I cannot rave enough about Mandy Kirk. She's brilliant, enormously insightful, effortless with…read morechildren and cares beyond measure. My husband and I were faced with a tough decision when our 6th grade son who was on a leadership scholarship at a very expensive independent school where he is doing very well both socially and academically came to us and told us that he wanted to go back to his old school for junior high school. His reasons - he wanted a more challenging academic environment and was afraid that if he stayed at his current school he would not be as well-prepared for high school which would in turn affect his college opportunities. Mandy listened to him voice is opinion, listened to our concerns and then asked a lot of questions. She was so respectful of our son and asked some great questions that really made him think. He told all of us that he wanted to be more academically challenged, he wanted more structure and he wanted more homework. The thought of that scared us as parents because he left his old school because the structure, discipline, academic challenges seemed too much. This is also why his current school which catered to a more critically thinking child seemed like such a good fit. Mandy's gentle questions and how she guided his and our thought processes made it clear to us as his parents that he had thought about this extensively, his decision was proactive and internally driven and he knew what he was doing. Mandy helped us to listen to what our son was really saying, to understand that he was asking to be more challenged in junior high school, to understand that he wanted more and better study skills and that he was ready for it, to just let go and again listen and trust our son. Mandy also suggested a coach for our son to make sure that he would be successful. He loved that idea much more than getting a tutor since he's all about sports. She also suggested that we consider getting him tested. There has always been a disconnect between how verbal, engaging, ambitious and forward thinking he is and his ability to focus if it's a subject that he is not 100% fascinated by. All in all, she left and we were all completely clear on what the right decision was. Mandy is worth her weight in gold. We can't praise her highly enough. Neither can our son. In his words, "She's amazing, she really listens and asks good questions that make me think. I was pretty sure that this is what I needed to do but now I'm certain that it's what I need to do." Mandy, this is definitely your calling!

Do it!!!!! Call and meet with Amanda, you won't be disappointed…read more A friend recommended we see Amanda regarding out 13 year old daughter. Amanda gave us more insight and great advise that made sense than any counselor we had spoken to. Her report after meeting our daughter was concise and spot on! Thank you Amanda, you're amazing!!

ETC is my favorite white water rafting company! It's a nonprofit whose missions is to "make the joy…read moreand challenge of outdoor adventures accessible to people with disabilities and under-resourced youth, inspiring self-confidence, connection to nature, and stewardship of the environment." I've been coming here for 3-4 years and will definitely be back! A friend who is a disabled vet introduced me to ETC by bringing me along on his white water rafting trip with other disabled vets. We had a great time! The guides are caring, excellent communicators and patient when teaching how to paddle. Besides guides, ETC also provides volunteer guides on boats so that people who need help actually have help. Our friend is a paraplegic as a result of serving overseas and ETC was so good to him! They made sure he had a volunteer sit next him in the event that he might need help. Boats aren't packed to the gills with rafters like commercial outfits in the area. ETC puts 7 or so people on a boat so everyone have space to paddle and aren't crammed like sardines. They also allow you to camp on their site which is a great benefit. Instead of having to drive to their site and hop straight on a boat you can arrive the day before, camp and wake up without the rush of driving from a city to the the river. It's especially helpful if you're rafting 2 consecutive days. Staying at the campsite reduces the need to find a hotel but also gives you the opportunity to relax after the day on the river. You'll be tired and will want to rest immediately. Their campsite is beautiful. The experience is a bit like glamping. They've got bathrooms, lit pathways, and a kitchen. I love to camp there. The sounds of the river and beauty from the stars help put me to sleep. Just want to shout out the ETC team again. They do an excellent job listening to your needs and responding to them. I fell out of the raft last year and was scared of the river as a result. When I shared that information with their River Manager and River Assistant, I was placed with a senior guide to help reduce the number of "unplanned swims" and it worked. Drew and Kayla were super attentive, ensured we had a lot of splashing in the water without falling in. They're the best! Also, Jerry and Flip are also amazing guides. Everyone at ETC makes safety a priority but also has fun on the water. ETC is the best!!!

These guys are great. Had a lot of fun. Our raft guide was very experienced and made the ride very…read moresmooth. She also had a lot of interesting stories to share. All in all an awesome experience. Highly recommended. What's more, the money you spend on these trips supports trips for the underprivileged. Keep up the good work ETC!

Unions are not a big problem nor past their prime as a prior reviewer stated. God bless teachers…read morewho have one of the hardest jobs out there!

As new parents my husband and I had no clue what we were doing! We decided to try a parenting class…read moreand ended up gaining so much more than just a few "tips". The Kid Shapers Seminar that we attended was not only fun, engaging and HILARIOUS but it set us up with the tools we needed to help create a peaceful environment in our home! We attended the class before our daughter was even born and I am so glad that we did because we were fully prepared as a "team" when her extremely strong willed personality began to emerge. It's easy for chaos to build in a home with a challenging child but having our plan of action already set we have found the difficult times to become fun moments of "shaping" for all of us. Thank you Kid Shapers for helping us direct our child in a way that WORKS without raised voices, time outs or headaches!

From the owner: We offer seminars that are especially designed to train parents & educators as they shape children…read more They offer timeless strategies using principles that effectively apply to children of a wide age range. Many have testified to the success of these principles, even when working with children who challenge authority, deliberately disobey known rules, or do not respect the rights of others. Seminars include humor, memorable graphics, & group interaction. Useful as they are, Kid Shapers seminars are great fun! Effective guidelines that are respectful, loving & firm go home with attenders. Each syllabus is a useful daily reference guide making it easy to implement principles & to adapt them to nearly every disciplinary situation, Rather than bargaining, threatening, pleading & criticizing, adults in authority can maintain their dignity while guiding toward obedience. Children respond well to limits maintained through logical & natural consequences rather than rewards & punishments.

Alex had worked with my son, who has Cerebral Palsy for two years. He had lots of issues with his…read morespeech. When she started seeing him he wasn't able to pronounce some sounds and was excessively protruding his tongue when trying to say the "L" sound. In just a few months working with Alex, my son started pronouncing the "L" well, with no protrusion. Now he can pronounce all the sounds. Alex also arranged for my son to make a Stuttering Presentation in front of the other kids at school. That was a great initiative, because my son was so proud and excited to do it (actually talked very smoothly during the presentation), and because the other kids were able to understand more about stuttering, what it feels like, try to do it, thus getting a better understanding of the problem and the kids with stuttering issues. Alex taught my son what techniques to use to make stuttering less bothering. Alex is always very nice and friendly, treats her kids with love, belief, and dedication. She organized a few parties fro my son for different occasions. She always kept a good communication with me. She updated me about problems or progresses; always took into consideration my worries; responded to me emails promptly. She is lots of fun, her kids love her and are willing to work with her.

I can not say enough about Alex. She is truly one of a kind. She was my daughter's speech…read moretherapist in the public schools, and she far exceeded my hopes. Alex looks at the "whole child," and structured the goals towards growing my daughter as a person, as an independent thinker, and a self-sufficient young lady, all while centered around advancing her speech skills. In the IEP discussions at school, she was an active participant, and a true leader in terms of looking out for all of my daughter's goals. She had a voice and influence in all dimensions of the process. Alex always went above and beyond, offering practical and fun .....and highly relevant paths for my daughter. Oh .....and her speech has improved, too :-) Yes, I can not more enthusiastically recommend Alex!!!

Called Lisa, since other therapists weren't instantly available. Before my first employment…read moreplanning meeting, so reminded me to slow down and over enunciate (articulate/modulate). Any pupil with communication needs should deal from her!

I reached out to Lisa, had a brief conversation and text exchange during which she asked me to call…read moreher later. I've tried 3x to reach her via text and phone, no response. If you're not serious about running a business, which involves responding to clients whom you've already interacted with and are attempting to reach out to you at your request, don't do it.

Was a chaperone for my son's school and couldn't have had a better experience. The staff went above…read moreand beyond in every way possible to make sure everyone was having fun, being safe, and respectful to nature. I was blown away by how great of a learning experience it was and got to experience releasing salmon into the creek. Truly a magical place in the redwoods and I can't wait to visit again for a camp with my kids.

I have been here several times growing up at the Samaritan Neighborhood Center in Oakland, Ca. This…read morewas some of my best times, from the days filled with many activities, the camp fires, the cabins, the hiking, the songs! I loved this place. The counselors and staff were always super nice! I miss that tire swing lol. I often think of this place. What a great memory!

Professor Lee (Lee laoshi) was a great teacher for me and other adult Chinese language learners…read more Thanks to her, I was able to communicate effectively with my wife's relatives and properly participate in funerals for extended family in China. Previously when working with her, I learned enough to travel on my own in Beijing and surroundings. I highly recommend working with her if you want an intensive, focused program of learning spoken or written Chinese.

My children age 9and 10 had been going to this establishment for over two years . I originally was…read morepleased with the place and their teaching . As time has gone on my kids had not picked up as much of the language as I thought they should , so I had contemplated moving else where ... but the class is super close to there elementary school so we stayed . Then the worst thing I could have imagined was made clear to me. My kids let me know that The owner Celine who instructed my kids had been SWATTING the back of their heads with her hand to get them to pay attention!! I was and am in SHOCK , no body touches my kids. IT was hard enough to frighten them Both and this is why I strongly feel other parents need to know this happened . Please do not be fooled by her kindness this will eventually be to your child's disservice . Also I have emails and voice messages with Celine the teacher apologizing! She even went so far as to have a mutual friend try to get me to forgive and forget! Probably knowing I'd write this very sad true information. Be warned ..