it caused a lot of harm. The Black manager ended up being further harassed by the white director and she ended up being asked to leave in an awful way. There was a real opportunity for healing to happen and Stir-Fry productions utterly failed.

Shohreh is a true miracle worker! I never in my life thought a foreign language class was something…read morethat I could do until I found French Farsi Without Tears. When I first arrived I was expecting textbooks, work sheets, and a long list of words to memorize - however this was far from the case. What I found was a small, friendly, and inviting group of classmates that together, through many small conversations and lessons, began to pick up Farsi. From practice scenarios, eating great Persian food, and talking with classmates I got the true immersion experience! While the curriculum is not very dry, stressful, or overly intensive, I was surprised by how fast everything went. After just the first class I was reading, writing, and even doing some speaking! Before I knew it, I felt like I was having full conversations in Farsi without even thinking about it and it felt so natural. Looking forward to continuing my Farsi learning experience in Shohreh's advance classes!

Shohreh is one of the best teachers I have had in my entire (not just adult) life. Her enthusiasm…read moretowards teaching creates such a friendly and positive environment toward learning Farsi. She does so well with making sure you absorb all of the lessons in a thorough yet gentle fashion. The class' approach to the technical side of the language is very good and what you need to build a foundation. But what made the class so interesting is Shohreh's insights into Persian culture and history during lessons which will in turn teach you the artistic side of the language. Teaching both makes me feel like I have not just learned, but I understand, the language. Also as a non-Persian learning for fun because my wife speaks Farsi and is Persian, the class has provided insights into her and her family I greatly appreciate and would not have gotten out of an app. My recommendation could not be higher for Shohreh and her program.

Leila is amazing and my family would have been absolutely lost without her help. We moved from LA…read moreto the Bay Area this year and she helped us figure out both middle and elementary school for our children. She has a wealth of knowledge about schools, teachers, pedagogy, the application process, how to write an essay, etc. She helped us every step of the way and also organized school visits for us on our trips up from LA. Every penny you spend on Sparkjoy Consulting is well worth it. In fact, I still text Leila with questions about extracurricular activities, restaurants, etc.! She is amazing and her sunny disposition makes her wonderful to work with through this process which would otherwise be very stressful!

I whole-heartedly agree with all these glowing Yelp reviews of Leila and her services. She brings…read morea wealth of experience as a teacher (check out her resume!) and parent to her work, and it feels like having a friend on the inside to guide you through the school selection process. Leila helped me navigate the process with more lightness, and homed in on the right questions to help us make important decisions. Leila provides a wonderful service for parents wading through the many great school choices available to East Bay families!

My daughter and I often joke that Elaine came to us from on high just when we needed her most! We…read morehad no idea how to navigate the college application process, but with Elaine's excellent help (she is calms, clear, organized and inspiring) we were able to make it! My daughter ended up getting into her first-choice school and Elaine's amazing help made that possible. But more than what school she got into it was just wonderful having Elaine to guide us and bounce ideas off of throughout the process. It's not easy out there and there is no one right decision - through it all Elaine made us feel like we had a strong guide on our side.

Elaine is a world-class advisor--thoughtful, capable, compassionate, and responsive…read more She worked with our twins for several years as we navigated the stress and uncertainty of the college process--where to apply, how to think about value, and how to strike the right balance between reach, target, and safety schools. The process today is daunting. With Ivies accepting just 3-5% of applicants and UC schools also extremely competitive, it's too risky to go it alone and hope for the best. Elaine dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and care guiding our kids through every step. No matter the situation, her advice was always thoughtful and transparent. She responded quickly to every question, usually the same day or within 24 hours. Of course, no advisor can work miracles if a student isn't already committed and putting in the effort--but for motivated students, even the strongest ones, her guidance is invaluable. She also helps set realistic expectations for both kids and parents, which is just as important as anything else. Now the results are in. Both of our kids are strong IB students who were active in music and leadership programs. While the Ivies ultimately proved too far a stretch (despite their qualifications), they were accepted to several top UC and state schools, as well as USC, LMU, and others. Our daughter has chosen UC Berkeley, where she also received a significant merit scholarship--something we were especially grateful for given the cost of college today. Our son was also offered spots at UC Berkeley and UCSD, but has USC Thornton in his sights. If you have a child entering or already in high school, I highly recommend starting with Elaine for an initial consultation. Our whole family--especially our kids--is grateful for her guidance, which led to outstanding options at some of the top public and private universities in the country. We couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome and look forward to the next chapter with twins in college.

A magical place! My 6-year-old son is autistic and it was such a relief to be welcomed by a team…read morethat just gets it. The space is super clean and feels like a kid's dream. There's so much to do, climbing, building, exploring, getting wiggles out, and even a quiet room to chill. You can tell the folks behind it really thought through everything. The vibe, the décor, even the website feel so neurodiverse-affirming. They have tech to help build community around members too. We live in Novato so the distance makes a membership tough right now, but I'm hoping we can join in the summer when school isn't in the way. I'd love to see Spirited Play Labs expand to more places as this is the future IMO (please come to Novato, I'll help!). For families like ours, where typical play spaces can feel stressful or isolating, this place is a true gem, welcoming, thoughtful, and hopeful for the future. Thank you!!!

We've been coming to SPL for years, and it has always been such a positive experience. The play…read moresessions with Lia mean so much to us. we truly appreciate her patience, guidance, and support. Every visit, we notice progress. My daughter used to play only by herself, but now we see her becoming more independent and interacting with Lia, which fills our hearts. As a mom of a child on the spectrum, I know how hard it can be. My daughter doesn't have friends, but when we come here, she has one. In other spaces, the stares that come with her stimming can be so difficult to ignore, but here at SPL, we feel safe, accepted, and not judged. That sense of belonging is rare for special needs families, and we are so grateful to have found it here. I love how the staff embraces inclusion and acceptance. it shows in everything they do. I truly wish there were more places and programs like this for our kids, because families like ours need community.